People wait to enter the basilica at the Valley of the Fallen in San Lorenzo del Escorial near Madrid. Photo: Javier Soriano/AFP "Since they are going to remove Franco, I wanted to see it. It's morbid curiosity," says Antonio Nevado, one of thousands of Spaniards who have rushed to visit the late dictator's tomb before his remains are moved. Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain with an iron fist from the end of the 1936-39 civil war until his death in 1975, is buried in an imposing basilica carved into a mountain-face just outside Madrid with a 150-metre (490-feet) cross towering over it. Visitor numbers to the site -- known as the Valley of the Fallen -- have soared since Spain's new Socialist government announced shortly after it came to power in June that it will remove Franco's remains from the basilica. Spain's national heritage agency that runs the monument said 38,269 people visited in July compared to 23,135 in June and 25,532 in July last … [Read more...] about Rush to visit Franco’s tomb before his remains are moved
The ‘conundrum’ at the heart of the British economy is getting worse — and economists are baffled
caption No one’s really sure what’s going on. source vhines200/Flickr (CC) UK unemployment fell to a fresh record low this week, but wage growth is still failing to gain momentum. Andrew Goodwin, lead UK economist at Oxford Economics, calls this the “conundrum” at the heart of the British labour market. Sadly, there seems to be no end in sight to stagnant wage growth for British workers. LONDON – UK’s unemployment rate fell to just 4% this week – it’s lowest level since comparable records began in the early 1970s – and some commentators took it as a sign Britain’s economy is performing solidly despite the uncertainty around Brexit. The data, however, highlighted a conundrum that has been plaguing the British economy for several years: if unemployment is so low, why aren’t workers getting larger pay rises? “The drop in unemployment was only one of an array of indicators which suggested … [Read more...] about The ‘conundrum’ at the heart of the British economy is getting worse — and economists are baffled
Barging into your home, threatening your family, or making you disappear: Here’s what China does to people who speak out against them
caption Chinese President Xi Jinping. source EnginKorkmaz/iStock, Etienne Oliveau/Getty Images, Samantha Lee/Business Insider The Chinese Communist Party has long sought to suppress ideas that could undermine the sweeping authority it has over its 1.4 billion citizens – and the state can go to extreme lengths to maintain its grip. In just the past few years, the government has attempted to muzzle critics by making them disappear without a trace, ordering people to physically barge into their houses, or locking up those close to critics as a kind of blackmail. Even leaving China isn’t always enough. The state has continued to clamp down on dissent by harassing and threatening family members who remain in the country. Scroll down to see what China can do to people who criticize it. 1. Make you disappear. caption Li Wenzu holds a photo of her husband, detained human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, while protesting in front of the Supreme People’s … [Read more...] about Barging into your home, threatening your family, or making you disappear: Here’s what China does to people who speak out against them
Dramatic fall in civil partnerships since same-sex marriage was legalised
PUBLISHED: 09:19 19 August 2018 | UPDATED: 09:19 19 August 2018 Taz Ali The number of couples forming civil partnerships in Norfolk has fallen dramatically since same-sex marriage was legalised. Photo: Bill Darnell Archant © 2005 The number of civil partnerships in Norfolk has fallen dramatically since same-sex marriage was legalised. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that there were 364 civil partnerships in the county in the four years before the Same-Sex Marriage Act came into force in March 2014. Since then, that number fell to 70, with 51 being male couples and 19 female couples. Civil partnerships have fallen out of favour across the whole of England and Wales - around 24,000 couples entered civil partnerships between 2010-13, falling to just over 4,000 in the following four years.But last year England and Wales saw 908 new civil partnerships - a 2pc increase on the previous year. Two-thirds of those partnerships were … [Read more...] about Dramatic fall in civil partnerships since same-sex marriage was legalised
Android Pie review: Shortcuts that make a difference
Android is always a tough operating system to review because it varies so widely on every device it comes into contact with.While efforts have been made to make it easier for smartphone makers to adopt the very latest version as quick as possible, Google’s own handsets remain the first and most advanced example of the operating system in action.This applies with Android Pie, which was released to Google’s first and second generation Pixel phones last week, ahead of everyone else.Google pledged to put predictive artificial intelligence at the forefront of its ninth effort. But does it actually make a difference?NavigationThe three-buttoned menu set-up along the bottom has been an Android staple since the beginning, but in Android Pie it is no more.Instead, there’s a single home button which pretty much acts as your single port of call to everything.A gentle flick upwards of the home button no longer shows all your apps listed in alphabetical order. To do that, … [Read more...] about Android Pie review: Shortcuts that make a difference