The MAIB report on the grounding of Ruyter on the north shore of Rathlin Island on 10 October 2017, is now published.

The report contains details of what happened and subsequent actions taken, read more.

Thank you Mr President.

I would like to thank the Prosecutor for her 27th report on the situation in Darfur pursuant to Security Council resolution 1593 (2005), and for her briefing today. I would also like to commend her and her staff for their hard work and their dedication to these investigations.

The ICC has an important role to play in global efforts to end impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern and the United Kingdom fully supports its efforts to hold perpetrators to account and achieve justice for victims. We understand how difficult these investigations are proving to be for the prosecutor and her team and how disheartening that can be, but we encourage them to maintain their current level of commitment, as the victims and witnesses deserve nothing less.

Whilst the UK welcomes reductions in armed conflict between government forces and the armed opposition, we are concerned by the ongoing clashes between the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdel Wahid (SLA-AW) and government forces in the Jebel Marra region. Reports of villages being burnt, aerial bombardments, civilian casualties and displacements are particularly troubling. It is unacceptable that the Government of Sudan has prevented UNAMID and humanitarian actors from accessing areas of recent conflict, and we call on the Government to provide unfettered access immediately.

As the security situation shows signs of improvements in some parts of Darfur, small numbers of internally displaced persons are beginning to return to their area of origin. However many of these returns are short-lived and precarious due to localised insecurity, the occupation of lands by militias and the absence of basic services, and we note that the Prosecutor’s office is highly concerned for the fate of some of these IDPs. We are also concerned that the situation is particularly perilous for female IDPs given the ongoing prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence. The Government of Sudan, with the support of UNAMID and international donors, must focus its efforts on creating the conditions necessary for the safe and voluntary return of all IDPs, in accordance with applicable international law, as required by Security Council resolution 2363 (2017).

The continued lack of progress in the peace process is a cause for significant frustration. We urge all parties to engage meaningfully and to focus their efforts on implementing the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Roadmap. Linked to this, the Government must ensure the protection of fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of association, in order to create an environment conducive to political dialogue and democratic reform.

Mr President,

In adopting UN Security Council resolution 1593, this Council committed to support the Office of the Prosecutor in its efforts to investigate the situation in Darfur. We must therefore act upon the Prosecutor’s request to the Council to take effective measures to enable the Court to carry out its mandate in Darfur, in particular asserting the need for all States to cooperate with the Office’s investigations. In this regard, the United Kingdom looks forward to the Arria-formula meeting on UN Security Council-ICC relations on 6 July initiated by The Netherlands and co-sponsored by the UK and others. We encourage our fellow Member States to engage constructively with this meeting and to consider carefully what more we, as a Council, can do to ensure that the Court receives the necessary support. The United Kingdom joins those States which believe that the Council should consider steps that it might take to address non-compliance findings by the Court when these are referred to the Council by the Court’s judges.

In this connection, the UK again calls on the Government of Sudan to fulfil its legal obligations pursuant to resolution 1593, to cooperate fully with the Court, and to arrest and surrender the suspects to it without further delay.

Mr President,

The United Kingdom continues to be frustrated that fugitives of the Court, including President Al-Bashir, Mr Harun and Mr Hussein, are still travelling to certain countries unhindered. For our part, the United Kingdom will continue to raise our concerns with the relevant governments, including through the European Union. We renew our call to all States Parties to cooperate with the ICC and abide by their obligations under the Rome Statute. We also urge them to consult the Court if they feel that they are unable to co-operate with it for any reason.

Finally Mr President,

We again thank the Office of the Prosecutor for its continued commitment to pursuing these investigations and achieving justice for victims in Darfur, despite the fragile security situation, access restrictions and lack of cooperation. We urge them to continue with this important work.

Thank you Mr President.

Food

Natamycin (E235) is a polyene antibiotic of the polyene macrolide group used in the food industry as an antifungal preservative for cheeses and sausages. Natamycin is believed to be effective by binding to ergosterol in the fungal cell membrane which limits fungal growth.

Regulation (EU) 2015/647 amended Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 regarding the use of certain food additives and specifies that natamycin may only be used for the surface treatment of uncut hard, semi-hard and semi-soft cheese having a maximum surface concentration of 1 mg/dm2 (not present at a depth of 5 mm).

There were two revised EN ISO standards published in May 2018 describing the determination of natamycin in cheese rind:

EN ISO 9233-1:2018 – Cheese, cheese rind and processed cheese – Determination of natamycin content – Part 1: Molecular absorption spectrometric method for cheese rind (ISO 9233-1:2018)

EN ISO 9233-1:2018 supersedes EN ISO 9233-1:2013 describing a method for the determination of the natamycin mass fraction in cheese rind and the natamycin content in the surface-area in cheese rind using molecular spectrometry.

The method takes a weighed sample of the cheese and dissolving in a methanol/water mixture. The fat from the cheese in solution is precipitated by cooling the methanol/water mixture and the precipitate is removed by filtration. The natamycin in the filtrate can then be determined using molecular spectrometry for the natamycin mass fraction above 0.5 mg/kg in cheese rind and the surface-area related natamycin mass in cheese rind content above 0.03 mg/dm2.

EN ISO 9233-2:2018 – Cheese, cheese rind and processed cheese – Determination of natamycin content – Part 2: High-performance liquid chromatographic method for cheese, cheese rind and processed cheese (ISO 9233-2:2018)

EN ISO 9233-2:2018 supersedes EN ISO 9233-2:2013 describing a method for the determination of the natamycin mass fraction in cheese, cheese rind and processed cheese as well as the natamycin content in the surface-area of cheese rind using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to an ultraviolet-visible (HPLC-UV) spectrometer detector.

The method takes a weighed sample of the cheese and dissolving in a methanol/water mixture. The fat from the cheese in solution is precipitated by cooling the methanol/water mixture and the precipitate is removed by filtration. The natamycin in the filtrate can then be determined using HPLC-UV for the natamycin mass fraction above 0.5 mg/kg in cheese, cheese rind and processed cheese and the surface-area related natamycin mass in cheese rind content above 0.03 mg/dm2.

EN 15662:2018 – Foods of plant origin – Multi-method for the determination of pesticide residues using GC- and LC-based analysis following acetonitrile extraction/partitioning and clean-up by dispersive SPE – Modular QuEChERS-method

EN 15662:2018 supersedes EN 15662:2008 and describes a method for the analysis of pesticide residues in foods of plant origin, such as fruits (including dried fruits), vegetables, cereals and processed products using gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer detector (GC-MS) or coupled to two mass spectrometers in tandem (GC-MS/MS) and/or liquid chromatography coupled to two mass spectrometers in tandem (LC-MS/MS).

The method applies the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) modular approach. The food is shaken in acetonitrile solvent with a small quantity of water to extract the pesticide residue. The acetontrile/water extract is separated from the food by partition using buffering salts. The acetonitrile/water extract requires further clean-up to enable injection onto a gas or liquid chromatography system and this is done by adding bulk sorbents to absorb impurities and magnesium sulphate to absorb water in a process known as dispersive solid phase extraction (D-SPE). The use of an internal standard allows quantification of the pesticide residue and it is added to the extract after the initial addition of acetonitrile.

Further information on food legislation can be found on the Government Chemist website:

Food and feed law: Compendium of UK food and feed legislation with associated context and changes during October to December 2017 – Government Chemist Programme Report

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns has today (20 June 2018) called on communities across Wales to enter their villages, towns and cities into the Great British High Street competition 2018.

The competition celebrates the great work that is being done to revive, adapt and diversify the nation’s high streets and is an opportunity for councils, businesses, community groups and volunteers to learn from the very best.

The last competition in 2016 saw 900 entries from across the UK and over 500,000 public votes with Blackburn’s high street crowned Britain’s best. Prestatyn’s high street in north Wales was a close runner up in the coastal communities category.

In 2014, Colwyn Bay ran out winners in the coastal category.

This year a new award structure has been developed and winners will be named in each of the four UK nations – Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – across two categories: Champion High Street and Rising Star High Street.

The Champion High Street category will recognise the nation’s best high streets while the Rising Star High Street category will recognise the nation’s most ambitious high streets, which are taking the lead and working together to revive, adapt and diversify.

An overall High Street of the Year in Great Britain and Northern Ireland will also be named.

So with new categories and new prizes at stake, the Secretary of State for Wales said he expected to see far more competition entries from Wales’s high streets this year.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

The Great British High Street competition is a chance to showcase the strengths of Wales’ high streets, to bust myths about the long-term future of our town centres and to reward the local talent, team-work and energy that goes into making our high streets great places to visit, work or live.

This is why I am proud to be the advocate for the Great British High Street competition in Wales. We want to find the hidden gems the country has to offer. So whether you’re a market town, coastal village or city centre, there are so many high streets across Wales doing fantastic work. Let’s get behind them and put Wales’ high streets firmly in the running to take the plaudits when the winners are announced in the autumn.

This year it is easier than ever to enter your high street into the awards.

If you are a local community team, association or authority that represent your high street then click here to register your interest and receive further information and instructions on how to apply.

If you are a member of the public and you would like your high street to be entered into the Awards then please get in touch with your MP or your local authority directly to encourage the council to register on behalf of your community.

Notes to editors.

• Details of how to enter the competition can be found at: www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk or via @TheGBHighSt on Twitter.
• ENTRIES CLOSE AT 23:59 22ND AUGUST 2018
• Shortlisted finalists will be invited to an awards ceremony in London in November celebrating the high streets that are succeeding and influencing change.
• In addition Visa GBHS Street Teams will be visiting randomly selected high streets during the Awards to promote entered high streets and surprise and delight local businesses and consumers with activities and giveaways

To enter your high street you will need to be a representative of a:

• Business Improvement District
• Local Authority
• Parish Council
• Town Team
• Coastal Community Team
• Town Centre Partnership
• Community Interest Company
• Chambers of Commerce
• Trading Association