Media update

Birmingham Post - Nanjing in Rover talks
"Two inspectors were appointed - Guy Newey QC, a former DTI investigator, and Gervase MacGregor, head of forensic accounting at accountancy firm BDO Stoy Hayward. Figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act show that Mr MacGregor and BDO Stoy Hayward, lodged a £1.09 million bill, including VAT, for the three months work to August 31."

The Guardian - Soas sells off arms shares
"The School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) announced today that it was selling all its investments in arms companies.....Disinvestment campaigns have been started at Oxford, Cambridge and Swansea after CAAT published details of arms share holdings by 67 universities under the Freedom of Information Act.The issue was taken up by lecturers at Soas and the school's investment committee decided to dispose of its 62,000 shares in Smiths Group, Cobham and GKN."

Wales on Sunday - Papers reveal £49m of medical mishaps
"Today, Wales on Sunday reveals a catalogue of medical mishaps which have hit our wards, including patients being given the wrong treatment, medicine and test results and being injured during the course of an operation. Other blunders include blood transfusion boobs, patients given medicine to which they are allergic and some having wrong blood type transfusions. The non-life threatening errors, listed on papers obtained by Wales on Sunday under the Freedom of Information Act, comes two months after we told how hospital mistakes in Wales had cost taxpayers £49m in two years."

Independent - Deepcut: Four recruits dead and now new claims of degrading treatment
"...the Army's own inquiry have not been given to Mr McGregor. He had to
request medical records under the Freedom of Information Act."

Sunday Times Scotland - Hoard of school weapons seized
"Official figures obtained by The Sunday Times under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that Scotland’s classrooms and playgrounds are rife with weapons ranging from claw hammers and knuckle-dusters to martial arts implements and knives."

Wales on Sunday - Beeb cab bill fury
"Figures released to Wales on Sunday under the Freedom of Information Act reveal the BBC spent £192,000 on taxis for guests and staff in 2002/3, £188,000 the following year and a huge £236,000 last year, a 20 per cent rise on the previous year."

The Guardian - Law-breakers in the library
"Internal Middlesex documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Guardian, reveal Shilson received a letter from the deputy vice-chancellor, Terry Butland, confirming that his suspension had been downgraded to two penalty points, "in recognition of the fact that you did not carry out the legitimate requests of the vice-chancellor". In the disciplinary code, two penalty points amount to a "serious warning", and are awarded for offences such as petty theft, harassment and making false allegations against the university."

Stroud News and journal - Report lifts lid on toxic danger
"The SNJ has demanded access to a top-level report under the Freedom of Information Act which has revealed the site is currently contaminated with arsenic, hydrocarbons and radium. Aston Down was used to dismantle surplus RAF equipment after World War II and test equipment from Australian nuclear testing was also stored at the site."

Mansfield today - 3,000 used needles dumped every week
"The shock figures, which are revealed under the Freedom of Information Act, show the town's needle exchange programme hands out about 10,000 needles every seven days –– but collects around 3,000 less.
Now council chiefs in Mansfield are demanding action after Chad presented them with the figures relating to the number of needles issued and returned during six weeks in September and last month."

Daily Telegraph - MoD comes under fire for discrimination against small firms
"The Ministry of Defence appears to discriminate against small firms when tendering for contracts, files released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal."