Church of Scotland Moderator-designate named

THE Church of Scotland has named the founder of a homeless charity, the Revd Dr Russell Barr, as the next Moderator of its General Assembly. Dr Barr, who is 62, is chairman of Fresh Start — which provides food and shelter for thousands of homeless in Edinburgh — and will take up his new position in May. Dr Barr, who is minister at Cramond Kirk, in the city, said that he was “excited, honoured, and overwhelmed” at being appointed.

Eden director speaks out about climate change

THE scientific director of the Eden Project, Sir Ghillean Prance, has said that climate change is “nearly at the point of no return”. Speaking in a podcast by the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK, Sir Ghillean said: “It is the poor who are suffering the most from the way that the rich world is changing the climate through over-use of fossil fuels and deforestation.” The podcast is part of an online Advent calendar of reflections on the environment, called Hope for the World.

University websites failing to provide course information

CANTERBURY Christ Church University (CCC) is among the 75 per cent of higher-education institutions breaching consumer law by failing to provide vital course information — such as entry requirements and core modules — on its website, a report by Which? suggests. The worst offenders, CCC and Glasgow Caledonian University, did not provide some 30 per cent of information required by the Competition and Markets Authority to allow prospective students to compare courses in psychology.