Press release: Fine wine investment scheme shut down by courts
A Southampton-based company that misled customers to invest in fine wines has been wound up in the High Court.
News story: Experienced nuclear leader for new Magnox role
The new subsidiary will come into being on 1 September 2019 when the current Parent Body Organisation, the Cavendish Fluor Partnership, hands over to the NDA.
Lawrie has extensive experience in senior executive and non-executive roles across a range of major private sector companies and high profile public sector organisations, with a strong track record in the nuclear sector. These include his roles as President of Rolls-Royce Land and Sea Division, Chief Executive of British Nuclear Group and Non-Executive Director at Network Rail.
David Peattie said:
I am delighted to welcome Lawrie as Chair Designate of the new Magnox Ltd Board. His contribution will be invaluable in establishing the new leadership team as it takes over from the outgoing team.
His unique blend of experience in both the private and public sector, and particularly his extensive knowledge of the nuclear industry, will greatly enhance the Magnox leadership team as they get to grips with the challenges of dealing with the nuclear legacy. The focus of the new company’s leadership, with Lawrie at its head, will be to ensure safe decommissioning progress while delivering value for the UK taxpayer.
Lawrie Haynes said:
It is a privilege to be given this opportunity to lead and help shape the new organisation as it becomes a subsidiary of the NDA later next year. I am really looking forward to working with the Board and new executive team to support the workforce in carrying out this important clean-up programme on behalf of the nation.
Published 3 December 2018
Press release: New crew and UK experiment head to the International Space Station
Two rockets are poised to launch one day after another to replenish the International Space Station with a new crew and cargo carrying UK science.
Press release: New crew and UK experiment head to the International Space Station
The crew includes two new astronauts, Anne McClain (USA), who studied at the University of Bath and the University of Bristol, and David Saint-Jacques (Canada), who studied at Cambridge University. They join veteran cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko in blasting off to space on a Russian Soyuz crew ship from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11.31am (GMT) on 3 December.
Their six-and-a-half-month mission involves the first launch of a Soyuz rocket since the emergency landing of a capsule just after launch on 11 October 2018.
The following day (Tuesday 4 December) at 6.38pm GMT, SpaceX will launch its Dragon cargo craft from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral on a Falcon 9 rocket. On board will be the first UK-led experiment to head to the ISS, which uses worms to look at muscle loss in space and could lead to new treatments for muscular conditions for people on Earth.
The team of scientists from Exeter, Nottingham and Lancaster universities involved in this project hope to discover more about muscle loss in space, which in turn could lead to developing effective therapies and new treatments for muscular dystrophies. The research could also help boost our understanding of ageing muscle loss and even help improve treatments for diabetes.
Libby Jackson, Human Spaceflight and Microgravity Programme Manager at the UK Space Agency, said:
The launch of the Soyuz means crews will continue to work on the unique science taking place on the ISS, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. It is also exciting to see the first of many UK-led experiments heading to the space station. I look forward to seeing the results which will benefit our understanding of muscle loss and help to improve life on Earth.
Spaceflight is an extreme environment that causes many negative health changes to the body and astronauts can lose up to 40 per cent of their muscle after 6 months in space. These changes are regarded as an excellent model for the ageing process in the body, and scientists are able to use the knowledge gained from studying changes in astronauts to better understand the ageing human body.
The University of Nottingham’s Professor of Space Biology, Nate Szewczyk, who is at Cape Canaveral for the launch, said:
We are hugely excited to be coordinating the first UK-led experiment on the International Space Station.
The Molecular Muscle Experiment is the first experiment to try to establish the precise molecular causes of neuromuscular decline in space. We will be using a combination of gene manipulations and drugs to pinpoint these causes.
This work is part of a broader investment in space by both the UK government and the University of Nottingham and could lead to real-life improvements to human health, both in space and on Earth.
The microscopic worms being used in the experiment, known as C. elegans, share many of the essential biological characteristics as humans and are affected by biological changes in space, including alterations to muscle and the ability to use energy.
Melanie Welham, Executive Chair of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, BBSRC, is also enthusiastic about the mission, said:
We are all very excited to be supporting the innovative research that forms the first UK experiment to take place on the International Space Station.
Sending worms into space sounds wonderfully futuristic but this is real research that could help provide new solutions to health problems being faced here on earth. We will all be watching the launch with excitement and wish the team every success with the experiment.
The Molecular Muscle Experiment is the first UK-led experiment to take place on the International Space Station. UK scientists are able to carry out this research thanks to the UK Space Agency’s subscriptions to the European Space Agency’s exploration programme, which contributes to the costs of the International Space Station, which the UK joined in 2012.
The project is supported by the UK Space Agency, European Space Agency, UKRI, and Arthritis Research UK and the launch is currently scheduled to take place between November 2018 and February 2019.
A year since the launch of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, the UK space sector is also set to benefit from the development of the £99m National Satellite Test Facility at Harwell and the proposed commercial spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland.
Both launches will be streamed live at https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive
News story: Laser pointers are not toys
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is working with The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and Netmums to drive home the message that laser pointers are not toys.
With laser pointers becoming increasingly popular among children, OPSS and its delivery partners want to raise awareness of the dangers to eyesight from misuse.
This follows rising concern around the sale and use of laser pointers as they become both cheaper and more powerful.
The Government’s Call for Evidence in December 2017 set out the current understanding of the market for laser pointers and the legal framework for ensuring these products are safe.
It asked for comments on the nature and scale of the issues with laser pointers and heard from many leading eye experts in the UK who highlighted the risk of permanent damage from retinal burns as a result of misuse.
As a result, the Government promised a three-point action plan:
- increase support for enforcement around the import of high powered laser pointers
- encourage more effective voluntary labelling on devices
- raise public awareness of the dangers to eyesight from misuse
The following set of materials have been created in consultation with leading UK ophthalmologists.
Published 3 December 2018