The lining of the womb is specially designed to allow the placenta to invade it and come away freely

“The lining of the womb is specially designed to allow the placenta to invade it and come away freely when the baby is born,” she said. “No other organ in the body can do this and without the protective uterine muscle the baby runs a real risk of being damaged.”Even when we transfer embryos into the uterus there is only a 50:50 chance of them becoming attached, so the chance of getting an embryo to stick in the wrong place is very low.”Doctors would have to obtain permission to carry out the treatment from the the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. A spokesman for the authority said applications would be subjected to a rigorous assessment process that would consider the reasons behind the treatment as well as its safety and effectiveness.In theory, the technique could allow homosexual couples to have children and help heterosexual couples where the woman cannot carry a child.Hunter Davies,Review page 4. CHURCH LEADERS yesterday joined politicians in condemning the decision to spend almost pounds 300,000 of public funds on Scotland’s first “council pub”. With seven pubs, a bowling club, a social club and a Masonic Hall to serve a population of just 5,099, the Fife village of Cardenden has one licensed premises for every 500 people. But Fife Council, the European Regional Development Fund, Community Business Fife and Fife College have clubbed together to bring the inhabitants another watering hole.
Critics insist the cash could have been put to better use to fight deprivation in the area.Mgr Tom Connolly, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said: “I am disappointed that alcohol seems to be the driving force here when there is so little in the way of education and leisure facilities for young people.”The pub, called Goth Number O, was originally one of hundreds of Gothenburg pubs run by the community for the community in mining villages all over Scotland.Following the Gothenburg tradition, all profits from the sale of alcohol and food will be spent in the local community..

WHEN THE SeaRiver Mediterranean sailed up the Firth of Forth last week, she looked much like any other supertanker coming in to take on a huge load of North Sea crude. But, it emerged last night, the 1,000ft- long ship once sailed under a different name, the most notorious in environmental history – the Exxon Valdez. When she ran aground in an Alaskan bay in March 1989 the 215,000 tonne tanker caused the world’s worst oil pollution disaster. The ship, owned by a subsidiary of the Exxon oil company – known as Esso in Britain, docked at Hound Point in the Scottish estuary last week.

Its 26-strong crew completed two hours of safety procedures and checks before it began to take on board a cargo of one million barrels of oil.
Once the tanks were filled the SeaRiver Mediterranean sailed out of the Forth escorted by three BP Amoco harbour tugs. It was heading for Savona, Italy but is expected to sail back into the Forth next month, the tenth anniversary of the disaster in Alaska.The ship is now painted black and red and bears none of the scars of the grounding which resulted in the spillage of 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound. In the cold, still waters the oil failed to evaporate and spread, eventually slicking 1,500 miles of coastline. The pollution cost the multinational oil giant several billion dollars in compensation.Scientists estimated that 100,000 seabirds, 16 whales, 147 bald eagles, and thousands of otters and fish died in the months and years after the spill. Local fishing communities suffered from the destruction of salmon, black cod and herring spawning grounds.Today the ship is still barred from Prince William Sound.Caroline Hoffman, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Green Party, said: “They may have changed its name, but the Exxon Valdez could still be capable of another massive oil spill … the government must act now to bar these single-hulled oil tankers from our waters.” Marine superintendent Captain Tony Pollock, from BP Amoco which operates the oil loading terminal, said: “We have an extremely rigorous policy and all vessels have to come up to a very high standard.”. GUIDELINES ARE being drawn up to safeguard public privacy following the rapid growth in the use of closed circuit television cameras.