jayden™

Universities in England are to face a "value for money" review of how £1.3bn per year of funding might give more support to "priority" subjects. Higher education watchdog the Office for Students (OFS) is understood to be launching the review in the spring. But it will not consider tuition fees - with the government set to publish a separate response to calls to cut fees. Universities UK warns it will matter "how much" funding is left after the review, as well as how it is allocated. The Conservative manifesto has promised to tackle what it calls "low-quality courses" in university - and the review will examine how funding can be targeted for priority subjects. While most university funding is delivered through tuition fees, the government still provides a significant direct stream of grants. This includes subsidies for subjects that are more expensive to teach, such as medicine, science and technology. University fees should be cut to £7,500, says review Universities warned on low-value courses Which degrees deliver the highest earnings? There is also money to improve access to higher education for disadvantaged youngsters. At present the funding is widely distributed, to more than 300 higher education providers. But the future allocation and focus of the money is to be examined by the OFS review. Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES The Russell Group, representing some of the UK's major research universities, says the annual grants represent 13% of funding for undergraduate places. The university group has raised concerns about these grants being cut, arguing that funding for many courses is already stretched. A separate consultation has already been launched on £70m reductions to next year's teaching grant. But the OFS review has been backed by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. "I am strongly in support of this move to evaluate value for money and to consider the best way to target grant funding to the higher education sector in future," said Mr Williamson, in a letter to the OFS earlier this month. The education secretary has told the OFS he wants to prioritise support for the government's industrial strategy, which aims to invest in "skills, industries and infrastructure". There will also be a push for more effective ways to spend money allocated for recruiting disadvantaged students, and support for specialist institutions. But Jo Grady, leader of the University and College Union, criticised how value for money was based on an "obsession with flimsy metrics" around graduate earnings. "What can future employment or earnings potential really tell us about teaching quality?" she said. But what remains unknown is how the OFS review will combine with the government's promised response to Philip Augar's review, which recommended reducing tuition fees from £9,250 to £7,500 per year. The review, commissioned by the former prime minister, Theresa May, also called for further education and skills to have a fairer share of funding. A spokeswoman for Universities UK warned that any changes to the teaching grant or fees could leave a "funding gap". "The fundamental review will cover 'how' teaching funding will be allocated - what will also matter is 'how much' teaching funding will there be, particularly if the government is minded to make any changes to fees," said the spokeswoman.

The New Year sees the launch of all-new versions of old favourites and an exciting new emissions-free model that doesn’t need recharging at the plug. By Daljinder Nagra2 Jan 2020 Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare by email Are you considering making the switch to emissions-free motoring in 2020? From fledgling beginnings, electric cars are now a mainstay of most manufacturers’ line ups. The New Year promises an exciting new array of zero emission models, from premium hatchbacks to sports crossover SUVs. Not all carmakers see battery electric cars as the future, though. Toyota has put its might behind hydrogen fuel-cell technology, and the second generation of its hydrogen-powered Mirai saloon will be in showrooms in a matter of months. However, the reality remains that conventional petrol and diesel cars are currently the most convenient choice for the majority, and it seems there’s life in internal combustion engine yet. From the humble Toyota Yaris, the practical Skoda Octavia or the svelte and luxurious Lexus LC500 Cabriolet, we’ve got plenty of new metal to look forward to. Read on below for our highlights. We reveal the very best cars you can buy right now. Hyundai i10 Hyundai’s city car may sit at the very low end of the new car price spectrum, but the Korean brand’s all new model offers a lot for buyers on a budget when it arrives in showrooms early in 2020. Being a tiny hatchback, don’t expect diesel engines or heavy hybrid systems. Peppy petrol engines are the order of the day and from launch there’ll be a choice of two: a 67hp 1.0-litre three-cylinder and a four-cylinder 1.2 producing 84hp. Buyers will have a choice of either five-speed manual or automated manual transmission, which Hyundai claims saves weight over a traditional automatic. Though in our experience, these are usually not as smooth as the best torque-converter or CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) gearboxes. Hyundai claims the new model’s extended wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) improves passenger space to the point where you’ll be able to fit two adults in the back row. Claimed boot space remains the same as before at 252 litres, which is large for city cars. The biggest change for the new i10, though, is the sheer amount of technology that will be available. It comes with the same eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system as the bigger i30 hatchback, meaning Apple Carplay and Android Auto compatibility, satellite navigation and access to Hyundai’s subscription-based live services. The safety kit tally has also been increased with the addition of autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection as well as lane-keep assist and an automatic high-beam. Thanks to the po[CENSORED]rity of compact crossovers, there are a dwindling number of super-small hatchbacks left on the market. The Ford Ka+ remains for now but the Renault Twingo has departed UK showrooms. Thankfully, the new i10 looks like it’ll be a strong new addition to the market. In the summer the i10 range will expand to include a range-topping ‘N-line’ edition. This will get a unique turbocharged 1.0-litre engine, as well as sporty styling inside and out. This tiny city car might not seem the most obvious candidate for a hot-hatch makeover, but given the excellent job Hyundai has done with its larger i30 model, we’re certainly looking forward to it. We’re driving the new i10 early next year. Head to our car reviews in late January for our first drive review. Toyota Mirai While most manufacturers are placing their eggs in the battery EV basket, Toyota believes the future of sustainable mobility will be powered by hydrogen. The Japanese brand is getting ready to launch the second generation of its Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) saloon. You could be forgiven for missing the last model – there are very few on UK roads thanks to high list prices and, critically, a current lack of hydrogen filling stations.

A database of 10,000 bird species shows how measurements of wings, beaks and tails can predict a species’ role in an ecosystem. Given that many bird species perform important ecological functions, such as pollinating plants, spreading seeds, or controlling pests, the database may help scientists to understand and predict how the loss of species will affect ecosystem health. To compile measurements for all bird species has been a massive undertaking. Dr Joseph Tobias A global team of researchers, led by Imperial College London and University College London, visited museums around the world to find specimens of nearly 10,000 species, covering more than 99 percent of all known bird species. Their results, and the database, are published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution. The link between body form of each animal species and aspects of their lifestyle, including diet, has previously been proposed, but this is the first time it has been confirmed at such a large scale and with such precise detail. 60,000 museum specimens The senior author of the study, Dr Joseph Tobias, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial, said: “To compile measurements for all bird species has been a massive undertaking. That’s particularly the case considering the hundreds of explorers and biologists over the last 150 years who collected and curated the 60,000 museum specimens on which this work is based.” A toucan eating fruit Chestnut-mandibled toucan. Credit: Paul S. Wolf/Shutterstock Predictions of a species’ contribution to an ecosystem are often made using estimates of their evolutionary relationships with other species – relying on the fact that closely related species tend to be more similar in function than distantly related species. However, the new database shows that body measurements offer a far better prediction overall, as some very distantly related species have evolved similar bodies to equip them for similar lifestyles or dietary preferences. For example, the family of auks, which includes puffins and guillemots, have very similar body shape to penguins, despite evolving in opposite hemispheres. Both have beaks, bodies and wings adapted to swimming and catching fish underwater. The concept – called convergent evolution – is far from new, but the new dataset provides the clearest picture yet of its widespread influence across an entire class of animals at a global scale. Combining body measurements The team looked at nine body measurements including the dimensions of beaks, tails, wings and legs as well as body mass, and compared these to a bird’s diet and foraging behaviour – for example whether it primarily catches invertebrates in the air, on the ground, or underwater. Further studies can use our database to predict the effects of climate and land-use change on ecosystem function, and to set appropriate targets for wildlife conservation. Dr Joseph Tobias Some associations are obvious, such as longer wings in species that spend much of their time flying, or longer legs in ground-dwelling species. However, the team found that the combination of all body measurements was highly predictive of even subtle differences in lifestyle across all species. The study’s first author, Dr Alex Pigot of UCL’s Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, said: “Our results suggest that evolution is a predictable process. If we were to 're-run the tape of life', then evolution likely would once again lead to very similar-looking organisms to the ones we see today. “Being able to quantify each animal’s vital role in the functioning of the biosphere is really important in understanding impacts of the current extinction and climate crisis.” Dr Tobias said: “The link we show between body form and function has some potentially important applications, and paves the way for the use of similar data to investigate the role of biodiversity in ecosystems. “For example, further studies can use our database to predict the effects of climate and land-use change on ecosystem function, and to set appropriate targets for wildlife conservation.”

The Northern Irish rock musician Cormac Neeson says having a child with Down's syndrome has changed his life in a "joyful and positive" way. In 2014 Neeson was, in many ways, living the rock 'n' roll dream. His band, The Answer, had sold hundreds of thousands of records and had toured the globe with the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Who and AC/DC. But the singer's world was shaken to the core when his wife, Louise, gave birth to a very premature baby at just 27 weeks. "It was an unbelievably dark and troubled time," says Neeson. Their son, Dabhog, was born weighing just 1lb 12ozs (0.8 kg) and was immediately taken into intensive care. He stayed in hospital in Belfast for the next four months. "For a large portion of that time we weren't sure on a daily basis whether he was going to make it through," Neeson adds. Two weeks into that time they had to deal with the news that Dabhog had Down's syndrome - a genetic condition that typically affects a person's learning abilities. "That was something else that just added to the whole very intense experience." Image copyrightCORMAC NEESON Image caption Dabhog underwent heart surgery aged one Around that time The Answer were releasing an album. "I would have to take myself away from the incubator for 20 or 30 minutes and do interviews to promote the album. "I had to pretty much pretend I was in a place where I was comfortable releasing good time rock 'n' roll music. It was a complete collision course with where my head was actually at," Neeson says. Dabhog did survive and was discharged from hospital, although he had to have surgery aged one to fix a hole in his heart. The experiences have had a profound effect on Neeson's outlook on life and his music. "Whenever the dust settled and Dabhog was home and his health started to turn and life settled down a bit I realised that creatively I was not in a place where I could genuinely write the kind of music we had spent the last 10 years writing," he says. He went to Nashville where he worked with American songwriters and musicians to put together a new album. "The result was really a collection of songs that was so introspective and intense and so truthful that they really could only be part of a solo project. "It's a world away from the stuff that I had spent my career making up till that point." Image copyrightHELENA NEESON Image caption The title of Neeson's solo album, White Feather, came from an event during his wife's pregnancy One of the songs, Broken Wing, is a tribute to Dabhog. "It's a good opportunity to talk about Down's syndrome and normalise what Down's syndrome is, but also to celebrate my son for being the individual that he is," Neeson says. He says he wanted to get over in the song that raising a child with a learning disability has a unique set of challenges, but "it's unique in a really great and powerful way". Neeson says he also wrote the song to help new parents of children with Down's syndrome. "I was kind of placing myself back in the hospital whenever we were told that Dabhog had Down's syndrome and I was thinking that if I'd heard this song back then I might have taken some comfort from it. "If your child has Down's syndrome that is not what defines your child. Your child is unique and amazing like every other child. I've never met a person like my son, Dabhog. "The joy that he brings into our lives is something that I could not have anticipated when we were just worrying day to day about his health and getting him out of that hospital alive." Image copyrightCORMAC NEESON Image caption Neeson has chromosome 21 tattooed on his arm. The most common form of Down's syndrome is Trisomy 21, when there are three copies of that chromosome instead of two The album's title, White Feather, is a reference to an incident early in Louise's pregnancy with Dabhog. At around three weeks they were told it was as an ectopic pregnancy, when a fertilised egg is implanted outside the womb, often in a fallopian tube. The egg cannot then develop into a baby and the pregnancy has to be terminated due to the risk to the mother's health. After taking Louise into surgery the doctors realised it was not an ectopic pregnancy, but said they would have to wait another two weeks before being able to scan for a heartbeat and confirm if the baby was still alive. The night before the scan, Neeson went for a walk by himself in the hills near his hometown of Newcastle, County Down. "A lot of soul searching went on. I said out loud, 'I need a sign'. At that point I was stopped dead in my tracks." He had spotted a white feather in the trees. "In Ireland a white feather represents life," Neeson says. The next day the scan revealed a "gigantic" heartbeat. Image copyrightSHONA CUTT Image caption Neeson's band The Answer have released six studio albums Dabhog is now five and in September started school, where Neeson says he has made friends and won certificates for being pupil of the week. "Just to be able to experience our little boy thriving like that and being so communicative and being such a life-affirming character and for him to bring so much joy into our lives, it's a massively positive experience for us and we're thankful for that," Neeson says. Dabhog now has a younger brother and Neeson has become an ambassador for the learning disability charity Mencap in Northern Ireland. Dabhog attended a Mencap centre in Belfast for specialist learning and early intervention support. "Before my wife became pregnant with Dabhog I suppose my sole focus in life was essentially myself and I think you become much less selfish when you have a child," he says. Looking back to 2014, he adds: "There are moments in your life when you don't know how you're going to get past these obstacles that are set, but you do.

v1 , Blur,Text

A physically and mentally active lifestyle confers resilience to frontotemporal dementia (FTD), even in people whose genetic profile makes the eventual development of the disease virtually inevitable, according to new research by scientists at the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center. The research aligns with long-standing findings that exercise and cognitive fitness are one of the best ways to prevent or slow Alzheimer's disease, but is the first study to show that the same types of behaviors can benefit people with FTD, which is caused by a distinct form of brain degeneration. FTD is a neurodegenerative disease that can disrupt personality, decision-making, language, or movement abilities, and typically begins between the ages of 45 and 65. It is the most common form of dementia in people under 65 (accounting for 5 to 15 percent of dementia cases overall) and typically results in rapid cognitive and physical decline and death in less than 10 years. There are currently no drugs to treat FTD, though numerous clinical trials for the disease are underway at UCSF Memory and Aging Center and elsewhere. "This is devastating disease without good medical treatments, but our results suggest that even people with a genetic predisposition for FTD can still take actions to increase their chances of living a long and productive life. Their fate may not be set in stone," said Kaitlin Casaletto, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center and corresponding author of the new study, published January 8, 2020 in Alzheimer's and Dementia. 'If This Were a Drug, We Would Be Giving it to All Our Patients' About 40 percent of people with FTD have a family history of the disease, and scientists have identified specific dominant genetic mutations that drive the development of the disease in roughly half of these cases. But even in these individuals, the disease can have very different courses and severity. "There's incredible variability in FTD, even among people with the same genetic mutations driving their disease. Some people are just more resilient than others for reasons we still don't understand," said, Casaletto, a member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. "Our hypothesis was that the activities people engage in each day of their lives may contribute to the very different trajectories we see in clinic, including when the disease develops and how it progresses." To test this hypothesis, Casaletto and colleagues studied how lifestyle differences affected FTD progression in 105 people with dominant, disease-causing genetic mutations who were mostly asymptomatic or had experienced only mild, early-stage symptoms. The research participants were drawn from two large multisite studies, called ARTFL and LEFFTDS (recently combined into a study known as ALLFTD), led by co-authors Adam Boxer, MD, PhD, and Howie Rosen, MD, also of the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. As part of these larger studies, all participants underwent initial MRI scans to measure the extent of brain degeneration caused by the disease, completed tests of thinking and memory, and reported on their current levels of cognitive and physical activity in their daily lives (e.g., reading, spending time with friends, jogging). At the same time, their family members completed regular gold-standard assessments of how well the study participants were functioning in their lives -- managing finances, medications, bathing themselves, and so on. All of these measures were repeated at annual follow-up visits to track the long-term progression of participants' disease. Even after only two to three visits (one to two years into the ongoing study), Casaletto and her team have already begun to see significant differences in the speed and severity of FTD between the most and least mentally and physically active individuals in the study, with mentally and physically active lifestyles showing similar effects across participants. Specifically, the researchers found that functional decline, as assessed by participants' family members, was 55 percent slower in the most active 25 percent of participants compared to the least active five percent. "This was a remarkable effect to see so early on," Casaletto said. "If this were a drug, we would be giving it to all of our patients." The researchers found that participants' lifestyles did not significantly alter the inexorable degeneration of brain tissue associated with FTD, as measured by follow-up MRI scans a year into the study. But even among participants whose brain scans revealed signs of atrophy, the most mentally and physically active participants continued to perform twice as well as the least active participants on cognitive tests. These results suggest that active lifestyles may slow FTD symptoms by providing some form of cognitive resilience to the consequences of brain degeneration. Findings Could Illuminate Biology of Brain Resilience Across Dementias The researchers anticipate seeing even larger differences in cognitive decline between more and less active groups as the merged ALLFTD study continues to follow these participants over time. "We've seen such significant effects in just the first year or two in people with very mild disease -- if these results hold, we may see that an active lifestyle sets individuals on a different trajectory for the coming years," Casaletto said. The next step for the research is to include more detailed and objective assessments of participants' physical and mental activity -- including fitting them with wearable FitBit activity sensors -- to begin to estimate exactly how much activity is needed to promote cognitive resilience. Casaletto cautions that the results, though exciting, so far only report a correlation: "It is possible that some participants have less active lifestyles because they have a more severe or aggressive form of FTD, which is already impacting their ability to be active. Clinical trials that mani[CENSORED]te cognitive and physical activity levels in people with FTD mutations are needed to prove that lifestyle changes can alter the course of the disease." With this caveat in mind, Casaletto hopes the findings will not only encourage care teams and individuals with family histories of FTD to adopt lifestyle changes that could provide more productive years of life, but also that the ongoing study will lead to a better biological understanding of the drivers of resilience in people with FTD. "We can see that lifestyle differences impact people's resilience to FTD despite very penetrant genetics, so now we can start to ask more fundamental questions, like how these behaviors actually affect the brain's biology to confer that resilience." Casaletto said. "Is that biological effect something we could replicate pharmacologically to help slow the progression of this terrible disease for everyone?"

Living a healthy lifestyle can help you stave off diseases for an extra decade, new research has found. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, has found that those who adopt habits such as exercising for at least 30 minutes a day or drinking in moderation are more likely to be free of illnesses like cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences looked at data from more than 110,000 people for the study. For the sake of the study, a healthy lifestyle was defined by those with at least four of the following five factors: never smoking, a healthy body mass index (BMI), moderate alcohol intake, a healthy diet, and at least half an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. As for the alcohol intake, moderate was viewed as 5g to 15g of pure alcohol per day for women (15g is roughly one 175ml glass of wine) and for men, this range went from 5g to 30g per day, with 30g pure alcohol considered the equivalent to 1.5 pints of beer.On average, the results showed that women with healthy lifestyles could enjoy 34.4 years free from diseases, compared to 23.7 years for women who had none of the five healthy lifestyle behaviours. Meanwhile, men who adopted at least four of the five aforementioned healthy living factors were found to expect 31.1 years free from diseases, with this figure dropping down to 23.5 years for men who did not follow any of the healthy lifestyle factors. The study also identified those who were at the highest risk of developing cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, citing men who smoked more than 15 cigarettes and women with a BMI over 30. Watch more Adults should weight lift twice a week to stay fit and healthy "We observed that adherence to a low-risk lifestyle was associated with a longer life expectancy at age 50 free of major chronic diseases of approximately 7.6 years in men and 10 years in women compared with participants with no low-risk lifestyle factors," the study reads. "Public policies for improving food and the physical environment conducive to adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle, as well as relevant policies and regulations (for example, smoking ban in public places or trans- fat restrictions) are critical to improving life expectancy, especially life expectancy free of major chronic diseases."

Thousands of passengers could save money on rail fares as "split tickets" become more common, experts predict. Buying multiple tickets to split one journey into sections can work out to be cheaper than having a single ticket. Users do not have to change trains, as long as their train stops at the final destination printed on each ticket - but the practice has been "niche". Booking site Trainline has now released a SplitSave tool to help find cheaper journeys by splitting trips into legs. "Split tickets" are legal provided that trains stop at ticket destinations. Rail fares rise by 2.7% Travel journalist Simon Calder told BBC News "split ticketing" was not a new concept, but had previously only been carried out by a well-informed group of passengers. "What we're seeing now is the whole thing moving from the niche to a company through which millions buy tickets," he said. Previously, passengers could use split ticketing websites such as RailEurope's Pricehack and Split My Fare to check ticket prices. How it works The ticket companies' apps are able to find combinations of tickets to save passengers money on most routes across the UK, by automatically splitting the trip into multiple legs. Passengers buy more than one ticket, rather than a single ticket covering the entire journey. As long as the train makes a stop at a passenger's split ticket station along the way, they can be on the same train throughout the whole journey. To buy a ticket from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads without splitting the fare could cost up to £112 on Monday morning. However, buying one ticket from Paddington to Didcot - which is on the same route - and another from Did cot to Bristol would save around a third of the cost of the trip. The practice is legal so long as the train stops as Didcot. Trainline said other examples of potential savings included one of £80.10 between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston, and £79.85 between Edinburgh Waverley and London King's Cross. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, called for a reform to the whole rail fares structure, describing the split-ticket feature as a "sticking plaster" solution to a "system in need of major surgery". Experts say the rules governing how tickets are sold - which date back to 1995 - have not kept pace with technology or how people work and travel. The rail industry has previously admitted that passengers are not always offered the cheapest fare available due to "long-standing anomalies". The RDG published a wish list of reforms last year, including allowing ticket prices to be set more flexibly. Mr Calder said ticket-splitting by large numbers of passengers may speed up rail fare reforms as train companies begin to lose revenue. "The railway industry says it has been calling for reform for years and I think [ticket splitting] could accelerate that process," he said. "We're going to see train companies saying to the government: 'We're losing all this money, you've got to help us sort this out.' "The simple answer is fares reform." 'Sticking plaster' Jacqueline Starr, chief operating officer at RDG, said: "We support any effort to improve how people buy tickets within the current fares structure, but ultimately these are only sticking plaster solutions on a system in need of major surgery. "Reforms proposed by train operators and backed by consumer groups would deliver a better range of fares for everyone, encouraging people to use the network and generating revenue for government to re-invest back in to improvements in services." The tool was welcomed by independent watchdog Transport Focus for enabling passengers "to take advantage of cheaper journeys where they are available". However, the group's chief executive, Anthony Smith, added: "Of course, people shouldn't need tips and tricks to know they are getting the best deal and so we want to see major fares and ticketing reforms coming out of the forthcoming Williams review."

Nick: Jayden Real name: Jayden How old are you?: 17 Which Games you play? and for how long?(each of them): cs 1.6 , csgo , fortnite , rocket league Where are you from?(country and city): England , Peterborough Describe yourself(at least 50 words): I am a teenager who lives with my sister , mum my dad left me a young age. I love my family to pieces I have a lot of respect for people I am someone who can make friends quite easily and fit in I love playing video games , I really enjoy going out with my friends and going to the gym. Note some of your qualities: Respectful, Never loose my temper, I enjoy helping people , Active. And I was moderator here in the past so I can say experience. Tell us some of your defects: I'm going to be honest I get very nervous I get worried about what people think of me way to much. On which category/categories have you been active lately?(describe your activity): Proposals , Devils club , F.A.Q , Over-watch Which category/project you want to care off?(choose from THIS LIST): Devils Club How well you speak english?(and other languages): I'm from England so it's good Do you use TS3? Do you have an active microphone?: Yes I have TS3, but no working microphone Contact methods: steam: EA7 , CSBD, TS3 Last request: first request

Welcome ❤️

hey dude , go into the counter strike settings and follow this Video > Resolution > 1920 x 1080 > display mode > Widescreen

happy new year ❤️

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has instructed legal action against a contractor involved in the construction of its biggest hospital. Brookfield Multiplex was responsible for the design and construction of the £575m Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) complex in Glasgow. There have been problems at the campus since it opened in 2015. Lawyers have been instructed to raise court proceedings against the contractor "as a matter of urgency". Public inquiry planned MacRoberts LLP are acting on behalf of the health board, according to official papers. A public inquiry is expected to look at how the design, handover and maintenance contributed to ineffective infection control at the QEUH complex. It will also cover the new children's hospital in Edinburgh, which also involved Brookfield Multiplex. This was due to open in 2017, but will now not be ready until next autumn at the earliest after serious problems with the ventilation system were uncovered. In brief: The trials of Scotland's super hospital Last month, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was placed in "special measures" following issues over infection prevention, management and control at the hospitals. In January it emerged that two patients at the QEUH had died after contracting a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings. In November it came to light that two children who had died in 2017 at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC), which is part of the complex, were treated on a ward affected by water contamination. That year it was also announced that cladding similar to that used on Grenfell Tower would be replaced, at a cost to the taxpayer of £6m. In 2018 a panel fell from the 10th floor of the QEUH, shattering near the front entrance. No-one was injured, but safety netting was erected around the hospital. Reports claimed panels had fallen from the building on at least three occasions since it opened. The health board said an investigation into what caused the fall was inconclusive. Image copyrightKIMBERLY DARROCH Image caption 10-year-old Milly Main, pictured here with her mother, died in 2017 In 2017, 10-year-old Milly Main was recovering from leukaemia at the Royal Hospital for Children. But her Hickman line, a catheter used to administer drugs, became infected. Milly went into toxic shock and died days later. Her family say they were kept in the dark about a potential link to contaminated water problems at the hospital. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde insisted it was impossible to determine the source of Milly's infection because there was no requirement to test the water supply at the time. At the end of last month, the board was placed in "special measures". Apology to families Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said stage four of the NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework was necessary to implement because of the issuse over infection prevention and control. The move in effect means an oversight board is in place, chaired by chief nursing officer Prof Fiona McQueen. Both NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Ms Freeman have apologised to the parents of two children who died at the hospital. Three-year-old Mason Djemat, who was being treated for a rare genetic disease, died on 9 August 2017. Milly died three weeks later while recovering from leukaemia treatment. Both were treated on a ward affected by water contamination at the Royal Hospital for Children.

Roads remain closed after a major blaze "devastated" shops and restaurants in Glasgow's southside. About 60 firefighters and 12 appliances tackled the fire in Seaward Street, in the Kinning Park area, after the alarm was raised just after 03:30. At the height of the fire a huge plume of smoke could be seen from across the River Clyde. Seaward Street was closed to traffic between Paisley Road West and the M8 eastbound off-slip to Scotland Street. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reported casualties. The traffic disruption hit drivers both during the morning and evening rush hours. Garry Mackay, area commander at the fire service, said the "challenging" fire had been contained by crews. BBC journalist Linda Sinclair said the roof of the large building had collapsed. There are fears the front of the building might also give way. The affected properties on Seaward Street include a furniture and flooring showroom, a locksmith, a function suite and a Middle Eastern restaurant. In a Facebook post, Modish Furnishing said: "A fire tore through the buildings on our street in Kinning Park in the early hours of this morning. Unfortunately our showroom has been devastated." The Dojo, a martial arts centre on Seaward Lane, is one of the buildings closed by the fire. Instructor Mike McCusker tweeted: "Although the Hokushin Honbu Dojo is untouched by this incident the road remains closed and we will not have access today. We should be back to normal tomorrow." Mr MacKay said: "This was a complex and challenging incident with significant fire spread and crews worked hard to prevent further spread to neighbouring properties. "We are now confident we have contained the blaze and are scaling back our response." He said the fire service was working with police to manage traffic. Skip Twitter post by @KatieHunterBBC Katie Hunter ✔ @KatieHunterBBC Still 30+ firefighters at Seaward Street. No injuries but traffic disruption expected for a while yet. Embedded video 9 10:43 AM - Dec 16, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy See Katie Hunter's other Tweets Report End of Twitter post by @KatieHunterBBC Power was cut from the area for several hours, affecting traffic lights and leaving dozens of businesses and homes without electricity. Scottish Power Energy Networks said the emergency shutdown, which affected properties in Admiral Street and the surrounding area, was requested at 08:28 by the emergency services and ended shortly before 18:00. Image copyrightMILES CHICOINE The fire is the third serious blaze near the centre of Glasgow within a week. Last Monday dozens of flats in the Lancefield Quay area were evacuated and about 40 firefighters tackled a blaze in Pitt Street in the early hours of Sunday. Investigations into all three are ongoing. They are not being linked.