Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visitors every year. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms.
These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. The building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high.The Palace is very much a working building and the centrepiece of Britain's constitutional monarchy.
It houses the offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family.
Find out more about the State Rooms - http://bit.ly/ijdoPA

5 Little Known Facts About World War II - Road Tickle

5 Little Known Facts About World War II - Road Tickle

First person to climb Mt Everest twice dead

First person to climb Mt Everest twice dead: "Nawang Gombu, the first person to climb Mt Everest twice, died here at his residence this morning after a brief illness, family sources said.

Gombu, 79, is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son."

News quiz

A 3D erotic film - Sex and Zen 3D: Extreme Ecstasy - has broken box-office records in Hong Kong, partly thanks to an influx of viewers from mainland China. But which country do the porn stars in the leading roles come from?
It's Japan. The adult movie is set at the raunchy court of Ming-dynasty ancient China. It has taken the Hong Kong box office by storm, beating the first-day record set by Avatar.

Kate Middleton has had a coat of arms created for her ahead of her wedding to Prince William. Which of these three images is it?
which uses an acorn to symbolise strength and continuity. It includes chevrons that represent hills and mountains, in a reference to the outdoor activities the Middleton family enjoys. The first coat of arms is that of the Duchess of Cornwall, the second is the arms of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Several hundred Anglicans in England and Wales have been converting to Catholicism and joining a special section of the Roman Catholic Church. What is it known as?
It's Ordinariate, which was set up by Pope Benedict and allows former Anglicans to keep some of their traditions and welcomes married priests.

Finnish nationalist Timo Soini wore the scarf of an English championship league football club when he went to cast his ballot in the election that saw his party increase its share of the vote nearly five-fold. Which club?
It's Millwall, which has its home ground in south-east London. Mr Soini, a "die-hard" Millwall supporter, is rarely seen without his club scarf.
Scientists reported the discovery of the biggest fossilised spider ever found, from the Inner Mongolian region of China. The female, which lived about 165 million years ago, belongs to a collection of spiders well known today. Which?
It's the golden orb weaver. The researchers said that Nephila jurassica, as they have called their specimen, would have had a leg span of some 15cm.
The CIA declassified the US government's six oldest classified documents, dating from 1917 and 1918. Which spy technique did they mostly reveal?
It's secret writing. One document outlines the chemicals and techniques necessary for developing certain types of secret writing ink and a method for opening sealed letters without detection. Another memorandum dated June 14, 1918 - written in French - reveals the formula used for German secret ink.

Yuri Gagarin: 50th anniversary of the first man in space - Telegraph

Yuri Gagarin: 50th anniversary of the first man in space - Telegraph: "It was only once dawn broke on the icy steppe that the small, shivering crowd could clearly make out the grinning face of Yuri Gagarin. Fifty years, almost to the day, after the Soviet cosmonaut became the first human being to travel into space, an image from the day of the launch had been painted onto the hulking Soyuz rocket, which was being tugged across the plain by an ageing diesel train. As the rocket was winched into its launch position, the face swivelled upright. Alongside it was the word “Poyekali”, or “Let’s go”, Gagarin’s final statement before he was launched into history."

Watson smothers B'desh with record 15 sixes - News - Cricket Next

Watson smothers B'desh with record 15 sixes - News - Cricket Next: "If the Bangladeshi batsmen had scored 20 more runs, Shane Watson would have on Monday become only the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to score a double hundred in one-day internationals.
The Aussie opener hit a world record 15 sixes to take Australia to a nine-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second ODI in Mirpur. Chasing 230 to win, Watson's 185 not out of just 96 balls ensured that the visitors got to the total in 26 overs."

Kapil Dev wins Global Diversity Award for Sport 2011

Kapil Dev wins Global Diversity Award for Sport 2011: "India`s first World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev has been chosen for the Global Diversity Award for Sports 2011 for his outstanding achievements in cricket and his recent induction into the ICC Hall of Fame 2010"

BBC News - Profile: India ex-telecoms minister A Raja

BBC News - Profile: India ex-telecoms minister A Raja: "Andimuthu Raja was a low-profile minister in one of the most high-profile ministries in India.

He has now been charged with conspiracy, forgery and fraud in what is being described as India's biggest corruption scandal.

Mr Raja denies underselling telephone licences at an estimated cost to the exchequer of nearly $40bn."

Famous Books Banned in India - Galleries - The Daily Beast

Famous Books Banned in India - Galleries - The Daily Beast: "The Pulitzer Prize-winning former executive editor of The New York Times has written a biography, The Great Soul that draws on Gandhi’s life in South Africa and India. Reacting to sensational reviews in The Wall Street Journal and the British media, which claimed that the book exposes Gandhi’s sexual life and racist views, Indian politicians called for a ban on the book. Gandhi’s home state, Gujarat, has already banned it; one more state is considering a ban. After initially suggesting the central government might impose a nationwide ban, the law minister has backtracked, citing Lelyveld’s clarifications."

Census 2011: Population growth rate declines to 17%

Census 2011: Population growth rate declines to 17%: "India’s population growth rate has decelerated to 17.64 per cent in the decade 2001-11, the slowest rate of growth this past century, according to the first results of Census 2011 put out by the registrar-general of census.

India’s population in 2011 is estimated to be 1.21 billion, comprising 624 million males and 587 million females. While the gender imbalance in population remains, the preliminary census figures show that India’s female population grew by 18.12 per cent over the past decade against 17.19 per cent for males."