Here’s our edited roundup of the news stories you need to know about this week – the what, who, where, why and the whens…
Prince William Spoilt On His 32nd Birthday
Prince Wills received a luxury helicopter worth almost Dhs50 million for his 32nd birthday, thanks to his granny, the Queen of England.
It’s reported that the future king received a 2008 Agusta A109S Grand helicopter shortly before his birthday on Saturday. He and his wife, Kate Middleton, 32, are known to travel by helicopter for many royal engagements and using the same aircraft for trips is seen as a thriftier option than leasing different aircrafts each time.
“It has been leased for a fixed number of hours per year,” a spokesman for the Queen said. “It has been leased in this way because it offers good value for money and because it provides for better safety and security than taking a diverse number of short term leases.”
Victoria Beckham Oversees Construction of New Shop
Victoria Beckham isn’t known for getting her hands dirty, but last weekend she donned a hard hat and high-vis vest to visit her new London store.
The former Spice Girl-turned-designer tweeted several pictures from the building site, along with captions such as: “Hard hats and vests! Architect meeting at Victoria Beckham Dover St, London x vb (now I really love this vest!)”
The boutique, which is located on Dover Street in Mayfair, is scheduled to open in September. Although 40-year-old VB has collections in department stores across the world, as well as online, this will be her label’s first store.
Rooney Apologises to Fans after England is Kicked Out of World Cup
Just eight days into their 2014 Fifa World Cup bid, England met their final defeat. After being beaten by Uruguay, the team hung up their boots for the last time.
Speaking at a press conference over the weekend, Wayne Rooney offered a heartfelt apology to fans saying: “The fans have been incredible to us, flying all this way and giving us the support they have. Back home there were kids staying up late and watching the games. Out here, the fans have been amazing. It’s not the easiest place for them to come, so we appreciate the efforts they have made and we’re sorry for not going through.”
Apple Set To Launch First Smartwatch
It’s reported that mass production of Apple’s first niche gadget, the smartwatch, will begin in July.
The tech chiefs are currently tight-lipped about the project, however worldwide web rumours suggest that it’s being produced in Taiwan and is likely to be called the iWatch.
Russell Brand continues Political Crusade
Russell Brand addressed an estimated 50,000 people in London, while taking part in a political protest.
The demonstrators, who are against austerity measures introduced by the coalition government, marched from the BBC Broadcasting House to Westminster.
Speaking in front of the Houses of Parliament, brand said to the crowd: “The people of this building [the House of Commons] generally speaking do not represent us, they represent their friends in big business. It’s time for us to take back our power.”