Britain

Britain's Department of Business, Innovation and Skills says that it will spend its money "on helping young people wanting to go to university for the first time". But this is bad news for UK graduates who want to become bureaucrats in Brussels.

As the winter begins to end, our thoughts turn slowly towards romance. And where better to treat the one you love to a day out than in beautiful... Yorkshire? Strange as it sounds, the northern English region has something special for lovers.

Britain is experiencing the lowest winter temperatures for decades. People badly need something warm to drink, and an enterprising Norfolk farming family has got it: St. George's, the very first English-distilled whisky since the 19th century.

His horses have won every major event in racing, with the lone exception of the Kentucky Derby. In the past two years, he has invested £150 million in buying 10 horses, which are flown to his training facilities in a custom-built 747.

With companies going broke, banks collapsing and even Dubai finding it hard to find money, British leisure company Halford's surprised the markets by announcing a 24 per cent earnings increase. "Staycationers" helped create this recession miracle.