Lessons in the "London" Category

Prince Harry to marry US actress Meghan Markle

Prince Harry is to marry US actress Meghan Markle. The couple officially announced the news on Monday outside Kensington Palace in London, though they actually got engaged earlier in November. They hope to marry in the spring. Prince Harry, 33, is fifth in line to the British throne. Ms Markle is 36.

Prince Harry said he knew Ms Markle “was the one” he wanted to marry “the very first time we met.” He added that he was “thrilled” to be engaged. Ms Markle said she was “So very happy, thank you.”

Ms Markle’s engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry. It features two diamonds, which belonged to his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. In the centre of the ring is a diamond from Botswana.

How safe is your office or tower block, if there is a fire?

How safe is your office or tower block, if there is a fire? It’s a hot topic, following the dreadful news story about the recent London tower block fire at the Grenfell Tower, in White City, London.

How could the fire have happened? Apparently, it was a faulty fridge, in a fourth floor flat of the building that caused the terrible fire. It spread rapidly, mainly because of non-fireproof cladding that had recently been fixed to the outside of the building.

So, if you work in a high rise office, or live in a high rise tower block – just how safe are you in it? Safety standards seem to vary in each country. Are there regular fire drills in your tower block? Do the occupants assemble a safe distance away from the building?

Prince Philip to retire

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is to retire from public engagements from the autumn of this year. The announcement was made at Buckingham Palace yesterday.

When someone said to the Duke, who is 95, “I’m sorry to hear you’re standing down, sir,” he replied, in his typically humorous way, “Well, I can’t stand up much longer!”

The decision was made by Prince Philip himself. Her Majesty the Queen has given her husband her ‘full support’ to step down. He will be 96 in June.

London terror attack: PM - We are not afraid

London on Wednesday saw a terror attack unfold in the heart of Westminster. Four people were killed in the attack that took place outside the Houses of Parliament. One of the killed was a police officer. A Foreign Office Minister performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him in the grounds of parliament.

Witnesses said that the attacker initially struck a number of people with a 4x4 vehicle, including three French schoolchildren, on the nearby Westminster Bridge. Other eyewitnesses said at least 12 people were injured. Many of them were children. People were jumping off the bridge into the river Thames, as that was their only hope of survival. People were seen fleeing the area.

English regional accents to die out – urban accents to increase

A report analysing language trends from the past 50 years has been published by dialect coach, Brendan Gunn, and Dr Dominic Watt of York University, who is a sociolinguistic expert. The two looked at major modern cultural influences, to help predict what the future might sound like.

The analysis said that English regional accents are likely to die out in 50 years. Whereas, urban dialects are likely to rise, in big cities like Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow. The Queen's English could soon be a thing of the past, due to immigration. Multicultural London English, which incorporates pronunciations from West African, Caribbean, and Asian communities, will spread across regions.

Getting ready for the 2016 London Marathon

This year’s London Marathon takes place on Sunday April 24. The runners who are taking part are currently gearing themselves up ready to take on the gruelling 26.218 mile race, for what will no doubt be an amazing unforgettable experience.

The London Marathon is actually one of the biggest events of its kind in the world – but it requires a lot of practice beforehand – as in running practice!

Runners will ideally need to have a good pair of trainers and the right kit. They will need to train, set themselves a goal, and have a training plan. They should have a stopwatch, pace themselves, and have plenty of patience to progress in their running ahead of the big day.

The UK’s Top Tourist Attractions

Today let’s talk about the UKs top tourist attractions. Top of the list is the British Museum (6.8m) in London. This is followed by the National Gallery (5.9m). In third place is the Natural History Museum (5.2m).

The figures were compiled by the Leading Visitor attractions (Alva). Altogether some 124.4 million visits were made to 230 Alva sites last year. This is 3.2% higher than the year before.

The rise was due to increased interest in big temporary attractions in London – up 1.6%, and in Scottish attractions – up 5.5%. London claimed the top 10 most popular sites.

The UK Airport Shop VAT Rip-Off!

Today, let’s talk about how airport shops in the UK are ripping off many of their customers. They do it by asking to see their customers boarding passes. After processing it they get it back. What they don’t tell the customer is why they actually do this.

The answer was revealed by The Independent newspaper. It is simply an elaborate ruse by airport shops to save on their tax bills while keeping prices high.

Wimbledon 2012

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. It is considered by many to be the most prestigious. It is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Championships. The other three Majors are the French Open, the Australian Open and the US Open. Wimbledon is the only Major still played on grass, the game’s original surface, which gave the game of lawn tennis its name.

Category: Sport / Tennis / Wimbledon