The Italian government has recalled buffalo mozzarella that has been linked to a dioxin contamination. The affected cheese comes from 25 producers in the Campania region near Naples. They have traced the farms at the source of the contamination and have destroyed their milk as a precaution.

Japan has banned imports of mozzarella over the recent toxin scare. Carcinogenic dioxins have been discovered at several farms in Campania and there are fears that the herds of water buffalo could be ingesting poisons from illegally dumped rubbish. Japan has impounded all mozzarella from Italy. This follows similar action from South Korea which banned the cheese after 29 toxic samples were found.

The high street pub chain which owns the Slug and Lettuce and Litten Tree chain has gone into administration after failing to find a buyer. The group currently has 90 loss making bars within the 330 site group. 239 of the pubs and restaurants were immediately brought from the administrators but 90 sites will remain under their control.

It appears there are procedures for cleaning up an energy saving light bulb if it breaks. A Government department has said that if you do break one you should leave the room for at least 15 minutes. Apparently this is because the mercury inside the bulb can cause problems such as migraines and dizziness. The Department for Environment has said that a broken bulb should not be vacuumed up but should be swept up by someone wearing rubber gloves. It should also be put in a sealed bag and disposed of at a council dump rather than in a household bin. Is this an example of extreme government regulations or are these light bulbs actually toxic?

Tesco has launched an inquiry to investigate claims that its overseas workers are paid as little as 8p and hour. There have been reports that job agencies have been charging migrants up to £1,500 in order to place them in a job at Tesco in Malaysia. The agencies also tell the workers that they will earn between £180 and £215 a month. However in practice, they find that they end up working 360 hours a month for only £20 to £50 after various deductions have been made. Tesco have promised to investigate the claims and have said they will make improvements if necessary.

The fashion chain Morgan will close all 40 of its UK stores because of losses. The chain has suffered because of competition from cheaper rivals and the slowdown in consumer spending.

If you want to improve your time management skills then you might want to have a look at timethoughts.com. They have a lot of useful information on personal goal setting including 15 useful time management tips to help you manage your time better. They include advice such as writing things down on a to do list and prioritising your list so that you can spend your time on the things that are most important. There is also a useful section on setting your career goals. There is plenty of useful information on the website but if you feel you need more help they also offer a free start up kit which includes a video and workbook.

A new biomass power station has just been opened near Lockerbie. The power station which is owned and operated by E.ON is the largest wood fired power station of its kind in the UK. The plant converts waste from the wood industry into energy and will provide enough power to supply up to 70,000 homes. The power station will also create 50 jobs.

I just opened a bottle of Porcupine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 which I purchased from Sainsbury for £6.99. The wine is from Boekenhoutskloof in South Africa. I was browsing the South African wine section at Sainsbury and I must admit my attention was caught initially by the bottle because it has a picture of a porcupine on it. The blurb on the back of the bottle says very little about the wine and more about porcupines, making me wonder exactly how this is relevant to the wine. Apparently the only connection is that porcupines live in the area where the wine is produced. This said, the wine itself is really good and even my husband who is not that keen on red wine loved it. It is quite full bodied and fruity, tasting a little of blackcurrants. At 14.5% it’s a rather strong wine but good value for the price and very drinkable. I give it a rather respectable 4 out of 5 stars.

Banana Republic have opened a three storey store in Regent Street. The chain which is owned by Gap is a success in America and Japan and is now expanding into Europe. However, the opening of the store was overshadowed by claims that they pay their Indian workers just 15p an hour. The chain plans to open a further four shops in the UK.