Latest research news

Woman claims £30,000 for hospital superbug
A woman who claims she was struck down with the deadly superbug MRSA while in hospital launched a landmark legal battle yesterday to win £30,000 compensation. Elizabeth Miller, 67, from North Lanarkshire, has lodged a court summons against Greater Glasgow NHS Board in the first court action of its kind in the United Kingdom.
The Scotsman

Pair awarded Nobel prize
A Norwegian and an American who tried to solve some of the biggest puzzles in economics were yesterday awarded the sector's highest accolade by the Nobel prize committee in Stockholm.
The Guardian

Reform of hunting laws may make us game for healthy diet
Antiquated laws that prevent the sale of wild game in supermarkets and butchers’ shops all year round are to be scrapped by the Government. The aim is to encourage more healthy eating in Britain and for consumers to take advantage of the high-protein, low-cholesterol meats such as pheasant, partridge and venison, which are widely available.
The Times

GM crops row splits Italian government
Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government was split last night on the issue of genetically modified crops, and farmers warned that delays in agreeing rules could lead to next year's Italian harvests being unintentionally "contaminated". The dispute has cut across traditional loyalties, pushing growers, environmentalists, leftwingers and nationalist-minded "post-fascists" into an unlikely alliance. Opinion among farmers and the public is overwhelmingly opposed to the introduction of GM seeds.
The Guardian

Environmentalists rally in battle of Hastings
A valley where William the Conqueror struck his first camp after landing in England in 1066 could be bisected by a controversial new road which has reignited a bitter conflict dubbed "the new battle of Hastings". Leaders of Britain's top environmental groups have joined local activists to walk the route and to urge the government to block a £47 million highway project through the historic Combe Haven marshes.
The Guardian

Romney Marsh wind farm inquiry opens
New government guidelines to promote wind farm developments will be put to the test when a public inquiry opens today into proposals to erect 26 turbines, each more than twice the height of Nelson's Column, in the Kent constituency of Michael Howard, Tory leader. The £50 million Romney Marsh scheme is next door to one of Europe's most sensitive bird feeding and breeding grounds. Mr Howard has backed opponents of the scheme, which include the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Environment Agency.
Financial Times

£78m tourism plan for Indian mangroves mired in protests
An Indian billionaire's plan to build a series of floating "eco-tourist" cities on the Sundarbans, the world's biggest mangrove swamp, is being opposed by campaigners who say it amounts to the "total destruction" of the pristine delta system. Subrata Roy's £78 million project includes medical centres, a casino, a golf course and five-star hotels on four islands linked by speedboats in the wetland straddling the border with Bangladesh.
The Guardian

‘Thumbs down’ for Colosseum lease idea
In a 1960s Italian film Totò, one of the country's greatest comic actors tried to sell Rome's Trevi Fountain to a group of tourists. Now an Italian government minister has proposed leasing the Colosseum, the 1,924-year old monument of Roman civilisation, to private individuals as a way of raising money for the state. Politicians in Rome reacted to Mr Molgora's proposal like a crowd at a gladiators' contest and gave it a thumbs-down.
Financial Times