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Other Stories - 16th March 2018

Another busy week has passed – in case you missed them, here are some of the stories that caught Thrings' eye, including messages in bottles, surplus Lego, burger flipping robots and baby polar bears.

Does the UK need to go on a diet? We do, according to Public Health England. The government agency has announced that it will be urging the food industry to start using healthier ingredients whilst encouraging the public to start choosing lower calorie foods. As part of plans to cut calorie consumption by 20% by 2024, foods being targeted will include pizzas, ready meals, processed meat and takeaways. BBC News

Lego made too many bricks last year. Announcing that profits had fallen for the first time in 13 years, the beloved Danish toymaker acknowledged that part of the problem had been surplus stock, which was sold off cheaply. News of the company’s weak performance comes after 1,400 jobs worldwide were cut back in September 2017. Lego explained that the decision was taken because its business needed a “reset”. Gizmodo

The world’s oldest message in a bottle washed up in Australia. Almost 132 years after it was thrown in to the sea, a family in Perth has discovered a bottle that is thought to have been launched in June 1886 as part of an experiment into ocean and shipping routes by the German Naval Observatory. The find has set a new record for the oldest message in a bottle, the previous record being 108 years between a message being sent and found. The Telegraph

NME ends its 66-year print run. The weekly music publication released its final edition on Friday 9th March, drawing to a close its tenure as one of the UK’s most iconic print brands. Having become a free publication in 2015, Its publisher, Time Inc UK, explained that the decision came in light of rising production costs and a tough advertising market. The brand will continue to endure online, however, and occasional special issues will continue to be released from time to time. The Independent

The first polar cub born in 25 years steps out in to the world. Back in January we featured the story of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s polar bear Victoria, who had given birth to the first cub born in the UK in 25 years. The cub’s birth had previously only been confirmed by high-pitched noises heard from Victoria’s maternity den. The cub’s name has yet to be decided as keepers have not yet been able to determine its gender. They expect to be able to do so in the coming weeks. Evening Standard

McDonald’s International Women’s Day stunt didn’t quite go to plan. When the fast food chain flipped its iconic golden arches upside down in recognition of women around the world, the reaction wasn’t quite as positive as it had probably hoped. Social media users responded imploring the firm to pay its employees a living wage, while leftwing group Momentum posted a video highlighting how the company’s zero-hours contracts have resulted in some workers facing poverty and homelessness. The Guardian

Flippy, the burger flipping robot, takes a break. Flippy was recently installed in a restaurant in California to assume the role of human cooks, but was temporarily taken off the production line after just one day because it was too slow to meet demand. It’s thought that news of his role had spread across town, leading to more interest than the restaurant could handle. Flippy’s human helpers are also getting extra training to help it keep up with demand. BBC News

You could be tuning in to watch Barack Obama on Netflix soon. The former president is reportedly in negotiations with the streaming platform to develop a series of shows. If it goes ahead, the deal would see Obama and his wife Michelle creating exclusive content for the service’s 118 million subscribers. The New York Times

Amelia Earhart may have actually been found over 70 years ago. The disappearance of the famed pilot, who vanished without a trace in 1937 along with her plane and her navigator over the Pacific Ocean has stumped people for decades. A new study published in Forensic Anthropology has suggested that she died as an island castaway, with the report suggesting that bones discovered in 1940 on the eastern Pacific island of Nikumaroro are a 99% match. Sky News

A picnic for Henry Hoovers has been cancelled. When Tom Kelross, a student at Cardiff University, set up a picnic to celebrate the achievements of hardworking Henry the Hoovers across the country, he probably wasn’t expecting 37,000 people to turn up. Unfortunately for Tom and his beloved hoover, the surge of interest led to him having to postpone the event because he couldn’t legally host the event without council approval. He has since encouraged fellow Henry fans to organise their own smaller picnics to try and raise money for the Samaritans. Metro

Fact of the week

One in three of the UK’s top restaurant chains are making a loss. That’s the news according to a new report by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, which found that 35 of the country’s top 100 restaurants are in the red. The 75% rise since last year suggests that rising business rates and falling consumer confidence have continued to impact the sector. The news comes as chains such as Prezzo, Jamie’s Italian, and Strada all announced recent closures. The Independent

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