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Stirling Uni staff in jobs strike

Stirling University genericThe university has announced plans to make 17 people compulsorily redundant
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Lecturers at Stirling University are taking part in a one-day strike over plans for 17 compulsorily redundancies.

It follows an announcement by the university to close posts at the university’s Institute of Aquaculture.

The university said the institute faced a deficit that threatened its long-term survival unless action was taken.

The University and College Union (UCU) said axing posts would leave a larger deficit than the union’s cost-saving proposals which protected jobs.

About two thirds of union members at the university voted in favour of strike action.

The university will remain open, and Heads of School have already told students which classes are still running.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Party leaders campaign in cities

Montage of manufacturing, prison, windfarm and police officersJobs, prisons, police and renewable energy all feature in the latest stage of the Holyrood election campaign

The latest stage in the campaign for the 5 May Scottish election will see the issues of police, energy, prison sentences and jobs coming to the fore.

Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott will argue against a single Scottish police force.

Alex Salmond will unveil SNP plans for all Scotland’s electricity to be met from renewable energy by 2020.

Iain Gray will emphasise Scottish Labour’s committment to creating jobs, while Tory leader Annabel Goldie will focus on short-term prison sentences.

Both Mr Scott and Mr Salmond will be in Inverness, with the latter visiting Nigg yard to discuss its potential for serving Scotland’s renewable energy sector.

Iain Gray will visit a car dealership in Edinburgh and Annabel Goldie will visit Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ukraine remembers Chernobyl blast

A girl visits at a memorial dedicated to firefighters and workers who died after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster during a night service near the Chernobyl plant in the city of Slavutych, Ukraine - 25 April 2011A number of workers died trying to contain the radiation leak after the explosion at Chernobyl
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Ukraine is marking the 25th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear accident – at the Chernobyl power plant.

An explosion at one of the plant’s reactors sent a plume of radiation across Europe and killed at least 30 people in its immediate aftermath.

A disputed number of others died later from radiation-related illnesses.

The anniversary comes amid renewed global protest over nuclear power and as Japan struggles to contain radiation leaks at its crippled Fukushima plant.

It was on 26 April 1986 that Number Four reactor at Chernobyl, which was then in the Soviet Union, exploded.

The accident forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Ukraine, western Russia and Belarus.

There is still a 30km (19 miles) exclusion zone around the plant.

Soviet engineers encased the damaged reactor in a temporary concrete casing to limit the radiation but a new shield is needed.

A donors conference in Kiev, Ukraine, last week raised 550m euros (£486m; $798m) of the 740m euros needed to build a new shelter and a storage facility for spent fuel.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, file picRussian President Dmitry Medvedev is visiting Chernobyl on Tuesday

Soviet officials held off reporting the accident for several days.

The Chernobyl anniversary comes less than two months after the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan was badly damaged by an earthquake and tsunami, renewing concerns about the safety of nuclear power generation.

The operators of the Fukushima plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co, have also come under fire for not quickly disclosing information on radiation leaks from the plant.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said there must be greater transparency in nuclear emergencies.

“I think that our modern states must see the main lesson of what happened at Chernobyl and the most recent Japanese tragedy as the necessity to tell people the truth,” he told survivors of the clean-up effort at a meeting in the Kremlin.

He is to visit Chernobyl on Tuesday, as is Ukraine’s Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

Mr Yanukovich and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill were attending a candle-lighting ceremony in Kiev on Monday night before travelling to Chernobyl.

On Monday, thousands of people in France and Germany staged protests calling for an end to nuclear power.

Marches were held on several river bridges between France and Germany over the Rhine while there were further protests at German nuclear plants.

Anti-nuclear protest on Pont de l'Europe over Rhine between France and Germany - 25 April 2011Protesters on Monday demanded France and Germany shut nuclear power stations

One of the main protests in Europe took place over the Pont de l’Europe, linking France and Germany over the Rhine between Strasbourg and Kehl.

People waved banners with anti-nuclear slogans and chanted: “Chernobyl, Fukushima, never again!”

As a siren wailed, the protesters threw flowers on to the Rhine and lay down on the pavement of the bridge in what they termed a symbolic “die-in”.

Meanwhile in India, security has been tightened around Jaitapur, where protesters are planning to march on the site of a planned six-reactor nuclear power plant.

The campaign against the power station, on the west coast of India, has gained momentum since the disaster at Fukushima.

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NFL players supported by US judge

The NFL Experience show in DallasThe row could delay the start of the 2011 season, which is due to kick off in September

A federal judge in the US has granted National Football League (NFL) players a preliminary injunction to end a “lockout” imposed by team owners.

Judge Susan Richard Nelson said the lockout, which is threatening the 2011 season, was “inflicting irreparable harm” on the players.

The team owners said they would appeal against the decision.

NFL team owners imposed the lockout last month, the first labour stoppage in the sport since 1987.

The judge said the lockout “is presently inflicting, and will continue to inflict, irreparable harm upon [the players], particularly when weighed against the lack of any real injury that would be imposed on the NFL by issuing the preliminary injunction”.

In response, the league said it believed “that federal law bars injunctions in labour disputes.

“But we also believe that this dispute will inevitably end with a collective bargaining agreement, which would be in the best interests of players, clubs and fans. We can reach a fair agreement only if we continue negotiations toward that goal.”

The main sticking point is how to distribute the league’s $9bn (£5.5bn) in annual revenues.

Players for the NFL’s 32 teams currently receive 60% of the revenues, something the clubs’ owners see as too generous.

The NFL takes $1.3bn for costs but it says these have risen steeply since the previous deal was struck in 2006 and it now wants to take $2.3bn, which would mean less money for the players.

The talks also covered wages, drug testing, pension benefits, and plans to increase the number of regular-season games from 16 to 18.

The new season is due to start in September.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Motivation ‘key to high IQ score’

 
Clever young boyIQ tests may not be a reliable measure of intelligence alone or a good predictor of future potential
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Intelligence tests are as much a measure of motivation as they are of mental ability, says research from the US.

Researchers from Pennsylvania found that a high IQ score required both high intelligence and high motivation but a low IQ score could be the result of a lack of either factor.

Incentives were also found to increase IQ scores by a noticeable margin.

The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Firstly, it analysed previous studies of how material incentives affected the performance of more than 2,000 people in intelligence tests.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, found that incentives increased all IQ scores, but particularly for those of individuals with lower baseline IQ scores.

Then the same researchers tested how motivation impacted on the results of IQ tests and also on predictions of intelligence and performance in later life.

“Life is an IQ test and a personality test.”

Dr James Thompson UCL

By using data from a long-term study of 250 boys from adolescence to early adulthood, they were able to conclude that some individuals try harder than others in conditions where the stakes are low.

Therefore, the study says, “relying on IQ scores as a measure of intelligence may overestimate the predictive validity of intelligence.”

Getting a high score in an IQ test requires both high intelligence and competitive tendencies to motivate the test-taker to perform to the best of their ability.

Dr James Thompson, senior honorary lecturer in psychology at University College London, said it had always been known that IQ test results are a combination of innate ability and other variables.

“Life is an IQ test and a personality test and an IQ result contains elements of both (but mostly intelligence).

“If an IQ test doesn’t motivate someone then that is a good predictor in itself.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

‘Human cannonball’ dies in show

A man in his 20s, believed to have been acting as a ‘human cannon ball’, has been killed in an accident at a stunt show in Kent.

It is thought a safety net failed to engage during the stunt at the Kent County Showground at Detling.

The man was taken to Maidstone Hospital by air ambulance but died.

The accident happened in a performance by Scott May’s Daredevil Stunt Show which began at 1500 BST. A second show due to start at 1930 BST was cancelled.

Scott May’s show has been touring in the UK since 1991 in a season which runs from March to September.

As well as the human cannon ball stunt, the show also includes pyrotechnics, motorcycle jumps and monster trucks.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Yemen’s opposition backs GCC plan

Anti-government protesters in Sanaa (25 April 2011)Many protesters do not trust Mr Saleh and have called for more rallies
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Yemeni opposition sources say they have agreed to the Gulf Co-operation Council plan under which President Ali Abdullah Saleh would step down after 30 days.

The coalition would take part in a national unity government “after receiving clarifications”, they added. It had initially rejected the proposal.

The GCC plan has yet to be formally accepted by the opposition or Mr Saleh.

Earlier, at least two people were killed at separate protests demanding the president resign immediately.

“We have given our final accord to the GCC initiative after having received assurances from our Gulf brothers and American and European friends”

Mohammed Qahtan Common Front

One person was shot dead and another 30 were wounded after plainclothes officers opened fire on demonstrators in Ibb, south of the capital Sanaa, witnesses and medical sources said.

The second protester was killed in the southern province of al-Baida.

Troops also fired live rounds and tear gas at tens of thousands of protesters in the southern flashpoint city of Taiz. One report said a woman watching the clash from her balcony was shot dead.

More than 130 people have been killed by security forces and supporters of Mr Saleh since the anti-government unrest began in January.

On Monday evening, a spokesman for the opposition Common Front, Mohammed Qahtan, said it had notified GCC Secretary General Abdul Latif al-Zayani that it was prepared to take part in a unity government.

Middle East unrest: Yemen

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh consults his watch at a rally in the capital Sanaa, 15 April

President Ali Abdullah Saleh in power since 1978Population 24.3m; land area 536,869 sq kmThe population has a median age of 17.9, and a literacy rate of 61%Youth unemployment is 15%Gross national income per head was $1,060 (£655) in 2009 (World Bank)Profile: President Saleh

“We have given our final accord to the GCC initiative after having received assurances from our Gulf brothers and American and European friends on our objections to certain clauses in the plan,” he told the AFP news agency.

On Saturday, the Common Front announced that it accepted the GCC plan with the exception of a clause on the formation of the new government.

The GCC proposes that President Saleh will submit his resignation to parliament, and hand over power to his vice-president, 30 days after asking the opposition to appoint a prime minister to form an administration including ministers from his ruling General People’s Congress party. The opposition had said Mr Saleh would have to step down before a new government was formed.

Mr Saleh’s resignation would also be dependent on parliament passing a law providing immunity from prosecution for the president “and those who worked with him during his rule”, the GCC initiative says.

The Common Front’s change of heart comes after the US ambassador to Yemen reportedly pushed the coalition to accept the GCC deal. The General People’s Congress agreed on Saturday to participate.

Analysts say that allowing the president to stay on for another month could exacerbate the crisis in the poorest Arab state.

Many protesters, unconvinced by the GCC plan and distrustful of Mr Saleh’s promise to go after 32 years in power, have called for more rallies. Thousands remain at a permanent protest camp in Sanaa.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Gold and silver hit record highs

Gold barsAnalysts believe the price of gold is set to surge even higher.
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The price of gold hit a new record high, driven up by a weaker US dollar and continuing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa.

Spot gold rose as high as $1,513.70 (£917.60) an ounce during early trading in Asia, before retreating.

Investors have been buying the precious metal as a safe haven investment to guard against inflation and recent geopolitical turmoil.

Dealers say gold could even trade as high as $1,520 an ounce.

Monday was the seventh consecutive trading session that saw the price of gold rise.

“The dollar could be even weaker, unless there were game-changing comments from Bernanke”

Ong Yin Ling Phillip Futures

“It’s the dollar play,” said a Singapore-based dealer. “There is more room for prices to go even higher.”

A weak US dollar generally correlates with higher gold prices, as both are seen as safe investments.

On Wednesday, the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, is expected to affirm the commitment of America’s central bank to quantitative easing, a programme to flood money markets with liquidity.

That also tends to drive down the value of the greenback.

Analysts say the prospect of low interest rates in the US is driving investors seeking higher returns towards gold.

“Investors expect the Fed to continue with low rates, which means the dollar could be even weaker, unless there were game-changing comments from Bernanke,” said Ong Yin Ling of Phillip Futures.

Investors continue to react nervously to the uncertainty in the Middle East. An escalation in violence in Yemen and Syria over the weekend has also helped the price of gold strengthen.

Gold is not the only precious metal enjoying a rally, as silver is also on the rise.

Spot silver, sometimes called the poor man’s gold, hit $47.88 an ounce, the highest price since 1980.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Barrick Gold to buy copper miner

Aerial shot of the Lumwana copper mine in ZambiaEquinox counts the major Lumwana copper and uranium mine among its assets
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Barrick Gold has beaten a Chinese rival to buy a major copper miner in the latest battle over commodity supplies.

The world’s biggest gold producer will pay 7bn Canadian dollars ($7.3bn, £4.5bn) for Equinox Minerals.

The offer, which has been accepted, is 16% higher than a rival bid from China’s Minmetals earlier this month.

Equinox owns the Lumwana copper and uranium mine in Zambia – Africa’s third largest – and the Jabal Sayid copper deposits in Saudi Arabia.

The firm, which is jointly listed in Canada and Australia, said that Barrick’s offer was superior not only in terms of price, but also its likelihood of being completed.

Copper Cash Official Confirmed $/m tonneLast Updated at 21 Apr 2011, 08:05 ET Copper Cash twelve month chartprice change %9610.75

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Equinox has agreed not to seek any other bids and to give Barrick the right to match any other solicited bids received. It also agreed to pay Barrick a 250m Canadian dollar fine if it withdraws from the takeover.

“The acquisition of Equinox would add a high-quality, long-life asset to our portfolio and is consistent with our strategy of increasing gold and copper reserves through exploration and acquisitions,” said the Canadian gold producer’s chief executive Aaron Regent in a statement on the firm’s website.

“Combined with our Zaldivar mine and Cerro Casale project in Chile, this acquisition would position Barrick with significant production growth potential in two of the most prolific copper-producing regions of the world.”

Barrick has been riding high thanks to the gold price, which hit a new all-time high on Monday of $1,518.30 an ounce.

But the company’s share price fell back some 5% in early trading on Monday after the deal was announced.

While the gold price has doubled in the last two years, the price of copper has more than tripled to its own all-time high.

And Equinox’ share price has risen with it. It had increased sevenfold since 2008, even before Minmetal’s bid became public.

The Chinese firm’s interest pushed up Equinox shares a further 32% to 7.55 Canadian dollars.

Following Barrick’s $8.15-a-share offer, the copper miner’s share price jumped even further in early Monday trading, to $8.37.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Haiti election results postponed

Election poster outside the earthquake-damaged presidential palace (5 April 2011)A number of candidates won seats when they had not been leading in preliminary counts
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Haiti electoral officials have delayed the certification of results from last month’s run-off legislative polls.

The Provisional Electoral Council said it would not publish 19 seats’ results “out of concern for transparency”, but did not say if there would be recount.

The move comes after the international community raised concerns over fraud.

The United Nations questioned why the results in several constituencies had been overturned, mostly in favour of President Rene Preval’s Unity Party.

The results gave the Unity Party 46 of the 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and an absolute majority in the Senate with 17 of 30 seats.

But on Monday, the head of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) announced that it would delay publishing the results of 19 legislative races.

Gaillot Dorsinvil said in a statement that the decision was “for the sake of transparency and in the best interests of the nation”.

Mr Dorsinvil did not say if the CEP planned to order recounts, or give any details about the 19th seat – one more than diplomats had questioned.

Michel Martelly (21 April 2011)Michel Martelly’s party has won only a handful of seats in the incoming legislature

On Friday, the US embassy asked why one winning candidate from the incumbent party in one constituency had gone “from 90,000 in the preliminary results to more than 145,000 in the final results”.

“The Haitian people, who have participated with great patience in the two rounds of elections, deserve nothing less,” a statement said.

President-elect Michel Martelly also urged the international community not to recognise the results of the legislative elections, saying they were “unacceptable and do not reflect the will of the people”.

Mr Martelly, a popular Haitian singer, won the presidency in a run-off election, with over two-thirds of the vote. But his party has won only a handful of seats in the incoming legislature.

There have also been sporadic protests about the results. On Monday, demonstrators reportedly set up barricades in parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Italy ‘to join attacks in Libya’

breaking news

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has approved the use of his country’s air force in Nato’s Libya mission.

Italy was ready to allow its jets to take “targeted military action”, he said in a statement.

Earlier, a Nato air strike badly damaged buildings in Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli.

Nato is enforcing a UN resolution to protect civilians in Libya amid a revolt that began in February, inspired by other uprisings in the Arab world.

The Libyan government accused Nato of trying to assassinate Col Gaddafi after at least two missiles reportedly struck his sprawling Bab al-Azizia compound early on Monday.

Correspondents said the blasts at the compound were among the biggest explosions in the capital so far.

Col Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, condemned the “cowardly” attack with a defiant statement condemning the Nato mission.

“You, Nato, are surrounded by agents, traitors and spies, while Muammar Gaddafi is surrounded by millions,” he said.

“So I tell you now that you are losing the battle. History has proved that no state can rely on them to win.”

The BBC’s Ian Pannell in Tripoli said the damaged buildings appeared to be the same ones that Col Gaddafi used to host a recent visit by an African Union peace mission.

It was unclear how many people were killed or injured in the attack, which prompted three Libyan TV stations to go off the air for a brief period.

Map of Libya

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