Falklands referendum: A red rag to the Buenos Aires bull
The result of the referendum may be a foregone conclusion but the Island's Government - and Britain - hopes it will send a signal.
Falkland Islanders to assert themselves in referendum
Next week's islanders are expected to vote overwhelming to remain an Overseas Territority of the UK, but will Argentina listen?
Britons think other people's manners are getting worse
Britons are supposed to be renowned for their manners - but a survey has found nearly 80% of Britons think bad manners are getting worse.
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UK population will be '40% ethnic minorities by 2050'
Britain will become one of the world's most ethnically diverse countries in less than 40 years, an academic study has found.
The proportion of minority groups living in Britain will rise from 10% in 2006 to 40% by 2050, the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford said.
The Observatory's Professor David Coleman said if current trends continue, the so-called majority-ethnic group in the UK - white British - will become a minority before 2070.
Prof Coleman said this assumption does not factor in the impact of current or future government attempts to reduce net migration.
"Migration has become the primary driver of demographic change in most high-income countries and may remain so.
"On current trends European populations will become more ethnically diverse, with the possibility that today's majority ethnic groups will no longer comprise a numerical majority in some countries."
South Africa: UK avoided proper protocol to cut aid
The South African government have accused their British counterparts of failing to go through the proper channels before announcing an end to the country's annual £19 million payment in Official Development Aid.
The Department of International Relations and Co-operation said it had noted the UK announcement "with regret", adding that the "major decision" had "far reaching implications on the projects that are current running" in South Africa.
A statement from the department added:
Ordinarily, the UK government should have informed the government of South Africa through official diplomatic channels of their intentions and allowed for proper consultations to take place, and the modalities of the announcement agreed on.
We have a SA/UK Bilateral Forum which is scheduled for some time this year and the review of the SA/UK strategy which includes the (Official Development Aid) would take place there and decisions about how to move forward were expected to be discussed in that forum.
The department said there was "no doubt" that the UK's announcement "will affect how our bilateral relations going forward will be conducted".
But it said it would use the forthcoming forum to "clear up this matter among others".
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UK angers South Africa with end to £19m yearly aid
Britain has become embroiled in a diplomatic row with South Africa after announcing it will scrap £19 million in annual overseas aid to the country from 2015.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening sparked an angry reaction from Pretoria after declaring the country was now "in a position to fund its own development".
South Africa's Department of International Relations and Co-operation said Britain's decision to pull the plug on aid was "tantamount to redefining our relationship".
Foreign Secretary William Hague has this morning played down the spat, blaming it on "bureaucratic confusion".
Childcare 'expensive but worth it', research suggests
People in Britain rate the quality of childcare highly, despite it being expensive, new research has shown.
But many believe that care for the nation's elderly is below par and are concerned that the care for their elderly relatives is substandard.
A study of reviews left on feedback website the Good Care Guide gave childcare mainly positive feedback.
Care for the elderly was viewed as needing improvement, with nearly three quarters (71%) of negative reviews on the site directed towards care in the home provided by homecare agencies and care homes.
The Good Care Guide, launched a year ago, works like Trip Advisor, allowing people the chance to find, rate and review care providers.
The site analysed more than 2,000 reviews, describing those with 0-3 stars as negative, and those with 4-5 as positive, and found there was one negative for every eight positive.
Very little behind North Korea's daily threats
North Korea's nuclear threats to the US and its allies are daily and blistering but there is very little substance to them.
There is no evidence Kim Jong-un's country has accurate long range missiles, meaning that the US - and Britain - is not in imminent danger.
However, North Korea does have short and medium range missiles meaning that the threat is real for South Korea.
ITV News International Editor Bill Neely reports:
Read: Nervous times for Korean island in disputed territory.
Read: US admirably calm in the face of North Korean rhetoric.
RBS shareholders take action against former directors
More than 12,000 private shareholders have launched a potential £4 billion claim against the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and former bosses over its 2008 share issue.
The Royal Bank of Scotland Shareholder Action Group has issued court proceedings against former RBS directors Fred Goodwin, Tom McKillop, Johnny Cameron and Guy Whittaker.
The Action Group believes the bank’s directors sought to mislead shareholders by misrepresenting the financial strength of the bank and omitting critical information from the 2008 Rights Issue prospectus.
RBS, now majority-owned by the tax-payer, received a government bailout in 2008.
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Britain separated in new social class study
A major study has found that Britain no longer fits in to just three social classes.
New findings suggest people are now divided into seven different classes based on economic, social and cultural measures.
Here are each of the seven different classes:
- Elite - This is the most privileged class in the UK who have the highest levels of income, savings and house values.
- Established middle class - The second wealthiest and largest group of people in the UK fall into this category, accounting for people who score high on all three capitals.
- Technical middle class - A small, prosperous new class group which scores low for social and cultural capital.
- New affluent workers - A young group which is socially and culturally active, with middling levels of economic capital.
- Traditional working class - People who score low on capital but are not "completely deprived".
- Emergent service workers - A new, young, urban group which is relatively poor but has high social and cultural capital.
- Precariat - The poorest, most deprived class in UK.
British people divided by 'seven social classes'
The British public no longer fit in to just three social classes, a major new study has discovered.
Instead the findings suggest people are now divided into seven different classes based on economic, social and cultural measures.
More than 160,000 people took part in the Great British Class Survey, the largest of its kind in the UK, according to the BBC.
The results prompted researchers to dismiss the established upper class, middle class and working class system, traditionally defined by occupation, wealth and education, as "too simplistic".
The new classes range from the privileged 'elite' to the deprived 'precariat', assessing income, savings, house value and social capital - the number and status of people that someone knows.
Falkland Islanders have spoken but deadlock persists
The result of a referendum on whether Falkland Islanders wish to remain British was no surprise, and neither was Argentina's decision to ignore it.
Almost everyone who was able to vote did so, and overwhelmingly in favour of keeping the Falkland Islands part of the British territories.
ITV News International Editor Bill Neely reports from Port Stanley:
Cameron 'delighted' at message from Falklands' vote
David Cameron's Office tweeted a picture of the Prime Minister congratulating the Chair of Falklands Legislative Assembly, Gavin Short by phone. Mr Cameron said he was "delighted" that the message from the Falklands was clear, that they are "British through and through".
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