BBC accused of ‘bullying’ the Stig out of Top Gear
Posted by Jonathan Palmer on Sep 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Ben Collins, the man outed as Top Gear’s famous ‘Stig’, claims he was treated unfairly and like a ‘prop’ by the producers on the BBC show.
35-year-old Ben left his role after winning a legal battle regarding his right to publish a book revealing his ‘true’ identity. This was previously a closely-guarded secret.
He claimed that he started writing the book after his identity was...
Johnson standing for London Mayor again
Posted by Darren Christie on Sep 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Mayor of London Boris Johnson confirmed he would be seeking re-election for a second term.
Johnson said he wanted to stay on until after May 2012 because he still had work to do on improving the capital and overseeing the Olympic Games.
The former Tory MP said, on LBC radio’s Nick Ferrari show: ”It is my intention and indeed I have written to seek the nomination to serve as Mayor for another term.
”I...
One dead and 23 injured after gas pipe explosion in California
Posted by Craig Ainscough on Sep 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment
One person has been killed and at least 23 have been injured after a gas pipe exploded in Northern California.
The explosion happened near San Francisco airport and created a huge ball of flames that swept across and engulfed over 50 buildings, officials have said.
Residents of the area admitted they thought the loud bang from the blast was either an earthquake or a plane crashing.
The injured have been transported to...
Google adds phone calls to Gmail
Posted by Craig Ainscough on Aug 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Gmail Logo Copyright Google Inc.
Internet giant Google has confirmed that users of Gmail in the USA and Canada will be able to make phone calls direct from their email accounts.
The ‘phone call’ service will be rolled out this week, and will allow free calls to numbers in the USA and Canada until the end of the year. Calls to other locations, such as the UK, start from as little as 2 cents per minute.
Google...
Immigration in Britain up by a fifth
Posted by Jonathan Palmer on Aug 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Official figures from the Home Office and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed that immigration increased by one fifth last year – boosted by the influx of foreign students being allowed into the country.
196,000 more people entered Britain than left it last year, compared with a net migration of 163,000 in 2008.
The figures mean that under Labour’s power (since 1997), three million foreign...
20% of seven year-olds struggle to write
Posted by Darren Christie on Aug 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Over 100,000 seven year-olds are dropping below the expected standards of writing for their age group, official figures have revealed.
According to figures published by the Department for Education (DFE), writing abilities amongst the age group are well below other key skills, such as reading and maths.
Almost one in five seven year-olds, which equates to nearly 104,700 pupils, aren’t yet at Level 2 in writing....
Kitten mauled by fox in bedroom
Posted by Darren Christie on Aug 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
An eight-week-old kitten has been mauled to death in its owner’s bedroom after entering through an open window.
23-year-old Leah Betts found the fox with the pet, Reggie, in its mouth. Before she could do anything, the fox escaped back through the window.
Miss Betts said: “I won’t leave my windows open at night now and it gets really stuffy, but I’m so paranoid.
“To think it was brave enough...
British spy ‘may have been murdered by jealous lover’
Posted by Craig Ainscough on Aug 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
A British spy whose murdered body was discovered in a sports bag at his London flat may have been killed by a jealous partner, it has been revealed.
31-year-old Gareth Williams had been working for MI6 on a one-year placement, but was due to return to his original job at the GCHQ listening station based in Cheltenham at the start of September.
Police believe that the spy may have had a row with a lover over his decision...
Councils told to remove road signs
Posted by Craig Ainscough on Aug 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Members of the British public have been asked to report any pointless street signs as the Government tells councils to cut down on ‘street clutter’.
However, ministers have claimed this could damage the character of some urban spaces.
It is thought that some councils install traffic signs, railings and bollards in the mistaken belief that they are required to be there by law. However, the Government states...
Honeymoon couple return to find 7ft python in their bathroom
Posted by Craig Ainscough on Aug 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment
A couple who had just returned from their honeymoon came home to find a 7ft python in their bathroom.
Tim and Rebecca Booker-Baxter arrived to find a note on their doormat asking if anyone had seen a missing python. The monster pet had escaped from a neighbour’s home and managed to slither its way into the newlywed’s house via their upstairs bathroom.
By the time the couple returned, the snake was tired, dehydrated...
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