Plans going ahead for the World Forensic Festival in Seoul, South Korea, next week from 13th-18th October (www.wff2014korea.org). The Festival President is Joong-Seok Seo, Director-General of the National Forensic Service. This incorporates the International Association of Forensic Sciences congress and Thursday 16th October there will be a day of clinical forensic medicine, co-chaired by myself as President, of the World Police Medical Officers.  The next President will be announced at the Festival.  The CFM day has a huge variety of complex, controversial and interesting presentations from a wide variety of jurisdictions, clinical backgrounds and cultures.  It should be a stimulating day.  Meanwhile back in the good old UK, day to day work is hampered by assorted government cuts affecting the criminal justice system, with trials delayed due to a variety of problem such as failure of prosecuting authorities to prepare cases in time,  defence teams unable to service the requirements of clients, lack of court time (some criminal cases waiting more than a year to come to court) and lack of interpreters.  To cap it all, the government fails to sort a catering contact within courts meaning that many courts have no refreshments available for those using the facilities.  It really is a shambles.  Day to day work is busy because so much is at the last minute.  This week in a s18 case I will be having a conference with the defence QC appointed two days before the start of a trial. This can’t be good for the complainant, the defendant or justice.  Hadn’t been to HMP Belmarsh for a few months, visit eventually arranged after numerous telephone calls to numbers listed publicly that are incorrect.  Little piece of good publishing news bearing in mind  the hiccups and delays on so many projects.  The 3rd edition of Symptoms & Signs of Substance Misuse which I co-write with Margaret Stark and Mike Scott-Ham is now available – although characteristically as authors we have not yet received a copy.  But you can! At the crcpress.com website (see cover above). In other news….have been slowly getting up to speed with Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine issues as President-elect prior to taking up post in May 2015.