Key Quotes for 2012

A world perspective in bite-size chunks
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Last update: Wednesday 25th March
 
Fear of debt and cost concerns could be deterring large numbers of young people from going to university, a survey has found. About 36% of students from single parent households say they are unlikely to go into higher education because their family could not afford the fees, compared with 13% of those in two-parent homes, an Ipsos Mori poll commissioned by education charity Sutton Trust has found. Older pupils are more likely to cite worries over getting into debt as a reason for saying they unlikely to continue into higher education.
EducationThe Sentinel – 28th September 2012
 
Doctors and nurses have been ordered to spend at least five minutes talking to each of their patients every day. Latest guidelines issued to medical staff tell them to carry out daily hospital ward-rounds to check on their patients' conditions. The advice follows concerns that the traditional practice of chatting to patients at their bedsides every morning has become 'eroded’. Some consultants have admitted that they only discovered their patients had been taking medication which can cause harmful reactions with their new treatment after they had been in hospital for 'several' days. One elderly man admitted to hospital became convinced he was dying of a terminal illness because no one had bothered to tell him when he might be discharged.
Work/EmploymentDaily Mail October 4th 2012
 
It seems an apple a day really can keep the doctor away - especially the cardiologist. In a study of healthy, middle-aged adults, consumption of one apple a day for four weeks lowered levels of so-called 'bad’ cholesterol by 40 per cent. Taking capsules containing poryphenols - a type of antioxidant found in apples - had a similar, but not as large, effect on LDL - low-density lipoprotein. LDL is linked to hardening of the arteries. Those who took part in the study, funded by an apple industry group, ate large red or Golden Delicious apples.
HealthDaily Mail October 4th 2012
 
Taking a low dose of aspirin may help keep the brain young, claim researchers. A study of older women taking low doses to prevent heart disease found it also helped preserve their memory. Millions of Britons take aspirin on doctor's orders to prevent heart problems. Other research suggests it may cut the risk of cancer. There have been conflicting results from studies about whether long-term use of Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin protects against declining brainpower and dementia. But research published in the online Journal BMJ Open found regular low-dose aspirin did slow cognitive decline.
HealthDaily Mail October 4th 2012
 
More than 22,000 Britons suffer cancer every year because they are too fat, claim researchers. Being obese or overweight heightens the risk of at least seven types of the disease, including breast, bowel, pancreatic, womb, kidney, oesophagus and gall bladder. Academics from the World Cancer Research Fund say that excess fat is the second biggest cause of cancer after smoking. They have calculated that being overweight or obese is directly responsible for 22,138 cases every year. This toll includes 7,752 cases of breast cancer, 5,753 of the bowel and 2,978 affecting the womb….Last year just over 320,400 people were diagnosed with cancer, according to figures from Cancer Research UK. The latest calculations mean that 1 in 14 cases are caused by being overweight.
HealthDaily Mail October 4th 2012
 
State subsidies for child¬care are so high that in some cases it would be cheaper for taxpayers to pay working parents to stay at home, a scathing report found yesterday. It said the amount paid to subsidise nursery places for some families is higher than the wages the parents can earn. And future increases in fast-rising childcare costs are likely to make it impossible for any parent on the minimum wage to earn as much as the subsidies that pay others to look after their children. The paper from the Centre for Justice, the think tank founded by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, said childcare subsidies cost tax¬payers £2.3billion a year. It called for an attack on red tape to reduce the cost of running nurseries or childminding businesses so that subsidies can be cut and parents can keep more of the money they earn. The report also questioned the value of subsidising childcare for young mothers who would rather be at home bringing up their children than working.
MoneyDaily Mail October 4th 2012
 
The world is not even halfway through the financial crisis and should brace itself for another six years of turmoil, according to a leading global watchdog. Olivier Blanchard, chief economist at the International Monetary Rind, said it will take at least ten years to recover from the meltdown caused by the banking crash of 2008. He added: 'It is not yet a lost decade but it will surely take at least a decade from the beginning of the crisis for the world economy to get back to decent shape.' The warning came amid signs that Britain has finally emerged from the longest double dip recession since the Second World War. Experts predict that the economy grew by 0.6 per cent between July and Septem¬ber - the first quarter of growth since the same period last year. But with the eurozone crisis threatening to spiral out of control, the US approaching a debt storm, and the global economy slowing from China to Brazil, the outlook remains bleak.
Daily Mail October 4th 2012
 
Supermarkets are warning of shortages of British fruit and vegetables and higher prices after the recent torrential rain left fields waterlogged. Retailers are struggling to keep shelves stocked, and some are putting up signs apologising for the fact that their produce is not up to normal standards. Yesterday, Sainsbury's and Tesco predicted a shortage of homegrown potatoes, parsnips, and carrots in the run-up to Christmas. Crops of sprouts are down by 20 or 30 percent, while there will be fewer pumpkins for Halloween. Crops of broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower and swede are all expected to be smaller. Stores say they will be forced to import more vegetables, which will inevitably drive up prices at a time when the nation is suffering the biggest cost of living squeeze in at least 60 years. The lack of supply has led to a big price rises for potatoes, with the wholesale cost up by as much as 25 per cent on a year ago. Wheat harvests have also been hit with the result that millers are importing more grain, which will push up the cost of bread and pasta.
Food and DrinkDaily Mail October 4th 2012
 
Children given more fast food meals will grow up to have a lower IQ than those who regularly eat freshly cooked meals, according to a study. Childhood nutrition has long lasting effects on IQ, even after previous intelligence and wealth and social status are taken into account, it found. The study examined whether the type of main meal that children ate each day had an impact on their cognitive ability and growth. It looked at 4,000 Scottish children aged three to five years old and compared fast food with freshly-cooked food. The study, undertaken by an academic at Goldsmiths, University of London, found that parents with a higher socio-economic status reported that they gave their children meals prepared with fresh ingredients more often, which positively affected their IQ. Lower socio-economic status was linked to more children having fast food, which led to lower intelligence.
Food and DrinkDaily Mail October 4th 2012
 
Ikea has apologised for airbrushing all pictures of women out of its catalogues in Saudi Arabia. The Swedish furniture giant expressed 'regret' over its attempt to pander to cultural sensitivities in the ultra-conservative Middle Eastern kingdom, claiming it was 'in conflict’ with Ikea values. Some pictures from the Swedish catalogue featuring women have been removed entirely for the Saudi version, while others have had women airbrushed out. The move brought condemnation from Sweden's equality minister. Women appear only infrequently in Saudi-run advertising, with scarves covering their hair and long sleeves. In imported magazines, censors black out women's arms, legs and chests.
World IssuesDaily Mail October 2nd 2012
 
No patient should be consigned to the controversial NHS process to help the dying in their final days without the involvement of at least two doctors, experts urged yesterday. They said the most senior staff available must be involved because 'it is not always easy to tell whether someone is very close to death'. The demand for the highest possible level of supervision of patients on the Liverpool Care Pathway follows allegations that the system is being used to kill off sick people before their time-effectively officially sanctioned euthanasia. Under the pathway, patients judged to be days or hours from death can be denied water or nutrition through a tube, may be heavily sedated, denied treatment that could prolong life and not given any unnecessary tests or pathway and that putting a patient on it is a 'self-fulfilling prophecy'. He claimed the system was being used to get rid of difficult-to-manage elderly patients and to free beds to make room for new patients. A number of other senior medical figures have questioned the removal of nourishment and hydration by tube from some patients, and one pressure group has begun issuing cards to patients that tell hospitals they do not want to be put on the Liverpool Care Pathway. The call for at least two medical staff to assess patients - one of whom should be the most senior on duty was issued in a 'consensus statement' by 20 bodies including the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Physicians, the National Council for Palliative Care, pressure groups including Age UK and the Alzheimer's Society, and the Royal College of Nursing.
HealthDaily Mail October 2nd 2012
 
Private school leaders yesterday raised the prospect of boycotting any university found to be systematically discriminating against their pupils in admissions. They are incensed that more than half of top universities have set targets for admitting more state school pupils after pressure from the Government to widen their social mix. Headmasters are demanding universities such as Cambridge are banned from setting targets which classify students according to the type of school they attended. They are concerned the approach means state pupils from privileged backgrounds could be given an unfair advantage over well-qualified privately educated pupils from modest homes. Sources at the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), which represents 250 leading private schools, warn that fee-paying pupils could be advised to shun any university felt to be operating biased admissions. There is no evidence any universities are currently doing so. In 2003, private schools boycotted Bristol until they were assured pupils would be treated fairly.
EducationDaily Mail October 2nd 2012
 
The end of unwanted calls and texts from marketing firms could be in sight after two men responsible for millions of spam texts to mobile phone users were told they face a £250,000 fine. The case, the first of its kind, is part of a wider crackdown by watchdogs on marketing texts and recorded message calls sent at random and without permission. Tens of thousands of people have complained about being subjected to a constant stream of nuisance texts, often from claims firms promising to pursue personal injury claims or payment protection insurance refunds. The messages are sent in breach of legislation that should stop mobile phones and landlines from being targeted unless permission has been granted by an individual. The Information Commissioner's Office has received more than 30,000 complaints about spam texts in the past six months and is calling on victims to help identify the culprits by registering the details on its website.
MediaDaily Mail October 2nd 2012
 
More than a million patients are taking potentially harmful tranquillisers, with some hooked for more than 20 years, experts have warned. Although guidelines state benzodiazepines should only be used for a maximum of a month, many users are becoming dependent. Psychiatrists say that some patients are begging for repeat prescriptions while others are buying them illegally from foreign websites. It is estimated 1.5million Britons are currently taking a form of benzodiazepines, which include temazepam and diazepam. A study published in the British Medical Journal found the pills increased the risk of dementia by 50 per cent, even if only taken for short periods. Other research has linked them to premature death.
HealthDaily Mail October 2nd 2012
 
Women should no longer be offered hip resurfacing because of 'unacceptably high' failure rates, surgeons have warned. Figures show women who had worn-out hips resurfaced are up to five times more likely to need a second operation than those having conventional implants. More than one in ten suffer problems including pain, soft tissue damage and infection, sometimes causing permanent damage. Resurfacing is often offered to younger patients as an alternative to hip replacement, but is also commonly used in older people. At least 32,000 patients - one in three of them women - have undergone hip resurfacing since It became available on the NHS and privately around ten years ago. The procedure reconditions a worn-out hip joint by placing metal caps in the hip socket and on top of the thighbone. A full hip replacement involves cutting off the top of the thigh bone to fit the new joint, which can have a variety of bearing options, such as ceramic, metal or plastic
HealthDaily Mail October 2nd 2012
 
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