Culture
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London's best kept secret: the hidden garden amidst ruins near London BridgeTucked away just a stone's throw from London Bridge lies one of the city's most enchanting secrets. The ruins of St Dunstan-in-the-East church stand quietly, almost unnoticed amidst theRead More...
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Sir Paul McCartney becomes first UK billionaire musicianSir Paul McCartney has made history as the first UK musician to become a billionaire, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. The 81-year-old former Beatle increased his wealth by £50 millionRead More...
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London welcomes Gucci's high-stakes debut cruise collectionAs dusk descended over the River Thames, the anticipation outside London's iconic Tate Modern was palpable. Among the luminaries gracing the event were supermodel Kate Moss, actressRead More...
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Dutch Eurovision contestant Joost Klein disqualified after backstage incidentThe Dutch artist Joost Klein has been disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest following a backstage incident, as reported by Swedish police after a female member of the productionRead More...
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King Charles assumes historic patronage ties to monarchy spanning over 200 yearsIn 2022, Buckingham Palace announced a comprehensive review of all royal patronages. Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, nearly 500 charities and organizations found themselvesRead More...
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Homes England pledges £120,000 investment in Northstowe community initiativesHomes England, the governmental body overseeing housing and urban revitalization efforts, has unveiled plans to allocate £120,000 in grant funding to support community-driven initiativesRead More...
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Fake Monet and Renoir paintings detected on eBay using AIUp to 40 counterfeit paintings, including alleged works by Monet and Renoir, have been identified for sale on eBay, according to research conducted by Dr. Carina Popovici, an expertRead More...
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Pippa Middleton and James Matthews unveil lodge at Bucklebury FarmPippa Middleton and her billionaire husband James Matthews have inaugurated the lodge at Bucklebury Farm Park in Berkshire, offering a venue for parties, events, and Pilates sessions.Read More...
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Five British museums nominated for prestigious arts prizeMuseums across Skipton, Dundee, Manchester, and London are vying for the esteemed title of Museum of the Year 2024.Read More...
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Gustav Klimt portrait sells for £25.7 million at Vienna auctionA long-lost portrait by Gustav Klimt, depicting a young woman, fetched a staggering 30 million euros (£25.7 million) at an auction held in Vienna on Wednesday.Read More...
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Rishi Sunak: remembering those lost in terror attackIn his Passover message to the Jewish community, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledges the somber reality that "for too many families, there will be empty seats" at the Seder table thisRead More...
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Co-op Live: Manchester's new arena opens with high capacity and ambitionsA monumental addition to Manchester's entertainment landscape, the new £365m Co-op Live arena is poised to claim the title of the largest indoor arena in the UK. Nestled beside ManchesterRead More...
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Brontë birthplace unveils open day prior to renovationThe birthplace of the renowned Brontë sisters is set to welcome visitors for a special glimpse inside before embarking on a significant refurbishment.Read More...
British Queen celebrates
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UK news
The sale of the Government's shares in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) would be "a symbol of Britain's recovery", its chief executive has suggested.
Stephen Hester made clear he would welcome the move, saying it would help RBS - which is 83% state-owned - and provide a boost to the nation's finances.
The head of Lloyds Banking Group refused to say when the Government's 41% stake in his company should be sold off, but also held out the prospect of a windfall for the Treasury.
The taxpayer was "in the money", Eric Daniels told MPs.
Speaking to the Treasury Select Committee, Mr Hester acknowledged criticism that money invested in banks could be better spent on schools, hospitals and roads.
An elderly man has been found dead in snow at a caravan park.
Humberside Police said the man, believed to have been in his 70s, was found by security guards patrolling the Thorpe Park site in Cleethorpes, north-east
Lincolnshire, on Saturday.
The pensioner's body was found outside in freezing conditions and was fully clothed.
Officers said they could not confirm reports he may have lay undiscovered for two days.
A spokesman said the man had not been formally identified and his death was not being treated as suspicious.
Thorpe Park is a large site of static holiday caravans by the sea on the south side of Cleethorpes, near the village of Humberston.
It is currently closed to visitors and it is understood owner-residents are also absent at this time of year as part of their site agreements.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved
Green campaigners have marched on Parliament demanding greenhouse gas emissions are slashed to help prevent "climate catastrophe".
With UN delegates meeting in Cancun, Mexico, to hammer out a deal to cut global warming, thousands of campaigners marched through London.
Hundreds of people in Hyde Park formed themselves into a "2030" with a giant zero - spelling out the date by which campaigners want a 'Zero Carbon Britain'.
After creating the human 2030, campaigners cycled and marched through central London to urge the coalition Government to take strong action to decarbonise the economy and create a million green jobs in the process.
The climate rally was addressed by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, Labour's John McDonnell and Michael Meacher and leaders of green organisations and unions.
Larissa Stuart, spokesman for Campaign Against Climate Change (CACC), said: "There was a great atmosphere and the politicians made really rousing speeches.
"We had lots of support from people and gave out lots of leaflets and really raised awareness."
Ahead of the march, Phil Thornhill, also from CACC, said: "Gridlock in the international negotiations does not stop the slide towards climate catastrophe gathering deadly pace - as we have begun to witness this year in flood-stricken Pakistan, drought-hit Russia and other places.
"It makes it all the more crucial that we transform the politics behind that impasse and we can start at home."
Friends of the Earth's executive director Andy Atkins, who also spoke at the rally, said the "alarm bells are ringing loudly" and urgent action was needed to stop climate change.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved.
The City of London snow clearance nightshift commenced mechanical gritting of the Square Mile at 1.00am, completing precautionary east and west gritting routes in the early hours and directing all street sweeping operations to winter maintenance activities at 3.00am.The night operation continued to grit known problem areas including high risk and priority highways and footways in accordance with the City of London Snow and Winter Emergency Plan. These priority areas included London Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Tower Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, station fronts, bus stops, crossing points, raised junctions and traffic islands City-wide. During the nightshift the gritting operation treated 39 miles of highway and used approximately 15 tons of salt.
Morning shift commenced at 7.00am with two gritters sent out at 7.30am to salt east and west sides of the City. The early and middle sweeping shifts have all been directed to work on the City Snow Plan with works ongoing. It is anticipated that this work will be completed by 5.00pm (prior to major worker footfall) with all roads having, as a minimum, a safe, snow free footway. We aim to remove the majority of snow/ slush from all footways to avoid icing over during the night. We will be gritting manually and mechanically throughout the night.
In addition to the planned work we are responding to the feedback from our staff's site inspections while the weather forecast is being monitored by the winter service manager and used as basis for future service delivery planning.
Former Labour MP David Chaytor has admitted fraudulently claiming Parliamentary expenses.
He became the first politician to get a criminal conviction in connection with the expenses scandal when he pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to three charges of false accounting.
Chaytor, 61, had previously denied the charges and was due to stand trial at London's Southwark Crown Court on Monday.
But he changed his plea on Friday at the Old Bailey. The move came after legal challenges to stop the trial failed.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court published its reasons for rejecting a claim by Chaytor and two other former MPs that criminal proceedings against them would infringe parliamentary privilege.
With the UK's busiest online shopping day ‘Mega Monday’ (6 December) fast approaching, the National Fraud Authority (NFA) and the UK’s Lead Force for fraud, City of London Police, are ringing-out the bells about the growing threat of online fraudsters.
With over half the UK adult population now shopping online, forecasters predict pre-Christmas web sales will peak at £23.2m between 12-1pm on ‘Mega Monday’. But police analysts advise this frenetic activity also raises the risk of buyers losing money to criminals.
Shoppers should be aware that behind some flashy websites, canny criminals are looking to cash-in on the December online spree. Anonymous fraudsters can set up legitimate-looking websites to sell either counterfeit goods or no goods at all.
According to figures compiled by the NFA’s Action Fraud and the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), there has been a 15 per cent increase in reports of online shopping and auction fraud since July.
The organisations are also warning people to take extra care when purchasing popular Christmas gifts online. Previous reports to Action Fraud and other agencies, suggest the following products are the top five to feature in online shopping and auction fraud:
1. Smart Phones
2. Digital Cameras
3. Designer goods including jewellery and branded boots
4. Laptops and notebooks
5. Video game systems.
Financial Fraud Action UK and CIFAS – The UK’s Fraud Prevention Service are supporting the call for consumers to take basic steps online to protect themselves this Christmas.
To make sure your online shopping is safe and secure remember these top tips:
- Use secure websites that you trust. Do your research before making a purchase. Check online forums for feedback
- Do they have a real-world presence? Can you see their address and phone number? Is it a valid UK registered phone number?
- Check the browser address changes from 'http' to 'https' to indicate you have a secure connection and look for a padlock or an unbroken key symbol on your web browser
- If website prices for designer items, games and smart phones seem too good to be true, they probably are. Legitimate popular technology and designer items are rarely discounted
- For further advice and to report fraud, log onto www.actionfraud.org.uk or call 0300 123 2040
- Textphone 0300 123 2050
- Visit www.getsafeonline.org.uk for other tips on staying safe online.
Det Ch Supt, Steve Head, Head of City of London Police’s Economic Crime Directorate, said: “Fraudsters hide behind showy websites and never have to face their victims, but we have to pick up the pieces. This is a crime that ruins Christmas. These victims lose a lot of money, but perhaps more upsetting is that they don’t even have the gifts to give their family and friends.
“Christmas is a time of goodwill, but don’t show that generosity to the fraudsters. Do the checks and be secure.”
Dr Bernard Herdan, CEO, National Fraud Authority: “All that glitters is not always gold and - particularly at this time of year - too many people fall foul of fraudsters while rushing to buy Christmas presents online. Like more than half of us now, I'm a huge fan of online shopping, but I always make sure I protect myself. The good news is it is really simple to stay safe online.
"Please follow our easy tips. They really could make all the difference to your happy Christmas. And if you are unfortunate enough to get caught-out by a fraudster, report it to Action Fraud. The experts there will take your report, provide you with comprehensive fraud prevention advice, and send the intelligence to the police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, so helping to identify, track and stop these criminals.”
Kate Beddington-Brown, Head of Communications at CIFAS, said: “At this time of year, most of us are spending more online than usual. With all of the pressures surrounding us in the lead-up to the festive season, it is all too easy to overlook the security measures that we usually take for granted. Using the prevention tips above can help you have a much happier Christmas than you will do if you fall prey to an online fraudster.”
Visit Action Fraud for daily prevention tips in the run up to Christmas, join NFA’s Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.
City of London Police has arrested three men in connection to a suspected one million pound land banking fraud involving City-based firms.
On Tuesday (Nov 30) two men, aged 26 and 49, were arrested in Bromley and at a London office, and on Thursday a third man, 31, was arrested at his home in Lewisham.
All three were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering and later released on bail.
The operation came as detectives from the National Lead Force for fraud continued to investigate the activities of two companies that have been offering investments in plots of land.
Staff from Browne Mackenzie, which is now in liquidation, and Lawrence Taylor & Co Ltd are believed to have cold called investors and offered land for sale at sites in Scotland and Northampton.
During these conversations, or in prospectuses subsequently sent, investors are suspected of being misled about the potential of the land to rise in value.
Detective Inspector Andy Thompson, from the City of London Police, said:
"Since taking on this case we have moved very quickly to make these three arrests. Further action is anticipated in the coming weeks.
"It is now very important for anyone who has invested in land offered by these companies to contact us as soon as possible. Even the smallest pieces of information could prove crucial to our investigation."
Commenting on the government's newly announced policy on the number of skilled migrants from outside the EU allowed into the UK, Colin Stanbridge, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said:
"While we are pleased that the government has listened to business on intra-company transfers, we are still concerned that the lack of flexibility inherent in a cap will have a detrimental effect on London's competitiveness and productivity."
The government's decision to reduce Tier 1 to just 1000 people a year was an unwelcome surprise which will deprive London of some the brightest and best professionals in the world."
"We will continue to lobby the government for an immigration system that minimises damage to London based firms and in the months to come we will be closely monitoring the effect the cap is having on the capital's economy."
Sir,
The Prime Minister’s ‘’wooing’’ of Nordic and Baltic nations with a January summit came as no surprise (“Cameron woos Nordic nations, November 24).
London has traded with the Hanseatic and other near ports for thousands of years: at one time the German merchants running our wool trade (near Cannon Street station) even elected their own City Alderman and policed their own streets.
So, rather than worry about whether the UK is in spirit a Nordic, Baltic or even a Scandic country, we should remember that our shared traditions of passport-less open trade and entrepreneurship come from bordering the North Sea and its adjacent waterways.
A good case can be made for these waters acting as a catalyst for early European economic growth – a sort of medieval superhighway of goods and ideas. Even today in Hamburg they say ‘When it rains in London, we put up our umbrellas here.’’
Michael Bear
Lord Mayor of the City of London
Mansion House EC4
Large areas of the country have come to a standstill, raising questions over Britain's capacity to cope in sub-zero conditions.
Thousands of commuters were left high and dry after rail operators cancelled many services altogether, while several major airports closed their doors and motorists faced chaos on the roads after many were forced to spend the night sleeping in their cars.
Meanwhile, 300 passengers found themselves stranded overnight on a Southern train in West Sussex after heavy snow caused a series of line failures at Three Bridges station.
Passenger Rebecca Forsey told the BBC: "It was an absolute nightmare. We had to wait around for several hours in the cold on a freezing platform. We finally got something to eat at 4am."
Bad weather meant thousands of children were turned away from lessons at schools across the country while workers arrived late or were forced to take the day off.
The number of schools forced to close because of the weather has more than doubled overnight, according to the Department for Education. Around 7,000 schools across the UK were shut today compared with about 3,000 yesterday, the Government said.
And as forecasters predicted more wintery weather, critics hit out at Britain's handling of the cold snap. Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said the crisis was costing the economy up to £1.2 billion a day.
Police in the North East denied reports circulating on social networking sites that they were pulling over and fining drivers who had snow on their cars. Both Durham and Northumbria Police spoke out to counter rumours being spread on the internet and via text message.
A spokesman for Northumbria Police confirmed: "As at any time of the year, in the interests of road safety, drivers are required to have a clear view through their windows when driving and officers may speak to drivers if this is not the case. However information appearing on Facebook that we are specifically targeting drivers for having snow on their car is just not the case - it would appear to be just another urban myth."
And road rescue group the AA continued to receive large numbers of calls. Spokesman Gavin Hill-Smith said they were busy with 5,500 breakdowns nationally from midnight to 11am. The rescue centre was receiving about 1,300 calls per hour, which Mr Hill-Smith said was far fewer than yesterday.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved