Mussolini was a British spyOctober 14th, 2009 LONDON - Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini was a British spy in 1917 - paid to write newspaper articles during the First World War, a Cambridge University historian said quoting recently-uncovered archival material. Mussolini, who later became an ally of Hitler during the Second World War, was paid 100 pounds a week - 6,000 pounds in today's money - to write articles to keep up the pro-war campaigning, historian Peter Martland said.
Britain fast becoming Europe's 'bankruptcy tourism' hotspotSeptember 26th, 2009 LONDON - Britain is fast becoming Europe's 'bankruptcy tourism' hotspot, with many cash-strapped foreigners travelling to the country to go bankrupt - then returning home debt-free. Britain's lenient bankruptcy laws can be attributed for the emerging trend.
Pen mightier than keyboard: StudySeptember 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The pen seems to be mightier than the computer keyboard, says a new study. Second, fourth and sixth grade children with and without handwriting disabilities were able to write more and faster when using a pen than a keyboard to compose essays.
Author of Winnie the Pooh sequel releases preview 'exposition'September 4th, 2009 LONDON - Author David Benedictus is set to pen the first sequel of AA Milne's 'The House at Pooh Corner', more than 80 years after the original. He released an exposition previewing the characters' thoughts on the forthcoming book, reports the Telegraph.
Dubai World debt amounts to dizzy 59 billion dollarsAugust 26th, 2009 NICOSIA - The Government-owned conglomerate Dubai World owed 59 billion dollars in debts at the end of 2008, its property subsidiary Nakheel said in a financial exchange filing to NASDAQ Dubai. This represents a big part of the Dubai Government debt, believe to amount to 80 billion dollars.
"Kate Middleton was destined to meet her Prince 'Charming' William"August 23rd, 2009 LONDON - A rare footage has surfaced on the Internet showing scenes from Kate Middleton's school play, in which a fortune teller tells Prince William's girlfriend: "Soon you will meet a handsome man, a rich gentleman..."
The footage, filmed long before she was being tipped as a royal bride, has just been posted on the web-sharing site YouTube. Kate was 13, a pupil at St Andrew's prep school in Buckhold, near Pangbourne, Berkshire, when she took the lead role in a production of Murder in the Red Barn, reports the Daily Express.
1 in 4 Brit boys struggle to write their own name by age 5July 30th, 2009 LONDON - A new report by the Department for Children, Schools and Families in Britain claims a huge gender gap between the abilities of children, with the girls dominating. The study was conducted on five year olds to record their learning abilities last year.
Personal connections help improve product salesJuly 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has revealed that personal connections are likely to improve sales of a product. For instance, if the buyers share the birthday or a birthplace with the salesperson, they are more likely make a purchase and feel good about it.
Mobile firm asks people to apply for top job by textJuly 6th, 2009 LONDON - A mobile firm has come up with a novel way of finding an employee, it asks people to apply for a top job by text. All those applying for the job need to express themselves in only 40 words, to show they are right for the marketing post at content provider Teimlo.
Barack Obama writes an unusual get-out-of-class-free note for schoolgirlJune 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Barack Obama wrote an unusual get-out-of-class-free note for a girl whose father had taken her to the U.S. President's town hall.
New US amendment asks Pak to reform its counter terrorism policiesJune 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new US amendment moved in the Congress, asks Pakistan to reform its counter terrorism policies to thwart threats by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The amendment also stresses the need for Islamabad to confront, and deny safe haven to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other extremists.
Gilani urges US to write off Pakistan's debtJune 5th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Friday called on the US to write off Pakistan's debt to help Islamabad overcome the current economic crisis aggravated by the war on terror, a media report said. Gilani told visiting US special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, during a meeting at his house that the debt waver would help Pakistan to mobilise resources for the displaced people in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Geo TV reported.
Using wives and daughters to pay off debts not on, says Malaysian Indian CongressMay 29th, 2009 KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Indian Business Association president P. Sivakumar has called on the federal government to intervene and stop the heinous practice of offering wives and daughters to loan sharks as exchange for repayment of debts.
National Australia Bank reports 0.9 percent drop in net profit in the first halfApril 28th, 2009 National Australia Bank profit drops 0.9 percentSYDNEY — National Australia Bank Ltd., the country's largest by assets, said Tuesday its first-half net profit fell 0.9 percent to 2.7 billion Australian dollars ($1.9 billion) as bad debts more than doubled amid an economic slump. Bad and doubtful debts in the six months ended March 31 rose to AU$1.8 billion, from AU$700 million a year earlier, the Melbourne-based bank said in a statement.
39-year-old mum attends primary school with 10-year-old son!April 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A 39-year-old Chinese woman is said to be attending primary school with her 10-year-old son. The migrant worker in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region never learned to read and write, and she now shows up at the primary school with her son every day, reports China Daily.
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