NEWS FROM ENGLAND

The 10th anniversary of Diana's death

A celebrity concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, has been announced. Princes William and Harry are organising the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium on 1 July, when she would have turned 46.

Sir Elton John, Duran Duran, Joss Stone, Bryan Ferry and hip-hop star Pharrell Williams will perform. Tickets go on sale at 0900 GMT on Wednesday.

A memorial service will also be held in London at a venue to be confirmed. Announcing the concert, Prince William said: "We both wanted to put our stamp on it. We want it to represent exactly what our mother would have wanted.

"So therefore the church service alone isn't enough. We wanted to have this big concert full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness, which I know she would have wanted.
"And on her birthday as well, it's got to be the best birthday present she ever had."


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Kylie Minogue is returning to the UK



Pop star Kylie Minogue is returning to the UK stage to play a one-off London concert on New Year's Eve. The Australian singer, who recently took time off to receive treatment for breast cancer, will play the 31 December show at Wembley Arena.


"I've been to some great New Year's parties over the years and I can't wait to host what will be the biggest party of all," Minogue said. The concert will start at 2000 GMT and run until midnight.

The newly-announced show comes on the heels of Minogue's Showgirl comeback tour in Australia last month, which received widespread critical acclaim. It will be her first UK show since her cancer diagnosis in May 2005.
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Using primates in research

There is a "strong scientific and moral case" for using primates in some research, a report has concluded. It said in certain circumstances, using non-human primates remained the only way of answering important scientific and medical questions.

However, the report made a number of recommendations, including the creation of dedicated primate research centres.

Scientists welcomed the findings, however an animal rights organisation called it a "whitewash".
About 3,300 primates are used in British laboratories each year.

Many researchers say primates' genetic and physiological similarities to humans make them a prime candidate for testing the safety and efficacy of drugs (about 75% of primates are used for this) or for more fundamental biological research.

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English black pupils discriminated against

Black pupils in England are three times more likely to be excluded from school because of "systematic racial discrimination", according to a report.

The Department for Education report says the bias is "largely unwitting". It has rejected any suggestions that schools are institutionally racist.

Latest exam results show black pupils continue to lag behind their classmates but some have been narrowing the gap.

The report was ordered by the government last year - there is as yet no publishing date for it.
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Murder police find two more dead

The horrific news of the brutal murders of several women by a serial killer (?) in Ipswich has struck people not only in England but also all over the world. And more bodies have been found…

Two more bodies have been found by police investigating the murders of three prostitutes. A woodland area around the village of Levington, near Ipswich (Suffolk, England) has been sealed off by officers.

Police said it is likely the two bodies are those of two missing women - Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls. The area is close to where another body was found on Sunday. Two other bodies were also found near Ipswich. Ms Clennell, 24, and 29-year-old Ms Nicholls, have not been heard from since Sunday.
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British teenagers' poor verbal skills

Recent research suggests that Britain's teenagers risk becoming a nation people held back by poor verbal skills. The top 20 words used, including yeah, no, but and like, account for around a third of all words, the study says.

Lancaster University's Professor Tony McEnery who conducted the research said vocabulary size was defined early on. His study of blogs, questionnaires and speech found teenagers used half the words of average 25 to 34-year-olds.

Read more here.