Cameron angers Scots over 2015 Election date

New Prime Minister David Cameron may be riding a large wave of popularity, but he won't make any friends in Scotland with his 2015 Election date as it is the same day as the Scottish Parliamentary Elections.

Cameron will no doubt face clashes with Scottish MP's in the House of Commons today as his proposal for the 2015 Election to take place on 7th May means it will clash with Scottish Parliamentary elections.

Not only is this the case in Scotland but also the Welsh elections will be held on 7th May. And then there is the decision by Cameron and the Conservatives: Should the next UK election be done by proportional representation? I'm sure the Liberal Democrats have the answer.

The last time two different elections with voting systems were held on the same day, there were almost 180,000 spoiled ballots. These were the Scottish parliament elections and the council elections back in 2007.

David Cameron makes his first visit as prime minister to Scotland today. No doubt he will have to face staunch opposition to this proposed date not only in Scotland but also in Wales and possibly from the other side of the coalition from the Liberal Democrats.

John Higgins vigorously defending his snooker champion reputation

Towards the end of the 2010 World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, allegations were made against John Higgins that he bet on himself to lose and was involved in a betting scandal.

John Higgins was the defending World Snooker Championship winner and is still currently number one in the world. Shortly after his epic quarter final defeat at the hands of legend Steve Davis, the allegations were made.

The Scot has remained staunchly defensive from the start claiming that his conscience is "100% clear" and that the situation had become "emotionally draining for me and my family."

Higgins was immediately slapped with a suspension and his agent Pat Mooney forced to resign from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.

There are also three other top snooker players being investigated by criminal prosecutors for possible match-fixing scandals, although it is reported that these cases and the Higgins situation are not related.

Blur singer Damon Albarn confirms new material

Singer for iconic band Blur, Damon Albarn has confirmed that the band will definitely be recording some new tracks, but he stops short of admitting an album.

Albarn went on to say that the band "will definitely be doing a few more fo these seven-inches." Albarn also noted that their recent song 'Fool's Day' which had been recorded for charity, had been a success.

Only 1000 copies of the track were made available in independent record stores but soon copies were showing up on eBay for prices as high as £150. Blur then made the song available on their website.

When asked about the possibility of a new album, Albarn said "We can't do it all the time. So I don't want anyone thinking there's an album coming soon, it's not possible, but we've got songs!"

Although Blur have had some highly successful dates at Glastonbury and Hyde Park since their reunion, Albarn stresses that any new material will have to wait until after the group have finished workig with Gorillaz.

http://www.blur.co.uk/

Revolutionary visit to Athens for Turkish PM

The visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Greece is seen as a key step to resolving issues between Turkey and Greece, as well as trying to solve Greece's huge debt crisis.

Tomrrow the leader of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan will fly into Greece, the historical nemesis of the Turkish people. Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu sees this as progress, stating that the visit would help to "surmount the psychological threshold" between the two.

In a truly "revolutionary" scene, the Greek cabinet will hold a joint session with Erdogan and the ten Turkish minsters also travelling, to tackle the debt crisis in Greece.

The history between Greece and Turkey goes back throughout the 20th century as the two nations have been at war with each other 3 times in the last 40 years. The main divisive issue between the two is the island of Cyprus.

But now both are NATO allies and the Turks may have some advice for the Greek cabinet as they went through their own banking crisis eight years ago.

Greece is the fourth largest importer of weapons which has played a large role in their 300 billion euro debt. Most fo these weapons are pointed towards Ankara.

Three people in three states arrested in connection with Times Square bomb scare

Last Sunday New York's Times Square was brought to a standstill while police defused an "amateurish" but potentially lethal bomb, spotted by a street vendor. Now three people have been arrested in connection.

Thousands of people were evacuated from the area at around 6:30 pm locally (10:30pm GMT) by the New York Police Department when a T-shirt vendor noticed a "smoking" vehicle.

Janet Napolitano, the US homeland security secretary said the failed attack will be treated as a potential act of terrorism. Since last Sunday agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigations have been scouring up and down the Tri-State area and beyond trying to find anything useful to the case.

On Thursday three men were arrested by the FBI in connection with the failed attack. Houses were raided in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts during the investigation.

The three men included two Pakistani men, who are accussed of providing money to the principal leader Faisal Shahzad who is being held as prime suspect.

Manoel de Oliveira still making films at 101

The oldest active film-maker in the world is still going strong at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. with 'The Strange Case of Angelica', a movie 64 years in the making.

Many directors have to be patient while working n a film or project and Manoel de Oliveira is a perfect example. Born on December 11th, 1908, de Oliveira is one of the few directors who was alive for the sinking of the Titanic, the basis for one of the cinematic greats of the 20th century.

'The Strange Case of Angelica' has recently been changed to incorporate more recent issues like climate change and pollution. The script has been in the making since 1952.

De Oliveira's story is about Isaac, a Jewish photographer. Isaac gets a call in the middle of the night asking him to photograph a dead womans body and he immediately falls in love with and becomes obsessed with her image. De Oliveira stated "I thought of doing the film just after the second world war. Hitler had killed six million Jews and they were fleeing to Portugal to go to the States..."

His first film was made in 1931 and was set along the banks of the River Douro, the same setting as 'The Strange Case of Angelica.' He has said that Hollywod needs a "second youth".

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0210701/

http://www.festival-cannes.com/

BA flying half sail at Heathrow due to strike

Next week's cabin crew strike means that British Airways will be flying a minimum of half of its flights from Heathrow

British Airways announced that 60% of it's long-haul flights and only 50% of its short-haul flights would continue next week. The first of four strikes planned is set to begin on Tuesday.

Cabin crew employees of British Airways have been threatening another strike since the ones in March, over disagreements about pay and conditions.

Philip Hammond has become the new Transport Secretary as the Conservatives took power; here is what he had to say about the situation: "The strikes are self-defeating. The airline and the union need to get around the table as soon as possible."

British Airways has announced that all flights from Gatwick and London City airports will continue as planned, and they hope to fly 70% of their Heathrow passengers.

The union for the cabin crew is called Unite, and British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh has said that the "door remains open to Unite, day and night." The cabin crew strikes in March cost British Airways over £45 million.

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/globalgateway.jsp/global/public/en_

http://www.unitetheunion.com/campaigns/ba_united_we_stand.aspx

"Spurring Finish For The Lilywhites Could Drop Gunners To 4th"

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger concedes praise to North London rivals after their qualification into European football next season.

The enigmatic Frenchman has said that Tottenham Hotspur "are in the Champions League on merit". Spurs defeated Manchester City 1-0 on Wednesday night to lock up at least 4th place.

Arsenal have enjoyed 3rd place for the vast majority of the season and now see surging Spurs as a threat to their automatic group stage place. Wenger's opposite number Harry Redknapp has simply stated "We'll give it our best shot". The team that finishes 4th will have to win a qualifying leg to go through to the group stage of the Champions League.

Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-1 back on April 14th by the score of 2-1. Danny Rose's smashing volley sent the crowd at White Hart Lane into raptures that night. A similar performance could see them nick 3rd on the last day of the season.

Arsenal face a Fulham team who will have at least one eye on their dream Europa Cup final against Athletico Madrid on May 12th in Hamburg. Spurs face already-relegated Burnley. Sunday will not only see the title up for grabs. Tensions will be running high in North London.

http://www.arsenal.com/home

http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/