Professor's anger and sadness as victims helped
One of the consultants treating victims of the London bomb blasts spoke of the anger felt by medical teams as they dealt with the injuries. Professor Jim Ryan, senior A&E consultant and the man leading the major incident team at University College Hospital, said most patients were injured in the nearby bus blast. Professor Ryan said staff at the hospital were working tirelessly to treat the victims and said the hospital had been inundated with offers of help. "Our staff are desperately sad for the victims and there is a huge anger amongst them. But they have responded extraordinarily and we feel chuffed that our procedures have worked".
The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian
Bombs have al-Qaeda trademark says terrorism expert
Professor Paul Wilkinson, a terrorism expert from St Andrews University, said: "The attack has all the trademarks of the al-Qaeda network. That is to say, the attacks are clearly aimed to cause casualties among the public and aimed at the transport network, which they have done before at Madrid. "This shows that the police and security services are realistic and they have been warning that it is not so much a case of ‘if’ there will be an attack but ‘when’. Unfortunately, they have been accurate in that assessment."
The Times, The Scotsman, The Guardian
Professor killed in southern Iraq
Gunmen kidnapped and killed a university professor in southern Iraq and a physician in a central city in separate incidents, police have revealed. Jumhour Karim Khammas, professor at Basra University, was kidnapped by gunmen from his clinic in Samarra. His body was found with three bullet wounds in the city, said police Lt Col Karim al-Zubaidi.
The Scotsman
Birmingham raises a glass to £1.8m grant
The University of Birmingham has been awarded a £1.8 million grant to research barley genes in the hope of improving the production of beer and whisky. Nearly every barley grower in the country will take part in the study, which will attempt to increase the yield, as well as disease and pest resistance. It will also investigate how much alcohol can be extracted from the barley during the production of "malt" whisky. The university received the grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to work with the Scottish Crop Research Institute.
The Guardian
Asia geese could spread bird flu virus to Europe
Bird flu, which kills more than half the humans that it infects, could be spread to Europe by migratory geese from China, scientists say. An estimated 1,500 birds died two months ago at Qinghai Lake in western China and survivors could introduce the virus to parts of Asia beyond the Himalayas. There, they would come into contact with birds that use "migratory flyways" linked to Europe, according to a study. The World Health Organisation estimates that that there is a more than 50 per cent chance that the bird flu virus will mutate into a form leading to a pandemic such as the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918 that killed 25 million people.
The Times
Bed-sharing raises cot death risk
Young babies who sleep in a bed with their parents are at higher risk of cot death, according to new research. The study found babies sharing the bed of an adult were more prone to sudden infant death even if the child is breast-fed and the parent is a non-smoker. The research, which was funded by the Scottish Cot Death Trust, was carried out at Glasgow University between 1996 and 2000. Dr John McClure, chairman of the cot death charity, said: "Until recently it was thought that bed-sharing was a risk only if parents were smokers. This new study confirms a significant risk for young babies, whether or not parents smoke".
The Daily Mail
'How do I fit a golf club in a Jiffy bag?'
Over the last year, eBay has begun to develop its own academic wing. Touring the country's higher-education campuses this summer, "eBay University" offers an intensive one-day course, aiming to help sellers maximise their potential, with a series of seminars, tutorials from eBay employees, and Q&A sessions with a panel of "Powersellers" (the term used to describe the eBay elite who - among other criteria - consistently sell more than £750 worth of goods every month). But eBay University is not just aimed at the beginner; its course is also tailored to appeal to the growing number of people who are trying to make a full-time living via the site. It is now estimated that the number of stay-at-home, wheeler-dealers exceeds 10,000 in Britain.
The Daily Telegraph
From yesterday's papers:
- London colleges hail 'wonderful' Olympic result
The Guardian
- MBAs are in demand again, and companies are paying well to attract them
The Times