When the British motor industry was overseen by ‘The Prince of Darkness’ ~ See page 12 ~ Vol. 30 No. 2 May 2012 CARMAN PHIL Giant Puppets Roam The Streets R Good Weather, Fuel Panic Drive UK Retail Surge WARM WEATHER and a spate of panic-buying for car fuel caused retail sales in Britain to surge by 1.8 percent in March compared with a month earlier, official data showed last month. The figures released by the Office for National Statistics were well ahead of the market consensus of 0.5 percent growth. They contrasted with a drop of 0.7 percent in February, and encouraged hope that Britain’s economy returned to growth in the first quarter of the year. Government warnings to prepare for a possible strike by tanker drivers set off a wave of panic buying of petrol, contrib- uting to a 4.9 percent gain in petrol sales Continued on page 4 R Inflation Rises For First Time In Six Months INCREASES in the price of food and clothing pushed inflation in Britain to 3.5 percent in March, the first increase in the annual rate in six months, official figures showed last month. The Office for National Statistics said the rate was up from February’s 3.4 percent – still far above the Bank of Eng- land’s official target of two percent. Analysts, however, said the inflation rate, which had been falling steadily from a peak of 5.2 percent in September, is likely to soon resume its decline. “This should be only temporary,” said Vicky Redwood, chief UK economist at Capital Economics. A recent drop in oil prices should push inflation down in coming months, she said. TO COMMEMORATE the 100th the playful 9ft-tall steel and papier-mache him to rest. Instead he finds a letter to Energy costs were in fact the main Liverpool showcases anniversary of the sinking of the canine called Xolo. his brother from his niece, that she wrote downward pressure on inflation in Titanic, a breathtaking street Suspended from behind by a crane, three days before the cruise liner hit an each giant, constructed from light but flex- iceberg and sank. He vows to return it to March, the statistics agency said. spectacular, named Sea Odyssey The Bank of England forecasts infla- huge marionettes ible poplar wood, was moved by between the girl and tell her what happened to her tion, which has been above two percent took over the city of Liverpool last 20 and 40 people, called Lilliputians, on a father. The two are reunited at the end of since December 2009, will hit that target month. system of hydraulic pulleys and levers. the 23-mile route. by the end of the year. parade as part of Titanic The show was entirely free and evolved The tragic tale was about a man who The breathtaking street spectacular cost up to £2m and was produced specifically R th through the streets of the city. Thousands went down with the Titanic. His brother, Queen’s 86 Birthday lined the route, families, children, grand- a giant deep sea diver and uncle of the for Liverpool by renowned experts and Ceremonially Marked commemorations! parents, and dogs of every size and shape little giant girl, is on a 100-year quest to French street theatre company Royal De THE ROYAL NAVY fired a 21-gun who responded nosily to the appearance of find his brother on the ocean floor and lay Luxe (RDL). salute to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 86th birthday April 21. The queen is traditionally given gun salutes on her birthday at military bases Body Of UK Spy around the country. Last month’s main Found In Padlocked gun salute was fired at Portsmouth Har- Ken v Boris In Race To Be bor on the south coast of England. The Queen celebrates her birthday Sports Bag twice, with smaller family celebrations A BRITISH codebreaker had complained on her actual birthday and a second, London’s Olympic Mayor of friction at the country’s overseas spy grander celebration at London’s Buck- ONE SPORTS an unruly blond mop, gaffes and idiosyncrasies would have agency before his naked and decompos- ingham Palace on her “official” birthday, spouts Latin aphorisms and loves to sunk a less confident politician. The ing body was found inside a padlocked which falls this year on June 16. ride his bicycle. The other is a neat, winner will oversee a world-class city sports bag, his family told an inquest last This year the Queen will also cel- newt-loving socialist who prefers to of eight million people and a £14bn month. ebrate her Diamond Jubilee to mark 60 travel by subway. budget. Gareth Williams worked for Britain’s years on the throne on the weekend of Their contest is an Olympic-size secret eavesdropping service GCHQ and June 2-5. Johnson, a Conservative, hopes to grudge match. Meet Boris and Ken win a second four-year term while was attached to the country’s MI6 overseas – hometown celebrities known univer- Livingstone, London’s mayor from spy agency when his body was found in the bathtub of his central London home sally by their first names. When the Boris Ken 2000 to 2008, is from Labour – but both 2012 London Games open on July 27, transcend the parties they nominally in August 2010. While detectives have Your Very Own one of them will stand before billions I try not to contemplate,” Johnson represent. suggested Williams, 31, may have died of television viewers as mayor of the said during a break in campaigning in a sex game gone wrong, his family has YORKSHIRE host city. for London’s May 3 mayoral election. Livingstone has the greater London countered that British spy agencies may The incumbent, Boris Johnson, “And I’m working very hard to make ties. He was born and raised in the city, have been involved in the death. warns that it had better be him and sure that I’m spared by the electoral speaks with a nasal cockney accent and An inquest being held into his death PASSPORT not Ken Livingstone – his predecessor, reaper.” has been prominent in local politics will investigate whether Williams could DIRECT FROM THE ‘YORKSHIRE intense rival and would-be successor. Whoever wins, London’s next mayor since the 1970s. possibly have climbed inside the sports EMBASSY’ SANCTIONED BY: “Obviously it’s an eventuality that will be a larger-than-life figure whose Read full story at : www.ujnews.com bag and locked it from the inside. There The Independent State of Yorkshire were no signs of struggle, and no drugs or and Colonies poison in Williams’ body, the discovery "It's reet gud, lad!"– I’m Not That Powerful, Rupert Murdoch Tells Judge of which launched a flurry of conspiracy "So cum on, don't be gormless" theories. By Raphael Satter elections. press and politicians. Murdoch’s News William’s sister was the first to give –IT'S EXACTLY LIKE NOWT ELSE– NEWS CORP chairman Rupert Murdoch “We don’t have that sort of power,” International – the tabloid’s publisher – has evidence to the inquest, saying that her brother was unhappy with the “rat race” •Citizen page/form •All notes in Yorkshire said April 25 that his globe-spanning TV he testified. been hit with over 100 lawsuits over phone language •Idioms •Yorkshire to and newspaper empire doesn’t carry as Murdoch was being quizzed under oath hacking and dozens of reporters and media Continued on page 4 English translations •Visas much political sway as is often believed, before an inquiry run by Lord Justice Brian executives have been arrested. •Yorkshire anthem telling a British inquiry into media ethics Leveson, who is examining the relationship Showing little equivocation, Murdoch at $ 50plus •Yorkshire motto that he wasn’t the power behind the throne between British politicians and the press, batted away challenges to his ethics by £1 = $1.61 press 9 $1.25 s&h CA RESIDENTS •History of Yorkshire often depicted by his enemies. a key question raised by the phone hack- inquiry lawyer Robert Jay. time ADD 90¢ TAX language & literature Speaking softly, Murdoch said: “If these ing scandal that brought down Murdoch’s Asked whether he set the political uro = $1.31 •Yorkshire prayer •Sporting lies are repeated again and again they catch News of the World tabloid in July. agenda for his UK editors, he denied it. affiliations •Notes for the gormless on,” he said. “But they just aren’t true.” Revelations of widespread illegal Asked whether he’d ever used his •Comes in Yorkshire embassy envelope The 81-year-old media baron denied behavior at the top-selling Sunday pub- media influence to boost his business, he ever calling in favors from British leaders lication rocked Britain’s establishment denied it. To order: (800) 262-7305 and dismissed the oft-repeated claim that with evidence of media misdeeds, police The inquiry was set up by Prime Minis- www.ujnews.com his top-selling daily, The Sun, could swing corruption and too-cozy links between the Continued on page 4 www.facebook.com/unionjacknewspaper Page 2 ujnews.com May 2012 in the past month . Boxer With Divine Right two rabbits – are carrying a combined excess Then, to Eyley’s surprise he got a cell- (Hook) Breaks Record weight of more than 24 stone – the equivalent phone call from his next door neighbour the List Of ‘Silly’ of 380 tins of dog food, 35 average-sized following day who spotted Rhino running FATHER Dave Smith set a new world record, cats or 50 Yorkshire Terriers.