Welcome to Label’s fortnightly news update, bringing you a few headlines from Loughborough, the UK and around the world.
Bees Knees
Loughborough University has been recognised for its efforts to care for bees by being awarded the ‘Bees Needs’ award from Green Flag. The University has an apiary on campus with five colonies, which is run by a group of staff and student volunteers. This year, the bees on campus produced over 200lbs of honey. Two-thirds of the Loughborough campus is green, and many areas across it have been sown as wild flower meadows with species chosen specifically to provide pollen and nectar for the bees and other valuable pollinators. Judges were particularly inspired by the symbiotic relationship between the apiary and The Fruit Route, and the way the two initiatives created a cohesive and enjoyable community atmosphere.
‘Tis the Season to Give
Operation Jingle Bells has been an amazing success. Supporting local charity Toys on the Table to get Christmas gifts to kids who wouldn’t have had one on Christmas Day, Loughborough students donated over 700 gifts, making over 700 Christmasses that much more special. On top of this, over 220 sanitary products for PACE charity were collected to help women who can’t afford them.
Brexit
Parliament might have to decide what to do next if Theresa May’s Brexit deal is rejected by MPs, cabinet minister Liam Fox has said. The senior Brexiteer said the PM’s deal was unlikely to pass through Parliament unless the backstop issue was resolved. The backstop is an insurance policy in the withdrawal deal to prevent the return of a hard border with Northern Ireland if no trade deal is reached – but many of Mrs May’s MPs say they cannot support it, arguing it would keep the UK tied to EU rules indefinitely and curb its ability to strike trade deals. Other options backed by different groups of MPs include leaving without a deal, another referendum, or Norway or Canada-style alternative deals.
Sports Personality of the Year
Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2018. In a public vote, Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton finished second while footballer Harry Kane was third. Other awards included:
World Sport Star – Francesco Molinari
Team of the Year – England netball
Greatest Moment of the Year – England netball’s Commonwealth gold
Coach of the Year – Gareth Southgate
Unsung Hero – Kirsty Ewen
Lifetime achievement – Billie Jean King
Helen Rollason – Billy Monger
Young Sports Personality – Kare Adenegan
North Korea Condemns US Sanctions
North Korea has denounced the latest US sanctions, saying they could “block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever”. Washington said it put the sanctions on three top officials, after a report threw up a raft of human rights abuses. A historic summit between the nations’ leaders this summer appeared to point the path towards better relations. The period since then has seen North Korea engage both in angry exchanges and actions that have reduced tension. There have been suggestions of a second leaders’ summit, though nothing has yet been agreed.
Street Paved with Chocolate
A Christmas miracle occurred in a west German town late on Monday, when a tonne of chocolate flowed out of a factory, repaving the streets with fresh milk chocolate. “A small technical defect” caused a delivery tank at artisan chocolate makers DreiMeister to overflow, according to a local newspaper, sending a vast quantity of molten chocolate cascading down the middle of a road in the town of Werl and solidifying on the chilly tarmac. While the problem causing the spillage could be fixed quickly, the same could not be said for Werl’s West Street. More than 25 firefighters were called on to deal with the sticky slab and got to work with shovels to pry colossal chunks of chocolate off the street. They also used hot water and blow torches to remove chocolate that had settled in cracks and gaps in the road, before power-hosing the remaining mess. Look after your chocolate this Christmas, folks.
In case you missed it, don’t forget to check out our article on the Exec restructure. Here’s a diagram to briefly explain it:
Here in Media, we’re also working to be more open for our volunteers. You can view a copy of the latest Minutes here. If you have any other questions about Label, you can email [email protected], or for general enquiries, our Media EO Jazz, at [email protected]
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