A whole lot of poo

The Times, 5 March
Ex-showman, Joe Weston-Webb, uses old props to deter arsonists from attacking the headquarters of his portable flooring empire. When security fencing, motion-sensor lights and CCTV cameras failed to protect his property, Joe turned in desperation to old technology from his days as a travelling showman. Most amazing is the 30ft Roman catapult […]

The art of sharing a flat

The Guardian, 4 March
How to be a student: find out who’s going to be sharing your soap before it’s too late. The flatmate of your dreams can be the complete opposite to the woman or man of your dreams. Someone who takes care over their appearance, has a lively social life, and cooks incredible dishes […]

The rape filmed on YouTube

The Daily Mail, 5 March
A mother who was raped in front of her screaming children by a gang of youths has hit out at YouTube for allowing the film to be seen on its video website. The three-minute clip, filmed on a mobile phone on November 6, was posted immediately and remained on the site […]

Rising number of adults on benefits

The Scotsman, 7 March
Over half of adults are unemployed and on benefits in sixty areas of Britain today, reveal official figures. Furthermore, one in five children in Britain – 2.2 million – now live in households entirely dependent on state benefits, the highest proportion in Europe. Areas including parts of Manchester, Liverpool, London and Plymouth […]

Britain’s funny genes

The Independent, 9 March
A transatlantic survey of more than 4,000 twins has suggested that humour regarded as typically British – biting sarcasm, teasing and self-deprecation – is linked to genes found in British men and women, but not in Americans.
While both sides of the Atlantic are able to look on the bright side and appreciate […]

To be or not to be, from four

The Guardian, 3 March
The Royal Shakespeare Company are arguing that children should be taught Shakespeare as young as four, before they become intimidated by the language. Introducing such works to teenagers is too late. Jacqui O’Hanlon, head of education at the RSC, argues that ‘there’s been a lot of success with four-year-olds. With primary school […]

Plan for 50p alcopop tax

The Guardian, 7 March
The suggestion for a 50p tax on alcopops, such as Bacardi Breezers, is part of the Conservative’s planned drive to cut the consumption of ‘problematic alcoholic drinks’ by half. This will help to target the British culture of binge drinking, which is highly popular among the young. The Tories hope to put […]

The right to rave in St Andrews

The Daily Mail, 5 March

Students in St Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university, will finally be allowed to host their first rave. The party will allow 1,200 students to dance the night away, waving glow-sticks and hailing Ministry of Sound DJs, in the 15th century St Salvator’s Quadrangle. The event was only approved after students begged the […]

Europe targeted by cocaine traffickers

The Times, 5 March
The cost of cocaine has dropped dramatically, after criminal gangs, operating with impunity out of new trafficking hubs in West Africa, start to target Europe. This comes after the saturation of the market in the US, leading traffickers to broaden their horizons.
According to government figures, the average street price of a gram […]

How dirty is Prescott?

The Herald, 7 March
It cost Tory HQ £3320 to deep clean John Prescott’s former grace-and-favour flat in Whitehall, the famous scene of his romantic assignations with his diary secretary Tracey Temple. Answering Conservative questions, the Tory’s complained of the ‘exorbitant’ cost of cleaning the two-bedroom flat at Admiralty House. They pointed out that this was […]