Culture
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Royal Academy of Music to launch new campus in East London
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) has unveiled plans to open a new campus at London City Island in east London, promising "endless possibilities" for students and staff.Read More... -
Anna Wintour steps down as US Vogue editor-in-chief after 37 years
Dame Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a position she has held for an unprecedented 37 years.Read More... -
£35m George Street revamp gets council backing despite funding doubts
Plans to transform Edinburgh’s George Street have been approved by city councillors, with construction expected to begin in August 2027—if the money can be secured.Read More... -
Police seek help after £150,000 violin stolen from North London pub
Police are appealing for information after a rare 18th-century violin, valued at over £150,000, was stolen from a pub in north London.Read More... -
Chris Brown denies assault charge in London nightclub incident
Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to assault charges related to a 2023 nightclub altercation in London. The 36-year-old US singer is accused of attacking music producer Abraham Diaw with aRead More... -
Louvre workers strike over overtourism, forcing sudden museum closure
The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, was forced to close its doors Monday after staff staged a spontaneous strike, citing unbearable working conditions and the overwhelming crush ofRead More... -
Pulp score first UK number one album in 27 years with more
Indie rock legends Pulp have returned to the top of the UK album charts for the first time in nearly three decades, with their latest release More debuting at number one, according to theRead More... -
Jonathan Anderson named creative director for both men's and women's collections at Dior
Jonathan Anderson, the celebrated Northern Irish designer, has been appointed creative director of both the men’s and women’s collections at Dior — marking a historic first for the FrenchRead More... -
King Charles to make history with new Canadian throne
When King Charles delivers the Speech from the Throne on Parliament Hill, he’ll mark a historic milestone: he will be the first reigning monarch to sit on Canada’s newly crafted throne.Read More... -
Animal welfare rules in British zoos undergo major overhaul
Zoos and aquariums across Great Britain are set to implement sweeping changes under new animal welfare standards aimed at improving the lives of animals and reinforcing the UK’sRead More...
British Queen celebrates
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UK news
A monstrous surge in migration is driving the requirement for no less than 42,000 new homes a year to be inherent London, a report cautioned yesterday.
A dooming dossier blamed London Mayor Boris Johnson for 'totally distorting' the purpose behind the capital's constantly climbing populace – a pattern which will prompt uncommon lodging advancement.
In any case an anticipated increment of a million nonnatives through the following 15 years must be matched by the same number of Londoners being "determined" out of the city, or the eager target will be destined to disappointment on the grounds that there will even now be excessively few homes, it cautioned.
Somewhere around 1991 and 2011, the UK-conceived populace of London was static at 5.2million while remote conceived inhabitants multiplied to 3million – an aggregate populace of around 8.2million.
It is anticipated to increment to 10million by 2029, overwhelmingly determined by the entry of 1.1million foreigners and births to existing and future outside families, says the report.in 2012, stand out third of births were to folks who were both UK-conceived, it said.
Britain's lodging costs expanded by 11.7% in the year to August 2014, unaltered from the year to July, as the normal property cost in London surpassed the a large portion of a million pound mark.
As indicated by the Office for National Statistics information, yearly house cost increments in England were determined a 19.6% ascent in property costs in London.
This is gigantic contrasted and the increments in the south east (12.3%) and the east of England (11.6%).
On the off chance that London was prohibited from the general count of UK house value midpoints, the hop would be at 7.8% in the 12 months to August 2014.
The normal UK house cost in August 2014 was at £274,000 (€345,052, $437,283).
LONDON
Timothy Long, the curator of the exhibition 'Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived and Will Never Die', poses with a deerstalker hat, smoking pipe and a magnifying glass at the Museum of London in London October 16, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Stefan Wermuth
LONDON (Reuters) - How do you make an exhibition about a man who never existed?
The Museum of London show on Sherlock Holmes, which opens on Oct. 17 after two years of preparation, acknowledges the conundrum with its title, "The Man Who Never Lived and Will Never Die". Visitors enter the show through doors masquerading as bookshelves in a physical embodiment of the engaging blend of reality and fiction that characterises British author Arthur Conan Doyle's tales of the world-famous detective. The displays include everything from the specially designed Belstaff coat worn by Benedict Cumberbatch in the recent BBC series to original manuscripts written in Conan Doyle's careful cursive. The author, who aspired to be an eye doctor before turning to literature, can be seen in a 1930 clip of what is believed to be his only filmed interview. In contrast, his creation has hogged the limelight for over a century. The show's curators say Holmes is the most-filmed character of all time, starring in over 200 adaptations. The earliest film on display is a French version from 1912.
With its acclaimed shiraz and other experimental varietals, the Casale del Giglio estate near Rome is at the cutting edge of Italian winemaking.
An innovative, high-tech operation, the family-run property has more in common with the groundbreaking boutique wineries of the New World than traditional Italian estates.
But it has also become known as a window on to Old World viticulture following the discovery, beneath its fields, of important remains of an ancient town that had its own thriving wine trade.
Every summer, a section of the Casale del Giglio vineyard is given over to excavations by a team of Dutch archaeologists.
"In ten years of digging we have uncovered a street that was part of the pre-Roman town of Satricum," said University of Amsterdam researcher Marijke Gnade.
"Under the vines we have also found urns and ceramic wine goblets which show that this place had a wine culture in ancient times."
The researchers have dated the street to the sixth century B.C. They believe it was a "Via Sacra" or "holy way" leading to a famous local temple dedicated to Mater Matuta, the goddess of dawn for both Romans and pre-Romans.
Gnade was still a student when the project to uncover Satricum was first launched, 36 years ago. She has returned every summer since and is now in charge of the excavations with a laboratory located on the Casale del Giglio estate.
As well as authorising digging on land they could be using to produce grapes, the Santarelli family have helped to finance a project jointly organised by local authorities and the University of Amsterdam.
AFP photographer Mohammed Al-Shaikh and the BBC's Lyse Doucet were among the winners at the annual Bayeux-Calvados awards for war correspondents announced on Saturday in Bayeux, northwestern France.
Three of the seven prizes went to coverage of the conflict in Syria, where a devastating civil war has raged for the past three and a half years.
The international jury, chaired by US veteran foreign correspondent Jon Randal, awarded the first prize in the photo category to AFP's Al-Shaikh for a series of striking images covering violent demonstrations in Bahrain, which began in 2011.
In the written press category, The Times' Anthony Loyd -- who was beaten and shot at by rebels in Syria -- won top honours for his work highlighting the dangers of reporting from the country.
Doucet, a veteran BBC News correspondent, took the television category for her reports from Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, which became a symbol of suffering in Syria.
The long-format television award went to Marcel Mettelsiefen for a report out of Syria for Arte.
The Soviets rode in on horseback, rifles dangling on rope. Boguslaw Kamola watched in horror from the woods as they occupied his city in eastern Poland. Then the shots rang out.
"This dog was dashing across the field, and one of the soldiers reached for his rifle and fired at him," he recalls.
"They didn't kill him, just wounded him in the rear. And the poor thing dragged his hind legs across the field, howling with fear as he tried to evade the bullets," he told AFP.
Kamola was nine years old when the Soviets invaded in 1939, just weeks after Nazi Germany attacked the country from the west.
It was the onset of World War II, history's bloodiest conflict, and Poland was being crushed by two powerful forces.
"We were horrified by the barbarity of these people. They shot at everything that moved," the now 84-year-old says in Warsaw ahead of the 75th anniversary of the invasion.
It had taken the Soviet forces several days to make it over to Kamola's city of Brzesc -- now Brest in Belarus -- after invading Poland on September 17, 1939.
The surprise assault had been agreed in a secret accord between Germany and the Soviet Union, under which they would divvy up Poland between them.
"It was an agreement between two gangsters," Kamola said of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, dubbing it "the famous knife in the back".
His family fled in panic, grabbing random items: a pillow here, some valuables there, a framed picture of the Virgin Mary that has survived until this day -- and an alarm clock.
"It was within reach, so Mom stuffed it in my pocket," he said in an interview alongside his 85-year-old brother Zbigniew.
"And the damn alarm clock started ringing right out there in the open in the middle of the night."
The brothers chuckle as Boguslaw mimes how he frantically tried to silence the alarm.
"This is something you can recount now as an adventure and laugh about 75 years later. But I remember it was a night when every juniper bush looked like a Russian," Zbigniew says.
"The horror, the fear was huge. The stress," the retired geologist told AFP.
The family eventually made their way to Warsaw after a gruelling journey marked by bone-chilling cold and a couple of close calls with the enemy.
Sainsbury’s Nine Elms Temp Store is calling for schools in the South West London (SW8) area to cook up a treat as part of the Active Kids Superstar Cooks competition for the chance to win £10,000 of new kitchen equipment and an exclusive dance lesson with competition judge Ashley Banjo of Diversity.
Active Kids Superstar Cooks challenges pupils to create the ultimate, great tasting, healthy meal in the classroom, which will be judged by a panel of experts and Ashley Banjo, who will be comparing how the entries fair against the healthy eating guidelines set out in the Superstar Cooks competition toolkit (available at sainsburys.co.uk/activekids).
The competition has been created for children of all ages and abilities, with entries in two age categories 5 to 11 and 11 to 16 year olds. One winning school will be selected in each of the two age groups.
Andy Robins, Store Manager said: “Basic food knowledge and cooking skills are things we all need to lead healthy, balanced lives but as a nation we are learning these skills too late in life.
“The popularity of TV shows such as Junior MasterChef and the Great British Bake Off mean that children have become more interested in cooking. The Active Kids Superstars Cooks competition will help build on this at school level, which is why we have joined forces with Diversity star Ashley Banjo, who embodies the benefits of eating well and being active. Ashley will help teachers to inspire kids to plan, prepare and cook great tasting balanced meals at school, giving them the skills they need to enjoy good food at home throughout their lives.”
Ashley Banjo, Diversity star and Active Kids Superstar Cooks judge, concluded: “Eating well and being active has always been a really important part of my life. I developed a love of good food when I was young as I quickly discovered that it made me a better dancer. I’ve teamed up with Active Kids Superstar Cooks because I’m passionate about inspiring kids to learn how to cook basic recipes that will help them as adults. They might not grow up to be professional dancers or athletes, but all young people need to understand that eating well will help them feel good and give them the energy to lead full and active lives, now and in the future.”
For the first time, practical cookery becomes compulsory for children up to Year 9 in England and Sainsbury’s are inspiring a new generation of children to eat well through its Active Kids scheme. This follows new research released by Sainsbury’s that tells us as a nation, our Cooking Age is falling short of our real age, and we are reaching it much later than we should.
Based on extensive research amongst 3,000 people aged 14 to 50, the national Cooking Age is a first of its kind classification. Developed in collaboration with the British Nutrition Foundation, much like a person’s Reading Age, it benchmarks food knowledge and cooking skills against suggested Core Competences and the National Curriculum.[1]
Canada has located the remains of one of two British explorer ships lost in the Arctic in 1846, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Tuesday, hailing the find as historic.
The search for the ill-fated HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, headed by British explorer Sir John Franklin, involved six major expeditions since 2008 that scoured the seabed in the far-flung and frigid region.
Finally, on Sunday, a remotely operated underwater vehicle confirmed the discovery, Harper said in a statement.
"This is truly a historic moment for Canada," Harper said. "Franklin's ships are an important part of Canadian history given that his expeditions, which took place nearly 200 years ago, laid the foundations of Canada's Arctic sovereignty."
While enough information exists to confirm the authenticity of the find, it remains unclear which of the two doomed ships was actually detected.
Harper -- saying one of Canada's "greatest mysteries" has been solved -- was optimistic that the second ship will now also be uncovered.
"Finding the first vessel will no doubt provide the momentum -- or wind in our sails -- necessary to locate its sister ship and find out even more about what happened to the Franklin Expedition's crew."
There is the riddle of the Bermuda Triangle. The unresolved identity of Jack the Ripper. The enigma of how the Universe developed beyond a quark-gluon soup following the Big Bang.
And then there is the Sheepdog Mystery.
A puzzle that has niggled mathematical minds for years, the Mystery is this: how does a single dog get so many selfish sheep to move so efficiently in the same direction?
The answer, revealed on Tuesday in a journal published by Britain's prestigious Royal Society, is that sheepdogs cleverly follow a simple rulebook.
Researchers fitted highly accurate GPS tracking devices into backpacks that were then placed on a trained Australian Kelpie sheepdog and on a flock of 46 female merino sheep in a five-hectare (12-acre) field.
They then used the GPS data to build a computer model of what prompted the dog to move, and how it responded.
Sheep cohesiveness is the big clue.
The dog's first rule is to bind the sheep together by weaving around side-to-side at their backs, and once this has been achieved, it drives the group forward.
"It basically sees white, fluffy things in front of it," said Andrew King of Swansea University in Wales.
"If the dog sees gaps between the sheep, or the gaps are getting bigger, the dog needs to bring them together."
Daniel Stroembom of Uppsala University in Sweden explained: "At every step in the model, the dog decides if the herd is cohesive enough or not.
"If not cohesive, it will make it cohesive, but if it's already cohesive, the dog will push the herd towards the target."
Single sheep dogs can successfully herd flocks of 80 or more sheep in their everyday work and in competitive herding trials.
But the model suggests that, in theory, a dog could herd more than 100 by following the two simple rules.
Global mining giant BHP Billiton on Tuesday said it will create a new independent company by spinning off some of its aluminium, coal, manganese, nickel and silver assets.
The world's biggest miner said this would allow it to focus exclusively on its core long-life operations -- iron ore, copper, petroleum, coal and potash -- while reducing costs and improving productivity.
The new entity will be listed in Australia with a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange with the demerger expected to be completed in the first half of the 2015 calendar year.
"For over a century, BHP Billiton has progressively reshaped its business to maintain its industry leadership," said BHP chairman Jac Nasser.
"We believe the proposed demerger, if implemented, will accelerate the simplification of the Group's portfolio, provide investors with choice and unlock value in both companies.
"Our shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on this proposal once the necessary approvals are in place."
The company said the new entity, to be named NewCo, would have assets in five countries.