Inglaterra. Tourism. Wikileaks. Cabo. Alimentos. Queen Victoria and Abdul: Diaries reveal secrets. 14 March 2011Last updated at 00:53 By Alastair Lawson BBC News Abdul Karim was one of Queen Victoria's closest confidants despite efforts by royal circles to suppress their relationship before and after her death Previously undiscovered diaries have been found by an author based in the UK which show the intense relationship between Queen Victoria and the Indian man employed to be her teacher.
The diaries have been used by London-based author Shrabani Basu to update her book Victoria and Abdul - which tells the story of the queen's close relationship with a tall and handsome Indian Muslim called Abdul Karim. The diaries add weight to suggestions that the queen was arguably far closer to Mr Karim than she was to John Brown - the Scottish servant who befriended her after the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861. 'Closest friend' Watch: Shrabani Basu talks about the relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim Principal mourners Continue reading the main story “Start Quote.
UK's child mortality rate falls behind other countries. The UK is lagging behind other high income countries on cutting child mortality, international figures show.
Along with the USA, New Zealand and South Korea, child deaths in the UK have not fallen as quickly as expected. The research confirms the UK has the highest child mortality rate - 5.3 per 1,000 live births - in Western Europe. But new global estimates published by The Lancet show that in many poorer countries, the decline in deaths in the under-fives is speeding up.
The analysis done by a team at the University of Washington in Seattle found stark differences in child deaths between high-income countries. As well as having the worst child mortality in Western Europe, globally the UK fell from 12th best in 1970 to 33rd best in 2010. The UK has reduced its mortality by three quarters since 1970, and by almost half since 1990, but Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and Spain have all overtaken the UK in the past four decades. Hammerson sees strong profits at shopping centres. 21 February 2011Last updated at 16:55 Both the number of shops and shoppers at Hammerson's retail centres rose in 2010 Hammerson, the owner of some of the country's best-known shopping centres, saw profits rise last year - but added it is cautious about the future.
The company, which owns London's Brent Cross and Birmingham's Bullring, made pre-tax profits of £620m, boosted by property sales and revaluations. Stripping out these, underlying profits were up 11.2% to £144.5m for the year. But Hammerson warned that the VAT rise and public spending cuts could see retailers fall behind with their rents. "The effects of increased taxation and restrictions on government spending may mean that some tenants, principally in the UK retail sector, face difficult operating conditions and there is a risk that they will be unable to pay their rents," the company said. Mixed blessing Over the year, occupancy at its centres rose to 97.3% from 95.4% and the number of people visiting them also rose. Codigos postais de UK.