ENGLAND looks certain to become the most crowded major nation in Europe as a result of a massive influx of migrants.
We now lie in third place in the table behind squashed Malta and packed Holland. But soaring immigration means England could soon rise up the table. The 2005 figures revealed show that there were 387 people per square kilometer in England.
But this figure rose last year to 390. And the Office of National Statistics expects it to soar to 464 by 2031. Almost 70% of England's population boom is a result of immigration. A large share of the rest comes from high birth rates among immigrants. Whitehall experts have previously admitted that Britain's population could rise from 60m to more than 100m in just over 60 years.
LOSING THEIR IDENTITY
BRITISH cities are losing their identity because of a flood of migrants, the Government has admitted. Immigration Minister Liam Byrne was speaking at a House of Lords Inquiry into the impact the growing numbers are having. He said "The pace of change has been deeply unsettling." There are deep concerns about lack of integration in some cities.
SECURITY FOR THE ROYAL TRAIN
Security has been stepped up on the royal train amid fears that it may be an Al Qaeda target. It has been fitted with technology used by British troops in Iraq to detect and jam explosives and will be guarded 365 days a year. Additional cameras and fences have been installed at the railway siding near Milton Keynes where the carriages are stored, A source said.."The equipment fitted would disable any attempt to remotely trigger an explosive device.." It is thought the Queen and Prince Charles used the locomotive 15 times in 2007. A Buckinham Palace spokesman said.."The train has been running on 100 per cent biofuel since last September and as a result Prince Charles is going to use it more this year.."
BRITISH CHILDREN GROW UP BY 11
BRITISH youngsters are growing up faster than ever with their childhood ending at the age of 11. More than half of 11 parents allow their offspring to dye their hair or wear make-up by the time they are aged 14. And mums and dads told the surveycarried out by Random House Children's Books- became "young adults" at the age of 11. Author Jaqueline Wilson 62 said.." Children act like adults at an alarmingly early age..
HARD LESSONS...
THE high cost of living is putting teenagers off going to university. One in five parents said their child thought twice about carrying on their education because of the expense. Mark Sismey-Durrant of Icesave, who did research, said." Levels of student debt are higher than ever.." He said many parents were encouraging their children to fund university courses through loans, while putting cash aside for them for emergencies.
UK IS ALREADY IN A RECESSION
ONE in six people believe the UK is already in a recession and many fear economic uncertainty will continue indefinitely, according to a survey by personal finance website Fool.co.uk.
WORK UNTIL YOU'RE 80!
PEOPLE may have to go on working into their 80s as a combination of lack of savings , rising living costs and the demise of final salary pension schemes takes its toll/Pensions provider Friends Provident says many people face poverty stricken retirement. " "If people want to enjoy old age they have to act quickly, otherwise they will have to retire five, 10 or 15 years later than today's pensioners, if they can even afford to retire at all.." said Chris Bellers , pensions technical manager at friends. Over 10 million people in the private sector save nothing into a pension. Basic state pensions in Britain are among the worst in Europe
THE VERY RICH JUST GET RICHER-BY 4%
The very rich have got even richer under Labour, according to a think tank. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the income of the most wealthy people in Britain about one person in 1000. rose by four per cent in eight years. In the same period growth for those on middle incomes was two per cent. People who saw their wealth increase the most have incomes over £350.000 and are nine times more likely to be men than women. They are aged between 45 and 54 live in London and likekly to be bankers, lawyers and accountants. The news comes despite Gordon Brown's redistributive drive funded by tax rises for the rich. More than one in seven people think they will become millionaires by 2018. About 15 per cent of people expect to make seven figures within a decade and one per cent said they had already hit his milestone, according to a poll of 1.484 people for mobile phone groupd Orange. But 75 per cent said they would need more than £1 million to sustain a millionaire's lifestyle.
THE NEW ROBOT IS IN THE NEWS.
AN army of robots which will work on their own like ants is being developed by scientists. The "swarm" robots could be sent to explore planet Mars. They could also be used for search and rescuse missions in disaster zones. Each will form different shapes with others and become powerful machines. They are being developed as part of a £7million European project involving 40 scientists. West of England university's Prof. Alan Winfield said.."This is right at the edge of state-of-art robot technology"
COMPUTER A TURN OFF
OFFICE workers swear at their computer at least four times a day, making them the most stressful thing to deal with at work. Staff hate them even more than rude colleagues, deadlines or mounting workloads says CartridgeMonkey.com.
FOUR PUBS A DAY CALL LAST ORDERS
NEARLY four British pubs closed down EVERY DAY last year as punters shunned the local to booze at home. New figures reveal closures soared to a staggering 1.409 in 2007 up from 216 in 2006 and 102 in 2005. The British Beer and Pub Association said pubs in town and city centres had been worst affected by spiralling costs,sinking sales, fragile consumer confidence and the smoking ban. A vital part of the British economy and social life is under the most severe strain in decades, said Mr. Rob Hayward chief of the BBPA Association.
STEM CELLS' BIG BREAK
SCIENTISTS are developing a way to mend bones and cartilage using a patient's stem cells. They hope to start clinical trials within two years. Dr. Brendon Noble of Edinburgh University said.."We hope to be able to kickstart the body's natural healing processes, enabling cells to grow and carry out repairs.." It could help treat conditions such as osteoarthritis and people with badly broken bones. SCIENTISTS have found 25 genes which they say can help us live longer. They were taken from two organisms separated by a 1.5billion years of evolution. Boffins believe at least 15 are likely to have similar versions in humans. A team from the University of Washington in Seattle thinks affecting their activity could provide a way to slow down ageing and treat age-related conditions.
TB CURE " IS CLOSE"
BRITISH SCIENTIST are "five to ten years away" from a tuberculosis cure. In a key breakthrough University of Leicester experts have isolated the molecules that allow the disease to thrive in blood cells. They say this means a drug to cure the illness can be developed. TB kills two million people every year. It has been resurgent in recent years in the West as well as the Third World. Dr. Mark Carr, who has led the ten-year research costing £4 million, said.."It's a significant step.."
LONDON TAXI DRIVERS ARE THE BEST
LONDON taxidrivers have been voted the best in the world. A poll of 3.300 travellers found they provided the best value for money, local knowledge and manners. Bob Oddy, General Secretary of the London Taxi Drivers Association, said.."Our members are trained to the higest standards.."Their skill, knowledge and expertise is second to none." Shanghai has the worst taxis according to the Hotel.com survey. But London has been voted the dirtiest and most expensive European city, it edged Paris for both titles in poll results. But it was best for nightlife and parks and second only to Paris for shops. Brussels was voted most boring to the Trip Advisor poll.
THE COST OF A WEDDING
The average cost of a wedding has risen by 12% over the last three years to £19.400. Food and drink is the highest cost at £4.900. followed by the honeymoon at £3.200 and venue hire at £2.200. Couples also expert to spend £1.900 on rings and £ 1.200 on the wedding dress. The survey by website confetti.co.uk. also included the cost of the hen and stag nights estimated £ 630. Gay marriages have dropped by 50 per cent in a year. More than 16.000 couples formed a civil partnership in 2006 but in the first half of last year just 4.060 did so, official figures show.
DRINKING CHAMPAGNE
BRITS were the biggest champagne drinkers outside France last year, sinking 39million bottles. We helped champagne producers in their small corner of north-east France to export a record 150m bottles to 190 countries.up 7.3% on 2006.
But we have got a long way to go to catch the French, who downed 188m bottles themselves, The only champagne market to shrink in 2007 was the USA.
SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE?
MORE than two-thirds of Brits say there is nothing wrong with sex before marriage. More than a quarter believe married couples make better parents and only 17% claim it is the man's job to earn money, British Social Attitudes Survey chief Alison Park said.."Views are becoming more liberal , in 1984 half of people said sex before marriage was wrong.."
TOURISM REVENUE " WILL RISE BY HALF"
TOURISM revenue in Britain is tipped to soar by more than half over the next decade. It will go up from an estimated £200 billion this year to £330 billion in 2018. The World Travel and Tourism Council says. By then, Britain will be fifth highest, behind the US, China Japan and Germany.
A WARNING TO MOTORISTS
DRIVING for just 80 minutes without a break can make motorists a danger on the roads Scientists have found that drivers who do not take frequent rest stops have slower reaction times than those who break up long journey, at motorway speeds, the slower reactions of a tired driver could add about 25ft to their stopping distance, New Scientist magazine reported. The research supports campaigns urging drivers to take regular short breaks on long motorway journeys.
Gerd is a freelance writer living in England. Gerd is the author of “GOODBYE YESTERDAY”
