UK News: Union bosses' £100k pay packets revealed

Thirty seven trade union general secretaries and chief executives took home six-figure sums last year, according to The TaxPayers' Alliance.

Warning on mortgages

A "TSUNAMI" of homeowners face falling behind on mortgage repayments when interest rates begin to rise, a leading banker has warned.

Richard Banks, the chief executive of UK Asset Resolution (Ukar), believes a "scary" number of families face being repossessed unless lenders prepare for higher rates.

Ministers unveil plan for universities shake-up

MINISTERS were today setting out plans for the most radical shake-up of the university system for decades.

The UK Government was set to publish its White Paper on higher education, containing measures to open up the sector.

The reforms are tied to the Government's plans to triple tuition fees to 9000 from 2012. The package was expected to contain measures to allow popular universities to take in any student who gains at least two A grades and a B at A-level.

Paxman's quiz failure

JEREMY Paxman has revealed that he tried out for University Challenge as a student - but failed to get into the team. The famously abrasive presenter, 61, who has hosted University Challenge for 17 years, was not picked to join his fellow students because he was unable to answer the questions.

He said: "I did have a go. I didn't get chosen!"

Annie Lennox picks up OBE

POP star Annie Lennox was set to be presented with an OBE by the Queen today for her work fighting Aids and poverty in Africa.

The former Eurythmics singer headed a list of personalities to be honoured by the Queen during a Buckingham Palace ceremony.

Kent: An investigation has been launched into the deaths of two police dogs which were left in a car on one of the hottest days of the year. The Metropolitan Police animals were found collapsed in an unventilated vehicle at the force's training centre in Keston, Kent, on Sunday.

Manchester: A man was being held by police today on suspicion of aggravated burglary following the death of a suspected burglar. Greater Manchester Police said a 23-year-old man from Hyde handed himself in. John Leonard Bennell, 27, was stabbed to death following an attempted raid on a house in Salford.