Home news in brief
New 12-sided £1 coin to edge out old round pound
A new 12-sided £1 coin enters circulation today, the new coin has been described as the most secure coin in the world and boasts high-tech features, including a hologram. But consumers craving a snack or trying to park may face confusion when they attempt to pay at coin-operated machines, as some will not immediately accept the new coin. They may find themselves rifling through their wallets for an old round pound.
Tesco trolleys across many of its stores will be unlocked as the supermarket giant performs upgrades so that they can accept the new coin. A Tesco spokesman said last week that “fewer than 200” of its stores will be affected. He said last week: “We will continue to have colleagues on hand to attend trolleys in our stores, so our customers aren't affected by the changes.” The old coin and the new coin will co-exist together for a period of around six months, until the round pound ceases to be legal tender on October 15.
The new coins have been made at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, South Wales, at a rate of three million per day.
Humans may have big brains from peeling fruit, scientists say
Eating fruit that can be hard to access and tricky to peel may have helped our ancestors grow big brains, scientists believe. A new study has found that diet may be more important to brain evolution than being sociable. Scientists came to the conclusion after looking at food consumption and social behaviour in more than 140 primate species. Those including fruit in their diets had significantly larger brains than “folivores” that only ate leaves. Having to cope with hard-to-peel fruit may be one factor that drove the expansion of brain size, say the researchers.
Lead scientist Alex DeCasien, from New York University in the US, said: “Fruit is patchier in space and time in the environment, and the consumption of it often involves extraction from difficult-to-reach-places or protective skins. “Together, these factors may lead to the need for relatively greater cognitive complexity and flexibility in frugivorous species.” The findings, reported in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, challenge the widely held view that socialisation was primarily responsible for humans having big brains.
Wales likely to be hit hardest by Brexit, report suggests
Wales is likely to be the area of the UK worst hit by withdrawal from the European Union, despite voting for Brexit, according to a new report. The report by think tank Demos warns that the principality will be one of the areas most affected by any new tariffs on trade with the EU, which takes more than 60 per cent of its exports. Wales is also threatened by the loss of EU grants, which currently make up almost 1% of its annual “gross value added” revenues - far more than any other British region. Also facing a negative impact is Northern Ireland, which is vulnerable to the loss of EU funding, as well as London and the North East, which respectively rely on a large European workforce and a high proportion of exports to the EU.
Sectors facing the biggest blow from a hard Brexit, in which the UK leaves the single market and European customs union, are manufacturing, agriculture and energy, said Demos. The introduction of tariffs at the rates currently faced by non-EU states would hit agriculture, forestries and fishing; mining and quarrying; and manufacturing. UK dairy products could face tariffs as high as 33.5%, with confectionery, alcohol and tobacco producers also burdened with costly new duties. Manufacturing will also be particularly vulnerable, as one in 10 of its workers is an EU national and a significant proportion of export products go to the EU, said Demos.
Drop in number of people in EU looking for UK-based jobs, research finds
The number of people in the European Union (EU) looking for jobs in Britain has fallen by almost a fifth since the start of the year, a new study has revealed. The drop is the biggest since the referendum vote to leave the EU last year, jobs site Indeed said. Its research showed the number of UK residents looking for work in other EU countries has increased since January. Mariano Mamertino, of Indeed, said: “As Article 50 looms, we are seeing a sharper and longer decline in interest in working in the UK than in previous 'shock drops' following last year's referendum.
“As Brexit moves from rhetoric to reality, the strain on Britain's strong but tight labour market will worsen. For better or worse, a British labour market with fewer EU workers will be immediately confronted with a range of complex questions that will need to be resolved quickly to prevent major
disruption.” A separate analysis of official data found one million jobs (44.3% of all new jobs) created in Britain since 2008 were filled by people born in another EU country. The dependence is most acute in the manufacturing and hospitality sectors, which together account for a quarter of all EU nationals employed in the UK.
Doctor 'misled medics over Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey'
A doctor who admitted misleading other medics over Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey also acted dishonestly, medical watchdogs ruled today. Dr Hannah Ryan took the temperature of Scottish nurse Ms Cafferkey as they waited to go through Ebola virus screening at Heathrow Airport, medical watchdogs heard. It revealed the nurse had a high temperature of 38.2 centigrade - a warning sign for Ebola, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service was told.
But instead of raising the alarm, a lower temperature of 37.2 centigrade was recorded on a screening form, and Ms Cafferkey was allowed to travel home to Scotland. She fell ill with Ebola the next day. Dr Ryan admitted misleading other medics when she “acquiesced” with the lower temperature being recorded on the form.But the medic, who qualified from Liverpool University in 2009, denies her practise as a doctor is impaired by misconduct through her actions.