England v India, 2011 Schedule

Date	Time	Match	Venue
Thu Jul 21-25	10:00 GMT	1st Test – England v India	Lord’s, London
Fri Jul 29 – Aug 2	10:00 GMT	2nd Test – England v India	Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Wed Aug 10-14	10:00 GMT	3rd Test – England v India	Edgbaston, Birmingham
Thu Aug 18-22	10:00 GMT	4th Test – England v India	Kennington Oval, London
Wed Aug 31	19:00 GMT	Only T20I – England v India	Old Trafford, Manchester
Sat Sep 3	09:15 GMT	1st ODI – England v India	Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
Tue Sep 6	13:00 GMT	2nd ODI – England v India	The Rose Bowl, Southampton
Fri Sep 9	13:00 GMT	3rd ODI – England v India	Kennington Oval, London
Sun Sep 11	09:15 GMT	4th ODI – England v India	Lord’s, London
Fri Sep 16	13:00 GMT	5th ODI – England v India	Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Man carries his heart in bag

First Briton to be walking with a completely artificial heart, Mathew Green is one among the 900 people whose hearts are replaced with 'bridge-to-transplant' devices.

The device, which is slightly larger than the human heart and weighs less than six ounces, delivers blood to the body with the help of a pump that is carried in a rucksack along with a battery.

Doctors at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire decided to fit him with the device in a Pounds 100,000 operation as Green's heart condition began deteriorating and no suitable donor was found.

Though some parts of the Total Artificial Heart have a 50-year working life, the 40-year-old is expected to use it for around three years, until a donor is found.

The patient said he felt 'fantastic' as he spoke about the new lease of life he has been given.

"I felt so ill before, so now to be feeling so well and full of life is great. I feel very lucky," he said.

"I'm still recovering from my operation so not all of the bones in my chest have healed yet. I struggle to carry it [the rucksack containing the pump and batteries] but I can walk around fine. I needed a trolley to start with," he added.

"It feels very different - before the operation my heart beat was very weak and I could hardly feel my pulse," he said.

"Now it's a very strong heart beat. Two years ago I was cycling nine miles [15km] to work and nine miles back every day but by the time I was admitted to hospital I was struggling to walk even a few yards. I am really excited about going home and just being able to do the everyday things that I haven't been able to do for such a long time - such as playing in the garden with my son and cooking a meal for my family."

Green, a pharmaceutical consultant who lives with wife Gill and their five-year-old son Dylan in London, was diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that can cause arrhythmia, heart failure, and sudden death.

UK opens doors for exceptional talent from four fields for overseas applicants

21st July 2011: Aiming for global excellence from across the world, the government has decided to encourage exceptionally talented leaders from science, humanities, engineering and the arts field to come to the UK.

The new Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) category will open on 9 August this year. This new category will make easy not only had those who have already been recognised but also those with the potential to be recognised as leaders in their respective fields.

 Those admitted under Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) category will initially be granted permission to stay for three years and four months. They will then be able to extend their stay for a further two years, and settlement may be available after five years’ residence in the UK.

The four sciences, engineering and arts bodies will be able to nominate 1,000 leading individuals in their fields to live and work in Britain under a new "exceptional talent" immigration route.

There will be a limit of 1,000 applicants in the first year of operation. There will be 500 places available between the 9 August and 30 November and a further 500 places available from the 1 December to 31 March 2012. The number of places will be reviewed at the end of March 2012.

Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) will be overseen by world-renowned 'competent bodies', which will advise the UK Border Agency on these 'exceptionally talented' migrants to ensure that they are the brightest and best in their field:

The Royal Society, a fellowship of the world's most eminent scientists, will be able to nominate up to 300 talents; Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts, will also be able to nominate up to 300 places; the Royal Academy of Engineering, Britain’s national academy for engineering, will have up to 200 places to nominate; and the British Academy, the national academy for the humanities and social sciences will be able to nominate up to 200 places.

The Immigration Minister Damian Green said that UK was a global leader in science, humanities and engineering and they were a cultural centre for the arts. He added that they will continue to welcome those who have the most to offer and contribute to the society and economy.

Green said the decision comes at a time of major reform of the immigration system to bring net migration back down to the tens of thousands, tackle abuses and make sure that the immigration system meets the needs of the country.

 Migrants seeking entry to the UK under Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) will not need to be sponsored by an employer, but will need to be recommended by one of the competent bodies.

 Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said: 'We welcome the launch of this special visa scheme, which will enable the very best artists of international standing to live and work in the UK”.

He added the international exchange of artists enriches their art, and was sure audiences will welcome the opportunity to experience the finest artistic talent from across the world.

 Davey asserted “It will be for each competent body to select those who will qualify for recommendation, and we have also published the criteria for their endorsement.’

The President of the British Academy, Sir Adam Roberts, said that the Humanities and Social Sciences were flourishing in the UK and attracted many excellent scholars from overseas.

 Roberts added the British Academy was ready to play its part in identifying those outstanding scholars for whom Tier 1 is the appropriate visa category.

 While the government has allotted a number of places to each body, it will be open to the bodies to transfer additional places to those with more demand if this becomes necessary.

The President of the Royal Society, Sir Paul Nurse, said that the UK was a global leader in science because they can attract the best minds from around the world to work with their own home-grown talent.
  
 He said “The government has listened to the science community’s concerns about jeopardising our international leadership by restricting the immigration of scientists and the Royal Society will play its part in ensuring that the very best international talent can continue to come to the UK to work.”

President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Sir John Parker FREng, said in order to safeguard the UK's future competitiveness, they must ensure that it remains an attractive destination for world class engineers.