Chris Roubis

Posts Tagged ‘UK news’

By
Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED:

19:00 EST, 21 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

03:21 EST, 22 May 2012

A man in his 40s plunged at least 180 feet over Niagara Falls in an apparent suicide attempt, but survived and was lifted to safety during a harrowing rescue.

The unidentified man was only the third person known to have gone over the falls without a safety device and lived.

Niagara Parks Police say witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a railing at 10:20am on Monday and “deliberately jump” above Horseshoe Falls and into the Niagara River.

Scroll down for video

Rescue: Niagara Falls firefighter Matt Rozon and the unidentified jumper man are lifted from the Niagara gorge by an aerial fire truck

Hero: The unidentified man, shown here being lifted to safety, was only the third person to survive a plunge into the falls

Parks police Sgt Chris Gallagher, the first rescuer to reach the man, told the Toronto Sun: ‘We have confirmed reports from witnesses that he entered [the water] above the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and was swept over the falls.’

He surfaced in the river basin near an observation platform.

‘He waded ashore,’ said Platoon Chief Dan Orescanin of the Niagara Falls, Ontario, Fire Department.

‘He must have gotten swept into an eddy, floated over there and was able to get out on his own.

Harrowing: The man was strapped into a rescue basket alongside the water after what police say was an unsuccessful suicide attempt that unfolded in front of hundreds of tourists

Desperate rescue: Witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a railing and ‘deliberately jump’ above Horseshoe Falls and into the Niagara River

‘That’s another stroke of luck,’ Orescanin said. ‘If he was in the main current, he would have been swept down river.’

Orescanin said the man was conscious and talking at first but got quiet. He appeared to have chest injuries, including broken ribs and a collapsed lung, Orescanin said.

Breathtaking images showed the victim and his rescuer dangling high above the falls by an aerial fire truck.

Dangling: Niagara Falls emergency officials rescue a man who plunged over Niagara Falls before a waiting helicopter flew him to a nearby hospital with critical but non-life-threatening injuries

Need a lift? A waiting helicopter flew him to a hospital, where a spokeswoman said he has critical but non-life-threatening injuries

A waiting helicopter flew him to a hospital, where a spokeswoman said he has critical but non-life-threatening injuries, which was echoed by rescue personnel.

Orescanin told the Sun: ‘He had some abrasions to the head and rest of his body. He was in good condition, considering.’

Niagara Parks Police say it appears the jump was a suicide attempt.

The man, seen at left, was tended to by firefighters at the edge of the Niagara River before he was lifted out by a helicopter

It was the first time since March 11, 2009 that someone survived a jump into the falls.

On that day, the 30-year-old Canadian man, who was never identified, survived after he plummeted into the water, but suffered from a contusion on his head and severe hypothermia.

Kirk Jones of Michigan became the first person to survive the leap on October 20, 2003, suffering only bruises, scrapes and battered ribs.

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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147891/Suicide-jumper-person-SURVIVE-16-story-Niagara-Falls-plunge.html?ITO=1490

By
Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED:

19:00 EST, 21 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

03:21 EST, 22 May 2012

A man in his 40s plunged at least 180 feet over Niagara Falls in an apparent suicide attempt, but survived and was lifted to safety during a harrowing rescue.

The unidentified man was only the third person known to have gone over the falls without a safety device and lived.

Niagara Parks Police say witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a railing at 10:20am on Monday and “deliberately jump” above Horseshoe Falls and into the Niagara River.

Scroll down for video

Rescue: Niagara Falls firefighter Matt Rozon and the unidentified jumper man are lifted from the Niagara gorge by an aerial fire truck

Hero: The unidentified man, shown here being lifted to safety, was only the third person to survive a plunge into the falls

Parks police Sgt Chris Gallagher, the first rescuer to reach the man, told the Toronto Sun: ‘We have confirmed reports from witnesses that he entered [the water] above the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and was swept over the falls.’

He surfaced in the river basin near an observation platform.

‘He waded ashore,’ said Platoon Chief Dan Orescanin of the Niagara Falls, Ontario, Fire Department.

‘He must have gotten swept into an eddy, floated over there and was able to get out on his own.

Harrowing: The man was strapped into a rescue basket alongside the water after what police say was an unsuccessful suicide attempt that unfolded in front of hundreds of tourists

Desperate rescue: Witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a railing and ‘deliberately jump’ above Horseshoe Falls and into the Niagara River

‘That’s another stroke of luck,’ Orescanin said. ‘If he was in the main current, he would have been swept down river.’

Orescanin said the man was conscious and talking at first but got quiet. He appeared to have chest injuries, including broken ribs and a collapsed lung, Orescanin said.

Breathtaking images showed the victim and his rescuer dangling high above the falls by an aerial fire truck.

Dangling: Niagara Falls emergency officials rescue a man who plunged over Niagara Falls before a waiting helicopter flew him to a nearby hospital with critical but non-life-threatening injuries

Need a lift? A waiting helicopter flew him to a hospital, where a spokeswoman said he has critical but non-life-threatening injuries

A waiting helicopter flew him to a hospital, where a spokeswoman said he has critical but non-life-threatening injuries, which was echoed by rescue personnel.

Orescanin told the Sun: ‘He had some abrasions to the head and rest of his body. He was in good condition, considering.’

Niagara Parks Police say it appears the jump was a suicide attempt.

The man, seen at left, was tended to by firefighters at the edge of the Niagara River before he was lifted out by a helicopter

It was the first time since March 11, 2009 that someone survived a jump into the falls.

On that day, the 30-year-old Canadian man, who was never identified, survived after he plummeted into the water, but suffered from a contusion on his head and severe hypothermia.

Kirk Jones of Michigan became the first person to survive the leap on October 20, 2003, suffering only bruises, scrapes and battered ribs.

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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147891/Suicide-jumper-person-SURVIVE-16-story-Niagara-Falls-plunge.html?ITO=1490

• MP claims former prime minister Gordon Brown called him to tell him of attempted intervention
• ‘It’s not the sort of thing a backbench MP would forget too easily’
• He claims he was put under surveillance by News of the World journalists following a false tip he had been having an affair with a female politician

By
Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED:

08:44 EST, 22 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

08:44 EST, 22 May 2012

Labour MP Tom Watson today stood by his claim that media mogul Rupert Murdoch tried to halt his anti-phone hacking campaign by asking Tony Blair to ‘call him off’.

Mr Watson told the ongoing Leveson Inquiry into press ethics that former prime minister Gordon Brown phoned him in late 2010 or early 2011 to inform him about Mr Murdoch’s request to Mr Blair.

He said he distinctly remembered the call, which he took on his mobile phone while stood on a hill on the edge of the Peak District.

Campaigner: Labour MP Tom Watson at today’s Leveson Inquiry hearing

He said: ‘It’s not the sort of thing a backbench MP would forget too easily’.

‘It was within a wider conversation, but I noted it.’

Claim: Mr Watson repeated his claim that Tony Blair (pictured earlier this week) was behind attempts to stop him pursuing his anti-hacking agenda

The idea that News Corporation boss Mr Murdoch was intervening ‘seemed implausible back then, but certainly seem more plausible day by day’.

Mr Watson spearheaded the campaign to investigate allegations of phone hacking, which provoked widespread public disgust when it emerged the now defunct News of the World hacked the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

As well as more than 40 arrests, the scandal has led to the departure of News International CEO Rebekah Brooks and James Murdoch’s resignation as chairman from BSkyB.

The claim of the phone call, which Mr Watson has previously made in his book Dial M For Murdoch, has been denied by Mr Murdoch and Mr Blair, while Mr Brown says he cannot remember the conversation.

Mr Watson, a member of the House of Commons’ influential culture, media and sport select committee, claimed there had been a feeling News International had ‘unique access to Downing Street’.

The former junior minister at the Ministry of Defence said the News International newspapers were ‘the ones that had the connections and everyone was aware of it’.

‘As a minister when I discussed issues and policy there was always a conversation about how this would play out in The Sun,’ he said.

‘There was a sense that there was a mystique about the News International stable, that they had unique access to Downing Street, and as a minister that was important, and the way you were portrayed in News International papers was important and they factored that into their thinking.’

‘Call him off’: Tom Watson, pictured arriving at today’s Leveson Inquiry hearing with a friend, claims News Corporation boss Rupert Murdoch personally intervened to try and stop the MP’s anti-hacking campaign

Mr Watson claimed he was put under surveillance by News of the World journalists following a false tip that he had been having an affair with a female politician.

He said he had seen an email trail showing Mazher Mahmood, the paper’s ‘Fake Sheikh’, and other executives put together a ‘team to conduct convert surveillance’ in 2009.

They wrongly believed Mr Watson was having an affair with a woman and ‘creeping into her hotel’ while the Labour Party conference in Brighton was held.

News International said the surveillance was ordered purely to establish whether the tip was genuine and nothing to do with Mr Watson’s membership of the culture, media and sport select committee.

The media firm’s management and standards committee turned over the emails to the parliamentary committee.

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  Enough to make your head swim: World’s largest pool which…

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  Woman ‘stabbed daughter, 23, and baby granddaughter’ in…

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  Gang of six ‘tied up roommate, stapled his lips and cut him…

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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148058/Rupert-Murdoch-told-Tony-Blair-anti-hacking-MP-Tom-Watson-inquiry-told.html?ITO=1490

• MP claims former prime minister Gordon Brown called him to tell him of attempted intervention
• ‘It’s not the sort of thing a backbench MP would forget too easily’
• He claims he was put under surveillance by News of the World journalists following a false tip he had been having an affair with a female politician

By
Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED:

08:44 EST, 22 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

08:44 EST, 22 May 2012

Labour MP Tom Watson today stood by his claim that media mogul Rupert Murdoch tried to halt his anti-phone hacking campaign by asking Tony Blair to ‘call him off’.

Mr Watson told the ongoing Leveson Inquiry into press ethics that former prime minister Gordon Brown phoned him in late 2010 or early 2011 to inform him about Mr Murdoch’s request to Mr Blair.

He said he distinctly remembered the call, which he took on his mobile phone while stood on a hill on the edge of the Peak District.

Campaigner: Labour MP Tom Watson at today’s Leveson Inquiry hearing

He said: ‘It’s not the sort of thing a backbench MP would forget too easily’.

‘It was within a wider conversation, but I noted it.’

Claim: Mr Watson repeated his claim that Tony Blair (pictured earlier this week) was behind attempts to stop him pursuing his anti-hacking agenda

The idea that News Corporation boss Mr Murdoch was intervening ‘seemed implausible back then, but certainly seem more plausible day by day’.

Mr Watson spearheaded the campaign to investigate allegations of phone hacking, which provoked widespread public disgust when it emerged the now defunct News of the World hacked the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

As well as more than 40 arrests, the scandal has led to the departure of News International CEO Rebekah Brooks and James Murdoch’s resignation as chairman from BSkyB.

The claim of the phone call, which Mr Watson has previously made in his book Dial M For Murdoch, has been denied by Mr Murdoch and Mr Blair, while Mr Brown says he cannot remember the conversation.

Mr Watson, a member of the House of Commons’ influential culture, media and sport select committee, claimed there had been a feeling News International had ‘unique access to Downing Street’.

The former junior minister at the Ministry of Defence said the News International newspapers were ‘the ones that had the connections and everyone was aware of it’.

‘As a minister when I discussed issues and policy there was always a conversation about how this would play out in The Sun,’ he said.

‘There was a sense that there was a mystique about the News International stable, that they had unique access to Downing Street, and as a minister that was important, and the way you were portrayed in News International papers was important and they factored that into their thinking.’

‘Call him off’: Tom Watson, pictured arriving at today’s Leveson Inquiry hearing with a friend, claims News Corporation boss Rupert Murdoch personally intervened to try and stop the MP’s anti-hacking campaign

Mr Watson claimed he was put under surveillance by News of the World journalists following a false tip that he had been having an affair with a female politician.

He said he had seen an email trail showing Mazher Mahmood, the paper’s ‘Fake Sheikh’, and other executives put together a ‘team to conduct convert surveillance’ in 2009.

They wrongly believed Mr Watson was having an affair with a woman and ‘creeping into her hotel’ while the Labour Party conference in Brighton was held.

News International said the surveillance was ordered purely to establish whether the tip was genuine and nothing to do with Mr Watson’s membership of the culture, media and sport select committee.

The media firm’s management and standards committee turned over the emails to the parliamentary committee.

• 
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• 
  Is Batman gay? Major DC Comics character to come out of the…

• 
  News in briefs! Cambridge University students’ website…

• 
  Enough to make your head swim: World’s largest pool which…

• 
  Woman ‘stabbed daughter, 23, and baby granddaughter’ in…

• 
  Gang of six ‘tied up roommate, stapled his lips and cut him…

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  Body of missing Harvard Business School student whose wife…

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  Missing girl ‘buried in murdered mobster’s tomb was…

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  Missing mother-of-three and her son, 10, found dead in state…

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  Grieving pit bull stays with dead mate for 14 HOURS… and…

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  Brains as well as beauty: Meet the honours graduate who’s…

Share this article:

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148058/Rupert-Murdoch-told-Tony-Blair-anti-hacking-MP-Tom-Watson-inquiry-told.html?ITO=1490

• Drop in inflation down to early Easter, say experts
• Food prices have jumped by 4.2 per cent, gas bills by 15.4 per cent and electricity bills by 8.1 per cent
• Average family will need an extra £1,035 to maintain the standard of living they had last year

By
Becky Barrow

PUBLISHED:

09:34 EST, 22 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

09:34 EST, 22 May 2012

‘Getting poorer’: Hikes in bills and travel costs are making it increasingly difficult for families to keep up (posed by model)

The cost of living in Britain remains cripplingly high, with inflation currently five times greater than the average pay rise given to workers.

The Office for National Statistics revealed the consumer prices index measure of inflation dropped from 3.5 per cent in March to three per cent in April.

But the average pay rise is a paltry 0.6 per cent, far behind the high cost of living, which experts point out means ‘people are still getting poorer every month’.

In a further blow, the long-awaited drop in inflation to its lowest rate for more than two years came because of largely superficial reasons.

This year’s eye-watering hikes in household bills and overseas travel were not included in April’s inflation figures because Easter was much earlier this year than it was last year.

For cash-strapped families, the pain remains, with almost all their bills continuing to rise far more quickly than the modest rise in their take-home pay.

Every Easter, the cost of air fares and sea fares rockets to take advantage of people who want to go abroad for the holiday, such as parents with school-age children.

The ONS said around half of the drop in last month’s inflation figure was caused by this year’s early Easter holiday.

Economists said the drop in inflation was ‘distorted’ by the timing of the four-day holiday, with others saying it could just be ‘a statistical quirk.’

The bills nobody can avoid, such as food and heating, keep on rising.

Over the past year, food prices have jumped by 4.2 per cent. Gas bills are 15.4 per cent higher than last year, while electricity bills are up 8.1 per cent.

In April, the ONS said petrol prices reached a record of £1.42 per litre, up 3.2p per litre, and diesel prices also hit a new all-time high of £1.48 per litre, up 2.1p.

The average family must spend an extra £1,035 if they want to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed last year, according to the retirement income firm MGM Advantage.

For many families, this is impossible, and they are having to make drastic cutbacks or eat into their savings to stay financially afloat.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: ‘With earnings growing by just 0.6 per cent, people are still getting poorer every month.’

To make matters worse, economists predict inflation will not continue on its downward path.

Andrew Goodwin, senior economic adviser to the accountant Ernst Young’s Item Club, said: ‘These figures were heavily influenced by Easter being earlier this year, with the impact on air and sea fares reducing inflation by almost 0.3 percentage points.

‘But we would expect this to reverse next month.’

Last week, the Bank of England’s authoritative Inflation Report warned inflation will remain above the target set by the Government of two per cent for even longer.

It said: ‘Inflation [is] likely to remain above the two per cent target for the next year or so.’

Saga, the old age experts, said inflation is hurting older people more than younger people.

Since September 2007, the retail prices index measure of inflation has gone up by 16.6 per cent for the general population – but by 22.2 per cent for those aged 75 and above.

This is because elderly people do not benefit from the drop in mortgage interest payments, unlike young people, but continue to spend their money on items which are going up, such as food.

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  News in briefs! Cambridge University students’ website…

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  Enough to make your head swim: World’s largest pool which…

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  Gang of six ‘tied up roommate, stapled his lips and cut him…

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  Woman ‘stabbed daughter, 23, and baby granddaughter’ in…

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  Body of missing Harvard Business School student whose wife…

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  Missing girl ‘buried in murdered mobster’s tomb was…

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  Missing mother-of-three and her son, 10, found dead in state…

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  ‘You’re just too hot for this office’: Woman fired from…

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  Grieving pit bull stays with dead mate for 14 HOURS… and…

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  Brains as well as beauty: Meet the honours graduate who’s…

Share this article:

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148164/Cost-living-times-higher-average-pay-rise-official-figures-show.html?ITO=1490

• Drop in inflation down to early Easter, say experts
• Food prices have jumped by 4.2 per cent, gas bills by 15.4 per cent and electricity bills by 8.1 per cent
• Average family will need an extra £1,035 to maintain the standard of living they had last year

By
Becky Barrow

PUBLISHED:

09:34 EST, 22 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

09:34 EST, 22 May 2012

‘Getting poorer’: Hikes in bills and travel costs are making it increasingly difficult for families to keep up (posed by model)

The cost of living in Britain remains cripplingly high, with inflation currently five times greater than the average pay rise given to workers.

The Office for National Statistics revealed the consumer prices index measure of inflation dropped from 3.5 per cent in March to three per cent in April.

But the average pay rise is a paltry 0.6 per cent, far behind the high cost of living, which experts point out means ‘people are still getting poorer every month’.

In a further blow, the long-awaited drop in inflation to its lowest rate for more than two years came because of largely superficial reasons.

This year’s eye-watering hikes in household bills and overseas travel were not included in April’s inflation figures because Easter was much earlier this year than it was last year.

For cash-strapped families, the pain remains, with almost all their bills continuing to rise far more quickly than the modest rise in their take-home pay.

Every Easter, the cost of air fares and sea fares rockets to take advantage of people who want to go abroad for the holiday, such as parents with school-age children.

The ONS said around half of the drop in last month’s inflation figure was caused by this year’s early Easter holiday.

Economists said the drop in inflation was ‘distorted’ by the timing of the four-day holiday, with others saying it could just be ‘a statistical quirk.’

The bills nobody can avoid, such as food and heating, keep on rising.

Over the past year, food prices have jumped by 4.2 per cent. Gas bills are 15.4 per cent higher than last year, while electricity bills are up 8.1 per cent.

In April, the ONS said petrol prices reached a record of £1.42 per litre, up 3.2p per litre, and diesel prices also hit a new all-time high of £1.48 per litre, up 2.1p.

The average family must spend an extra £1,035 if they want to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed last year, according to the retirement income firm MGM Advantage.

For many families, this is impossible, and they are having to make drastic cutbacks or eat into their savings to stay financially afloat.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: ‘With earnings growing by just 0.6 per cent, people are still getting poorer every month.’

To make matters worse, economists predict inflation will not continue on its downward path.

Andrew Goodwin, senior economic adviser to the accountant Ernst Young’s Item Club, said: ‘These figures were heavily influenced by Easter being earlier this year, with the impact on air and sea fares reducing inflation by almost 0.3 percentage points.

‘But we would expect this to reverse next month.’

Last week, the Bank of England’s authoritative Inflation Report warned inflation will remain above the target set by the Government of two per cent for even longer.

It said: ‘Inflation [is] likely to remain above the two per cent target for the next year or so.’

Saga, the old age experts, said inflation is hurting older people more than younger people.

Since September 2007, the retail prices index measure of inflation has gone up by 16.6 per cent for the general population – but by 22.2 per cent for those aged 75 and above.

This is because elderly people do not benefit from the drop in mortgage interest payments, unlike young people, but continue to spend their money on items which are going up, such as food.

• 
  Father, 56, fighting for life after being stabbed trying to…

• 
  Is Batman gay? Major DC Comics character to come out of the…

• 
  News in briefs! Cambridge University students’ website…

• 
  Enough to make your head swim: World’s largest pool which…

• 
  Gang of six ‘tied up roommate, stapled his lips and cut him…

• 
  Woman ‘stabbed daughter, 23, and baby granddaughter’ in…

• 
  Body of missing Harvard Business School student whose wife…

• 
  Missing girl ‘buried in murdered mobster’s tomb was…

• 
  Missing mother-of-three and her son, 10, found dead in state…

• 
  ‘You’re just too hot for this office’: Woman fired from…

• 
  Grieving pit bull stays with dead mate for 14 HOURS… and…

• 
  Brains as well as beauty: Meet the honours graduate who’s…

Share this article:

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148164/Cost-living-times-higher-average-pay-rise-official-figures-show.html?ITO=1490

• Tickets and scratchcard sales up 12.1% on last year
• Lottery sales have grown by 35% since 2002
• A record 288 millionaires were created last year

By
Matt Blake

PUBLISHED:

08:20 EST, 22 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

09:57 EST, 22 May 2012

Boom: Lottery sales have grown by 35 per cent since 2002

National Lottery sales hit an all-time high of £6.5 billion over the last year with a record return to good causes, operator Camelot has announced.

Sales of National Lottery products, such as tickets and scratchcards, were up 12.1 per cent on the previous year, boosted by two exceptionally large EuroMillions rollover jackpots of more than £161 million and £101 million in July and October.

Results for 2011/12 show that Camelot gave £1.8 billion, £160 million more than in 2010/11, to good causes.

It has also reached its target of raising £750 million for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is part of a National Lottery contribution of £2.2 billion to the Games.

Lottery sales have grown by 35 per cent since 2002.

A record 288 National Lottery millionaires were created during the year, among them Colin and Chris Weir who banked the £161 million EuroMillions jackpot in July to become Europe’s biggest lottery winners.

Camelot managing director Andy Duncan said: ‘I’m delighted to announce that we’ve hit our £750 million funding target for London 2012 ahead of schedule.

‘It’s part of an overall National Lottery contribution of up to £2.2 billion towards the Games, making it the biggest-ever lottery-funded project to date and one that will leave a lasting sporting legacy for the entire UK.

‘But it’s only been made possible by the outstanding contribution of National Lottery players. They should feel immensely proud that none of it would have happened without them.

Lucky: Among last year’s winners were Colin and Chris Weir who banked the £161 million EuroMillions jackpot in July to become Europe’s biggest lottery winners

‘Our business is all about raising as much money as possible for the good causes and creating millions of winners and this year’s record-breaking figures show we’ve done exactly that.

‘The National Lottery is truly life-changing, for the hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries of lottery funding and for all of the big winners we create each and every week.

‘But this success hasn’t happened overnight. It’s the result of a great team effort and a proven strategy for long-term, responsible growth that has seen sales and player numbers grow steadily over the last 10 years.

‘However, we never take success for granted and are determined to build on this year’s achievements to ensure that The National Lottery continues to change lives for the better for people and communities the length and breadth of the UK.’

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• 
  Woman ‘stabbed daughter, 23, and baby granddaughter’ in…

• 
  Body of missing Harvard Business School student whose wife…

• 
  Missing girl ‘buried in murdered mobster’s tomb was…

• 
  Missing mother-of-three and her son, 10, found dead in state…

• 
  ‘You’re just too hot for this office’: Woman fired from…

• 
  Grieving pit bull stays with dead mate for 14 HOURS… and…

• 
  Brains as well as beauty: Meet the honours graduate who’s…

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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148108/A-sign-times-Recession-hit-Britons-chance-luck-lottery-ticket-sales-hit-time-high-6-5bn.html?ITO=1490

• Tickets and scratchcard sales up 12.1% on last year
• Lottery sales have grown by 35% since 2002
• A record 288 millionaires were created last year

By
Matt Blake

PUBLISHED:

08:20 EST, 22 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

09:57 EST, 22 May 2012

Boom: Lottery sales have grown by 35 per cent since 2002

National Lottery sales hit an all-time high of £6.5 billion over the last year with a record return to good causes, operator Camelot has announced.

Sales of National Lottery products, such as tickets and scratchcards, were up 12.1 per cent on the previous year, boosted by two exceptionally large EuroMillions rollover jackpots of more than £161 million and £101 million in July and October.

Results for 2011/12 show that Camelot gave £1.8 billion, £160 million more than in 2010/11, to good causes.

It has also reached its target of raising £750 million for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is part of a National Lottery contribution of £2.2 billion to the Games.

Lottery sales have grown by 35 per cent since 2002.

A record 288 National Lottery millionaires were created during the year, among them Colin and Chris Weir who banked the £161 million EuroMillions jackpot in July to become Europe’s biggest lottery winners.

Camelot managing director Andy Duncan said: ‘I’m delighted to announce that we’ve hit our £750 million funding target for London 2012 ahead of schedule.

‘It’s part of an overall National Lottery contribution of up to £2.2 billion towards the Games, making it the biggest-ever lottery-funded project to date and one that will leave a lasting sporting legacy for the entire UK.

‘But it’s only been made possible by the outstanding contribution of National Lottery players. They should feel immensely proud that none of it would have happened without them.

Lucky: Among last year’s winners were Colin and Chris Weir who banked the £161 million EuroMillions jackpot in July to become Europe’s biggest lottery winners

‘Our business is all about raising as much money as possible for the good causes and creating millions of winners and this year’s record-breaking figures show we’ve done exactly that.

‘The National Lottery is truly life-changing, for the hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries of lottery funding and for all of the big winners we create each and every week.

‘But this success hasn’t happened overnight. It’s the result of a great team effort and a proven strategy for long-term, responsible growth that has seen sales and player numbers grow steadily over the last 10 years.

‘However, we never take success for granted and are determined to build on this year’s achievements to ensure that The National Lottery continues to change lives for the better for people and communities the length and breadth of the UK.’

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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148108/A-sign-times-Recession-hit-Britons-chance-luck-lottery-ticket-sales-hit-time-high-6-5bn.html?ITO=1490

• Storm forces airport to shut, hindering travel for envoys from Iran and six other nations due to meet in city tomorrow
• Hundreds of residents also suffer from breathing problems and businesses forced to close amid choking orange dust
  

By
Julian Gavaghan

PUBLISHED:

08:16 EST, 22 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

10:07 EST, 22 May 2012

A thick layer of dust blanketed Baghdad today as one of the heaviest sandstorms in years hit the city a day before it is due to host global talks with Iran about nuclear weapons.

The sky turned an ominous orange as sand from the surrounding desert blew into the Iraqi capital and caused mayhem.

The international airport was closed, businesses were forced to shut and hundreds of residents – particularly those with asthma – went to hospital with breathing difficulties due to the choking air.

Scroll down for video

Hazy summer days: An Iraqi man stands in a Baghdad street, in an orange haze from a heavy dust storm a day before talks with Iran begin there

The spring storm also appeared to hamper military flights.

None of the helicopter patrols that regularly roar over the city of six million people seemed to be airborne.

Sandstorms usually occur about twice a year in Baghdad, which is shielded from the desert by a thin strip of arable land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

But this latest one comes as a very unfortunate time as Iran and six world powers are due to meet in the city tomorrow for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear intentions. The storm means envoys may struggle to reach the Iraqi capital.

Hidden: A man rides his donkey cart while everything else on the street is masked by the sandstorm

Glowing: Traffic snakes through Kahramana Square during the heavy sandstorm, which prompted the shutdown of Baghdad’s airport

Masked: A traffic policeman directs vehicles while the thick, choking air makes it both hard to see and breathe

Disruption: Traffic slowly moves down a street a s man signals for a taxi to stop in a bid to escape the choking sandstorm

The U.S., Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany hope the talks will result in an agreement by Tehran to stop enriching uranium to a higher level that could be turned quickly into the fissile core of nuclear arms.

Failure will strengthen calls for military action following the almost decade-long effort to persuade Iran to stop its programme.

But hours before the talks are due to begin, the United Nations nuclear chief today said a tentative deal has been reached with the Islamic republic.

Tehran will allow the UN nuclear agency to restart a long-stalled probe into suspicions that Tehran has secretly worked on developing nuclear arms.

By compromising on the International Atomic Energy Agency probe, Iranian negotiators in Baghdad could argue that the onus is on the other side to show some flexibility and temper its demands.

Caked: An Iraqi woman is barely discernible as she walks in a Baghdad street clogged with orange dust

Struggle: An Iraqi policeman wears a protective surgical mask as he mans a checkpoint

Hardgoing: Residents wear masks as they walk near Tahrir Square in central Baghdad. Many business were closed due to the conditions

Contrasting fortunes: A woman with breathing difficulty uses an oxygen mask in hospital, left, while a boy makes some extra money selling masks in central Baghdad

Although IAEA chief Yukiya Amano Amano’s trip and the talks in Baghdad are formally separate, Iran hopes progress can boost its chances in pressing the U.S. and Europe to roll back sanctions that have hit Iran’s critical oil exports and blacklisted the country from international banking networks.

It is unclear how far the results achieved by Mr Amano would serve that purpose, with his trip failing to seal a conclusive deal, despite his upbeat comments.

After talks in Tehran with chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, Mr Amano said: ‘The decision was made … to reach agreement on the mechanics of giving the IAEA access to sites, scientists and documents it seeks to restart its probe.’

Mr Amano speaking to reporters on his return to Vienna airport after his one-day trip to Tehran, said differences existed on ‘some details’, without elaborating, but added that Mr Jalili had assured him that these ‘will not be an obstacle to reach agreement’.

He spoke of ‘an almost clean text’ that will be signed soon, although he could not say when.

Cllogged: Men wear dust masks as they walk through one of Baghdad’s main commercial districts

Keep on moving: Iraqis walk through Tahrir Square during a heavy sandstorm

For the six powers, a main concern is Iran’s production of uranium enriched to 20 per cent, which is far higher than needed for regular energy-producing reactors but used for one Iran says it needs for medical research.

The U.S. and its allies fear the higher-enriched uranium could be quickly boosted to warhead-grade material.

American officials have said Washington will not backpedal from its stance that Iran must fully halt uranium enrichment.

But speculation is increasing that the priorities have shifted to block the 20 per cent enrichment and perhaps allow Iran to maintain lower-level nuclear fuel production – at least for now.

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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148110/Sky-Baghdad-turns-ORANGE-sandstorm-hits-city-prepares-host-atomic-talks-Iran.html?ITO=1490

• Storm forces airport to shut, hindering travel for envoys from Iran and six other nations due to meet in city tomorrow
• Hundreds of residents also suffer from breathing problems and businesses forced to close amid choking orange dust
  

By
Julian Gavaghan

PUBLISHED:

08:16 EST, 22 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

10:07 EST, 22 May 2012

A thick layer of dust blanketed Baghdad today as one of the heaviest sandstorms in years hit the city a day before it is due to host global talks with Iran about nuclear weapons.

The sky turned an ominous orange as sand from the surrounding desert blew into the Iraqi capital and caused mayhem.

The international airport was closed, businesses were forced to shut and hundreds of residents – particularly those with asthma – went to hospital with breathing difficulties due to the choking air.

Scroll down for video

Hazy summer days: An Iraqi man stands in a Baghdad street, in an orange haze from a heavy dust storm a day before talks with Iran begin there

The spring storm also appeared to hamper military flights.

None of the helicopter patrols that regularly roar over the city of six million people seemed to be airborne.

Sandstorms usually occur about twice a year in Baghdad, which is shielded from the desert by a thin strip of arable land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

But this latest one comes as a very unfortunate time as Iran and six world powers are due to meet in the city tomorrow for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear intentions. The storm means envoys may struggle to reach the Iraqi capital.

Hidden: A man rides his donkey cart while everything else on the street is masked by the sandstorm

Glowing: Traffic snakes through Kahramana Square during the heavy sandstorm, which prompted the shutdown of Baghdad’s airport

Masked: A traffic policeman directs vehicles while the thick, choking air makes it both hard to see and breathe

Disruption: Traffic slowly moves down a street a s man signals for a taxi to stop in a bid to escape the choking sandstorm

The U.S., Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany hope the talks will result in an agreement by Tehran to stop enriching uranium to a higher level that could be turned quickly into the fissile core of nuclear arms.

Failure will strengthen calls for military action following the almost decade-long effort to persuade Iran to stop its programme.

But hours before the talks are due to begin, the United Nations nuclear chief today said a tentative deal has been reached with the Islamic republic.

Tehran will allow the UN nuclear agency to restart a long-stalled probe into suspicions that Tehran has secretly worked on developing nuclear arms.

By compromising on the International Atomic Energy Agency probe, Iranian negotiators in Baghdad could argue that the onus is on the other side to show some flexibility and temper its demands.

Caked: An Iraqi woman is barely discernible as she walks in a Baghdad street clogged with orange dust

Struggle: An Iraqi policeman wears a protective surgical mask as he mans a checkpoint

Hardgoing: Residents wear masks as they walk near Tahrir Square in central Baghdad. Many business were closed due to the conditions

Contrasting fortunes: A woman with breathing difficulty uses an oxygen mask in hospital, left, while a boy makes some extra money selling masks in central Baghdad

Although IAEA chief Yukiya Amano Amano’s trip and the talks in Baghdad are formally separate, Iran hopes progress can boost its chances in pressing the U.S. and Europe to roll back sanctions that have hit Iran’s critical oil exports and blacklisted the country from international banking networks.

It is unclear how far the results achieved by Mr Amano would serve that purpose, with his trip failing to seal a conclusive deal, despite his upbeat comments.

After talks in Tehran with chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, Mr Amano said: ‘The decision was made … to reach agreement on the mechanics of giving the IAEA access to sites, scientists and documents it seeks to restart its probe.’

Mr Amano speaking to reporters on his return to Vienna airport after his one-day trip to Tehran, said differences existed on ‘some details’, without elaborating, but added that Mr Jalili had assured him that these ‘will not be an obstacle to reach agreement’.

He spoke of ‘an almost clean text’ that will be signed soon, although he could not say when.

Cllogged: Men wear dust masks as they walk through one of Baghdad’s main commercial districts

Keep on moving: Iraqis walk through Tahrir Square during a heavy sandstorm

For the six powers, a main concern is Iran’s production of uranium enriched to 20 per cent, which is far higher than needed for regular energy-producing reactors but used for one Iran says it needs for medical research.

The U.S. and its allies fear the higher-enriched uranium could be quickly boosted to warhead-grade material.

American officials have said Washington will not backpedal from its stance that Iran must fully halt uranium enrichment.

But speculation is increasing that the priorities have shifted to block the 20 per cent enrichment and perhaps allow Iran to maintain lower-level nuclear fuel production – at least for now.

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Share this article:

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2148110/Sky-Baghdad-turns-ORANGE-sandstorm-hits-city-prepares-host-atomic-talks-Iran.html?ITO=1490