EU energy: revolution for the UK?

The targets our island nation is supposed to achieve, remember, are several: a 20% jump in energy efficiency, 10% of vehicle traffic powered by biofuels, and 15% of energy derived from renewable sources.

How EU states achieve the targets is up to them; the UK already has a raft of policies in place to stimulate the growth of renewables, and may have to draw up new ones if and when the commission's proposals are endorsed by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers.
The renewables target is particularly challenging because it refers to overall energy use, rather than just electricity.

To get an idea of the scale of the challenge, look across to Sweden.
If we don't do anything in addition to what we have now, I would bet that we won't get there
Rob Gross. Because Sweden already derives 40% of its energy from renewable sources, it received a much higher target than Britain for 2020 - 49% against Britain's 15%.

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This article is signifigant because of the changing face of energy on our planet. The UK is making big promises to try to reach 49% renewable energy by the year of 2020.

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Dodi 'insisted on car decoy plan'

The sole survivor of the car crash which killed Princess Diana said Dodi Al Fayed had insisted on the ill-fated decoy plan to dodge waiting paparazzi.

Trevor Rees said he had had reservations about Mr Al Fayed's plan to sneak out of the Ritz Hotel.

He suffered serious head injuries and made a good recovery but has said he has little memory of events which led up to Diana and Mr Al Fayed's deaths.

Giving evidence at their inquest, he denied being part of a murder cover-up.

Mr Rees, who was known as Rees-Jones at the time of the crash on 31 August 1997, told the jury he went along with the plan because Dodi had talked about leaving the Paris hotel with no security.

Mr Rees, who was employed by Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed as a bodyguard for his son Dodi at the time of the crash, broke every bone in his face and suffered serious chest injuries.

The ex-bodyguard, the only person in the car wearing a seatbelt, told the inquest: "All I have ever done is given the truth as I see it."

He made the remarks in answer to a question in which Ian Burnett QC, for the coroner, outlined Mohamed Al Fayed's controversial claim that Diana was murdered.

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This article provides further insight into the death of Princes Diana and what happened on the night of her death. Like Diana's former butler Paul Burrell, Trevor Rees also does not believe that her death was planned.

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UK unemployment continues to fall

Analysts say the strength in labour market is unlikely to continue UK unemployment fell by 13,000 between September and November to stand at 1.65 million, government figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in December fell by 6,400 to 807,700.

This was the lowest number since 1975 and the 15th consecutive monthly fall in the number of claimants. Analysts said the data suggested the UK job market remained robust despite expectations of an economic slowdown.

"UK labour market data for December showed that the increasing doom and gloom on the economy is not yet hurting the labour market," said Alan Clarke at BNP Paribas.
The labour market lags activity and survey indicators are already pointing to a standstill in hiring growth Alan Clarke, BNP Paribas
However, there are worries that the strength in the labour market may fade as growth slows.

This Article is relevant because it shows that The UK's economy is currently on the rise. This is also the lowest unemployment level in the UK since 1975 which is a very intriguing number.

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Political capital

LONDONERS eager to prove that their metropolis really is, in Disraeli's words, “a roost for every bird” usually cite ordinary life at ground level: the diversity of races and languages, the yuppies, artists and immigrants juxtaposed in the same east London postcodes. They can now point to their aspiring rulers, too.

The third election for the mayor of London, an office created in 2000 for a city that had lacked its own administration since 1986, comes in May. The principal candidates are as curious as the population they hope to govern: a left-wing iconoclast who often favours globalisation (the Labour incumbent, Ken Livingstone), a shock-headed Old Etonian eccentric (the Conservative Boris Johnson) and a libertarian gay ex-policeman (the Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick), who made his name with a tolerant line on cannabis when he commanded a south London borough.

Many Londoners are indifferent as to who their mayor is (voting turnout was only 37% in 2004). Yet the office has come to matter. The mayor controls a budget of £10.6 billion ($20.9 billion)—up from £3.8 billion in 2001-02, and divided mostly between transport and policing (see chart). He also has powers over cultural matters and economic development; in 2006 he acquired more clout over housing, planning, the environment, and learning and skills. The biggest directly elected office in the country is also a bully pulpit.
It is true, says Tony Travers of the London School of Economics, that London's mayor is weaker than his counterparts in New York and Tokyo, and that much power, particularly over schools, remains with the city's 32 boroughs. But he is also relatively unconstrained by his municipal council. The London Assembly does little more than vote on the mayor's annual budget—a pygmy next to the mighty New York City Council.

Mr Livingstone, who won office as an independent in 2000 and retained it for Labour in 2004, has done better than many expected. He introduced a congestion charge in the centre of town (piquing the interest of other cities) and a more efficient ticketing system for public transport, expanding the bus service. He has enjoyed good relations with city financiers while redistributing wealth through planning decisions: developers are allowed to build in return for including affordable housing and other goodies for the poor. He also helped secure the 2012 Olympics for London and cash from the central government for a new cross-city train service.

This article is signifigant because it is about the selection of the Mayor of the Capital of the United Kingdom , London England . This Mayoral race is especially important because if will involve the preperation for the 2012 Olympics in London.


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History of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the sovereign state or realm comprising England, Scotland, Wales (together Great Britain) and Northern Ireland. For over one hundred years it also included the territory of what is now the Republic of Ireland.

The state began to take its present shape with the Acts of Union in 1707, which united the crowns and Parliaments of England and Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. A further Act of Union in 1800 joined the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The Irish Free State gained independence in 1922, leaving Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. As a result, in 1927 Britain changed its formal title to "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland",[1] usually shortened to "the United Kingdom", "the UK" or "Britain".



To read the full history click here.


This is a significant article because it describes the establishment and the development of the U.K.

London Olympic boost for business

The race is on for UK firms to win contracts around the 2012 Olympic games in London.
So far most of the publicity swirling around the 2012 Olympic Games has been of a stubbornly negative nature, with talk of budget "black holes", a logo which attracted a mixed response at best, and possible raids on National Lottery funds.

But amidst the accusations and criticisms, particularly relating to the way costs have soared since 2005, it is easy to overlook the positives surrounding the London event.
Business opportunities

The right to host the Games could make this a 'golden decade' for major events in the UK and, therefore, British business

Sebastian Coe, chairman, London Olympics Organising CommitteeThe biggest sporting event on earth offers a wealth of opportunities for UK businesses who want a slice of the many contracts and supply opportunities in the five-year run-up to the games.
And the starting gun on the race to win those contracts is being fired at an event at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium, attended by hundreds of businesses from across the north of England.

This Article is signifigant because The London Olympics could be a defining part of the new century for the British. Also It could potentially bring lots of business to London and put the International spotlight back on the area
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Index of Economic Freedom in the U.K.

The economy of the United Kingdom (U.K.) is 79.5 percent free, according to our 2008 assessment, which makes it the world's 10th freest economy. Its overall score is 0.5 percentage point lower than last year, reflecting worsened scores in four of the 10 economic freedoms. The U.K. is ranked 3rd out of 41 countries in the European region, and its overall score is much higher than the regional average.

The U.K. scores extraordinarily well in investment freedom, trade freedom, financial freedom, property rights, business freedom, and freedom from corruption. The average tariff rate is low, despite distortionary EU agricultural tariffs, and business regulation is efficient. Almost all commercial operations are simple and transparent, and support for private enterprise is a world model. Inflation is fairly low, and the business climate attracts foreign investment. The financial sector is a world hub. The judiciary is independent and highly trained. Corruption is almost nonexistent, and the labor market is notably flexible.

The U.K. scores far below the world average in government size and fiscal freedom. Total government spending equals more than two-fifths of GDP, and tax revenue and rates are very high.

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This artcle shows the amount of freedom that the U.K.'s economy has in comparison to the rest of the world.

Royal Diana plot was 'impossible'

Princess Diana's former butler has told the inquest into her death it is "impossible" that she was murdered on the orders of the Royal Family.

When asked if Prince Charles could have planned her death, Paul Burrell said: "I could not possibly see the father of her children murdering her."

He also told the court that as butler to the princess, he connected Diana's network of friends and had been "at the hub of the wheel".

Diana, her companion Dodi Al Fayed and their driver Henri Paul died in Paris in a car crash in August 1997.

Mr Burrell's comments about the likelihood of a royal murder plot followed a line of questioning about a note from the princess to him in which she said that her husband Prince Charles was "planning an accident in my car".

Asked by Ian Burnett QC, counsel to the inquest, if he knew of anything to support the idea that Diana and Mr Al Fayed were murdered, Mr Burrell said: "No, I can't begin to believe that.
"Knowing the members of the Royal Family as I do, and knowing them so well, I think that's impossible."

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This article rejects the possible murder of Princess Diana based on the testimony provided by her former butler, Paul Burrell.

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