This week's UK news: 11 August 2014
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11 August 2014


World's biggest selling music from UK - again

One Direction, a boyband from the UK, had the biggest-selling album in the world last year. Midnight Memories sold four million copies, beating Eminem into second place, with Lady Gaga and Beyonce at 9 and 10 in the global chart.  The One Direction album sold four million copies in just six weeks.

This means that British artists made the top selling global albums in six of the last seven years. Adele did this twice with her albums 19 and 21.

One Direction are currently on tour, and are expected to earn GBP611m from this. The band - who are all under 23 - are now collectively worth around GBP 70m.

 

Woman gets a degree by blinking her eyelid

Dawn Faizey Webster has just got a university degree in ancient history, even though she can only move one eyelid.

Ms Faizey Webster lost all movement two weeks after giving birth to her son 12 years ago. She has been working since 2008 to do her degree, using a special laptop which can use her eye movements to type her work. She lives with her parents who turn the pages of books with her, and look after her.

Every three hour exam took her three weeks, and she can only write at 50 words an hour. Now she wants to take a Master's in history of art.

 

UK countries do well in Glasgow's Commonwealth Games

England was celebrating after getting the most medals in the Commonwealth Games, held in Scotland.

England won a total of 174 medals, more than Australia's 137 and Canada's 82. Scotland came fourth, with 53, Wales, 12th, Northern Ireland 17th and even the tiny Isle of Man won one.

The event was very popular in the UK, partly because Usain Bolt ran in the 100m relay for Jamaica - and then spent time walking round the track, taking selfies with the spectators. Many competitors from the UK also did really well, like diver Tom Daley. Claudia Fragapane was the first English woman in 84 years to win four gold medals. International stars did well too, with South African swimmer Chad le Clos equalling the Commonwealth record of seven golds.

The event closed with a big concert where Kylie Minogue was the star. She was chosen because the next Commonwealth Games will be in Australia.

 

Hobbit star to take on Shakespeare

Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who plays Smaug the dragon in The Hobbit, is going to perform as Hamlet in a London production of the Shakespeare play.

Tickets go on sale this week, although most of the cast has not yet been announced and performances will not begin until 2015. There has been a lot of interest in the production, as there was when Dr Who actor David Tennant starred in Hamlet four years ago.

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