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Britain's Iraq War Inquiry
Jules Witcover

The government-appointed commission of British non-governmental citizens has already made a good start toward determining how the United Kingdom was drawn into the war in Iraq by flawed intelligence and deceptive premises of the George W. Bush administration.

Climate Change and The Flathead Society
Cal Thomas

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has taken the route of many who would rather call names than have a serious debate about 'climate change.' He characterizes those who question 'settled science' members of the 'flat-earth' society. When people resort to name-calling it is a sign they have lost an argument

 

Britsh prime minister Gordon Brown
(c) Nancy Ohanian

Why Sometimes Pays to Be Like Gordon Brown
by William Pfaff

Flamboyance of the Latin kind gets you into the newspapers, but for bad reasons as well as good.

Nicolas Sarkozy of France is not a man noted for charm but for his unchecked energies and the restless activity. Italy's Silvio Berlusconi is another matter entirely. He is a success in politics apparently because the majority of Italians like him.

Indeed, sometimes pays to be a nondescript politician like Gordon Brown of Britain.

The Arrogant and the Ignorant
Cal Thomas

On my last visit to the UK three months ago, Members of Parliament were embroiled in a scandal involving outrageous expense claims for such things as moat cleaning, a baby crib and second homes that were sometimes occupied by friends and relatives, or not at all

 

ARTS: British TV Ads Flaunt Their Arty Side
Next weekend the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts will bring the latest batch of award-winning British commercials to the Bay Area for the first time.

Hamas Releases British Journalist
British officials took Paul Martin, a freelance filmmaker, to Israel after Hamas officials ended his 25-day detention.

Bush Intervened in Northern Ireland Dispute
It was the former president’s his first known direct involvement in a public policy debate since leaving the White House nearly 14 months ago.

In Britain, a Debate Over Care for the Elderly
Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s plan to provide free care for the growing elderly population faces opposition at a time of record deficits.

Iceland Voters Set to Reject Debt Deal
Voting began Saturday in a referendum on a deal to repay British and Dutch customers for losses from a failed Icelandic bank that has so incensed residents it has little chance of passing.

From Ireland to Israel
The peace in Northern Ireland has lessons that Israelis and Arabs should study.

With Election Looming, Tories Appear to Take a Detour in Britain
The Conservative leader David Cameron has learned that it is not enough to sit back, relax and wait for a government to eat itself alive.

BBC Proposes Deep Cuts in Web Site
The British Broadcasting Corporation is facing complaints from commercial rivals, who say public funding gives it an unfair advantage in expanding online.

Britain Grapples With Debt of Greek Proportions
Without a strong political majority to tackle Britain’s lumbering fiscal problems, the stage could be set for a potential double-dip recession, if not worse.

HSBC Disappoints on Profit and Warns on Bad Loans
The bank’s profit for 2009 rose 1.9 percent to $5.8 billion, but the number was lower than analysts’ expectations. The bank also said it set more money aside for bad loans.

Hamas Says It Is Extending Briton’s Stay in Detention
A Hamas military court in Gaza decided to extend the detention of a British journalist for another 15 days of interrogation on suspicion of unspecified security offenses.

Talks Stall Over Repayment of Iceland’s Debt
Iceland is trying to negotiate the repayment of more than $5 billion to Britain and the Netherlands and avoid the need for a politically risky referendum.

Like Rome Before the Fall? Not Yet
Vice President Joe Biden is right to insist that America has little in common with Rome or Britain before their empires collapsed.

British Panel Condemns Media Group in Phone Hacking Case
Rupert Murdoch’s News International was accused Wednesday of “collective amnesia” in hearings investigating how its tabloid tapped into the telephones of celebrities and public figures.

British Premier Struggles to Repaint Blotched Image
Prime Minister Gordon Brown faced a new and potentially damaging challenge on Monday over allegations that he bullied staff at 10 Downing Street.

NYT > Great Britain
World news about Great Britain, including breaking news and archival articles published in The New York Times.

 

Tuck in to the Titanic's last supper
IN FIRST class they dined on filet mignons lili and pâté de foie gras, served on fine china while in third class it was cabin biscuits, roast beef and brown gravy.

Public kiss costs Briton a month in Dubai prison
A BRITISH man facing jail in Dubai after he was accused of kissing a woman in public has vowed to clear his name.

week ahead
TODAY A classical single is being released online to aid the earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti. Artists featured include Aled Jones, Julian Lloyd Webber and the Royal Phil

I am not the kingmaker, says Clegg, as speculation grows over hung parliament
NICK Clegg will today insist he is "not the kingmaker" at the next general election, as he seeks to cool speculation that he is ready to take the Liberal Democrats in

Union accuses BA of 'waging war' on crew preparing for seven strike days
UNION bosses yesterday urged British Airways to end the "needless war against its own workforce" as the row over cost-cutting continued after the announcement of seven

Cuddles top gifts on Mother's Day wish list
FORGET flashy presents and glamorous gifts. All mums really want on Mother's Day is a hug, a survey has found.

Parents working on to support adult children
PARENTS in Britain are being forced to postpone their retirement to meet the rising costs of supporting their adult offspring, a new study suggests today.

£80m cost of jail for crime with a knife
OPPOSITION proposals for mandatory jail sentences for knife crime will cost up to £80 million a year, official figures showed today.

Burglars raid home of dead war heroine
FRIENDS of a French Resistance heroine yesterday condemned "despicable" burglars who raided her home days after her death.

Pregnant teens 'forced from school' – Barnardo's
PREGNANT teenagers are being forced out of education because of "spurious health and safety grounds", a children's charity claimed today.

Royal Mail delivery tests rigged, claims watchdog
ROYAL Mail staff have been rigging performance tests for the past eight years, an investigation has found. The discovery throws into doubt claims by Royal Mail that nine out o

Labour to reveal plans to abolish House of Lords
PLANS to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a wholly elected, 300-seat second chamber are set to be unveiled by the government before the general election, it was

RBS staff are denied pay rises in row over contracts
HUNDREDS of workers at Royal Bank of Scotland's Ulster Bank subsidiary are being left out of annual pay rises this year because they refused to sign new contracts which th

River plunge motorist rescued by passers-by
AN ELDERLY man was saved by two passers-by after his car plunged into a river yesterday. He was taken to hospital with suspected hypothermia after his car left the road and we

Teenager held over alleged harassment
A TEENAGER charged with harassing an elderly man with learning difficulties, who died following an alleged confrontation outside his home, was remanded in custody yesterday.

Tate 'bovvered' by letters
POLICE were investigating claims yesterday that comedian Catherine Tate was targeted by a poison pen letter writer. The 41-year-old star – best known for her "Am I bovvere

BA cabin-crew strike spells Easter misery for thousands of Scots
SCOTTISH families face having their Easter travel plans ruined after British Airways cabin crew announced seven days of strikes, some of which coincide with school holidays in

Media 'rantings' on marriage anger Sarkozy
THE French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has dismissed media "rantings" about his marriage and appealed to the British media: "I love England – don't make me re

Cameron is Godfather fanatic, reveals SamCam
DAVID Cameron's wife has given an insight into their home life as she prepares to take a leading role in the general election campaign.

Peer accused of £100k fiddle escapes prosecution but faces Lords inquiry
THE House of Lords investigation into the expenses claimed by the Labour peer Baroness Uddin is to be reopened after she escaped criminal charges yesterday.

How sticking plaster could beat scourge of skin cancer
SKIN cancer victims are getting a revolutionary new treatment that will avoid scarring and reduce hospital treatment time.

Scouts hope to lead youth of Britain on expedition to the polling station
IT'S a century-old organisation that has taught generations of Scots survival skills such as camping outdoors, building fires and tying knots.

£½m price run up the flagpole for tricolour
THE last full-sized tricolour flag of the 1916 Irish rebellion is expected to fetch almost £500,000 when it goes on sale at auction.

Tomato seeds promise new way to fight heart disease more safely
A TOMATO extract has been hailed as a safer alternative to aspirin when used to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

BNP recruiting tactics are illegal
THE British National Party has been banned from recruiting new members as a court has ruled its constitution is illegal.

The 'chilling harshness and cruelty' of starved girl's parents
THE mother and stepfather of a seven-year-old girl who starved to death were jailed for her manslaughter by a judge who branded their treatment of the child "chilling in

Prince of gaffes asks sea cadet if she works in a strip club
THE Duke of Edinburgh has asked a sea cadet if she worked at a strip club in another apparent gaffe.

21-month sentence for £100k-profit insider dealer branded excessive
A FORMER partner at the Queen's stockbrokers jailed for insider dealing will appeal against his 21-month sentence and conviction, his lawyers said yesterday.

'Give drivers a break' over 115p-a-litre petrol
THE average price of petrol is now above 115p a litre, with motorists being hit with a 27 per cent increase over the last 12 months.

Royal Mail faces action over claims delivery tests were rigged
THE postal watchdog is considering action against Royal Mail after allegations that quality tests were rigged.

Scotsman.com News - UK
Get the latest breaking UK news headlines and video from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland including updates on swine flu and the UK economy

 

There's snow need for £5k machine
WHILE staff at the Cairngorm ski centre work flat out to cope with record numbers on the snow-clad slopes, one newcomer remains conspicuously idle.

Anger as coal power plant bid goes ahead
PLANS for a new £3 billion coal-fired power station in Scotland will be lodged tomorrow, prompting warnings of mass protests by green groups.

Teacher in assault case calls for CCTV in all classrooms
THE Scots teacher at the heart of a pupil assault row has called for closed circuit TV cameras to be installed inside schools to combat unruly behaviour.

Call for inquiry into company where salaries ballooned and thousands spent on hospitality
A CONSTRUCTION quango created by troubled former Glasgow council leader Steven Purcell more than doubled its wage bill for executives in just two years, Scotland on Sunday can

Stepping up to the pink challenge
BRAS to the fore! Edinburgh will turn pink once again in 13 weeks' time when thousands of walkers crowd into the capital for the annual MoonWalk for breast cancer charitie

First clinic for ADHD adults poised to open
SCOTLAND'S first service for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is being launched to cope with rising numbers with the condition needing help.

Runaway transport threatens targets on emissions
GREENHOUSE gas emissions from road traffic, air travel, ships and railways have risen to account for more than a quarter of Scotland's total.

Top SNP activist in firing line over 'drug death' claim
THE SNP has launched disciplinary proceedings against a prominent activist who made unfounded and upsetting allegations about the death of a teenage Labour activist.

Perks lure jobless Scots teachers south
SCOTLAND'S unemployed teachers are being lured to the south of England with the promise of jobs and golden handshakes.

Residents refuse to pay 'unfair' garden firm fees
HUNDREDS of homeowners across Scotland are threatening a no-payments campaign against the firm responsible for maintaining common areas in private housing estates.

SNP candidate quits to promote papal visit
A RISING star of the SNP has quit as a candidate just months before the general election and, in his new role, will play a key role in the Pope's Scottish visit.

Council to let private body run services
GLASGOW Council is looking at plans to hand over the running of its parks, litter collection and street cleaning to a private firm.

SNP urged to sell the break-up of Britain
ONE of the SNP's senior figures is calling for the party leadership to do more to sell the vision of independence, warning that a fear of "scaring the horses" mig

Holiday couple die in Loch Lomond caravan park fire
TWO people died yesterday in a caravan fire close to the banks of Loch Lomond. The man and woman, who were believed to be a couple, lost their lives after their static mobile

New era for Saudi Arabia of renewables
SCOTLAND'S wave and tidal power revolution will get under way this week when ten projects involving hundreds of devices are granted permission to start work off the north

Pregnant teens 'forced from school' – Barnardo's
PREGNANT teenagers are being forced out of education because of "spurious health and safety grounds", a children's charity claimed today.

Hundreds join march over tower block deaths
HUNDREDS of campaigners joined a march and rally yesterday in memory of three asylum-seekers who leapt from a tower block.

MSP demands politicians back bill to cut Frankenstein fats
POLITICIANS have been urged to back an attempt to cut the amount of "Frankenstein fats" in food and help save lives.

Scotland on Sunday writers receive 11 nominations for Press Awards
SCOTLAND on Sunday journalists have picked up 11 nominations for this year's Scottish Press Awards.

£120,000 drugs haul
DRUGS with an estimated street value of £120,000 have been seized by police, it was revealed yesterday.

Eureka! Scots inventors gallop off with honours
IT IS an intellectual tradition that has long swathed Scotland in glory and bequeathed the likes of penicillin, television and the telephone to a grateful world.

BBC bosses consider staging fourth leadership debate to include Salmond
THE BBC has said it will consider SNP demands for a separate leaders' debate covering constitutional matters for Scotland and Wales, as the row over televised election cov

Jock's Lodge bar searches for new licensee as doors close after gun attack
A PUB where a drinker was shot and stabbed five days ago has been closed down by its owners.

Brother and sister to grow up a world apart
A BROTHER and sister face growing up on opposite sides of the globe after a Scottish court ruled that one of them should move to Australia to live with their father.

Seasiders aiming to treasure a statue to author Robert Louis Stevenson
HIS childhood holidays in the seaside town are said to have inspired the classic novel, Treasure Island.

Holyrood to spend millions on anti-terror guardhouse to protect MSPs
THE Scottish Parliament – which cost £430 million to build – is to have a multimillion-pound security upgrade, including a new building devoted to detecting potential terro

Warning of rise in sectarianism as school plan's opponents stage protest
PARENTS and pupils are staging a protest over plans to swap their school building with an over- subscribed Catholic primary amid fears the move will lead to sectarianism.

Airport sparks dogfight with arch-rival to be named No1
EDINBURGH airport has launched a bare-knuckle fight against its west coast sister with the new slogan: "Scotland's airport of choice."

Scottish Parliament faces £5m bill for new suicide bomber defence
SCOTTISH Parliament bosses could spend as much as £5 million on an extension at the front of the Holyrood building for a new security hall, it emerged today.

Clear off! Trump resort row boils over
THE simmering tension between the Trump Organisation and the families whose homes are threatened by the tycoon's £1 billion golf resort boiled over in public yesterday.

Scotsman.com News - Scotland
breaking-scotland:Scotland

 

BAE loses to US in £1bn UK army ‘Scout’ race
The British army’s next generation of “Scout” armoured vehicles is expected to be built by General Dynamics of the US in a contract worth more than £1bn

Brown and Sarkozy ‘united’ on bank levy
The UK’s prime minister says France and Britain are united on the need for a global bank levy, after warm talks in Downing Street with the French president

Wary Pru investors warm to Asia plan
Tidjane Thiam, chief executive of Prudential, has achieved some success in his efforts to convince sceptical shareholders of the merits of his $35bn acquisition of AIG’s Asian businesses

BA cabin crew reveal strike dates
British Airways faces its first strike in more than a decade after representatives of its 12,000 cabin crew announced a series of walkouts later this month

RBS keen to offload buy-out fund stakes
Royal Bank of Scotland is in talks to sell a portfolio of investments in private equity funds thought to be worth a total of about £658m

Science budget to be spared from cuts
Britain’s science budget is to be protected as the sector is vital to the country’s prosperity, says Lord Mandelson

Doubts grow over DFS auction
Buy-out groups are struggling to value the UK sofa retailer amid a lack of information and questions over the role of founder and chairman Lord Kirkham after the sale

F1 steers past a tricky corner
Last year’s financial turmoil, which led to Formula One sponsors and manufacturers leaving the sport, has unexpectedly benefited the industry

Energy costs fuel return to real fire
Householders are installing wood burners or opening chimneys as soaring energy prices rekindle Britain’s love affair with the warm glow of an open fire

Second home market sees sales up 40%
There has been a sharp growth in sales and values of second homes in the UK as the weakness of sterling and fall in prices from the market peak have encouraged buyers to stay in the country

Financial Times - World UK
The Financial Times brings you the latest economic and political news from the UK

 

Bagehot: No escape

An infamous murder returns to the national consciousness, with worrying implications

MOST eras have their symbolic murders: crimes that are not only terrible but seem also to reflect the nation’s pathologies. Victorian London had Jack the Ripper; modern Britain has the death of James Bulger, a two-year-old who in 1993 was abducted from a Merseyside shopping centre, tortured and killed by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged just ten. Their trial inspired national fury, revived in 2001 when they were released under new names. Mr Venables has now been returned to custody for an unspecified breach of his licence. Unspecified by the government, that is; channelling the ire the crime still arouses, newspapers have gleefully relayed rumours of his offence.

It is not surprising that this incident retains its power to appal: the grainy CCTV image that captured the small boy being led away by a bigger one has become an icon of depravity. The trouble is, the case held up a mirror less to the real state of Britain than to its dark, psychic fears. The confusion of those things has led to mistaken conclusions being drawn from it. They may be again. ...

Taxing companies: Choose your weapons

In the corporate-tax armoury the next government must pick carefully

WHAT do Shore Capital, a boutique financial firm, and Ineos, the remnant of various giant chemical companies, have in common? Both announced plans this month to move their headquarters to countries with lower taxes—Shore to Guernsey and Ineos to Switzerland. As Britain’s cash-strapped exchequer faces shrinking revenues from recession-hit businesses, the exodus of these firms and others raises an important question. Is Britain’s company-tax regime competitive?

The system isn’t fit for the 21st century, says Michael Devereux, professor of business taxation at Oxford’s Said Business School. It is a 19th-century apparatus, struggling—like many tax regimes around the world—to keep fiscal tabs on global earnings, intra-group cashflows, migration of intellectual property and the elusive proceeds of financial and other services. ...

Failing schools: For whom the bell tolls

Giving parents a real choice

BRENTWOOD in Essex is an unremarkable town, once derided as the most boring in Britain. It is home not only to Brentwood School, a moderately well-known independent school founded in 1558, but also to two more modern establishments: Sawyers Hall College and, five minutes down the road, Shenfield High School. In 2006 Sawyers Hall was deemed a failing school, one that was not educating its pupils as required. Since then, parents have voted with their feet. Rolls have fallen even as efforts to improve results have paid off. Sawyers Hall is slated to close as a comprehensive in the summer; a further-education outfit teaching hairdressing and the like will take its place.

The college is just one of many schools fingered for closure. On March 10th the schools inspectorate announced that 10% of the 2,140 schools it had assessed over the four months to the end of December were “inadequate”, a category that might more accurately be termed “dire”. Some of these will be turned around by good new head teachers. Others, though, will close. ...

Independents for Parliament: Out with the old

Why independent candidates may yet break the political mould

ESTHER RANTZEN gestures at the gaslit machines in Wright’s hat factory in Luton. The iron machines are more than 100 years old, but the aluminium moulds on which the hats are shaped are new. “The queen may favour it, but I don’t like the asymmetric brim. How difficult is it to make a new mould?” she asks the milliner, Philip Wright. A little expensive, but not too difficult if you know how, he replies.

The television celebrity is hoping to redesign more than hats in Luton South, a marginal constituency about 30 miles north of London. She, like other independent candidates in the coming general election, would also like to break the mould of British politics. A flurry of them have appeared in seats where incumbent MPs were discredited in last year’s parliamentary-expenses scandal. ...

The rise of the handyman: Mr Fixit

Professional fathers are downing tools to play with their children

AS THE rich have got richer and those in work ever busier, people with children have discovered a new way of spending their money: on handymen to do the sorts of odd jobs fathers used to roll up their sleeves and take care of. Despite the recent recession, dads, it seems, would rather spend quality time with their offspring than put up shelves or fix dripping taps at the weekend. So their wives, themselves hard pressed, are hiring other men to change fuses and the like, thus making time to dine out, kick a football or visit museums en famille.

Domestic help has long been a mostly female preserve, involving nannies, cleaners and laundry maids. That is changing, according to a forthcoming study by Majella Kilkey of the University of Hull and Diane Perrons of the London School of Economics. The pair reckon that nowadays 39% of domestic helpers in Britain are men, up from 17% in the early 1990s; in London, many are also migrants. Many households hiring handymen already employ a small army of nannies, cleaners and gardeners. ...

Policing Northern Ireland: The end of the beginning

Justice and policing are now devolved. What difference will it make?

THE Northern Ireland peace process passed another milestone this week when the Belfast Assembly voted by a large majority to approve the transfer of policing and justice powers from London. It was a significant breakthrough, given that quite a few assembly members have themselves attracted the attention of the police in the not-so-distant past. Now even those once considered dangerous will have a say on how the remaining paramilitary rumps are dealt with.

But, as is so often the case in Belfast, the advance took place not amid harmony and good cheer but against a background of attention-seeking and discord, as a single party held out against all the others. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), once Northern Ireland’s largest but today a shadow of its former self, insisted on voting against devolution of policing and justice powers. The measure passed nonetheless, by 88 votes to 17. ...

Bishops, gays and equality: Lords a-leaping

Even for the lords spiritual, the times are changing

TO OUTSIDERS, one of the oddest features of Britain’s semi-theocracy is that 26 Anglican bishops have the right to sit in the upper chamber of the legislature, even though their church can claim the active adherence of less than 5% of citizens. But the “lords spiritual” still have clout, especially when the established church acts as an advocate for religion in general. That became clear in February, when the government backed away from a confrontation over the question of whom churches should employ—and, in particular, over which posts can be barred to gays.

The government’s hopes were fairly modest. It was not questioning the right of religious bodies to follow their own beliefs when hiring priests or imams; it merely wanted to clarify that, in recruiting for non-religious jobs (accountants, for example), churches must obey the law and refrain from discrimination against gays. But pursuing even this cautious aim was deemed unwise at a time when many religious leaders, including Pope Benedict, were opposed (and perhaps considering how their flock should be encouraged to vote). ...

Interview with Nick Clegg: Kingmaker in waiting?

The Liberal Democrats prepare for battle—in their own way

NICK CLEGG doesn’t do “What if?” politics, he says. The leader of the Liberal Democrats is politely Delphic in the face of The Economist’s inquiries, in an interview on March 9th, about his plans in the event of a hung parliament after the coming general election. A Labour or Conservative minority government is an option, but he will not rule out (or in) joining a coalition. This reticence is elementary politics: he knows any speculation would strike voters as “the height of arrogance” and hand his bigger rivals an electoral advantage.

It could also reflect an awareness that his vaunted role as kingmaker—ready to crown either Gordon Brown, the recently resurgent prime minister, or David Cameron, his Tory opposite number—may be exaggerated. If either of the two main parties is only a few seats short of an overall majority, they may be able to strike a deal with another, smaller party. If one has many more seats than the other, the Lib Dems would have no choice but to help the larger form a government or precipitate a second election. Only if both Labour and the Tories were well short of the required 326 seats for a majority, and had roughly the same number, would the Lib Dems, who now field 63 MPs, become crucial. ...

Cutting the BBC: No surrender

The corporation will become smaller, but no less potent

ON MARCH 2nd the BBC did something unprecedented: it volunteered to cut itself down to size. The broadcaster wants to abolish two digital radio stations, shrink its website and spend less on imported shows and sport. Mark Thompson, the director-general, says he will abandon the goal of churning out more and more programmes to suit every taste. Commercial media firms, which have been complaining for years about the BBC’s heft, did not know what to make of it. Is the world’s first, and mightiest, national public broadcaster turning modest?

Not a bit of it. The report signals an important retreat from the policy of all-out expansion that has guided the BBC in recent years. But it is a pragmatic, limited retreat that will allow the corporation to marshal its forces elsewhere, in products and places where it can be more effective. “Every organisation goes through phases of expansion and consolidation,” says Claire Enders, a media analyst. “This is the consolidation phase.” ...

Lord Ashcroft's tax status: Out of the closet

The Conservative donor ends a decade of speculation

DAVID CAMERON’S fluency deserts him when he is forced to talk about Lord Ashcroft. The Conservative leader rarely sounds as ill at ease as he did on March 2nd, when he was asked to respond to the admission by the Tories’ deputy chairman that he is non-domiciled in Britain for tax purposes. Lord Ashcroft (shown below) may have clarified matters because the government, prodded by a freedom of information request, was about to.

The vexed question of his tax status goes back a decade, to when he got his wish and became a peer of the realm. He had twice been rebuffed due to concerns that he spent much of his time in Belize, a former British colony. On March 23rd 2000 he gave a written assurance that he would “take up permanent residence in the UK again” by the end of that calendar year. ...

Politics and the pound: Sterling throws a wobbly

The currency will remain vulnerable to worries about a hung parliament

THE pound came under fierce assault this week, panicking many in the markets. On March 1st it lurched down against the dollar by 2%. Although it then regained a little ground, sterling has in fact been sliding for weeks. Since the end of January it has lost 6% against the dollar and over 4% against even the troubled euro. This latest plunge makes sterling the weakest of the main currencies this year.

It is wrong to blame these jitters mainly on Britain’s economy, fragile though it remains. The recent signals are still mixed. Revised figures out on February 26th showed that the green shoots sprouting in the fourth quarter of 2009 were a bit sturdier than first reckoned. GDP grew by 0.3%, rather than the initial glum estimate of 0.1%. The growth was from a lower base, though, and the cumulative loss of output to the trough in the third quarter was 6.2% rather than 6.0%. A business survey on March 1st showed that manufacturing did well in February, with a promising rise in new export orders, while another on March 3rd revealed a sharp increase in the services sector. Yet mortgage approvals for home purchase dipped in January. ...

Campaigning in Perth: The weakest link?

Tories and Scot Nats get down and dirty

BOASTING the headquarters of two of Scotland’s biggest companies (Stagecoach, a bus firm, and Scottish and Southern Energy, a utility), surrounded by rich farmland and the country estates of aristocrats and wealthy city-dwellers, Perth looks as though it should be comfortable Conservative territory. But since 1995 and a by-election at the height of the Tories’ unpopularity, the town and county constituency, which has elected a lord, a knight, a colonel and even a duchess, has embraced the left-leaning Scottish National Party (SNP).

Perth’s MP, Pete Wishart, says he has held on to the seat through vigorous campaigning on local issues, such as persuading the local council, run by the SNP and Liberal Democrats, to rescind plans to build an incinerator in the town. “That type of public engagement has been the focus of my work,” he says. ...

Scottish politics: Slouching towards Westminster

Devolved Scotland goes its own way

NOT so long ago, Alex Salmond, Scotland’s cocky first minister, ebulliently predicted that his Scottish National Party (SNP) would win 20 of Scotland’s 59 seats at Westminster in the general election due by June 3rd. That was in 2008, when he was still riding the wave of the SNP’s spectacular win in the 2007 elections to the Scottish Parliament; today that target looks well out of reach. The oddity of Scottish politics is not that the Nationalists must trim their ambitions (given the worst economic conditions in decades and the prospect of fiscal stringency for years to come, any government, even a minority one like Mr Salmond’s, expects some loss of enthusiasm). It is that the Conservatives are struggling so to take up the slack.

Opinion polls give varying versions of the political temperature north of the border. A YouGov survey on February 28th predicted 21% of the vote for the SNP; the next day an Ipsos MORI poll put the figure at 30%. In both surveys, however, the Tories skulked in behind the Nationalists but above the Liberal Democrats, at 20% and 17% respectively, while Labour was well in front at 38% and 36%. Cheering though Ipsos MORI was for Mr Salmond, that support would still yield him only ten seats, three more than his party has at present. Miserably for David Cameron’s Tories, they would pick up only one seat, bringing their grand Scottish total to two. ...

Football finance: Colour revolution

Dissatisfaction among the faithful followers of Manchester United

EIGHT minutes into the final of the Carling Cup on February 28th, the referee held up play for a few seconds. No goal, no injury: Phil Dowd merely wanted the players to burst the yellow and green balloons littering the pitch. These are the colours sported by Manchester United fans protesting against the Glazer family, the Americans who have owned the club since 2005. United, England’s (and possibly the world’s) most popular football club, usually play in red and white, but yellow and green were worn by their 19th-century forebears, Newton Heath, and as away kit in the early 1990s. Wear a scarf in these colours or blow up a few balloons and you show where your loyalties lie.

A well-heeled group of fans, dubbed the Red Knights, want to put their money where their scarves are and bid for the club. Their inner circle includes Jim O’Neill, chief economist of Goldman Sachs and a former director of United, and Paul Marshall, founder of Marshall Wace, a hedge fund. They are allied with the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), which has been campaigning for a takeover by fans. MUST’s membership is rising by several thousand a day. By March 4th it had topped 100,000—24,000 more than can fit into Old Trafford, United’s stadium. ...

Bagehot : Rope-a-dope

The Tories’ unexpected weakness may yet haunt Labour: what if the party had ditched Gordon Brown?

BOTH were ageing bruisers facing impossible odds. Both were pitted against younger men widely expected to obliterate them. Both were pulverised in the early stages of the contest, before their adversaries’ stamina seemed to wane…

All right, on the face of it leaden Gordon Brown may not have much in common with fleet Muhammad Ali. But it has begun to seem possible that Mr Brown might just stage a recovery as unlikely as Mr Ali’s in the famous “rumble in the jungle” in Kinshasa. In 1974 Mr Ali was pounded by the fearsome George Foreman, but rallied to knock him out. Is it conceivable that in 2010 Mr Brown might bounce off the ropes to deny David Cameron his victory—or even, amazing as it sounds, win himself? ...

Bagehot: All too human

How much does a prime minister's character matter?

AN INTERESTING little volume of essays by Clement Attlee, Labour’s sainted post-war prime minister, was published last year. The book is called “Attlee’s Great Contemporaries”, with the subtitle “The Politics of Character”. “If [a politician] doesn’t display courage,” Attlee argues, “the chances are that he will never become the leader, or that if he does, he won’t last very long.” Neither will he endure “if he cannot trust”. No one can lead who “is afraid of losing his job”. The collection is edited by Frank Field, a saintly Labour MP. In his introduction, Mr Field writes that, for Attlee, personal behaviour was an outward sign of the kind of society he wanted to create. It is perhaps not a coincidence that Mr Field is also a fierce critic of Gordon Brown.

The book, and the Aristotelian view of leadership it advances—that a leader is the sum of everything he does—came to mind when the latest allegations about Mr Brown’s behaviour were aired in the Observer. He stands accused (again) of insulting and even manhandling staff, and of abusing assorted inanimate objects. A remark from Alistair Darling, the chancellor of the exchequer, about the “forces of hell” unleashed against him by Mr Brown’s spin machine in 2008, reinforced the impression of darkness and dysfunction in Number 10. (“The intriguers”, Attlee wrote perceptively, “are usually the victims of intrigue.”) ...

Construction jitters: Survival tactics

Building firms are struggling to emerge from the recession

CAN the construction industry keep its head above water, given the twin uncertainties of a change of government and a possible second dip into recession? For all the gloomy talk, so far it has held up reasonably well. The government’s stimulus package maintained momentum in social and low-cost housing as well as new schools and hospitals, at least until the middle of last year (see chart).

As a result, although employment in the sector had shrunk by 186,000 by the end of September, this was a relatively small decline from its peak of 2.3m a year earlier. There are 300,000 building firms, but only 1% went bust last year, according to Atradius, a trade-credit insurance company. But the writing is on the wall. Insolvencies are expected to rise, especially if the government ends a scheme, running since April, that allows struggling companies to defer tax payments. Building firms are particularly vulnerable as the country comes out of recession, says Marc Henstridge, head of British and Irish risk at Atradius: long-term contracts may have tided them over but, even if they manage to replenish them, they may still have a problem getting finance to carry them out. ...

Media and the law: Publish, perish, protest

Bad news for dodgy journalism—and for libel tourists

LIBEL law in England is too expensive and restricts free speech. But journalistic dirty tricks are a disgrace and self-regulation of the media isn’t working properly. So the rules need lots of tweaks and a couple of big changes. Those are the conclusions of a much-awaited parliamentary committee report on the British press.

It makes uncomfortable reading for many. But the sharpest criticism was reserved for the News of the World, a tabloid that is Britain’s best-selling Sunday newspaper; its owner, Rupert Murdoch’s News International; and its practice of stealing messages from the voice mailboxes of prominent people, including members of the royal family. A reporter, Clive Goodman, was jailed for four months for the offence, later receiving a generous pay-off from his erstwhile employer for “unfair dismissal”. ...

Assisted suicide: The latest chapter

New rules on helping those who wish to end their lives but are unable to do so

TERRY PRATCHETT, a best-selling author, wants to do it sitting on his lawn, to the sound of the choral works of Thomas Tallis and with a brandy in one hand. Mark Cato, a lawyer who writes a popular blog, is hoping for a decent bottle of Bollinger, a log fire and a good cigar, surrounded by his family. Both are terminally ill: Mr Pratchett has Alzheimer’s disease, which is slowly destroying his brain; Mr Cato suffers from motor-neurone disease, a muscle-wasting condition that will leave him unable to breathe. They wish to choose the circumstances of their deaths. Because they are frail, they think they will need help to end their lives. On February 25th Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, published guidelines setting out the conditions under which those who help them might escape prosecution.

Although committing suicide was decriminalised in 1961, helping someone commit it is illegal in England and Wales. The law requires the director of public prosecutions to use his discretion in deciding whether to bring such cases to trial. ...

The Economist: Britain
Britain

 

Spinning To Defeat
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Orange T-Mobile merger gets OK
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Lloyds boss to give up annual bonus
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Gatwick sale charges hit UK airports owner
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Bullying helpline under fire after Brown claims
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Ukraines democratic path: The Jury is out
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Journalist detained by Hamas gets support
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UK wants answers from Israel in killing of Hamas leader
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BP Rosneft give up on East Schmidt in Sakhalin-5
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BA and Iberia on track for merger deal
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BP 2009 results hit by drop in oil price
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EU clears last two state aid calls for banks
The European Commission approved on 25 January the liquidation of mortgage lender Bradford Bingley and a public funds injection into Dunfermline Building Society the last two state aid measures proposed by the British government to prop up its banking sector Media reports said.. The decision in the case of Bradford Bingley...

Ferrero Hershey drop out of Cadbury race
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AB Foods expects profit boost from Primark
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Co-op to up Wexford Creamery stake
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Cadbury turns sour; Kraft beats the fight and buyout
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Call to ban Burqa in UK in public and private
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ECR Trans-National Party Set for EU Funding - But is it legal?
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A more-experienced Virgin Money buys UK regional bank
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Ho-ho-ho high Xmas profits under Tescos tree
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This is not a game Game Group sees a profits slump
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Brown says no hidden agenda over Iraq invasion
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Marks Spencer returns to sales growth
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Dominos tops hopes after strong sales
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Last Chance To Topple Brown
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London Stock Exchange raises record amount
The recession hit 2009 significantly affected the UK economy and the stock market too couldnt circumvent the heat. However figures released last week showed that cash calls on existing shareholders effectively cushioned the London Stock Exchange LSE adding up a record GBP 82.5 billion to its coffer. In fact the...

Cadbury £550 mln sale of Australian beverages business
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Tescos Q3 sales not so impressive
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Bailouts for UK banks hit GBP 850 billion
Britains financial support including guarantees for its ailing banks has hit GBP 850 billion since the start of the crisis RTE Ireland reported early last week. The National Audit Office said Prime Minister Gordon Browns government was justified in pledging the unprecedented amount on rescuing banks that went into meltdown....

Cadbury sets date for Kraft response
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Ukrainian elections bring out the big bucks for some
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Ukraine seeks to calm fears of sovereign default
Ukraine sought to calm foreign investors` fears of a sovereign default after European markets wobbled last week on the consequences of the restructuring of a syndicated loan by the state railway firm according to Reuters. Investors have feared a state default throughout the year as the ex-Soviet state plunged deep...

HSBC Indonesian arm shows 55% profit increase
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Kraft weighs higher Cadbury bid
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Ukrainian tourist flows
KIEV - Around 600 000 people more than half of all Ukrainian tourists spent their holidays in Turkey and Egypt. The main reason for this tendency was the cost. Now prices for some exotic direction went down by 35-40%. For example the price for one person per week in Thailand...

Putin in Yalta; gas agreement signed
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Cadbury slams unsolicited offer Kraft deal rejected
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Government poised to sell-off nationalized banks
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Prince Charles Camilla visit Canada for tour
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Patient locked inside ambulance by forgetful driver
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Anti dirty coal campaign takes to the streets
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BA union to ballot cabin crew members over strike action
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Ukraine thinks about gas debts
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Ukraine starts election campaign
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UK News - New Europe News
UK News - New Europe News: The European News Source.

 

Bulger mother calls for resignation

James Bulger's mother has called for the Children's Commissioner to be sacked for "twisted and insensitive" comments about the murder of her two-year-old son.

'I am not kingmaker' - Clegg

Nick Clegg will insist he is "not the kingmaker" at the next general election as he seeks to cool speculation that he is ready to take the Liberal Democrats into a coalition government.

Adonis in warning over BA's future

A threatened strike by British Airways cabin crew could put the future of the airline at risk, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis warned.

PM: Wife not trivialising campaign

Gordon Brown has dismissed criticism that he was "trivialising" politics by using his family to garner votes.

UK 'heading for hung parliament'

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Budget 'is critical to election'

Alistair Darling insists next week's Budget will be "critical" in determining the result of the general election.

Briton found dead in ski resort

A 24-year-old British man has been found dead in a ski resort, the Foreign Office said.

Parents 'postponing retirement'

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Kate McCann tells of her faith

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Ex-ministers at Iraqi death inquiry

Former Government ministers will be asked to provide evidence for a public inquiry into the death of an Iraqi civilian in British military custody.

Bomb expert 'to get George Cross'

A bomb disposal expert killed in Afghanistan will be awarded a posthumous George Cross, it has been reported.

Teenager remanded over harassment

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Pair appeal Dubai 'kiss' sentence

A British pair will appear in court in Dubai accused of kissing in public.

Cheryl Cole spoof bags dance title

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Campaigners march for flats trio

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Pensioner saved in car river plunge

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Burglars raid home of war heroine

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'Kiss' jail man vows to clear name

A British man facing jail in Dubai after he was accused of kissing a woman in public has vowed to clear his name.

McCanns join run to help charity

The parents of Madeleine McCann have joined 450 runners to take part in a 10km fun run for missing people.

Raising crimial age 'ruled out'

The Government has ruled out a call from the Children's Commissioner to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years after she argued the killers of James Bulger were too young to have been prosecuted for murder.

Take That star checks into rehab

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Union: BA must end 'needless war'

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Tate 'targeted by poison pen note'

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Cable accuses Tories over economy

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More move over nightmare neighbours

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Teenagers arrested over murder

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Chocolate shoes for Mother's Day

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Singer picked for UK Eurovision bid

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Cameron's wife talks of home life

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Meat workers abused, inquiry finds

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BNP 'amends' rules after decision

The British National Party began processing applications within hours of a court order banning recruitment of new members after its leader claimed to have amended the constitution.

'Halal poultry falsely labelled'

Up to three-quarters of poultry sold as halal in the UK is falsely labelled, an industry group has warned.

Take That star checks into rehab

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Royal Mail quality tests 'rigged'

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Sir Stirling 'feeling better'

Motor racing veteran Sir Stirling Moss has thanked wellwishers who wrote to him after he fell three floors down a lift shaft and broke both ankles.

Murder probe after body found

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BA cabin crew to strike over cuts

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Teenager charged with harassment

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Griffin reopens BNP recruitment

British National Party leader Nick Griffin declared applications to join were being processed again despite a court order banning recruitment of new members.

55 charged over parliament protest

More than 50 climate change protesters who spent the night on the roof of the Houses of Parliament have been charged with trespass, Scotland Yard said.

Popcorn recall after weevils found

Packs of microwave popcorn have been recalled after a manufacturer discovered they could be infested with tiny pests.

Row over baroness expenses probe

A row has erupted between prosecutors and the House of Lords authorities following a decision not to bring charges against the Labour peer Baroness Uddin over her expenses.

Parents who starved Khyra jailed

The mother and stepfather of seven-year-old starvation victim Khyra Ishaq have been jailed for the girl's manslaughter.

Charges over Susan Boyle burglary

A teenage boy has been arrested and charged in connection with a theft at Susan Boyle's home, police said.

Father helping UK police find Sahil

The father of a five-year-old boy who was kidnapped in Pakistan last week has returned home and is helping officers find his son, police said.

£270m loan boost for Vauxhall

The Government has announced a £270 million loan guarantee to car giant General Motors to help secure its Vauxhall operations in Britain.

Bleakley completes water-ski feat

TV host Christine Bleakley has completed her challenge to water-ski across the English Channel.

8,000 complain over 6 Music closure

The proposed closure of BBC 6 Music has prompted one of the biggest complaints campaigns ever directed at the BBC, figures show.

 

Illuminating Hadrian's Wall: Celebrations East and West
Exciting - free - public performances and events are planned to punctuate the historic illumination of Hadrian's Wall on Saturday. If you can make it up to the North of England, here's what to expect:

The Launch

The line of light across the country along Hadrian's Wall will be ignited at Segedunum Roman Fort, the easternmost fort on the wall, in Wallsend, near Newcastle on Tyne. First, at 5:15p.m. international company Theater Anu will stage a colorful performance based on "the almost lost myth of the winged boy." Then, at 5:45p.m. the flame will be ignited to begin its journey across the country.

Welcoming the Light

The light is expected to reach Carlisle at 6:40p.m., just under an hour after ignition. The people of Carlisle will already be preparing to Welcome the Light as it passes through the city en route to the West Coast. (That's where I'll be joining in - so expect pictures soon)

Planned events include a torchlight parade led by street band Tongues of Fire, "fiery engines" and the mysterious Heliosphere.

The parade forms up outside the tourist information center on English Street at 5:30p.m. Earlier, from 10a.m. to 4p.m. University of Cumbria costume students will hold a free, drop-in costume workshop there for participants who are planning to "glow".

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Illuminating Hadrian's Wall: Celebrations East and West originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 16:37:41.

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Illuminating Hadrian's Wall - A Fiery Spectacle Coast to Coast

This weekend, for the first time since the Romans left Britain, fiery torches will march the entire length of Hadrian's Wall. Illuminating Hadrian's Wall will create a spectacular line of light along the 84 miles of Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail, with torches coming to life every 250 meters.

Hadrian's Wall marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire. Though the British became independent of the Romans 1,600 years ago in 410A.D, their wall, snaking across northern Britain from coast to coast, still ignites the imagination of visitors and Briton's alike.

Thousands are expected to brave the cold, at large public events, hikes and cycle rides on Saturday night to see it glow with fire for the first time in 1,600 years.

• Find out more about Illuminating Hadrian's Wall
• Read about other Roman archaeology along Hadrian's Wall

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CGI Image Courtesy of Hadrian's Wall Heritage Ltd

Illuminating Hadrian's Wall - A Fiery Spectacle Coast to Coast originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 14:12:29.

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UK is a Hot Deal as Hotel Prices Fall to Six Year Low

UK hotel prices, not long ago the highest in Europe, fell by 13% in 2009 - or, after exchange rate calculations, as much as 32% in real terms for US vacationers.

Those were the findings of the annual Hotel Price Index compiled by online hotel booking company Hotels.com. The survey, based on real prices paid by vacationers rather than advertised hotel rates, concluded that UK hotels now rank 13th in the price league of European nations. Vacationers spent £91 per week less for a UK vacation in 2009 (about $142.50 then) than they did in 2008.

The price drop varied widely from city to city in the UK with the biggest drop being recorded in Southampton (30% - cruise vacationers take note) and a rise of 14% in Oxford. The price of rooms in London fell by 7%, but in real terms, US travelers paid, on average, 18% less for a room in the capital.

Countrywide, according to the survey, US vacationers spent 21% less for a hotel room in 2009 compared to 2008. For US tourists, Edinburgh was down by 25% and Birmingham by 29%. The biggest drop was Liverpool, home of the Beatles, where the cost of a room fell a whopping 32% for US visitors.

The signs are good for the UK remaining good value for both US, European and UK vacationers through 2010. So, if you thought visiting the UK was an expensive option, it might just be time to take another look.

• Compare prices of UK hotel rooms now
• Find a cheap, last minute UK Easter break

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UK is a Hot Deal as Hotel Prices Fall to Six Year Low originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 11:15:25.

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He's Got a Ticket to Ryde - Macca To Headline Isle of Wight Fest

It's just been confirmed that Sir Paul McCartney will close the Isle of Wight Festival (in Newport, Isle of Wight) on Sunday, June 13 this year. Added to a lineup that includes Jay-Z and The Strokes, this could be one of the hottest festival tickets of the summer.

Or as blogger Francis Whittaker put it on Virtual Festivals, "The best selling musician on the planet, the biggest rapper in the world and the most important indie band of the last decade walk into a bar... tonight in Newport it's open mic night."

This will be Macca's first show on the Isle of Wight and he said he was "looking forward to a rollicking night of rock and roll."

Festival promoter John Giddings said, "Forty years after Jimi Hendrix performed 'Hey Joe' at Seaclose Park we've finally gotten to 'Hey Jude'. I can't wait!"

By the way, if the reference in the headline above passed you by, Ryde is a town and a train station on the Isle of Wight. In the blogsphere, many fans believe that John Lennon first wrote, "She's got a ticket to Ryde."

Read more about the Isle of Wight Festival

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He's Got a Ticket to Ryde - Macca To Headline Isle of Wight Fest originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 08:12:52.

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Isle of Wight Festival Line-up Grows

Isle of Wight Festival headliners are the usual eclectic mix this year. Icons to newcomers, from Jay-Z to Blondie to one of this year's hottest acts, Daisy Dares You, the line up for the three day, all-ticket music festival, from 11 to 13 June, is growing every day. Rock, pop, blues, synth, dance, hip hop, rap and genres that haven't even been named yet. And the best news is that official ticket sources still have tickets available in all categories. They won't last long though.

Find out what's happening at this year's Isle of Wight Festival and how to get your tickets.

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Photo of Daisy Dares You by Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Isle of Wight Festival Line-up Grows originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 01:55:53.

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UK Cities Gear Up for St. Patrick's Festivals

Why celebrate being Irish for one day of the year when you can turn it into a week long festival? All over the UK, from about March 12th onward, big Irish festivals and parades will honor St. Patrick with music, Celtic costumes and crafts, Irish food and lots of green beer consumption. London, Manchester and Birmingham turn particularly and spectacularly green.

• Find a St. Patrick's Day Celebration in the UK
• Put a taste of Ireland on your table for St. Patrick's Day

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Photo by Steve Cole/Getty Images

UK Cities Gear Up for St. Patrick's Festivals originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 12:13:13.

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Celebrate St. David's Day in Wales

The National St. David's Day celebrations in Cardiff, Wales, get bigger and better every year. A whole weekend of festivities - parades, traditional food (try some welsh cakes), church services and lots more - begins this Friday and culminates on Monday with the 7th annual national St. David's Day Parade. Also on Monday, head for Cardiff Castle early and receive a free daffodil bulb (while stocks last). Of course, this being Wales, there's all kinds of music as well including some great singing.

Find out more about where to celebrate St. David's Day in Wales - or at home, by cooking up some welsh treats.

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Celebrate St. David's Day in Wales originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 10:02:44.

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Spread the Word About Your UK Events Here

Does your town, village, club or organization have a special event coming up soon? If it's open to the public you can publicize it here and tell the world about it.

I try to publish news about as many of the UK's festivals, markets, concerts, fairs and seasonal sports events as I can But, naturally, I do miss a few. If I've overlooked your art show, antique fair, beer festival, food fair, folk music concert, kayak race, heritage parade, fireworks spectacle or whatever, you can still let readers of About.com: United Kingdom Travel find out about it. It's easy. Here's how:

• Visit monthly festival and events round up for the month of your event. - You can find it by clicking on the What's On tab at the top of this page.
• First check through it to find your event.
• If it isn't there, scroll to the bottom of the page where you'll find a link to a "Readers' Diary" of events for that month. Clicking on it will take you to a form where you can upload your own news.

It's free publicity for your big, annual event - so what are you waiting for. Add an April event right now.

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Spread the Word About Your UK Events Here originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 12:28:11.

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Plan For Easter Egg Hunting Now

With Pancake Day, aka Shrove Tuesday, behind us, Lent is underway and Easter is just over the horizon. And around the stately homes, gardens and parks of Britain that means easter egg hunts Read more...

Plan For Easter Egg Hunting Now originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 13:51:02.

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Photo Exhibition Opens Blenheim Season

If you can't get enough of beautiful gardens, get a head start on the blooming season with the Garden of the Year Award photo exhibition on at Blenheim Palace until March 28.

In 2008, Blenheim won the competition - sponsored by Christies and the Historic Houses Association. This year's exhibition celebrates Read more...

Photo Exhibition Opens Blenheim Season originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 18:13:25.

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