LABOUR DEBATES UNION LINK REFORMS
Ed Miliband’s bid to reform Labour’s trade union links will be debated by the party’s national executive as more details emerged of the internal inquiry into the ballot-rigging claims which prompted his reform drive.
The Guardian published a leaked copy of the internal report into alleged voting irregularities by the Unite union in the Falkirk constituency, which Mr Miliband has declined to publish.
Karie Murphy, the Unite-backed candidate who was forced to quit the race to be party’s general election candidate in the seat, told the newspaper it showed that “none of the allegations were supported by evidence”.
CHARLES TO VISIT FLOOD VICTIMS
The Prince of Wales will visit flood-hit communities today.
Charles will be introduced to local residents, farmers and members of the emergency services who have been affected by the recent flooding on the Somerset Levels.
Among the places the prince will visit are the village of Muchleney, which has been cut off for a month, and a local farming family at Langport, where he will see damage caused by the flood waters.
SUGAR ’RAISES HEART ATTACK RISK’
Consuming too many sugary sweets, desserts and drinks can triple your chances of dying from heart disease, a study has shown.
Scientists in the US found a striking association between the proportion of daily calories supplied by sugar-laden foods and heart disease death rates.
One sugar-sweetened beverage a day was enough to increase the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) affecting the heart and arteries.
POLICE ’SCARED’ HILLSBOROUGH FANS
Hillsborough survivors have spoken of how they were “scared and intimidated” by officers from the force tasked to independently investigate the football disaster.
The new investigation into the tragedy, which killed 96 Liverpool fans in 1989, has already uncovered a mass of statements given by police officers on the day that were doctored by South Yorkshire Police.
A subsequent inquiry carried out by West Midlands Police into the handling of Hillsborough by their counterparts in South Yorkshire has also become the focus for possible criminal conduct after the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found ”differences” in witness statements taken from fans.
10% RISE IN GUARANTEE JOBS PREDICTED
More graduate vacancies are expected to be available this year, but university leavers still need to ensure they have the right skills and abilities to land a job, a new survey suggests.
There is expected to be a 10.2% rise in openings in the coming graduate recruitment round, according to a poll of leading graduate employers.
The survey, published by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) predicts that a number of industries will have more vacancies available, with job openings in IT and telecoms expected to rise by 40%.
TEACHERS TO BE TRAINED IN CODING
Top IT businesses and universities are to be handed public funding to set up projects aimed at training teachers to give lessons in computer coding, it has been announced.
The move is part of a bid to get schools teaching coding to inspire the next generation of technology entrepreneurs, the Department for Education (DfE) said.
The announcement comes as a new Year of Code campaign is launched, and ahead of the introduction of a new computing curriculum this autumn.
FACEBOOK MARKS 10 YEARS OF TRIUMPHS
Facebook - the project that began in a student’s dorm and went on to become one of the greatest internet success stories of all time - is celebrating its 10th birthday.
In the last decade, it has attracted millions of people who use it to communicate with friends, post updates on their life, share photographs, change their relationship status, or to simply click ’like’.
Last week, the social network heavyweight reported record revenues of 2.5 billion dollars (£1.5 billion) from 750 million daily users - a revenue rise of one billion dollars (£0.6bn) on the same period last year.
SHARP FALLS ON ASIAN STOCK MARKETS
Weakness in US and Chinese manufacturing sent Asian stock markets sharply lower today.
The slide in Asian markets followed losses yesterday in Europe and on Wall Street after sentiment was hurt by the weak data from the world’s two biggest economies.
An official Chinese manufacturing survey showed that factory output grew at a slower rate in January compared with December.
