UK unemployment rose by 44,000 to almost 2.5 million in the three months to the end of December, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. Youth unemployment rose to a fresh record high, with more than one in five 16 to 24-year-olds out of work after a rise of 66,000 to 965,000.

Cool Ping Notes found in London

The Queen is engaged in an unprecedented austerity drive as accounts reveal she will run out of money within two years.

The number of people unemployed in the UK rose by 53,000 to 2.51 million during the three months to March, official figures have shown. The unemployment total is now at its highest level since December 1994. However, the total number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell in April by 27,100 to 1.52 million - a sharper fall than expected. The rate of unemployment remained at 8%, the Office for National Statistics said.

About 600 new jobs will be created in Sunderland as car maker Nissan announced it will build its electric car, the Leaf, in the area. About 50,000 electric cars will be made at the manufacturing plant in Sunderland each year, where the firm employs 4,000 people. The majority of new jobs will be at a new facility, also in Sunderland, where 60,000 batteries will be made.

The number of Britons claiming unemployment benefits fell unexpectedly in February, but the number of people in employment also fell to a four-year low. Economists react to the latest official labour market figures

Ford Motor Co.'s (F) European division said Thursday it plans to invest GBP1.5 billion in four U.K. facilities over the next five years as part of its effort to foster green technology after the U.S. auto maker secured a GBP360 million loan guarantee from the British government. "Our customers will benefit from this extensive investment and so too will the 100,000 people in the U.K. whose jobs are directly or indirectly dependent on Ford," Ford of Britain Chairman Joe Greenwell said in a statement.

Article from www.lesarmitage.com

Service sector activity has grown at its fastest rate for over two years in February, according to the latest CIPS/Markit survey.