The Queen’s birthday in pictures: Royal family gathers at Buckingham Palace to watch Red Arrows June 14, 2015 Yesterday was the queen's official birthday, and to mark the occasion the a special Trooping of the Colour took place over London. The Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George all stood on the Buckingham Palace balcony, watching as the Red Arrows flew overhead and left a display of colours in the [...]
Rising UK house prices: 31 is the average age for buying a first home, and it rarely happens without parental support June 14, 2015 The average age for Britons to buy their first homes is now 31, up from 28 in 1995 according to Halifax figures. Over the last 20 years properties have mostly trebled in value from around £61,500 to £196,000, and they are predicted to go up another 25 per cent over he next five years due [...]
Fifa crisis: Sepp Blatter “considering” remaining President after receiving supportive messages June 14, 2015 Sepp Blatter might try and stay on as Fifa's President, according to a source who spoke to Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag. The anonymous source, who is reportedly close to Blatter, said he had been honoured by the support received from African and Asian football associations, asking him to reconsider his resignation. Read [...]
UK is “feeble” in the face of military threats from around the world, former commanders warn June 14, 2015 The UK is weak against military threats from around the world, according to four former commanders of the Armed Forces. Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh, Admiral Lord Boyce, Field Marshal Lord Walker and Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire said in a joint letter that Britain's global influence is declining, and expressed their concern at [...]
UK forced to move its spies as Russia and China crack documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden June 14, 2015 British spies have been removed from potentially dangerous operations after Moscow and Beijing managed to crack files leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden. The documents reveal how British and American intelligence agents operate and could lead to their identification by other countries, according to senior figures in the security services and Downing Street. [...]
Britain’s ageing population will ruin the budget surplus plan, says OBR June 11, 2015 Britain's ageing population will throw a spanner in the works for George Osborne's new budget Surplus Rule. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), a rise in the proportion of people over working age will wipe out surpluses unless changes are made to taxes and spending. Read more: The world's ageing population is [...]
Rolls-Royce “exploring opportunities” to not cut jobs June 11, 2015 Rolls-Royce says it is exploring ways to “mitigate the need for compulsory redundancies wherever possible”. The engine maker, which announced its intention to cut a tenth of its 6,000-person marine workforce in May, said in a statement it has been “engaged in constructive dialogue with union representatives”, and that it has “Made significant progress” [...]
Mixing diamonds and graphene could revolutionise engineering – and it all comes down to friction June 11, 2015 When you add diamond, one of the world's hardest natural materials, to graphene, the world's strongest man-made material, the result is practically frictionless, scientists have discovered. The resulting mixture, as scientists at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory discovered when they added diamond nano-particles to the one-layered carbon substance, is the first to [...]
Fifa crisis: Director of communications Walter De Gregorio stands down June 11, 2015 Walter De Gregorio, Fifa's director of communications, will step down from his role "with immediate effect" according to the football governing body. This comes a fortnight after he described the FBI-led arrests of senior figures as "a good day" for Fifa. He was appointed to the role four years ago and acted as a [...]
Stephen Fry and Prince Harry: These are the celebrities Britons want to go for a pint with June 11, 2015 Britain is a nation of beer drinkers, and there's no one we'd like to grab a pint with quite as much as Stephen Fry. The comedian is the number one male beer-drinking companion of 18 per cent of the nation, according to research by campaign group There's a Beer For That. After Stephen [...]
