In July 2011, the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, had announced that the Welsh Government would consider pursuing a ban on smoking in cars carrying children if children’s exposure to second-hand smoke in cars does not start to fall within the next three years.

The First Minister said, “Wales was the first UK country to vote in favour of a ban on smoking in public places and if necessary we will not shy away from considering legislation to further protect children from second-hand smoke.

“A ban on smoking in cars carrying children will be considered later in this five-year term of Government if smoking levels do not reduce as a result of the campaign. We have commissioned research to measure levels of smoking in cars and public attitudes towards it, which will be revisited throughout the campaign to evaluate its success.”

Launching the campaign, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Tony Jewell, said,”Exposure to these chemicals puts children at risk from a range of conditions, including sudden infant death syndrome and asthma. There is robust evidence that the level of toxic chemicals is very high in cars, even with a window open.”

The Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, said “The Foreign Secretary announced in his recent review of arms exports that there were no fundamental flaws with the export licensing system. We share this view. However, the review did identify some areas where our system could be further strengthened, so I am pleased that we are able to work closely together to bring about these changes.”

The Foreign Secretary William Hague said “The suspension mechanism will allow for the immediate suspension of pending licence applications to countries experiencing a sharp deterioration in security or stability. This will mean that licences pending approval will be ‘paused’ for a defined period. The Government will notify exporters, Parliament and the media when this has happened. ”

The transparency proposal includes inserting a provision into open export licences requiring the exporter to report periodically on transactions. British Government will then publish this information.

Since these licences are made in confidence, so the British Govt will try to find a way to publish such details by which it can be made public while protecting any sensitive material. UK will appoint an independent person to scrutinize the Export Control Organisation’s licensing process. The role of this independent auditor would be to confirm that the process is being followed correctly and report on their work at regular intervals.

Tàpies was born in Barcelona in 1923 and showed artistic bent in his childhood. Spanish Civil War deeply disturbed him for lifetime. He began his career as a painter making copies in oils of works by van Gogh and Picasso. In 1945, he joined the University of Barcelona for law, only to drop out a year later and take up the brush full time. His influences included the artists Miró, Klee and Ernst as well as oriental art and existentialist philosophy.

His work employed a variety of materials like earth, newspaper, rope. and everyday items. He has worked in a variety of media including sculpture and lithography.

Ed Davey, a fellow Liberal Democrat and state secretary in the Business Department, has been named as his successor Friday. PM Cameron said Huhne had made the “right decision given the circumstances.” He also thanked Huhne for the important work he had done for the government at home and during international climate change negotiations.

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader and deputy prime minister, who stood by Huhne in the run-up to Friday’s decision, said he “totally understood” the reasons for his resignation. “If he (Huhne) clears his name, as he wishes to, I have made it clear to him that I would like to see him back in government in a key position,” said Clegg. As deputy prime minister, Clegg also has the rank of a cabinet minister, but has no portfolio. Speaking shortly after the decision to bring charges against him was announced by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Huhne protested his innocence and said he would fight to clear his name in the courts. He is to be charged with perverting the course of justice, along with his ex-wife, Vicky Pryce. Both will appear in court in London on February 16.

COMCO cited receiving information regarding potential unlawful agreements among banks. Specifically, collusion between derivative traders might have influenced the reference rates LIBOR und TIBOR.

The release says that market conditions regarding derivative products based on these reference rates might have been manipulated too.

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said “China now must comply by removing these export restrictions swiftly and furthermore, I expect China to bring its overall export regime – including for rare earths – in line with WTO rules.”

The EU Panel, along with US and Mexico had charged that the export duties and quotas imposed by China on various raw materials like various forms of: bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon carbide, silicon metal, yellow phosphorus and zinc, are protectionist measures in breach of WTO rules and that China failed to justify them. WTO in particular upheld the finding that China has committed unconditionally in its Accession Protocol to the WTO not to levy export duties and that this commitment cannot be reduced by reverting to the general exceptions of the GATT.

As per EU panel narration, China applies export restrictions on key raw materials, some of which cannot be sourced outside China. Export restrictions create serious disadvantages for foreign producers by artificially increasing China’s export prices and driving up world prices. EU also contends that such restrictions artificially lower China’s domestic prices for the raw materials due to significant increases in domestic supply. This gives China’s domestic downstream industry significant competitive advantages and puts pressure on foreign producers to move their operations and technologies to China.

The restrictions increased manufacturing costs of European industry such as the chemical, steel and non-ferrous metal industries. This drove up the costs of downstream clients, ranging from producers of beverage cans, CDs, electronics, automotives, ceramics, refrigerators, batteries and medicines and many more.

The EU, US and Mexico are now expected to request doption of the reports by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body within 30 days. China will then have to bring its measures in compliance with the rulings within a reasonable period of time.

“If just 18 aircraft’s are being produced in France, why is the (Dassault) stock jumping, is it a big deal?” wonders a commentator on a French newspaper. Another one thinks that “it is a good deal for Sarko (French President Nicolas Sarkozy) and Dassault shareholders.”

The French President Sarkozy and Serge Dassault, the Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, are hugely unpopular. On the question of ‘significant transfers of technology guaranteed by the French State,” one commentator opines ” Sarko, having sold a large part of the family jewels of France, begins to sell off the “know how” French! … we have only eyes to weep!” Some are worried that the technology will fall into someone’s hands as “Rafale is a killing machine.”

The negativity is making waves world wide as the rest of the Europeans, Americans and Russians have lost the contract. Indian neighbours are understandably cocky. A lot of Indian masses are wondering if the price is worth it? While the French are complaining that Dassault is hugely subsidized by France and India will reap the benefits. The Indian Air Force seems to be happy to get a (infact any) suitable aircraft which it badly needed to fill up its dwindling squadrons.

However, champagne is popping at Dassault Aviation, the makers of the plane, within President Sarkozy’s entourage and his Conservative UMP Party. But, again, the sentiments are not exactly euphoric. The French Trade minister is on record that the deal is not yet signed and is not the time to celebrate. It is exactly one commentator tried to sum up “Airbus had won the tender for the US Air Force tanker aircraft, but as it is not paid, nothing is certain. A contract, it is torn.”

Officials said the deployment was long planned, however, and not a riposte to tensions over the sovereignty of the islands between Britain and Argentina.

Argentina disagreed and rejected what it called a “British attempt to militarize” a conflict on which the United Nations has repeatedly called for dialogue, according to a Foreign Ministry statement in Buenos Aires. “Governments have to avoid the temptation of engaging in discourse that transforms patriotism into chauvinism,” the Argentine Foreign Ministry said.

On 15th December the Government of Uruguay had announced that they would deny access to their ports to ships flying the Falklands flag. Five days later, a statement from the summit of the Mercosur group of countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with associate members including Chile) echoed the Uruguayan announcement.

Britain Foreign Minister said in the Parliament that the decision to close ports to ships flying the Falklands flag has no legal basis. Subsequently, Argentine Foreign Minister made the case for a negotiated handover of the Falklands. This follows May 2010 request by Argentinean President Cristina Kirchner at the EU-Latin America and Caribbean summit to open negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

Britain alleges that except two months of occupation by Argentina in 1982, the Falklands have been administered under British sovereignty since 1833. Argentina says that Britain took the Falklands by force in 1833, expelling the civilian Argentine population and supplanting it with British subjects. Britain counteracted by saying that it took formal possession of the islands in 1765, before the independent state of Argentina came into being. In 1832 Argentina dispatched a military garrison to the islands and Britain sent forces to remove it. British also claim that no civilians were expelled and claimed that majority of the 30 or so civilians chose to stay. British settlers arrived from 1833 onwards, and were joined by other nationalities. In 1850 Britain and Argentina signed an agreement to settle their “existing differences”. Between 1850 and 1940 Argentina made one formal diplomatic protest over the Falkland Islands, in 1888. In 1982, UK and Argentina fought a war over the island, which resulted in a win for the British.

While Argentina continues to implement its measures, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil have said that they have no intention of participating in an economic blockade of the Falkland Islands and that all Falklands-related commercial shipping will continue to enjoy access to their ports, in accordance with domestic and international law, if they are flying the Red Ensign or another national flag when docked.

Laundered fuel is red (or green) diesel, which has been filtered through chemicals or acids to remove the government marker. The chemicals and acids remain in the fuel and damage fuel pumps in diesel cars. Red diesel is marked gas oil or a rebated fuel for use in agricultural machinery and not for use in road vehicles. Green diesel is the Republic of Ireland equivalent of the UK’s red diesel.

On Tuesday, 24 Jan, HMRC, working with local Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers dismantled a mobile laundering plant that had been abandoned on the roadside in the Crossmaglen area of south Armagh. An acid laundering plant, it consisted of two large fuel tanks hidden in a 40” trailer, secured only by a rope.

On Saturday, 21 January, HMRC accompanied by officers from the PSNI searched an industrial unit in Fivemiletown. Officers removed over half a tonne of toxic waste, the by-product of the laundering process. Five vehicles, 4,000 litres of laundered fuel and a quantity of bleaching earth were also seized during the operation.

Graeme Anderson, Assistant Director Specialist Investigations, HMRC said “Before buying cheap fuel motorists need to consider the real costs of laundered fuel. Safety features for handling any type of fuel are there for good reasons.

Buying illicit fuel not only funds organised crime but supports and encourages these dangerous activities within our communities.”

Investigations into the three laundering plants are ongoing.

As per Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive “bowel cancer affects 33,000 people every year in England with the majority of cases occurring in both male and female over the age of 55. There are 13,000 deaths a year.”

The Health Dept says that if spotted at an early stage, it can be less deadly as more than 90 per cent of people diagnosed with bowel cancer at an early stage survive for at least five years compared with only six per cent of those diagnosed at a late stage. The Dept estimates that if England’s bowel cancer survival rates matched the best in Europe an additional 1,700 lives would be saved every year.

The other symptoms include a pain or lump in tummy, tired feeling more than usual for some time and an unexplained weight loss.

The Dept’s ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign was piloted in the South West and East of England in January 2011. The GP’s from the areas say that the number of people over the age of 50 presenting with the relevant symptoms increased by 48 per cent. For the GP’s it was about one extra patient per practice per week.

The British Government’s Strategy for Cancer includes spending more than £750m over four years to implement a range of actions that will improve cancer outcomes. £450m is directed at improving early diagnosis including the extra costs for diagnostic tests and treatment. The Govt statistics say that around 14,600 cases were diagnosed in women and 18,000 in men in England in 2008. Nine out of ten people diagnosed with the disease are aged over 55 and those with a family history are more at risk. Two thirds of bowel cancer develop in the colon, while the remaining third developing in the rectum.

Bowel cancer is also referred to as colorectal cancer. It includes both cancer of the colon and cancer of the rectum.