World News
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Ireland and UK to 'reset' relations as Starmer begins Dublin visit
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer began a historic visit to Ireland on Saturday, September 7, marking the first visit by a British leader to the country in five years.Read More... -
French minister calls for EU-UK migration treaty after Channel tragedy
France's Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, urged for the creation of a migration treaty between the European Union and the UK on Tuesday, following the deaths of 12 migrantsRead More... -
Coventry robotics firm expands into Spanish market with €1.4 million deal
Expert Technologies Group, a Midlands-based manufacturer, has successfully entered the Spanish market by securing a significant contract with SEBN, a global automotiveRead More... -
UK-Ukraine digital trade set to expand with new agreement
The UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement (DTA) officially comes into force today, marking the start of a new era in trade between the two nations, enabling businesses on bothRead More... -
Why the 100ml liquid rule is back at all UK and EU airports
Air travelers who were hoping to leave behind the days of "tiny toiletries" are facing disappointment as European airports reintroduce strict cabin bag rules. Some EU destinationsRead More...
Culture
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Library closures are a 'decimation,' says former Children's Laureate
Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen has strongly condemned the closure of libraries across the UK, describing it as a "decimation." Rosen, who grew up in Harrow,Read More... -
Historic painting once owned by Britain's first Prime Minister faces export risk
A temporary export bar has been placed on Le Rêve de L’Artiste, a painting by the influential 18th-century French artist Jean-Antoine Watteau, to allow time for a UK galleryRead More... -
National Gallery enlists social media influencers to attract Gen Z and shed 'stuffy' image
In an effort to draw in Gen Z visitors and refresh its image, the National Gallery has teamed up with social media influencers to promote its art and engage with aRead More... -
Liverpool library rises from the ashes: community defies UK riots
Amid a wave of community support, a library in Liverpool is rebuilding after being set on fire during a series of racist riots that swept across England last week.Read More... -
Banksy's latest artwork in London stolen just hours after unveiling
Another of Banksy's animal-themed artworks was stolen in London only hours after it was unveiled. The piece, which featured a stencil of a wolf howling towards the sky, was painted on whatRead More... -
UK museums introduce child-friendly hours for summer visitors
Several museums and galleries across London and the UK are introducing designated child-friendly hours this summer to make parents feel more comfortable bringingRead More... -
Cineworld to close six UK cinemas in major restructuring effort
Cineworld has announced its decision to close six cinemas across the UK as part of a comprehensive restructuring plan. The closures come as the world'sRead More... -
Unseen letters from Diana, Princess of Wales, to be auctioned
Previously unseen letters from Diana, Princess of Wales, are set to be auctioned this weekend, offering a rare glimpse into her personal correspondence withRead More... -
JSO activists face jail time for soup attack on Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'
Two activists from Just Stop Oil (JSO), Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, both 22, have been found guilty of criminal damage after throwing tomato soup overRead More... -
Harold Wilson sold papers to fund care amid Alzheimer's battle
Harold Wilson, who served as Prime Minister during the 1960s and 1970s, sold his personal and political papers to fund his care in his later years, as revealed byRead More... -
Kew Gardens adapts to climate change with new tree planting strategy
More than 11,000 native and foreign species currently thrive at the 320-acre Kew Gardens in west London. However, scientists warn that over half of these trees couldRead More... -
King and Queen attend Thistle service in Edinburgh
Members of the Royal Family gathered in Edinburgh for the Thistle service, where Queen Camilla and the Duke of Edinburgh were formally appointed to Scotland'sRead More... -
Queen Camilla celebrates Scottish literature during abbreviated Holyrood week
Queen Camilla has kicked off Holyrood Week in Scotland with a literary focus. The King and Queen arrived for a condensed visit, with Tuesday morning dedicated to aRead More...
British Queen celebrates
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Comment
The new head of the country's biggest trade union has launched an angry attack against the Government for "dismantling the very fabric of society" and pledged to lead a resistance to the massive spending cuts now costing thousands of jobs.
Len McCluskey, who was elected general secretary of Unite, said he also wanted to make his union more effective and united after years of having two leaders and suggestions that the organisation had been "divided".
He told the Press Association that Unite would play a central role in fighting the spending cuts, but he added that this was a "watershed moment" for the TUC.
"Union membership has fallen from 13 million to 6.5 million over the past 20 years and if the TUC does not demonstrate its importance to ordinary members, people will start to question its relevance.
"The TUC has to make certain that we co-ordinate the anger that is now building up against what the Government is doing. The very fabric of our society is being dismantled before our very eyes and we have a duty to lead a resistance against this attack. It is slaughter by stealth."
I recently did an article on the phenomenal rate at which the London property market is growing. It seems this latest trend of growth just continues to gain more and more momentum as the months pass by and London properties for sale are now on average more expensive than properties in Monte Carlo, making prime property the most expensive of its kind in the world!
The study carried out by a London estate agent has revealed that a London property that costs around the £5 million mark is currently being sold at a rate of about £4000 per square foot of property. This is significantly more than Monaco which is second on the list and selling property at an average of £2190 per square foot of property. To give you an idea of how expensive this is, picture a normal sized walk-in closet in central London. At a price tag of £4000 per square foot of property, you could by a 3 bedroom house in the North of England for the same price as a walk in closet in central London.
A house in Belgravia was recently sold for a phenomenal London property sale of £30 million. If that sounds like a lot, it's still nothing in comparison to a London property which is owned by steel tycoon, Lakshmi Mittal. The 12 bedroom property situated in Kensington Palace Gardens is rumoured to be worth more than £100 million.
The current rate at which the property market is growing is the fastest in 30 years. Estate Agent Clapham North has been part of the research which has revealed that people who live in prime areas such as Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge and Hampstead are currently earning more than £4000 per day on their London properties.
The current growth in the London property market is expected to stabilize in the middle parts of the year and then regaining pace again towards the end of the year. This is all good and well for the London market, however there are still serious concerns about the rest of the country's property as there is not much growth showing in other parts of England. The average price for a property for sale in London is about £350,000 whereas the average price of property in the North East is less than half of that at £129,000. Let's hope the London property industry is able to carry the weight of the entire country!
I heard a rumour that the global recession is slowly becoming less of an issue as the world economic climate seems to be recovering ever so slightly form a terrible year in 2009. The London property market was one of the worst hit areas in the UK and now I'm wondering whether or not the property market will be recovering with the rest of the world's financial situation. I did some research and found that the influencing factors sway from negative to positive in a seesaw kind of pattern, each positive balanced out by a negative. Take a look:
The UK as a whole is definitely recovering from a tough 2009. Most businesses around the country are starting to recover and their employees are starting to have a little bit more money to spend each month due to a general drop in retail prices. However the unemployment rate in the UK is still continuing to rise which means just because companies and their employees have a little more money, jobs are still scarce as companies are hesitant to start hiring too soon. Unemployment rate is one of the major factors that affect London property prices will have a slight negative effect on London property prices.
The guttering on a property is actually an integral part of a building and should be well looked after. Of all of the elements, water is the most detrimental to any building, whether it be a home or business and guttering helps keep the property protected. Investing in a proper set of guttering will stand you and your building in good stead. It is not always easy to know what is available and which types of gutters commonly found in the UK are the best choice for you or your property.
Manufacturing output in the UK declined for the 11th straight month in January, official figures have shown.