House prices in Scotland have risen by more than 80% in the past decade, a new study has suggested. This will impact mortgages and property sales for the foreseeable future. The BBC published the following report.

Research by the Bank of Scotland also showed that prices still trailed behind the rest of the UK. The average home north of the border sold for £111,780 in 2010 – an 83% increase on £61,039 in late 2000.

Penicuik in Midlothian recorded the biggest increase, where the average house price climbed by 179% from £61,824 to £172,476 at the end of 2010.

Irvine (172%) and Peterhead (171%) were the next best performers.

Across the UK as a whole, house prices rose by 91% over the same period.

But the Scotland gains trailed behind the rest of the UK, with only Greater London and the South East recording smaller rises over the decade.

The biggest house price increases were in the north of England, where they went up by 130%, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber (125%) and Wales (108%).

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A robin which sought shelter in a shop during the long winter snap has become a daily fixture, reports the BBC.

The bird – which has been named Robbie – seeks morning crumbs and warmth in an Aberdeen Co-operative.

The robin first appeared in November amid the heavy snow and can be seen sitting behind the tills each morning, often singing.

Store manager Alan Dunn said the feathered visitor was popular with staff and customers.

The robin flies in through the Seafield Road store’s automatic doors and appears to sit watching staff at work, as well as eating crumbs.

Bits of croissant, Aberdeen rowies – also known as butteries or rolls – and blueberries have become the bird’s favourites.

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A Chinese national convicted of illegally exporting military electronics components to a China has been jailed for eight years by a US court, providing further evidence of China’s military espionage activities. This report is from the Telegraph.

Zhen Zhou Wu, 46, made multiple visits to the US to buy components used in radars and missile systems which he then exported to China via Hong Kong using forged papers to evade the US arms embargo to China imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings.

He is the second Chinese to be sentenced in America this week for illegally transferring military technology to China after a 66-year-old former B-2 Stealth Bomber engineer was jailed for 32 years for selling military secrets to be used in the development of a Chinese cruise missile.

A US Congressional commission on US-China affairs warned in 2009 that Chinese spying in American was becoming increasingly aggressive and “growing in scale, intensity and sophistication.”

Earlier this month China unveiled its first stealth fighter, the Chengdu J-20, which analysts at Jane’s, the defence specialists, say is based on a mix of Russian and American technology, including possible elements of the Lockheed YF-22 and the Northrop YF-23.

David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said Zhen’s convictions showed the importance of safefuarding American technology from “illicit” foreign procurement.

“They also serve as a warning to those who seek to covertly obtain technological materials from the US in order to advance military systems of their own. I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about this successful outcome,” he added after the verdict was released last year.

Zhen’s sentencing comes just days after China’s president Hu Jintao completed a state visit to American which analysts billed as chance to “re-set” US-China relations that have become severely strained over the past year.

China has persistently claimed it intends to have a “peaceful rise”, however the US has expressed growing concerns that China’s rapid military modernization – including developing new fighters, an aircraft carrier and a carrier-killing missile – appears at-odds with that stated policy.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a speech in Washington last June of a wide gap between China’s stated intent and its military programs. “I have moved from being curious to being genuinely concerned,” he added.

The court heard that Zhen had set up a company, Chitron Electronics Ltd, in Waltham, Massachusetts to procure and export the components used in electronic warfare, military radar, fire control, guidance and control equipment, missile systems, and satellite communications.

By 2007 more than 25 per cent of Chitron’s illegal exports were being passed to a number of state-owned Chinese corporations charged with the procurement, development and manufacture of electronics for the Chinese military.

“This defendant and corporation violated US export laws and compromised our national security for more than a decade,” said US Attorney Carmen Ortiz.

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Car manufacturer Toyota is recalling nearly 19,000 cars in Britain due to potential problems with their fuel systems, reports the Telegraph.

The company said hundreds of Toyota Avensis and Lexus IS 250 models could be at risk of fuel leaks and will need to be modified by mechanics.

According to Toyota, there have been no accidents suspected of being related to the defects, but it is the latest in a series of quality control woes for the Japanese carmaker.

Officials said they are writing to the owners of the affected vehicles to arrange repairs.

A statement released by the company said: ”As a result of customer feedback in other markets worldwide, Toyota GB today announced it would recall a number of its Toyota Avensis and Lexus IS 250 models in the UK to carry out modifications to their fuel systems.

”It is working with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (Vosa) to contact registered owners and keepers by letter to advise them of the procedure for taking their vehicle to an authorised Toyota or Lexus repairer for the necessary repair work to be done.”

Around 15,500 British owners of Toyota Avensis 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre petrol engine models, produced between July 2000 and September 2008, are eligible for the free repair, which could take up to four-and-a-half hours.
Approximately 3,100 UK registered Lexus IS 250 petrol engine vehicles, produced between August 2007 and February 2009, are also affected.

Jon Williams, Managing Director of Toyota GB PLC, said: ”We are committed to putting the customer first and have a total focus on the quality of all our products. We will liaise with our customers to carry out the repair procedures as efficiently as possible, with minimal disruption.”

Nearly 1.7 million Toyota-made vehicles are being recalled worldwide because of the defects.

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Siemens beat analysts’ forecasts for its first quarter profits, helped by strong demand from fast-growing emerging economies, reports the BBC.

The German engineering group, one of Europe’s biggest, said profits from continuing operations rose 17% to 1.79bn euros ($2.44bn; £1.53bn).

Revenues for the period, between October and December, were up 12% to 19.49bn euros.

Siemens is a big exporter to China, Brazil, India and Russia.

Latest data showed German manufacturing orders grew at their fastest rate in 10 months in November due to strong demand from outside the eurozone.

“Orders and revenue grew in all regions, particularly in emerging markets,” said Siemens’ chief executive Peter Loescher.

Orders from emerging markets rose 31%, and accounted for one-third of Siemens’ total orders for the quarter.

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Forget hair of the dog, honey on toast or raw eggs – if you really want help overcoming a hangover – drink a cup of coffee with an aspirin. Perhaps not good news for those in pharmaceutical sales, but this report by the Telegraph may be helpful to those suffering the morning after.

Scientists have confirmed what millions have suspected for years if you want to soothe a tired head – simply take some caffeine and a painkiller.

They found the caffeine in coffee and the anti-inflammatory ingredients of aspirin and other painkillers reacted against the chemical compounds of ethanol, or pure alcohol.

Ethanol brings on headaches thanks to a chemical acetate it can produce and even low doses can affect some people more than others, said the study.

Professor Michael Oshinsky, of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, induced headaches in rats using small amounts of ethanol.

He then gave them doses of caffeine and anti-inflammatories to find it blocked the acetate and relieved the headaches.

Prof Oshinsky told the journal New Scientist “none of the commonly cited causes of hangovers could have caused this response”.

The rats were not dehydrated either, going against an argument that coffee should not be used as a hangover cure because it just causes further dehydration.

The research will spark a new debate over just what is the best cure for a throbbing head after a night on the town.

Some argue drinking water is better than a caffeinated drink because it rehydrates the body while others still swear by the restorative powers of a full English breakfast to redress the body’s balance.

Others argue for a hair of the dog, in particular something including a fruit juice and a little bit of spice which is why a Bloody Mary is often cited as a popular choice.

And some advise against using painkillers, particularly the stronger ones like aspirin and ibuprofen, as they can cause stomach upsets after a heavy night out.

This is because they give the liver work to do when it is already stretched trying to deal with all the alcohol from the previous evening, so the argument goes.

Oshinsky’s tests on rats left a 4-6 hour gap between giving them the alcohol and giving them the cure as this allowed time for the headaches to develop.

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The number of properties being built has dropped to its lowest since the 1920s as the housing market appears to have ground to a halt, according to new figures reported by the Telegraph.

The slump in construction has left Britain facing a shortfall of almost a million homes, the Home Builders Federation warned.

The industry body published figures on Friday that showed only 142,000 new properties were built in 2009, which was the smallest number since 1923, excluding the Second World War.

The figures also showed the number of people reserving new homes to buy had dropped to its lowest level on record. Deposits on new properties fell to levels not seen since 2008, the federation said.

The total net reservations were 3,353, five per cent lower than in the 2008 housing market and 22 per cent lower than at the same time in 2009 when house prices appeared to be recovering strongly.

Experts said the data suggested the house building market had ground to a halt and was “worrying, highly significant and consistent with a falling market”.

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Police are urging shoppers to be vigilant after a woman was detained in a supermarket unaware she was trying to redeem fake Tesco saving stamps, reports the BBC.

The store in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, called police when the woman presented the stamps on Friday.

The fakes are self-adhesive unlike the genuine stamps which are moistened to stick in booklets, police said.

No action was taken against the woman, who bought them in good faith, they added.

‘Lost her money’
People are advised to only buy the £1 stamps from an authorised machine at the stores.

“There are other subtle differences but the message is that if you are offered stamps at less than the face value you should be suspicious and alert the police immediately,” the spokesman said.

“The woman who tried to use one of the £50 booklets at the store has not only lost her money, as the stamps she had bought from another source were counterfeit, but she has also had the inconvenience of being detained at the store while we attended and made inquiries.”

A Tesco spokesman said they would assist the police with their inquiries.

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The UK company said that a leap in connections at its US retail division meant that it profits from that unit would be higher than expected. This report from the Telegraph.

Carphone said that a 33.6pc rise in connections at its Best Buy Mobile division in the US over its third quarter meant its share of full-year profits with Best Buy, its joint venture partner, will be between £90m and £100m, up from previous expectations of between £85m and £95m. The joint venture comprises 1,099 shop-in-shops and 158 standalone stores in the US.

The good growth from Carphone’s US division offset a slower performance at its European arm, CPW Europe. The retailer said that like-for-like sales growth across this division was 0.7pc. It said that pre-pay connections were down year-on-year, causing a drop of 7.1pc in overall connections. Despite this figure, Carphone’s UK business performed strongly, with like-for-like sales growth of 2.3pc. It said that the UK growth “helped to offset tough economic conditions in a number of continental European markets”.

About 75pc of the phones Carphone sold over the three months to January 1, 2011, were smartphones, the company said.

Carphone said that it was on track to deliver full-year earnings per share at the top of analysts’ forecasts.

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Fashion company Burberry has reported a jump in sales during the last three months of 2010, reports the BBC.

Overall revenues were up 27% on an underlying basis in the quarter, with retail sales rising 36% and wholesale revenues 15% higher.

Burberry said annual profits were now set to be at the top end of forecasts.

“Ongoing initiatives in retail, digital, product development and new markets underpin our confidence in the future,” said boss Angela Ahrendts.

Burberry said it had seen a particularly strong performance in the UK, France, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Non-clothing items, namely leather goods such as bags and accessories, also enjoyed strong growth.

Burberry is known for its distinctive check pattern designs.

It recently adopted a new pricing strategy which means that its core items, such as its trademark rain coats and cashmere scarves, are never discounted.

Burberry opened seven stores during the third quarter, including Sao Paulo in Brazil, Puebla in Mexico, Milan in Italy, and Beijing in China.

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