Life in Britain: Junk food, boozing and celebs
Britain is a "fame-obsessed" nation with its inhabitants eating more junk food and ready meals than the rest of Europe put together, according to a new travel guide.It is "a telling indictment that more people (in Britain) vote in TV talent shows than for their country's leaders", said the Lonely Planet guide to Great Britain.
Britain also has the fastest-growing market in the world for internet porn, but the country is somewhere visitors from around the world could come and feel welcome and at ease.
The guide said Britons love news of famous people "even though their 'celebrity' status is based on little more than the ability to sing a jolly tune, look good in tight trousers or kick a ball in the right direction".
On the culinary front, the guide said: "Without doubt you can find great food in Britain. It's just that not all the Brits seem to like eating it."
Although some crime rates are dropping, "vandalism and nuisance behaviour caused by binge drinking remain serious problems".
The guide said that in the aftermath of the July 2005 London bombings "a general air of disillusion prevails'', with Britons seemingly "tired of politicians whatever their hue".
As in previous editions of the Great Britain guide, Lonely Planet praises the transformation of British cities, saying Birmingham, which was "once a drab, grimy urban basket case" has now "spectacularly reinvented itself as a vibrant, cultural hot spot".
Descriptions of other towns include:
London: Has a buzz unlike any other European city. It is fashion forward, ethnically diverse and artistically pioneering.
Cardiff: The epitome of cool and pulsing with creative energy.
Edinburgh: One of the most sophisticated cities in the world.
Bristol: Formerly a gritty, grimy ugly sister, but now astonishingly and dramatically changed.
Leeds: Struts across England's urban stage like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
Manchester: A modern metropolis which could take over if London ever quit being the capital.
Newcastle Upon Tyne: Has a wild and crazy nightlife.
Coventry: Doomed by post-war planning to be a non-descript concrete centre apart from the striking new cathedral.
Bath: Attractive city but snooty bars and expensive hotels.
Glasgow: Alive and kicking and the best shopping area except London.
The guide's co-ordinating author David Else said: "Brits are just as likely to tuck into a chicken madras as a Sunday roast, or to check out the Notting Hill Carnival rather than Trooping the Colour.
"Everyone can find something which suits them. Another great thing about our country is that being exposed to different religions, festivals, music and food allows Brits to experience so many other cultures without even leaving the country.
"We need to revel in this diversity as this is the future of Britain."
AOL news
Tesco,record 2.55 billion pounds profit
Tesco, the country's largest supermarket chain, rang in a record 2.55 billion pounds annual profit on Tuesday and doubled the amount of cash it plans to return to shareholders.
The world's fifth-largest retailer said it expected to return at least 3 billion pounds from property sales to investors, up from 1.5 billion previously after delivering strong sales growth in premium food, clothing and electronics.
It also raised the estimate of its property value to around 25 billion pounds, making it the largest listed landowner.
Group sales at Tesco, which owns some 2,000 stores in 13 countries including China and Poland, rose 10.9 percent to 46.6 billion pounds, broadly in line with analyst expectations. Underlying profit rose 13.2 percent 2.55 billion pounds.
Tesco shares jumped to a new high of 467-3/4 pence in early trading. At 10:00 a.m., they were up 2.0 percent at 464.67 pence, the biggest rise on the FTSE-100 index and valuing the business at about 37 billion pounds.
In a note following the results, Bernstein analyst Christopher Hogbin said Tesco had "superior strategy, execution, economics and prospects" compared with its peers.
In an interview, Chief Executive Terry Leahy brushed aside criticism about the group's dominance in Britain, where it controls more than a third of the grocery market, and said it was a "significant British success story".
Tesco, facing a growing challenge from supermarket rivals Asda and a resurgent J. Sainsbury, also said like-for-like sales in its core UK market, excluding fuel, rose 5.8 percent in the final quarter of its financial year, which ended on February 24.
This was up from a third-quarter rise of 5.6 percent.
Its strong fourth-quarter growth at home allayed fears it was losing ground to smaller Asda and J. Sainsbury, Seymour Pierce analyst Richard Ratner said in a note.
U.S. ENTRY
Numis analyst Steve Davies said international trading profit of 564 million pounds came ahead of his forecasts.
Leahy said he expected again to open four times as much new space abroad as at home as the company focuses on international expansion for future growth after opening 8.2 million square feet of selling area outside Britain in 2006.
It plans to add 25,000 new jobs in 2007, many of them outside Britain, to its more than 450,000 workforce.
The company's entry into the United States, its biggest forecast foray this year after opening its first own-brand stores in China in 2006, was on track, Leahy added.
Leahy said he was "increasingly encouraged" about Tesco's prospects in the United States and reiterated it plans to breakeven in its third financial year of operations.
He raised Tesco's U.S. start up costs to 65 million pounds this year from 20 million previously.
Retailers are facing tough trading conditions as debt-laden shoppers try to cope with higher borrowing costs and household bills. Supermarket groups, however, are faring better than many specialist stores, with their focus on low prices.
"Clearly consumers are feeling the effects of higher interest rate rises and higher council tax," Leahy said.
"But I suppose if we are offering exceptional value, they come to us which is perhaps a strength going forward in a time of consumer pressure."
Leahy said Tesco is looking for 3 to 4 percent UK growth -- a target it has consistently beaten.
Tesco's rapid expansion into non-food -- from discount garden sheds to leather golfing gloves costing three pounds -- could also help it weather any souring sentiment.
While DVD and CD sales declined last year due to customers increasingly downloading from the Internet, clothing sales rose 16 percent and electronics were up 35 percent.
The firm proposed an annual dividend of 9.64 pence a share, up 11.7 percent on the year before.
(By Rachel Sanderson Reuters - Tuesday, April 17 Additional reporting by Mark Potter)
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Pahela Baishakh ( Benglai New Year)- A gala day for Bangalees
"Come, Come, 0 Baishakh, Come! With your severe hot breath Blow away all that is frail"Pahela Baishakh; our flute song.We celebrate Pahela Baishakh, BangIa New Year's day to day.Every thing under the sun looks gay and cheerful and colourful.(The New Nation )
welcome Bangla New Year 1414
As we celebrate Pahela Baishakh after the advent of spring, we are reminded that the Babylonians who were in fact the first observer of a New Year about (4000) four thousand years ago. Celebrations of the New year are the oldest of all holidays.
In Bangladesh, the BangIa new year is celebrated on 14, April. In Sri-Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Combodia and Thailand, people celebrate their new year around the same time. It is interesting that their new year festivities too coincide with April
cricket world cup 2007
Cricket World Cup 2007
The Cricket World Cup is the world's third largest and most viewed sporting event. Held this year in the West Indies, the Cricket World Cup began on March 13, 2007, with 16 teams in competition. There are now eight teams remaining in the Super Eights matches.
