This week's UK news: 26 October 2012
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26 October 2012


Scandal of dead celebrity grows

The biggest story in the UK this month shows no sign of going away. Jimmy Savile was a TV and radio presenter who also raised lots of money for charity. His shows were aimed at children and young people and he spent a lot of time with them there and in hospitals where he volunteered. When he died a year ago, lots of nice things were said and written about him. However, a few weeks ago a documentary programme said he had used his work and fame to sexually abuse young teenagers.

Now around 300 people have told police they were abused by Savile and a major investigation is going on to see if any living people should be prosecuted. The police now say he was one of the worst offenders in British history.

The BBC, the public broadcasting company, is having big problems with the Savile scandal. This is partly because he was a BBC presenter, but also because a news programme started investigating the abuse story a year ago, just after the presenter died. But the programme's editor then abandoned the investigation. The BBC has been accused of abandoning the news story because it would have stopped them broadcasting tributes to Savile last Christmas.

What do lottery winners buy?

The UK's national lottery has created 3,000 millionaires since it began in 1994. The average amount won by individuals was GBP 2.8m, from a total GBP 8.5bn. Now researchers have analysed what winners did with the money.

Almost 60 per cent stopped work immediately, but almost 20 per cent carried on and 31 per cent did voluntary work. Almost a third of the total winnings was spent on buying homes. Over 80 per cent of winners bought a new home, spending an average GBP 900,000. Almost a third of the homes they bought had hot tubs or walk-in wardrobes.

The winners saved GBP 2.1bn, and spent just over a billion pounds on gifts to family and friends, and GBP 680,000 on cars and holidays. The favourite car was an Audi.


Why women hate surprises

Women want to be told more than a week in advance before going on a weekend away, according to a new survey. More than half of the women who were questioned said they hated surprises. One third of the women said they would not like it if their husband or boyfriend organised a short holiday without telling them.

The survey also found that the average woman wanted 7 days and 11 hours notice before any holiday, with three shopping trips to get the right clothes. The survey was done to publicise an airline company.


Couple do good with drugs

Michael Foster and Susan Cooper were sent to prison for three years after police discovered they were growing the drug cannabis at their farmhouse. People were very surprised that the couple were growing cannabis, and they were also surprised that they were using the money they got to help people in Africa. They spent thousands of pounds in the Kenyan village of Diani helping to pay for poor children to go to school and for people to get medical treatment.

 

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