TOP 100 ENGLAND SITES
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| The (night)dress circle - theatre plans slumber party London's Barbican Theatre is to stage a show which involves audiences changing into their nightwear and sleeping over. bbc.co.uk |
Sepp Blatter heading to Downing Street to discuss England's 2018 bid • Fifa president to meet prime minister at No 10 tomorrow• David Cameron was away when Blatter visited in summerThe Fifa president Sepp Blatter will visit Downing Street tomorrow to meet the prime minister David Cameron as England's bid for the 2018 World Cup gears up for the final phase of the contest.Blatter met the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, in the summer but has now accepted an invitation to meet Cameron face-to-face at No 10.The Fifa president will watch a presentation on England's bid and will meet government ministers as well as several football figures and bid ambassadors. Fifa's 24-man executive committee will vote on the 2018 and 2022 hosts on 2 December.The England 2018 chairman, Geoff Thompson, said: "The prime minister spoke with president Blatter shortly after taking office to reiterate the British government's support for the bid and to invite him to Downing Street."We are delighted the Fifa president has accepted and we are honoured that he and Fifa general secretary Jérôme Valcke will be visiting England so close to the decision in December."We will take this opportunity to provide first-hand evidence of England's passion for the game and confirm our intention to produce a commercially successful Fifa World Cup that creates a new global fund to provide benefits across the world for many generations to come."It will be a tremendous show of support from across the country and we are grateful to the prime minister for allowing this meeting to take place."Thompson said the meeting would be used to emphasise legacy plans that are key elements of the England bid. Blatter will also meet the London mayor, Boris Johnson, before returning to Zurich tomorrow night.World Cup 2018Sepp Blatterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
'I ring-fenced the beer' One man tries to carry out his own personal Spending Review bbc.co.uk |
'Decent' pension for all proposed The government is considering a "radical" overhaul of the state pension to ensure everybody has a "decent" income in retirement, says Vince Cable. bbc.co.uk |
Giant red stag Exmoor Emperor shot dead West Country deer experts condemn shooting of 9ft red stag thought to have been Britain's largest wild animalThe Exmoor Emperor, a giant red stag which is thought to have been the biggest animal in Britain, has been found shot dead in the West Country.The creature, which weighed more than 135kg (300lb) and stood nearly 2.75 metres (9ft) tall, was killed close to the busy Tiverton to Barnstaple road in the middle of the annual rut.Its death – thought to be down to a licensed hunter rather than a poacher – has infuriated deer experts and wildlife enthusiasts who say wild red stags should be protected during the mating season.Red deer stags are the biggest indigenous land animal left in Britain. The Exmoor Emperor, who was given his nickname by photographer Richard Austin, was believed to be the largest wild animal in the country today.Peter Donnelly, an Exmoor-based deer management expert, said it was a disgrace the animal had been shot during the mating season."It could be that he didn't get a chance to rut properly this year, therefore his genes have not been passed on this time round," he said."The poor things should be left alone during the rut, not harried from pillar to post. If we care about deer we should maintain a standard and stop all persecution during this important time of the year."A deer enthusiast who did not want to be named said a group of people were out watching stags earlier this month close to where the Emperor was killed. The man said a shot had been heard very close to the Tiverton to Barnstaple road.He said that although the shooting was legal, deer lovers were becoming increasingly worried about the number of rich sportspeople coming to Exmoor to shoot its finest stags as trophies.Donnelly, from Dulverton in Somerset, agreed that competition for stags was becoming intense. "There are people who are prepared to spend quite ridiculous sums of money to have a trophy on their wall. People talk about £1,000 for a good head, but I've heard there are those who will pay a lot more," he said.He said some older stags needed to be culled after a certain age, but the Emperor had been in good health. "Yes the Emperor was starting to get past his best, but he was definitely not at that stage yet," he said.Still, Donnelly added, the empire may yet survive: he said he had seen a very large young stag in the last few days – a magnificent beast that could well be the result of the Emperor's activities during a previous rutting season.HuntingAnimalsWildlifeSam Jonesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |