Britannia Radio

Unemployment rises by 164,000

Unemployment rose by another 164,000 in the third quarter of 2008, to 1.79m jobless - the biggest rise since 1991. Government figures show the official unemployment rate is up from 5.5 per cent to 5.7 per cent. Meanwhile latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show the...[continued]

Wall Street volatile after $250bn bail-out

A $250bn bail-out of America's nine leading banks received a lukewarm reception yesterday as Wall Street mulled over the implications of the dramatic state intervention. The US Treasury is to buy minority stakes in nine leading banks including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Bank of America and Citigroup. In a...[continued]

McCain ups ante for final debate

The pressure will be on John McCain to deliver a knock-out blow in tonight's third and final televised presidential debate, as a new poll gave Democratic candidate Barack Obama a 14-point lead over his rival. The Republican candidate, who has delivered a lacklustre performance in the first two debates,... [continued]

Sats tests for 14-year-olds scrapped

Sats examinations for 14-year-olds are to be dropped as part of sweeping reforms of the national testing system. Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, also unveiled plans for a new US-style "report card" which will grade every school in England. The Key Stage 3 National Curriculum tests, which are taken... [continued]

Canada’s Harper wins snap election

Canada's Conservative party has been returned to power, early election results show. The re-elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the first Western leader to face an election since the global economic crisis. Fighting to convince voters that they were the best party to lead Canada through financial turmoil,... [continued]

Mum tells of Rhys’s final moments

The mother of Rhys Jones, the 11-year-old who was shot dead on his way home from football training, has told a court of her last moments with her dying son. In a statement read to the Liverpool crown court, Melanie Jones described how she cradled him in her... [continued]