Play it Safe on Internet

How to avoid viruses, hackers, scams and other headaches

The Internet is without any doubt the greatest wounder of the modern world, but it does come with some certain threaths and downsides. A communication revolution and increased access to information are great. But not if the person doing the communication is a CON artist after your ONLINE banking details, or the information being accessed is yours- and private. Of course, there are threats to privacy and security in the real world, but on the Internet things rather different. Because the wrongdoer may take from of a piece of software, entitrely invisible to the vistim: from a virus that wipes your hard-drive to keylogger that attempts to keep a record of the username and passwords you type into webpages and then sends them tjo someone on the other side of the world. All of this is rather unsavoury , to say the least. But if we follow some preventative medicine then we can paly it safe.

THE BAD GUYS
The villains that threaten your files and privacy fall into two categories: bad software_ known as malware
and bad humans, known as hackers.  Here is some invisible threats that we need to avoid.

MALWARE: ''Malware is short for '' malicious software'', which is pretty well sums up what it is: computer code written with the express purpose of doing something harmful or shady. People often use the word ''virus'' to refer to all of them but there is actully a number of different types of malware which is-

> VIRUSES
> WORMS
>TROJANS( short for Trojan horses)
> SPYWARE
>ADWARE AND THE VILLAIN IS ''HACKERS'' the term 'hacker' is somewhat fuzzy. And its orginal meaning is a legitimate computer programmer ( see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker). But its the popular definition that concerns the people that someone who wants to break into, or medde with your computer.
They may be a professional out to steal your secrets or a ''script kiddy'' playing with a prefab trojan.
As far as we are concerned, it does not matter. We dont want them, or their handiwork , inside your computer.
Here is some Preventative medicine to protect your Internet security and play with safe.

Rule# 1: Avoid running dodgy software
Rule#2: Keep Windows or Mac OS up tp date
Rule#3: Consider switching browser and mail program
Rule#4: Hide behind a firewall
Rule#5: Scan
Rule#6: Enable wireless security
Rule#7:Dont act on virus warnings without checking their validity.
If we follow this Rules we can at least able to protect the invisible threats.

 ( source: The rough guide to the Internet by P Buckley and D clark)

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Unique Thai Heritiage Wood Carving

                      Thailand's Finest Hand made wood Carvings FOR SALE!

These wood carvings are uniquely designed from many different artists in northern Thailand. Hand Made carvings like these are truly artistic and great centre pieces in any decor. Thai Craftsmen and craftswomen take great pride in creating hand carved sculptures and wood carvings in natural wood. These carvings take months to perfect and finalize the carvings. Each peice is uniquely designed and added with the carvers artistic touches bring a uniqueness to each piece making them truly unique designs.


These designs truly reflect the Thai heritage and culture of great respect for Asian hand made Carvings. Decorate your home or office with a unique style not seen in any department store. Each item is handmade to bring a truly Thai Decor style and these Piece of Wood carving is one of them. It has been imported from Thailand. And has been used for The Famous Indian Restaurant 'The jaipur' at Milton keynes. This is unique piece of Wood carvings will be extra- ordinary collection for any decoration at home, office or Restaurant. This Hand made wood carving truly a master piece.


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Call for radical business reforms

Business leaders have heard calls for "radical" economic reform and demands for political leadership which will champion wealth creation.

Government needed to be "downsized" to shrink the state or the state will shrink the economy, the leader of the Institute of Directors warned.


Director general Miles Templeman told the IoD's annual convention in London that business leaders are worried about the prospect of a hung Parliament.
The IoD called for an "enabling Government", which leaves business to create wealth but helps provide a world-class transport, energy, and education and skills system.


The directors also told politicians to help create world-class levels of low taxation and regulation to foster a "dynamic and flexible" economy.
Mr Templeman said: "We're a week from the General Election but we're still years from bringing the deficit and the size of the Government under control.

"If the truth be told, no political party is advocating the scale of spending and deficit reduction we need, not just for the next few years, but for the next decade.
If British business is to compete effectively in the 21st century we need a fundamental root and branch reform of the state. Government has got to get smaller and better. Unless we shrink the state, the state will shrink the economy.
"While political parties agree that the deficit is a problem, there is little agreement on how it should be tackled. So it doesn't surprise me that so many business leaders are worried about a hung Parliament.


"The risk is that there will be no agreement on the nature of public spending reductions, and that on this key issue a coalition or minority government will be paralysed."

(Source: Press Association)
http://www.pressassociation.com

G20 hopeful on economic recovery

The global economy is emerging faster than expected from the deep recession, finance ministers from the world's leading economies, the G20, have said.

After talks in Washington, they said the pace of the recovery was largely due to the huge amounts of government money pumped into national economies.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said he welcomed the greater sense of urgency being shown over Greece.
The country has asked for an EU-IMF bailout of its debt-ridden economy.
Greece's finance minister is due to take part in IMF talks on Saturday.

Earlier this month, a deal was agreed under which eurozone nations would make available to Greece emergency loans of up to 30bn euros ($40bn; £26bn) in the first year, with a further 10bn euros coming from the IMF (International Monetary Fund).


'Different speeds'

In Washington, G20 finance ministers said government efforts to jump-start recovery were paying off.
"The global recovery has progressed better than previously anticipated largely due to the G20's unprecedented and concerted policy effort," the statement said.
But it stressed that the process was happening "at different speeds within and across regions".


"We recognise that in such circumstance different policy responses are needed."
Timothy Geithner spoke of "decisive and coordinated measures at home and across the G20", which means, he said, that "the world economy is growing and the financial system is healing".


The G20 statement added that members should develop credible strategies for reducing stimulus spending and to allow ultra-low interest rates to rise to more normal levels.


The finance ministers also asked the IMF to analyse in detail a proposal to levy taxes on big banks and other financial institutions to stem risk and pay for possible financial failures.


The statement said that such measures would look at "how the financial sector could make a fair and substantial contribution towards paying for any burdens associated with government interventions to repair the banking system".


Greek crisis
Although the statement did not mention what was the most pressing threat to global financial stability, Greece did loom large in G20 discussions, the BBC's economics correspondent Andrew Walker in Washington reports.
Mr Geithner called for Greece, the IMF and the EU to move quickly to produce a package of strong economic reforms and financial support.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the G20 was concerned and was monitoring the situation closely.
"It is of course a source of concern to us and we will continue to closely monitor the situation," he said.
Mr Flaherty added that Greece had undermined the confidence of the financial markets and should come up with a credible programme to fix the government finances.
Athens had hoped that just the promise of EU support, agreed last month, would be enough to reassure markets and help its recovery.

But Greece's problems have continued to hit investor confidence in the euro and other European economies.
On Friday evening, several thousand protesters took to the streets of Athens to demonstrate against further austerity measures.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/8641402.stm

Abraham Lincoln Didn't Quit

The sense of obligation to continue is present in all of us. A duty to strive is the duty of us all. I felt a call to that duty.( Abraham Lincoln)

Probably the Greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln.If you want to learn about somebody who didn’t quit, look no further.

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life.

He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.

He could have quit many times but he didn’t and because he didn’t quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of America.

Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln’s road to the White House.

1816: His family was forced out of their home.He had to work to support them.

1818: His mother died.

1831: failed in business.

1832: Ran for state legislature- lost.

1832: Also lost his job wanted to go law school but couldn’t get in.

1833: Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.

1834: Ran for state legislature again – won.

1835: Was engaged to be married , sweetheart died and his heart was broken.

1836:Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.

1838:Sought to become speaker of the state legislature – defeated.

1840: Sought to became elector- defeated.

1843: Ran for Congress-lost.

1846:Ran for Congress again this time he won-went to Washington and did a good job.

1848:Ran for re-election to Congress lost.

1849:Sought the job f land officer in his home state-rejected.

1854:Ran for Senate of the United States-lost.

1856:Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention-got less than 100 votes.

1858:Ran for U.S Senate again-again he lost.

1860:Elected president of the United States.

The path was worn and slippery.My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out-of-the-way, but I recovered and said to myself, ”IT’S a slip and not a fall.” (Abraham Lincoln after losing a senate race)

Source: Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen page 230, Overcoming Obstacles)

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The Origin of Words' Fool'

A fool and his money are soon parted.

 The root of fool is Latin Follis, originally meant ‘bellows, windbag and came to mean ‘ an empty headed person. In the same way that windbag does in English. The use of fool to mean a jester or clown also goes back to the Middle Ages.

People in the 16th century seem to have been particularly aware of the ways in which someone may come to grief through lack of wisdom, especially in their dealings with others.

A fool and his money are soon parted, a fool at forty is a fool indeed, and there is no fool like an old fool all come from this period. Two centuries later foolish behaviour was still matter for concern in 1711 the poet Alexander Pope published the line which has in turn became proverbial, ‘ Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.’ Eager prospectors have been mistaking worthless minerals such as iron pyrites, or fool’s gold, for gold since the late 19th century.

The term foolscap for a paper size dates from the late 17th century, and is said to be named after a former watermark, representing a fool’s cap.

Sadly, a traditional story that after Civil War parliament gave orders that a fool’s cap should replace that royal arms in the watermark of the paper used for the Journals of the House OF Commons apparently has no basis in fact.

( source: The origins of words ans phrases by Reader’s Digest)
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Indian cricket suspends IPL chief

India's cricket board has suspended IPL chief Lalit Modi over corruption allegations in the worst crisis to hit the Indian game this century.

The Indian cricket board, the BCCI, began a crucial meeting on Monday without Mr Modi, with discussion of action against him high on the agenda.


Mr Modi, who is being investigated by tax officials, denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
Some of the world's top cricketers play for the lucrative IPL.
BCCI president Shashank Manohar waited until the end of the IPL final on Sunday to announce Mr Modi's suspension.


"The alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr Lalit K Modi... have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself," he said in a statement.

Mr Modi was suspended from "participating in the affairs of the board, the IPL, the working committee and any other committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India".


He was given 15 days to demonstrate why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.

Mr Modi was originally scheduled to attend Monday's meeting but refused to do so. On Sunday he changed course and said he would attend but the charges against him would have to be made in writing, prompting the suspension.
The BBC's Soutik Biswas in Delhi has described it as the worst crisis in Indian cricket since a match-fixing scandal involving senior national players in 2000.


Modi defiant

In Sunday's final in Mumbai, Chennai Super Kings beat the Mumbai Indians by 22 runs but correspondents say events on the field in Mumbai were overshadowed by the continuing allegations of corruption and money-laundering.

When he heard of the suspension, Mr Modi reacted defiantly.

"Good for them," he told Indian TV channel NDTV. "Are they so scared of me attending? Are they so scared of the truth?
"I will not be able to attend the meeting, but I will wait for my turn," he said.


Earlier, in an address to the crowd after the IPL final, he insisted the league was "clean and transparent".


"There have been some off-field unpleasant dramas based on the unknown, half-truths and motivated leaks from all sorts of sources," he said.
"I reassure you that if there has been any flouting of the rules and regulations or if there have been any irregularities, I shall take full responsibility."
The crisis erupted after Mr Modi revealed on his Twitter account that a female friend of Shashi Tharoor, a junior government minister, had invested in a consortium awarded a new IPL franchise in Kochi.


That revelation caused a storm which sparked Mr Tharoor's resignation and also led to government investigations into the teams, sponsors, broadcasters and event managers associated with the IPL.
The IPL has become a multi-billion dollar industry, which attracts some of India's wealthiest businessmen and women.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/8643302.stm

Economy growth 'better with Labour'

The UK has improved its standing for economic growth among top nations under Labour even though output has expanded at a slightly slower pace than under the previous period of Conservative rule, research has suggested.

A study by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) found UK output has grown at 2% a year under Labour, compared with 2.2% in the period from 1979 to 1997.
However, the group said when the figures are adjusted for population increases, Britain has risen to second place in a table of growth rates among the world's top seven developed nations under Labour, from third place under the Tories.
The UK also rose from third to second place in rankings of productivity growth, although for actual levels of productivity it remained in fourth place below France, Germany and the US.
Meanwhile, the number of people working as a proportion of those aged 15 to 64 years is higher than in 1997, but still ranks fourth among the seven countries.

NIESR criticised Labour, saying the party had not run the country "in a sustainable way".
Director Martin Weale said: "Labour has delivered an improvement in Britain's productivity performance relative to other large economies and this relative improvement has survived the recession.


"But the labour market has not done as well as one might have hoped and performance during the recession has been disappointing."
He said that a "higher level of saving is needed if income is to be sustainable".


NIESR added talk among the parties of ring-fenced spending on certain public services "make it harder to resolve the fiscal legacy of the current Government".
( source: Press Association)

http://www.pressassociation.com

Church tops young music rich list

Charlotte Church, Katherine Jenkins and Leona Lewis have topped a list of the richest young musicians in the UK.

All three singers are said to be worth £11m each in the study of music stars under 30 compiled by The Sunday Times.
It reveals that X Factor star Cheryl Cole more than doubled her wealth in 2009. Her personal fortune of £10m puts her in fourth place.

Cole's Girls Aloud bandmates come joint ninth, with £5m each. Craig David, on £8m, is the highest man at seventh.
Katie Melua ties with Cheryl Cole in fourth place, followed by Joss Stone, who is worth £9m.
Full list

Church, who has only recently stepped back into the spotlight, also held the top slot last year in the list of under 30s.
The classical singer, from Wales, launched a brief pop career in 2005, before moving into TV presenting and is now working as a judge on Andrew Lloyd Webber's TV show Over The Rainbow.


TOP 5 MUSIC EARNERS UNDER 30

1. Charlotte Church - £11m
1. Katherine Jenkins - £11m
1. Leona Lewis - £11m
4. Cheryl Cole - £10m
4. Katie Melua - £10m Source: The Sunday Times
 
Fellow Welsh singer Jenkins has also turned her attention to TV, recently appearing on the ITV show Popstar to Operastar.

Lewis, who has had two number one albums since winning X Factor in 2006, was placed sixth in last year's list.
Cole, who appeared at number 10 last year, boosted her fortune by signing up to be an X Factor judge.


She is also involved in several lucrative advertising campaigns, including L'Oreal, and released her debut solo album last October.
In a separate list looking at music millionaires of any age, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Paul McCartney and Simon Fuller all feature in the top 10.

The list was topped by Edgar Bronfman, the chairman and chief executive of the Warner Music Group, who has a fortune of £1.6bn.
The full annual list of Britain and Ireland's richest people will be published on Sunday.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/8638465.stm

Amazon sees strong surge in profits

The release of the latest Twilight Saga blockbuster movie on DVD led the best seller list in the UK, contributing to a 45% hike in sales across Amazon's international arm - up 37% with currency effects stripped out.


Amazon notched up net income of 299 million US dollars (£195 million) across the group, up from 177 million dollars (£115 million) a year earlier.


The UK saw strong demand for The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD featuring Hollywood heartthrob Robert Pattinson, but other top sellers also included author Stieg Larsson's trilogy of novels, including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker.

Amazon's global net sales grew 46% to 7.13 billion dollars (£4.7 billion), led by a 47% leap in the US and Canada.
Its first quarter earnings were better than most analysts were expecting, but the firm's outlook for the second quarter suggested sales growth would slow. For the current quarter, Amazon expects revenues of between 6.1 billion to 6.7 billion dollars (£4 billion to £4.4 billion), which would be an increase of up to 41% year-on-year.
Revenue from books, CDs, DVDs and other media grew 26%, while electronics and other "general merchandise" revenue increased 72%.

Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon, said the group remains "heads-down focused on customers".
Electronic book reader Kindle remains its worldwide top selling product, with the Kindle selection now at 500,000 titles.



But a major competitor to Amazon's Kindle e-reader has launched since the end of the first quarter - Apple's iPad tablet device, which can also wirelessly download books.

( source: Press Association)

Public borrowing hits record £152bn

The extent of Britain's financial woes has been laid bare as official figures confirmed annual public borrowing hit £152.8 billion - the highest since records began.

The grim record for public sector net borrowing came after the UK slumped into the red by another £23.5 billion in March, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).


But borrowing for the financial year to the end of March came within the Chancellor's lowered Budget forecast.

Excluding financial intervention, annual borrowing reached £163.4 billion, which was comfortably below Alistair Darling's latest prediction for £167 billion and far lower than his original £178 billion estimate.


Britain's public sector net debt is now a record 62% of gross domestic product (GDP).
The budget deficit widened by £14.8 billion in March to take the gaping hole in public finances to an all-time record of £107.6 billion over the financial year, more than double the £49.7 billion recorded a year earlier.


Borrowing has soared amid the recession as unemployment and Government actions to help prop up the economy have taken their toll.
However, there were signs of further improvement in the figures.

Total tax receipts rose 3.8% in March, having now risen in four out of the last five months.

VAT receipts rose after the rate reverted back to 17.5% in January as the Government's temporary reduction ended, while corporation tax increased by a hefty 51.4%.


( source: Press Association)
  www.pressassociation.com

Manchester United 'named top club'

Manchester United scored another title success as it was valued as the biggest football club in the world.

Despite a turbulent year for British clubs, the Old Trafford side held on to top spot in Forbes Magazine's list of the world's 20 most valuable football teams.

Seven of the 20 teams featuring in the table heralded from England - despite the Premier League being the most indebted in Europe, according to governing body Uefa.


United, which has now topped the table for six years, was valued by Forbes at 1.835 billion US dollars (£1.19 billion) after a 2% fall from last year.
Newcastle United, which was rated as 20th most valuable, was a surprise inclusion after being relegated last year.
Arsenal came third, ahead of Liverpool in sixth, Chelsea in ninth and Tottenham Hotspur at 12th. Big-spending Manchester City trailed in 19th place.


Peter Schwartz, a business sports writer for Forbes, praised Manchester United's resilience as "one of the world's biggest sporting brands".

Real Madrid was forced to settle for second place - despite signing Cristiano Ronaldo from United last summer.
The world's 20 most valuable soccer clubs generated a combined operating 650 million US dollars (£422 million) in operating income last season, a Forbes spokesman said.

( Source: Press Association)

FIA Formula One World Drivers Champions 1990- 2009

 Some of the greatest driver of Formula One Racing Champions since 1990- 2009

                                                    JASON BUTTON 2009 CHAMPION

 

                                              LEWIS HAMILTON 2008 CHAMPION

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                

KIMI RAIKKONEN CHAMPION 2007

FERNANDO ALONSO 2005-2006

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER 1994-1995

2000-2004

MIKA HAKKINEN 1998-1999

JACQUES VILLENEUVE1997

DAMON HILL 1996

ALAIN PROST 1985-1986

1989-1993

  

NIGEL MANSELL 1992

 

AYRTON SENNA 1988

1990-1991

( Source: Shoppingforest) 

Darling backs call for bank taxes

Chancellor Alistair Darling has welcomed reports that the International Monetary Fund is calling for two new taxes on the banks to pay for future bail-outs.

The IMF watchdog is calling for a "financial stability contribution" (FSC) to pay for the "fiscal cost of any future government support to the sector", according to a report leaked to the BBC.

The levy, which would be imposed on all financial institutions, not just banks, would initially be charged at a flat rate although it would eventually be modified so riskier institutions are charged more.
A second "financial activities tax" - FAT - would be levied on the sum total of the financial institutions' profits and the remuneration they pay their staff, including bonuses.


The report, which will form the basis of a submission to the G20 summit in June, states international cooperation in the introduction of the new levies would be "beneficial".
"Countries' experiences in the recent crisis differ widely and so do their priorities as they emerge from it. But none is immune from the risk of a future - and inevitably global - financial crisis," it said.

"Unilateral actions by governments risk being undermined by tax and regulatory arbitrage."
Mr Darling said they were "important proposals" and backed Labour's position that any tax on the banks should be levied internationally.
"The recognition that banks should make a contribution to the society in which they operate is right," he said.


( Source: Press Associatrion)
 www.pressassociation.com

Inter Milan 3-1 Barcelona

Inter Milan produced a fine first-leg display as they came from behind to beat holders Barcelona and take control of their Champions League semi-final.

Barca, who dumped Arsenal out in the last round, went ahead when Maxwell's left-wing cross found Pedro to slot in.
Inter levelled as Wesley Sneijder fired in right-footed from a Diego Milito pass and Milito then teed up Maicon to control and slam home to make it 2-1.
Milito nodded in after Sneijder miscued a header to put Inter firmly in charge.


The result gives Barca a mountain to climb in the second leg in Catalonia next Wednesday as they seek to become the first team since AC Milan in 1990 to defend their European title.
They quickly secured the advantage of an away goal, but will be concerned by how badly things went wrong thereafter as Inter coach Jose Mourinho won the tactical battle with counterpart Pep Guardiola.


After an indifferent start, Inter produced a performance of which Barcelona would be proud; pressing high up the pitch and hitting Barca on the break with pace and incisiveness when they won the ball back.


With Lionel Messi subdued, Inter cashed in on their supremacy in devastating style and the Italian champions now stand on the brink of a first appearance in the final since 1972.
Yet it all started in typical fashion for a Barcelona side used to having their own way, as Guardiola's men dominated the early stages at the San Siro.


They capitalised on a Milito miss after Victor Valdes had saved from Samuel Eto'o, the visitors surging up the other end as Maxwell was allowed to get to the byeline down the left and pull the ball back for Pedro to coolly roll home his 20th goal of the season.
Inter were seeing less of the ball than their opponents, but they were dogged in defence and threatening in the final third and after Milito bent a hugely presentable chance wide, they equalised on the half-hour mark.


As Eto'o crossed from the Inter right, the Barca defenders all got sucked into the middle, including right-back Daniel Alves - and when Milito turned and teed up Sneijder, the Dutchman had the freedom of the park to lash in an equaliser.
Barca, denied space with which to operate, were struggling to find anything like their usual fluency as Inter doubled up on Messi and denied the influential Xavi the time to spray passes around.

Just after the break Goran Pandev failed by inches to latch on to Milito's ball from the right, but the Italians did not take too much longer to get themselves ahead.
Messi lost the ball in his own half and Inter broke with pace, the ball finding its way to Milito on the right-hand side of the area. The Argentine took his time and picked out the marauding Maicon as the Brazilian took a touch and rammed past Valdes.

Barca, perhaps weary after their 14-hour coach trip to get to Milan, tried to respond, but Messi's shot and Sergio Busquets' header were both well saved by Julio Cesar in the Inter goal.


On the hour mark, Mourinho's men took firm control of the tie. They broke quickly again and after Sneijder had completely misdirected his header from an Eto'o cross from the right, Milito was on hand to nod in from point-blank range.
Having looked comfortable early on, now Barcelona were flustered and even Xavi was misplacing passes, much to the delight of the Nerazzurri faithful.
But Barca recovered their composure to lay siege to the Inter goal in the closing stages and they will wonder how they did not at least narrow the deficit going into next week's tie.

Messi's 30-yard free-kick forced Julio Cesar to parry, before Alves was denied what appeared to be a good penalty appeal when he fell under Sneijder's challenge in the area. To rub salt into the wounds, the Brazilian found himself cautioned for simulation.
As the clock ticked down Gerard Pique - switched from centre-back to a target man role as Barca pressed for a goal - and Pedro were both denied by Julio Cesar as Inter clung on to their formidable advantage ahead of a daunting trip to the Camp Nou.


(Source:Story from BBC SPORT:By Jonathan Stevenson)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/football/europe/8630297.stm

Petrol price pushes inflation up

Sky high petrol prices sent annual inflation soaring to 3.4% last month after a faster than expected rise in the cost in living, official figures have revealed.



Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation leapt up from 3% in February after petrol prices rose by 2.7% in the month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The CPI rise - bigger than economists had forecast - presents a headache for the Government at the start of a crucial week for economic data in the General Election battle.

The ONS said energy prices also contributed to the rise in inflation, with the majority of the recent gas reductions not having yet taken place, compared with falls last March.
But the significant upward pressure from petrol threatens to draw attention to Labour's 1p hike on duty imposed on April 1.

Motorists have been facing record costs at the petrol pump, with oil prices hitting recent 18-month highs.
The AA said the average cost of a litre of petrol is now 120.9p, against 95.2p a year earlier.


Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation - which includes the cost of mortgages and housing - also rocketed last month, reaching 4.4% in March, which is the highest since September 2008.

CPI inflation had eased back sharply in February to 3% from 3.5% in January and economists had only expected the benchmark measure to rise to around 3.1% last month.


The ONS figures show a record uplift from transport costs, including petrol prices and air fares, with the annual rate of inflation 11.3% - the highest since at least January 1997. Food costs also pushed CPI higher, with vegetables affected from the adverse weather at the start of the year.


( source: Press Association)

Clegg to attack 'greedy' bankers

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg will launch a fierce attack on "reckless and greedy" bankers later as he seeks to capitalise on his party's remarkable surge in the polls.
Mr Clegg will use his morning press conference to highlight Lib Dem plans to break up the big banks to ensure that they cannot again "hold a gun to the head" of the rest of the economy.



He will point to the allegations about investment bank Goldman Sachs, which is being sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States over claims that it defrauded investors of a billion dollars, as evidence of the failure to clean up the system. The bank denies the charges.

Mr Clegg will say: "The allegations about Goldman Sachs are yet another reminder of how reckless and greedy the global banking industry had become.

"The great tragedy is that none of that recklessness or greed has yet been stamped out of the City of London, and it is costing jobs and businesses day by day."


He will also argue that only the Lib Dems have the plans to create a "different kind of economy" which is no longer dependent on the City, while ensuring households and businesses can get access to the credit they need.

( source: yahoo news uk/ ITN)

Flights hope eases investor fears

Airlines and holiday firms were in the spotlight as volcanic ash continued to disrupt European travel - but hopes that restrictions will be lifted eased investor fears.

British Airways, TUI Travel and Thomas Cook all lost around 4% at one point, but narrowed their falls amid news that flights in Scotland and northern England will resume on Tuesday.


The FTSE 100 Index shed 16.1 points to 5727.9 by the close in the latest falls after its 1.4% plummet on Friday following shock fraud charges against investment bank Goldman Sachs from the US regulator.
Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average was almost flat in early trading as better-than-expected profits from Citigroup helped to soothe nerves from the Goldman scandal.


In currency news, the pound was largely flat against the dollar at 1.52 and against the euro at 1.13 amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the General Election and the possibility of a hung Parliament.
Meanwhile, the continuing travel disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption caused worries over lower demand for jet fuel, helping to send oil prices down to 81 US dollars a barrel.


In London, British Airways ended the day having pared earlier losses, with shares falling 3.3p at 231.7p - or 1.4% - after it said that lost passenger and freight revenue, as well as costs incurred in supporting passengers, amounted to between £15 million and £20 million a day.


TUI Travel saw a similar effect, ending 3.5p down at 288.2p, 1.2%, after it said the disruption cost it around £20 million so far and a further £5 million a day while the problems persist, and Thomas Cook said lost income and additional costs meant it was losing around £7 million a day. Shares declined 1.6%, or 4.2p to 256.9p.
The biggest Footsie risers were Royal Bank of Scotland up 2.1p at 50.4p, Autonomy Corporation up 37p at 1777p, Lloyds Banking Group, which gained 0.7p to 65.4p and British American Tobacco up 20.5p at 2170.5p.
The biggest Footsie fallers were Aviva down 8.9p at 378.1p, Land Securities off 14p at 659.5p, Old Mutual down 2.5p at 118.1p and Vedanta Resources, which fell 55p to 2741p.


( source: Press Association)

Intimate Titanic Letter Fetches New Record £55,000 at auction

A letter from a first-class passenger on board the Titanic has fetched £55,000 at auction - a record price for a piece of written correspondence from the ship.
The piece was penned by Adolphe Saalfeld, on three sides of stationery from the doomed vessel, to his "wifey", Gertrude, still home in Britain.



His words give a rare glimpse into day-to-day life on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, which sank on April 15, 1912 with the loss of 1,517 lives after hitting an iceberg.
The letter was one of 350 lots of White Star Line memorabilia sold yesterday by auctioneer Henry Aldridge and Son, in Devizes, Wiltshire.
The letter, composed five days before the disaster, was sold to an unidentified museum in Britain, which has yet to formally announce its purchase.

Explaining the appeal of the artefact, Andrew Aldridge said: "The content is superb. It gives a real first person perspective of what life was like onboard, through the eyes of a first-class passenger, right down to the food, the size of the cabin and the decoration."


While other letters exist, this is the best example of its kind due to the depth of its detail, he explained.
The letter tells of Mr Saalfeld's approval of a "luncheon" featuring soup, fillet of plaice, a loin chop with cauliflower and fried potatoes, Apple Manhattan and Rocquefort cheese, "washed down with a large Spaten beer iced".
A partial transcript of the letter, released by the auctioneer reads: "After leaving [Southampton] at noon we had quite a little excitement, as the tremendous suction of our steamer made all the hawsers of the SS New York snap as we passed her and she drifted on to our boat, a collision being averted by our stopping & our tugs coming to the rescue of the 'New York'.

"The weather is calm and fine, the sky overcast. There are only 370 First Class passengers. So far the boat does not move and goes very steadily. It is not nice to travel alone and leave you behind. I think you will have to come next time.
"I had a long promenade and a doze for an hour up to 5 o'clock. The band played in the afternoon for tea, but I savour a cafe in the Verandah cafe with bread and butter and quite thought I should have to pay but anything and everything in the eating line is gratis.

"At 6 o'clock we anchor outside Cherbourg and two tugs with passengers came alongside. Owing to our little mishap at Southampton we were all one hour late and had dinner only at 7.30 instead of 7 o'clock as usual."
Mr Saalfeld, a German-born businessman who was en route to New York hoping to sell perfume concentrates, apparently name-dropped to good effect when it came to procuring a larger table at dinner.


"The name of my friend, the White Star manager in London, works wonders and I have a small table for two to myself. I made a very good dinner and had two cigars in the smoke room and shall now go to bed as I am tired. But for a slight vibration, you would not know that you are at sea."

Mr Saalfeld was apparently in the smoking parlour at the time of the collision and survived the sinking, having clambered into Lifeboat No. 3.
He later said there was sufficient time to save all on board - if enough lifeboats had been carried.
Mr Saalfeld died in 1926 at Kew Gardens and is buried in London's Golders Green cemetery.


Another star of the sale was a set of keys belonging to an officer transferred from the Titanic at the last minute, which fetched £54,000.
The keys - bearing a brass tag engraved with the words "binocular box" - were kept by officer David Blair and would have been stored in a teak box on the bulwark of the bridge.

Mr Blair sailed with the ship from Belfast to Southampton, but was moved onto another ship at short notice, taking the bunch of keys with him - a move which may well have saved him.
Mr Aldridge said: "Mr Blair was without doubt one of the luckiest men alive because this decision almost certainly saved his life."
A set of photographs relating to the Titanic, her passengers and crew were sold to various collectors for over £100,000. One picture, of Rosa Abbott, who was pulled from the water, fetched £35,000 and went to a private collector.


( source: Yahoo news Uk / Sky news 2010)
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100418/twl-intimate-titanic-letter-fetches-new-3fd0ae9.html