CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

- Minister reviews facility upgrades in support of new F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft

Goodrich Corporation's (NYSE: GR) Actuation Systems facility in Wolverhampton, UK hosted a visit by Ian Austin MP, West Midlands Regional Minister. Austin came to review the status of Goodrich's investment in a new plant to support the production ramp-up for the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft.

LEEDS, England, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- thebigwordGroup has announced a major contract win, to manage technical translation for global household appliance company, Electrolux.

The contract, valued at Euro 1.5 million per annum, will involve the translation into 35 languages of instruction manuals for household appliances produced by Electrolux in Europe.

The contract, valid as of April 1st 2009, was won by thebigword following a long tendering process. It was awarded on the basis of:

- translation quality

- competitive pricing

- team approach

LONDON, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning ethnic communications agency, Rich Visions has announced it's first dates in a series of educational/informative seminars and workshops helping businesses, central and local government, third sector, health and educational institutions as well as corporate companies across the UK to effectively reach, engage and build relationships with the UK's ethnic communities.

The Reaching the Unreachable Road show will tour key cities across the UK starting with London (12th 21st May) and Birmingham (10th June). Further dates and locations will be announced in June.

HOUSTON, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

Endeavour International Corporation (NYSE-Amex: END) (LSE: ENDV) today reported discretionary cash flow for first quarter 2009 of US$23.4 million and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (adjusted EBITDA) of US$17.9 million. For the period, net loss to common stockholders, excluding the impairment charge caused by falling natural gas prices of US$29.4 million, unrealized gains on derivatives and currency impacts on deferred taxes (net loss, as adjusted), was US$2.2 million as compared to a loss of US$4.7 million in the same quarter in 2008.

A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought and the results also illustrate how the current H1N1 swine flu outbreak likely came about. 

TORRANCE, California, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

Trident Space Defense has opened a European Office in Fareham, UK, to provide program management, engineering and customer support for its European customers, as well as increasing its ability to source European manufactured components.

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Regular hand washing is recommended by both the WHO and the NHS as one of the most effective ways of controlling infections.   Using a hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available is also a good idea.

With swine flu topping the agenda of business around the world, global risks specialist, Maplecroft has released three new maps and indices revealing the countries most at risk from an influenza pandemic.

The Influenza Pandemic Risk Index (IPRI) consists of three categories: Risk of Emergence, Risk of Spread and Capacity to Contain. Each index generates a list of countries most at risk and that require a tailored policy response on the part of government and business. Maplecroft's research focuses on global risks to business.

The map of Risk of Spread shows the United Kingdom most at risk to the spread of an influenza pandemic, ranking number 1 out of 213 countries.

People who want to take extra precautions against swine flu should look for masks with built-in filters, according to Dr Robin J Harman, a pharmaceutical and regulatory expert.

There has been much debate about the benefits of wearing a mask to prevent infection with swine flu. Ordinary surgical masks provide some protection from airborne particles, but the UK Department of Health has stated that 'basic face masks don't protect people from becoming infected'.(1)

High school biology teachers may be even more important than the curriculm, according to a University of Minnesota study published in the May issue of BioScience.

Co-authors Randy Moore and Sehoya Cotner, professors in the College of Biological Sciences, surveyed 1,000 students taking introductory biology classes at the University of Minnesota to learn how biology majors view evolution compared to non-majors. Results showed that the two groups' views were similar and revealed that high school biology teachers influence whether majors and non-majors college students accept evolution or question it based on creationism.