Since March of this year, Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the SNP has been leading calls for a second independence referendum, either to be held in mid or late 2018, or the beginning of 2019. This would coincide with the conclusion of Brexit talks, and has been seen by many as Sturgeon’s attempt to bring her agenda to the forefront of political discussion and to ensure her mandate is used to full effect. However, in the SNP manifesto, launched in Perth, Scotland today, it appears that Sturgeon and the SNP are now softening their stance, a little.

The manifesto states: “At the end of the Brexit process, when the final terms of the deal are known, it is right that Scotland should have a choice about our future.” With such phrasing, it is implied that a referendum would likely only be held in late 2019, after talks over Brexit are believed to have finished, or if one were to follow Theresa May’s thinking, several years after this date.

Following her previous adherence to a referendum being held during Brexit talks, this change in opinion has led many to wondering what exactly has brought the change on. Some, are beginning to think the change in stance must have something to do with the declining support for the SNP. Recent polling figures have put support for the SNP at 41%, down from 55% in April, 2015. Support for independence currently stands below 45%, a further indication that perhaps independence is not at the forefront of many Scottish voters’ minds, and therefore, the SNP has had to change pace to stay relevant.

Consequently, during the launch of the SNP manifesto, Nicola Sturgeon stressed repeatedly that the SNP were the only party who could seriously stand up to the Tories, on welfare and NHS funding cuts. Sturgeon also said that the SNP would support a 50p top rate tax, but only if it were applied across the whole of the UK, they would also support protection of the triple lock on pensions.

However, though Sturgeon shifted focus to other issues during the manifesto launch, she concluded proceedings by stating that the elections to Holyrood last year had given the SNP a clear mandate to call for and hold a second independence referendum. Evidently, though the focus is elsewhere, independence is still a clear talking point, and will remain so for the SNP and for Scotland.

The full impact of congestion on drivers’ commuting times has been revealed for the first time in an investigation by insurance specialist Admiral.

Drivers are losing an average of 10 days a year sitting in their cars during rush hour with journey times tripling on some routes.

Admiral compared the travel time of various routes into the centres of 13 major cities for a 9am arrival on a Monday, one of the busiest times to be driving, with 9am on a Sunday, when the roads are at their quietest. A central landmark in each city was given as the destination.

The figures reveal the full picture of congestion across the country, uncovering the shocking amount of hours drivers lose as they make their way to work. And this can mean more than just inconvenience – more bumps occur during rush hour than at any other time of day.

Unsurprisingly, London is the worst city for congestion, with commuters spending three times as much time in the car during rush hour, compared with the quieter day. That adds up to an average of 53 minutes more in the car for just one journey, which is a staggering 398 hours each year, or 17 days.

Manchester is the second most congested city in the UK – where drivers will spend an average of 45 extra minutes per journey in rush hour, compared to the same journey outside of peak times. This adds up to 335 hours, the equivalent of nearly 14 days every year.

Bristol comes third in the list, followed by Glasgow and Birmingham. Leeds is the city where congestion affects drivers the least – adding an average of 28 minutes on a journey but still doubling the time it takes for drivers to get to their destination.

Academics and industry partners in Birmingham are developing a new device that will ensure newborn babies could survive in the event of a crash in an ambulance at up to 40 miles per hour.

Product design experts at Birmingham City University have teamed up with Evac+Chair International – makers of the world's most popular stairway evacuation chair – to develop the first-ever stretcher interface device (SID) for neonates.

The universal device for neonatal equipment will be securely attached to European Ambulance Loading Stretchers (EALS) and those in other markets worldwide, complementing the existing range of goods and services offered by Evac+Chair International.

With the newborn contained within an incubator, the partners are devising a quick attach/release mechanism that will see the device disengage from oxygen, power and other survival supplies in the event of a road traffic incident, to be then transferred quickly to another ambulance vehicle.

Through Birmingham-based Evac+Chair International’s ParAid brand, the company already produces an award-winning ambulance child restraint (ACR) – a flexible and fully adjustable harnessing system for the safe and effective transport of infants and children. What makes SID unique to previous designs is that it will isolate the baby from sudden accelerations and decelerations to reduce the stress of road transport.

To test the effectiveness of the design, SID will be impact tested at 40 miles per hour in a similar manner to how the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) verifies the fit and protection offered by child restraints in the event of a front or side crash.

More than 78,000 lives have been saved since Euro NCAP’s crash safety tests were launched in 1997, and the Birmingham team hope their SID and related products will achieve a safety rating similar to those given on child restraint systems.

The project has been made possible due to a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) which has been agreed between Birmingham School of Architecture and Design, part of Birmingham City University, and Evac+Chair International. The terms of the programme will see a recent graduate from the University’s Product and Furniture Design course employed to work on the two-year project. Research findings from the collaboration will also be fed in to the University’s curriculum, ensuring that its teaching is informed by industry practice and innovation.

Dr Panch Suntharalingam from Birmingham City University is the lead academic on the partnership programme. He said:

“The major challenge in this project will be the development of a stretcher interface device with impact-resistant fixing points and ports for oxygen, power and other survival supplies situated around what encapsulates the newborn.

“In order for the product to be desirable, it needs to be compatible with any European ambulance trolley, so this adds an additional complication, as the variation in emergency vehicles and their components differs across the continent.

“However, our work is vital in guaranteeing the safety of newborn patients in ambulances and giving their families piece of mind – something that will be at the forefront of all our minds throughout the project.”

There is a lack of research in recent ambulance accidents in Europe but in the USA, between 1992 and 2011, there was an average of 1,500 crashes involving an ambulance that resulted in an injury, with 2,600 incapacitated as a result. 29 per cent of the deaths caused in these incidents were ambulance passengers

Ges Wallace, Managing Director, Evac+Chair International, said: “Working with Birmingham City University will enable us to develop a world-class innovative safety conscious products to complement our existing range of specialist patient and casualty handling equipment.”

There are approximately 16,000 transfers of premature and sick babies each year in Britain, according to the UK Neonatal Transport Group. Many of these transfers are needed so that babies can be cared for in the correct type of neonatal unit.

44 per cent of neonatal transfers in 2014/15 were of babies who were moved to a more specialist unit. For example, this happens when a baby needs complex, long term intensive care because they are very premature or sick. Another 44 per cent of transfers were of babies moved to a less specialist unit when their condition improved.

World-leading Swedish engineering group Atlas Copco has started the build of a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at i54 South Staffordshire.

It is the third major business in recent months to begin construction at the advanced manufacturing hub.

The development will be the new headquarters of Tentec Ltd which is one of the leading providers of bolt tensioning solutions globally.

The bespoke facility will provide 46,000 sq ft (4,289 sq m) of high quality production and office space for 80 employees and Tentec expects this number to grow as the operation expands.

Midlands property company Mucklow Group Plc is developing the property on behalf of Atlas Copco and Tentec.

Tentec Ltd, part of the Atlas Copco group, was formed over 28 years ago and the company designs, manufactures and distributes a wide range of class leading hydraulic bolt tensioning tools from their existing site in West Bromwich.

The tools it makes are renowned for their reliability and accuracy and they are used both on land and in deep sea applications.

The Tentec development follows hot on the heels of Eurofins, the food testing company, beginning a £1.5 million major expansion last month. More than 10,000 sq ft of laboratories will be added to its UK headquarters. The Belgian-owned company moved its operations onto i54 five years ago.

ERA, the leading British security hardware and electronics business, are also four months into the construction of a state-of-the-art product development, manufacturing and distribution facility at its new i54 South Staffordshire headquarters. The new purpose built 135,000 sq ft facility will include design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, assembly, warehousing and a customer training centre.

The three councils behind the success of i54 - City of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire County and South Staffordshire - are delighted with progress on the site, which is also home to Jaguar Land Rover, MOOG, and ISP.

Tim Johnson, City of Wolverhampton Strategic Director for Place, speaking on behalf of the i54 South Staffordshire Partnership, said: “Our joint investment in i54 has already secured hundreds of millions of pounds of further investment and brought thousands of jobs to the area. Tentec’s expansion plans come on the back of significant investment by ERA and Eurofins. Most importantly, these are high-end businesses providing skilled local jobs and research and training facilities. All this furthers i54s reputation as a leading regional hub for advanced manufacturing and engineering.”

Tentec Director and General Manager, David Jones, said: “The new Atlas Copco facility will further enhance our UK footprint with a global centre of excellence to support our worldwide client base within the Energy segment business area. It will also provide the platform to further grow the business where our standard products are used extensively in the oil and gas, power generation industries. The company also has the ability to design and manufacture hydraulic tooling for special bespoke applications in most industries where controlled bolt tightening is required. Operations within the facility will encompass R and D development, training and demonstration areas, engineering design, sales and logistics support, extensive manufacturing and assembly processes thus enabling us to provide world class Atlas Copco and Tentec branded products based on sustainable productivity.”

Development Director at Mucklow, Mark Vernon, said: "It has been great to work with the Tentec team to ensure this state-of-the-art production unit meets its exact requirements.  This is the first of up to four manufacturing facilities which we can accommodate on this high-profile site and we are able to offer fast-track delivery to occupiers."

The new Birmingham Conservatoire has been announced as the leading venue for the prestigious BBC Young Musician competition in 2018, as the contest prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Following the regional auditions later this year, Birmingham Conservatoire will host the Category Finals between Friday 16 and Tuesday 20 March 2018, alongside the Semi Final on Friday 23 March. All performances in Birmingham will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Four.

BBC Young Musician is a part of the BBC’s ongoing commitment to supporting and providing a platform for new and emerging talent. Musicians are judged in five categories ahead of the Semi Final; strings, keyboard, woodwind, percussion and brass.

Birmingham Conservatoire’s new £57 million home, opening in the Eastside region of the city in September this year, will also welcome the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award Final in 2018.

Launched three years ago, the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award runs alongside the established classical music format and aims to showcase another group of exceptional young musicians to audiences across the UK. Current Birmingham Conservatoire student Elliott Sansom reached the finals in 2016.

Professor Julian Lloyd Webber, Principal, Birmingham Conservatoire, said:

“We are delighted to be hosting the Category Finals, Semi Final and the Jazz Final of BBC Young Musician 2018 in our state-of-the-art new building!

“Birmingham Conservatoire will be the first fully-digital music college and it is a tribute to our wonderful new facilities that the BBC has chosen us to host its iconic competition which has launched the careers of so many of the UK’s top soloists.”

Part of Birmingham City University, the new Birmingham Conservatoire will be a unique contemporary building, incorporating five public performance spaces including a new 500 seat concert hall for orchestral training and performance, private rehearsal and practice rooms, and teaching spaces for musicians from a variety of disciplines.

Furthermore, as the first purpose built conservatoire in the UK since 1987, it will be the only one of its kind in the country designed for the demands of the digital age. The venue will also be home to a purpose-designed jazz club – Birmingham’s only permanent jazz venue. Earlier this year, Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Department launched its Ellington Orchestra, who will be a regular fixture in the new club.