2012 Games: Rooftop missiles set to protect London

Surface-to-air missiles are set to be deployed on top of a residential block of flats this summer to protect the Olympic site in east London from airborne terrorist threats.

People in Bow were handed a Ministry of Defence (MoD) leaflet yesterday alerting them that a squad of 10 soldiers would be based in their gated, private estate during the Games. Missiles installed there will only be fired as a "last resort", it said.
Brian Whelan, 28, a journalist and resident of the block, said: "They are going to have a test run next week, putting high-velocity missiles on the roof just above our apartment."
The move is part of what is set to be the biggest peace-time security operation in the capital, with more than 40,000 staff reported to be involved in guarding venues and protecting competitors and the millions of visitors heading to the Games. FBI agents from the US are also expected.


The Olympic motto is  Citius, Altius, Fortius , which is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger", so it looks like the UK is really getting into the Olympic spirit for the upcoming games to be held in London. Let's be honest, you don't get much faster, higher or stronger than a  surface-to-air missile. 

Think-tank calls for all bank holidays to be scrapped

If public holidays were scrapped it would add £19bn to Britain's annual economic output, a think tank says.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research says each bank holiday costs the UK economy £2.3bn.

England and Wales usually get eight bank holidays a year, with nine in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland.

This year Easter and the extra bank holiday for the Diamond Jubilee means there are five in April, May and June in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research says that if bank holidays were scrapped, Britain's GDP would be £19bn higher every year.

They also suggested that public holidays should be spead more evenly throughout the year

BANK HOLIDAYS 2012

England and Wales - 2 January; 6 and 9 April; 7 May; 4 and 5 June; 27 August; 25 and 26 December

Comparison of public holiday entitlement
Selected countries	Number of days
Source: Mercer HR, December 2011
Japan, South Korea	15
Spain, Malta	14
Portugal, Austria	13
Greece, South Africa	12
France, Italy, Brazil, New Zealand	11
Australia, Finland, Norway, Belgium, US	10
Canada, Ireland, Germany	9
UK, Netherlands	8

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17654781

The above figures show, the UK is one of the countries with the least number of public holidays per year.

As for the suggestion of spacing them more evenly throughout the year, most of the holidays are connected with religious holy days, so without a hasty re-write of the bible I can’t see them changing.

And as a final, point regarding working hours, no employer ever gave his workers one extra minute off, let alone an hour or a day without it being squeezed out of them like blood from a stone and being accompanied by howls and cries that it would ruin them.