Hastings Pier largely destroyed in fire
A major fire has destroyed most of Hastings Pier in East Sussex, a day after redevelopment plans were invited. bbc.co.uk |
Lottery winner losing out on £9,000 interest a day
The winner of the record-breaking EuroMillions Lottery jackpot is losing out on £9,000 of interest every day by not coming forward to claim the prize. telegraph.co.uk |
Fine French wine to fetch £2m at auction
Some of the best Bordeaux ever produced among the 291 lots on offer at sale organised by Farr VintnersA four-day auction of one of the finest private collections of wines ever seen in the United Kingdom begins tomorrow, with total bids expected to exceed £2m.Some of the best Bordeaux ever produced are on offer, including two cases of 1990 Château Pétrus, the wine recently laid on for David Cameron and friends by the Tory party treasurer, Michael Spencer, at their party conference in Birmingham. The cases have a reserve price of £34,000 each.Potential buyers have submitted sealed bids in the hope of securing some of the 291 lots. The most expensive case is the 1961 Latour at £40,000 – perhaps to be expected, as American wine critic Robert Parker gave the wine a perfect score of 100 points on the four occasions he tasted it between 1997 and 2009, when he called it "unquestionably one of the Bordeaux legends of the century".Various attempts have been made by the media to discover the identity of the mystery seller, but the connoisseur and owner of the collection is remaining anonymous. He is believed to be British and in his fifties, with a home in London.Tom Hudson, a director of Farr Vintners who organised the sale, said it was one of the finest collections of wine he has ever seen."The sheer quality of the stock is incredible," he said. "These mature wines, in their original cases, in magnums and jeroboams [three-litre bottles], are of the best provenance and the condition of some of these is unmatched. Private cellars of this sort are seldom seen today."WinePaul Gallagherguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Woman's body found in city street
Police are appealing for witnesses and information after the body of a woman in her 20s is found in Bristol. bbc.co.uk |
Three killed in helicopter crash
Pilot and two passengers from south-east England were in Northern Ireland for day of shootingThree men from south-east England died in a helicopter crash in the scenic Mourne mountain range in Northern Ireland, police confirmed today.The dead are understood to have been the pilot and two passengers who were in the province for a day of shooting in Co Fermanagh. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was liaising with the Metropolitan police about contacting the bereaved families.Air accident investigators spent the day at the crash scene, near an isolated beauty spot between the village of Hilltown and Rostrevor town. The eight-seater Agusta helicopter, which is believed to have taken off from Enniskillen, crashed at about 4pm on Saturday in an area known locally as Leitrim Lodge, a popular picnic area for visitors to the Mournes.Mountain rescue teams, the ambulance service and fire and rescue all attended the scene after locals reported that a helicopter was seen in distress. The South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said she was "very saddened" to hear of the crash and the deaths."The majestic beauty of the Mournes contrasts with the starkness of this tragedy. On behalf of the people of South Down and those I represent, I offer my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the families of the bereaved at this most tragic time," the MP said.Michelle Gildernew, the Sinn Fein MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, which covers Enniskillen, said: "This is a shocking and tragic accident and my sympathies go out at this time to the families of those who have lost their lives."The Mournes area is internationally renowned for its picturesque scenery. CS Lewis modelled the fictional kingdom of Narnia on his childhood recollections of trips there. The mountain range, set on the coastline of south Co Down overlooking the Irish Sea, is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty.The highest mountain, Slieve Donard, is nearly 3,000ft high. Locals reported yesterday that the weather around the Mournes was fine with plenty of visibility.The helicopter crash is the latest in a series of accidents that have caused multiple deaths in the area. In June last year three men were killed when their light aircraft crashed into a field near a private landing strip at Kilkeel, Co Down.Jim Wells, a Democratic Unionist assembly member who lives in the Mournes, said he saw the helicopter prior to it crashing. "The one thing I did notice was there was a very unusual noise coming from the engine. I don't know if that is in any way related to the tragedy but certainly it would seem that about half an hour later the helicopter came down at the other end of the Mournes," he said.Northern IrelandAir transportHenry McDonaldguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |