Watchdog backs a minimum price for alcohol

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10207827.stm

In the past decades the consumption of alcohol has increased, while the prices have gone down. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, supported by a health watchdog, would like to see a minimum price per unit of alcohol. According to NICE, one out of four adults is drinking too much. NICE says that making alcohol less affordable is the best way to reduce the alcohol consumption, besides the banning of advertising and making it harder for people to buy it. The public health director at NICE, Professor Mike Kelly, said that there will be no damage for pubs, because they sell their alcohol above the minimum price already.

My opinion:
I was shocked when I saw the statistics of the UK alcohol consumption and real price. In twenty years the consumption has gone up by twenty percent, while the prices decreased by forty percent. I think the NICE has a good point by having a minimum price per unit of alcohol. Something has to change in the coming years, because alcohol consumption takes away too many people lives on a yearly basis. With this proposal they will mostly attack the heavier drinkers who buy cheap alcohol and drink at home. This way, the prices in the pubs will be unaffected by this minimum price.

250,000 to miss university places this year

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/education/10156398.stm

University leaders are forecasting that almost 250.000 people will not get a place at a university this year. In 2008 the number of applicants not getting into a university was 120.000, increasing the year after to 158.000. These statistics estimate that the amount of people getting denied acceptance to the university will double in a two-year span. This is due to the spending restrictions, because this is stopping the university expansion. Professor David Green of the University of Worcester states, "Many highly-qualified young people with good A-levels will not get a place at University." However, had these same students applied 2 years ago, they would have been accepted. This will lead to unnecessarily ruined future plans for thousands of people.

My opinion:
It is hard to believe that so many people will get denied acceptance to a university this year. I don’t know if this will happen to applicants in the Netherlands as well, but I feel very sorry for the people who cannot get the education they want. I am worried for what will happen in the future as well. If there are going to be less people with a degree, there will be less people that can handle certain jobs. This might lead to a shortage in different job areas. Hopefully, the number of well-educated students being rejected will start to decrease soon.

'Slow' response from public in Zoe Nelson murder probe

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/10164696.stm

Detectives ask the public for help by the investigation of the murder of 17-year-old Zoe Nelson. They found her body in woodland in Wishaw. After they saw her for the last time at her mother's house, on Saturday, they spotted a fire in the area where her body was found the next day. There are up to 60 police officers working on this investigation. So far, they have interviewed Zoe’s family, friends, and boyfriend. They have now created an e-mail address and text number, which makes it easier for people to get in touch with the police. Hopefully, this will make it possible to catch Zoe’s murderer.

My opinion:
I think the police made a good decision by opening up a new e-mail address and phone number for anyone who knows anything about the investigation. Hopefully they will catch Zoe’s murderer soon, especially for Zoe’s family. It is so cruel what this murderer has done, and I don’t think they can grieve properly before they have found out who did this to the person they all loved dearly. I would like to know what his reasons were for doing this, if there even was a reason for why this person did this. Hopefully they will find him soon so that he can get the punishment he deserves.

Two boys guilty of attempted rape charges in London

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8692223.stm

An eight-year-old girl got almost raped in a field in London in October 2009 by two boys aged ten back then. The boys both denied that they had raped this girl. According to them they had only been playing a game. Both of them were given bail. Ten out of the twelve jurors found the boys guilty of attempted rape, and they got registered as sex offenders. Later, the girl told that she had been untruthful about some of her evidence, but Mr. Justice Saunders did not believe her because she had been telling all adults the exact same story.

My opinion:
I was so shocked when I read this article. I cannot believe that children that age are already thinking about those kinds of things. This must have been a very traumatic incident for this eight-year-old girl, but also for the two boys. This case will follow them the rest of their lives. It is hard to imagine how difficult this case must have been for the jurors, considering the children’s age. I believe they made the right decision, because if they do not get punished now, they will never differentiate right from wrong.

The richest people of London have become wealthier again

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8642021.stm

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, the richest people of the UK have seen a comeback in their fortunes. In 2009 a lot of people had seen their wealth shrinking, but the fortunes have risen with 30% comparing to last year. The top three consists of Arcelor Mittal owner Mr. Mittal, Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, and the Duke of Westminster. Mr. Mittal’s fortune grew by 50% because of the recovery of the global steel industry. The Indian businessman Anil Agarwal was the highest climber by moving up 60 places all the way up to number 10.

Opinion:
I think it is ridiculous that those people have so much money. It is even more disturbing that those fortunes have risen with 30% comparing to last year, which is the biggest jump in 22 years. I do not understand how millions of people live in poverty around the world, while those people have billions and billions on their bank accounts. I am sure that some people have worked really hard for this money, but some people were just born that rich already. Money makes life easier, but I would never like to have as much money as the people who are in the Sunday Times Rich List.

London Marathon

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8641951.stm

About 36,000 people will compete in the 26.2-mile course through London. Special about this year’s event is that the 21 year old Princess Beatrice will be running for Children in Crisis in order to become the first royal to complete the race. The race was almost disrupted by the Icelandic ash cloud, but all the elite athletes made it on time. This year, 74 runners will try to get a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The most special attempt is the one from George Bingham. He’s hoping that his gigantic costume of 14ft 1in will win him the record of tallest costume.

Opinion:
I did not know that London had his own marathon, but I think it is a real challenge to participate in this race. I think it will be a lot of fun to watch this marathon, because there will be runners who try to get in the Guinness Book of World Records. Another exciting thing to see will be the celebrities who are participating in this race. I think it is great that a member of the royal family is competing. I think quite some people were nervous if the race was going to happen or not because of the ash cloud, but happily everyone could make it on time.

Nick Clegg seizes his moment in historic TV debate

On the night of April 16th the first TV debate in history was held between prime-minister Gordon Brown, conservative leader David Cameron, and liberal-democratic leader Nick Clegg. According to the poll of The Times, Nick Clegg is the big winner with 61% of the votes, followed by David Cameron with 22% and Gordon brown with 17%. Clegg is the good alternative between the main parties which has been leading the country for 65 years. According to Nick Clegg, those two parties sound the same anyway, so he thinks it’s time for an actual change now.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7099159.ece


My opinion:
I do not really know anything about the elections in England, but by reading this article I think it is pretty unusual for a liberal-democratic leader to win a first TV debate held in history with 61% of the votes. I think Clegg has been smart by telling the people that the other two just fight a lot, but say pretty much the same things anyway. I think this gives a good view of how the elections has been during the past 65 years. By just looking at this article, I think it is great that the liberal-democrats finally got a chance in this election.