• Home

Subscribe

Prince Williams is people’s choice for next King

In a recent poll over 70% of Britons favoured Prince William as the next King. The poll also revealed that Prince Williams is very popular amongst teen and young adults. The public also gave thumbs up to his girlfriend, Kate Middleton. Over 80% poll respondents said that Kate Middleton would be a perfect addition to the royal family.However Prince Williams stepmother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall did not win many votes of acceptance as people are don’t see her fitting in well with the royal family.

Overall the poll also highlighted that Britons love the royals. For over 70 % respondents were in favour of monarchy continuing in Britain.

Only one-piece Cabin Baggage Sir!

Here is some more reason for confusion while you fly. And the reason is extra baggage. The Department for Transport plans to allow passengers to carry one-piece cabin baggage after 7 January. But it will only come into effect provided airports have purchased improved security scanners. 19 airports have got the green flag but several of the UK’s main airports do not yet have permission.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport said: “Some airports have coped with the changes, but some need to improve.” The only issue would be of different rules and different airports.

Another issue is about the technology that goes into all the security measures. Many airports have to upgrade their technology and security services. Size limits on liquids and cabin baggage do not change. And airlines are allowed to place their own restrictions on the amount of hand baggage that can be taken in to their aircraft.  The airports that already have permission to relax baggage restrictions on 7 January are: Prestwick, Aberdeen, Benbecula, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Heathrow, Inverness, Wick, Kirkwall, London City, Manchester, Plymouth, , Southampton, Southend, Stansted, Stornaway, Sumburgh and Islay.

James Bond got Stamped

You have seen him speeding in his gadget heavy car. You have seen him romancing the hottest women on Earth. You have seen him save the world without sweat. Yes! We are talking about James Bond, the most loved spy.

Even Royal Mail loves 007. And the six extra-long UK stamps to be released are proof. The stamps mark the centenary of the birth of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. The unique stamps will bear covers of famed novels like Casino Royale and Dr No. The postal company is all excited as it releases stamps of Carry On and Hammer Horror Films in the coming year. Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever will be featured on the 54p stamps while the 78p stamps will have For Your Eyes Only and From Russia With Love. The Bond stamps are an attempt to mark one of the most revered silver screen icons that has been a part of many generations.

The fight for and against the Hunting Act gathers momentum

Supporters of Boxing Day hunts assembled in a show of strength on the day, traditionally the busiest one in the hunting calendar. Pro-hunting activists claimed the mass sentiment was clearly against the Hunting Act that supposedly marked the end of hunting with hounds.

Over 250,000 people took part in Britain’s 314 meets to voice their opposition, they pointed out in support of their claim. According the Countryside Alliance, their show of strength proved irrelevance of the ban. Its spokeswoman, Jill Grieve, argued the Act had only increased the curiosity about hunting with hounds. She added many people who didn’t know or bother about hunting previously thought of checking what the fuss was about after the Act brought it into spotlight.

Around 3,000 people were said to have joined the Duke of Beaufort’s hunt in Gloucestershire. Princes Charles, William and Harry had been there in the past. They skipped the hunt this year. A reported 2,300 people thronged Winslow, Buckinghamshire at the Bicester hunt. Hunt masters were happy to see such enthusiastic support from the countryside and also from the towns. According to them, most people now harbour a live & let live attitude, so they don’t like prejudiced laws against hunting. However, animal welfare campaigners disputed such arguments and also the level of support to anti-ban movement.

Organisations like the League Against Cruel Sports are monitoring the hunts carefully to gather high-quality evidence against anyone flouting the law so that the police can prosecute them. Dogs can still be employed for following a scent but cannot be used for killing the fox.

Huntsman Tony Wright successfully appealed at Exeter crown court last month after the League Against Cruel Sports had initiated a private prosecution against him. He became the first ever huntsman to be convicted of breaching the Act for hunting a wild animal with dogs, but won an appeal against his conviction. The legal battle for and against hunting is getting more intense…

No hard shoulder driving on M25

Today traffic management in UK is not a cake walk but on the contrary it is a herculean task. Hard shoulder  scores over others as it manages the traffic more carefully (a key factor in traffic management). However the cost factor is low comparing to widening of existing motorway. Estimated cost of converting hard shoulders for traffic use will not exceed £15 million per mile compared to widening cost of 63 mile stretch comes to around £79 million a mile. Even widening of the roads does not auger well with the environmental campaigners.
However The Highway Agency is complementing other option of widening the London ring-road perhaps one of the busiest European routes.
Prior to the proposal, M42 near Birmingham was trial part of the hard shoulder scheme and has deemed successful by none other than the Transport Secretary the respected Mr.Ruth Kelly.
As the M25 is considered as a key route, having high flows of traffic in Europe, it is critical to the UK economy as it is one of the most widely used and so the alternative of adding another additional permanent lane would be lasting solution.
RAC foundation campaigns head Shiela Rainger opines that the time is not ripe for expanding the Hard Shoulder running as it is at present considered as a short term remedy.