The Daily: October 4

Darling Buds of May farm to be sold
Fans of the Darling Buds of May series may be interested to hear the farm where it was filmed has gone on the market. Buss Farm, a Grade II listed property, is being sold by the current owners for financial reasons with a price of £1.3m. The new owner may have to put up with fans making pilgrimages to the farm, but it's a small price to pay to own the place where the Larkin family got up to all sorts. Featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones, David Jason and Pam Ferris, Darling Buds of May was based on the novels by H E Bates. The estate agent has said, "It evokes all sorts of memories for people, and to actually put that into something they could live in and make a home for a family, extended family or even to develop generally, sort of brings a special something that not every property has." The property is being sold by Madeleine Rose.

Top UK universities fail to make the grade in world rankings
The Times has released a world university ranking which shows the top UK universities are falling and have been for a few years. With the exception of a few, including Oxbridge, many are slipping further down the ranks and there are concerns about standards being dropped. Phil Baty, who edits the rankings said, "Outside the golden triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge, England's world-class universities face a collapse into global mediocrity." He went on to say that investments in Asian universities are paying off whilst a lack of funding in England is creating a "perfect storm". The director of the Russell Group said, "If we are serious about staying on top, the government must concentrate investment where it will have the most impact - in our world-class research-intensive universities."

Young Poets of the Year announced
With a record number of entries this year, the Young Poets of the Year have been announced. Including 46 countries, there were over seven thousand entries from which fifteen winners were picked. Jesse Rodriguez from Maine, USA became the youngest winner at just 13 with his poem Fire Knows. The award is part of National Poetry Day which takes place on 7th October and will see poetry lit up on the advertising lights in Piccadilly Circus. Every hour I Am The Song by Charles Causley will be lit up and young creatives will be invited to enter their interpretation of the poem into a competition. Of the fifteen winners of the Young Poets prize, twelve are from the UK and three are from the USA.

Drivers should learn for a year say insurance firms
In a move that is seen as most as long overdue, insurance firms are calling for an overhaul of the current driving lesson system. Under new rules, drivers would be allowed to start learning at 16 and a half but be given a six month 'graduation license' which comes with strict orders including no driving between 11pm and 4am unless it's for work or college. Intensive courses would also be banned as insurers feel new drivers need more time in order to become safe drivers. The director of ABI said, ""A car is potentially a lethal weapon, and we must do more to help young drivers better deal with the dangers of driving. Improving the safety of young drivers will also mean that they will face lower motor insurance costs"

Archaeological dig reveals possible Mona Lisa muse
Archaeologists have found bones they believe belong to the model for Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa in a convent in Florentine. Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the sitter for the painting, is believed to be buried in the basement of the convent. Using her skull and "sophisticated technology", archaeologists hope to reconstruct her face in order to find out if she really is the muse. Five skeletons have been found in the search for "Mona Lisa" and all have been disregarded but it is believed, and hoped, that they have finally struck gold. Silvano Vinceti, head of the National Committee for the Promotion of Historic and Cultural Heritage said, "We will be able to compare the face to that of Mona Lisa and maybe for the first time will get an answer that will be based on highly sophisticated technology that does not make errors."