The UK’s DNA data base – what do you think?

Over on our stories section, we’ve suggested the UK’s growing DNA library and the current events arising from the debate surrounding it as something that we’d like to know more about. The Home Office declares it a “vital crime-fighting tool” that had linked more than 410,000 crime scenes with a DNA match and a possible lead to an offender between 1998 and March 2009. However The Human Genetics Commission, an advisory body to the government has stated it’s concern that “function creep” has seen the DNA store turn from a database of offenders into a list of suspects.

Over three-quarters of black men aged between 18 and 35 are on the system. And eight percent of the British population is on the database meaning that proportionally to population it is the world’s biggest.

“Parliament has never formally debated the establishment of the National DNA Database and safeguards around it,” commission chairman Professor Jonathan Montgomery.

Here at Global for me, we’d also like to know what your opinion is so vote in our poll below!

On another planet

 

---

[Story Ticker] November 19

A love triangle involving three astronauts took a rather bizarre turn when in February 2007, Lisa Nowak, attempted to kidnap her love rival – Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. The attempt involved Nowak pepper spraying Shipman as she returned from a visit to the object of their affections, then astronaut, Bill Oefelein.

If you want our correspondents to report more on the build up to the forthcoming trial – let us know at the suggest a story page today.

How did this all escalate? What has happened since? What is NASA’s official stance?

With a case as peculiar as this there is plenty more we need to know

The pretrial hearing is scheduled for, December 7^th . Global for me is ready!

 

---

E-mail your story ideas to  

 

Join our discussions on Twitter. @GFMEditor

• Read our Global for me mission and challenge. Make the news work for you.

• Check our story ticker daily for updates.

• Help out by suggesting or funding a story.

Pop-star Pope

 

---

 

[Story Ticker] November 13 update

On 30th November, Pope Benedict XVI  is due to release an album called ‘Alma Mater’ in time for the Christmas rush, the record is to be released by Geffen, a label with a history of heavy rock bands and hellraisers such as Guns n Roses and Nirvana.

It will include the Pope singing a Marian prayer and speaking Lauretan Litanies in different languages, including Italian, Portuguese, French and German. There will be eight tracks, each accompanied by modern classical music. Part of the proceeds will go towards providing musical education for underprivileged children across the world. The potential audience tapped by this product is a large one, as about one-sixth of the world’s population (1.2 billion people) is Roman Catholic.

Do you want to know how this came about? Is it a good idea? If you want one of our Vatican correspondents to chase any kind of story about the goings on at the papal palace –  suggest your story idea today! Or check out this story page.

 

---

E-mail your story ideas to  

 

Join our discussions on Twitter. @GFMEditor

• Read our Global for me mission and challenge. Make the news work for you.

• Check our story ticker daily for updates.

• Help out by suggesting or funding a story.