QUEEN ELIZABETH II has ruled Britain for nearly 70 years, and many of us cannot remember a time when she was not on the throne. And during her long reign, one item in particular has become synonymous with the monarch.

KATE MIDDLETON, 38, wowed fans by appearing in a video with a new mother and midwives. The Duchess of Cambridge did so ahead of UK's Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week.

THE QUEEN addressed the nation as part of VE Day celebrations today, and Her Majesty wore her Aquamarine Clip Brooches, making a sweet nod to her father, who gave her the jewellery.

Storm Ciara is threatening to cause chaos with this week's sporting events including Premier League football, Six Nations rugby and eight horse racing meets.

Around 21,000 children die every day around the world.

That is equivalent to:

• 1 child dying every 4 seconds
• 14 children dying every minute
• A 2011 Libya conflict-scale death toll every day
• A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring every 10 days
• A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring every 11 days
• An Iraq-scale death toll every 19–46 days
• Just under 7.6 million children dying every year
• Some 92 million children dying between 2000 and 2010

The silent killers are poverty, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes.

Despite the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage.

This update includes updated numbers, charts and graphs. It shows that there is steady progress each year in reducing the number of children that die each year, but clearly the number is still high.

Read full article: Today, almost 21,000 children died around the world

The global financial crisis has spawned a global protest movement campaigning against things like inequality, corporate greed, lack of jobs, etc. Although these protests have occurred for decades, they have typically been in the developing countries, or about the situation in developing countries. As such, many Western nations, who have strongly influenced the conditions in developing countries, have typically not paid much attention to such protests, no matter how large. However, this time, the global financial crisis has hit the ordinary citizens of Western nations quite hard, and inspired by the Arab Spring and protests in Spain, a global movement seems to have sprung up.

The global protests page had not been updated since the end of 2003, but has not included a brief overview of more recent protests such as the so-called Occupy Movement. The older content remains because it is interesting to note some of the parallels too, and it is perhaps important to note that these protests are unfortunately not new. Whether this time it can make a difference is too early to tell but a lot of people in wealthy countries this time are also participating.

Read full article: Public Protests Around the World

In the US the protest movement is symbolically against the top 1%. Income data from the US Congressional Budget Office, however, shows that it isn’t just the top 1% benefiting far more than the rest of American society, but the top 0.1% in particular.

High levels of inequality is generally believed to affect social cohesion. Some findings suggest that once nations are industrialized, more equal societies almost always do better in terms of health, well-being and social cohesion and that large income inequalities within societies destroys the social fabric and quality of life for everyone.

This update to the poverty page adds a section on inequality in the US, as well as adding some additional information about research showing globally some 147 multinational companies having core global influence and power.

Read full article: Poverty Around the World

US campaign financing rules have been relaxed even further in recent years, making a worrying problem about the state of American democracy worse (because those with money have even more ability to try and buy votes or influence policy).

Media coverage of this issue, though it may pop up from time to time, seems quite limited. Perhaps because it is estimated that television stations this year could make as much as eight billion dollars from political campaigns.

The state of US mainstream media has unfortunately been lamentable for many years, and after the issues around hurricane Katrina, it was thought that the media would be rejuvenated. Unfortunately it does not seem that way.

This page has been updated with further information about campaign financing issues and how limits in the US have been lifted making the problem worse. Also added were notes on US press freedom, and an info graphic on media ownership concentration.

Read full article: Media in the United States

It seems the world is awash with money, even though most governments are facing economic pressures. Trillions are being hidden away by a very few global super elite in offshore bank accounts, avoiding billions in taxes such that constrained governments turn to austerity and other measures, inflicting more hardship on people who are typically already victims of the global financial crisis. Furthermore, it turns out that many of the banks we have all bailed out help with these offshore practices in various ways.

Tax avoidance by the super rich results in lost revenues in the order of hundreds of billions a year, which would (in theory at least) benefit most of society. But if you can afford an army of ingenious lawyers and accountants, it seems you can play by a different set of rules.

Recent high profile cases of companies and individuals avoiding taxes in recent years has resulted in governments claiming they will address this issue thoroughly. But that is as far as it seems to go.

This update includes additional figures and examples of recent tax avoidance issues that have come to light.

Read full article: Tax Avoidance and Tax Havens; Undermining Democracy

In recent years, global military expenditure has increased again and is now comparable to Cold War levels. Recent data shows global spending at over $1.7 trillion, despite the global economic conditions. It is still approximately 1% increase since 2008 when the financial crisis began, for example.

Not all nations have felt the impacts of the global financial crisis in the same way. Some have grown economically, including many Asian countries, which has allowed some of them to increase their military spending. There are geopolitical interests at stake for various powers, so economic troubles or not, military spending is seen as important to maintain, or at least to minimize possible reductions.

The highest military spender is the US accounting for 39% of the world’s spending, more than the next top 10 countries combined, and more than all its potential enemies, combined. But this represents a slight decline over previous years as other nations, especially China and Russia, increase their spending. At the same time, the US has reduced military spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while Western Europe’s austerity programs affect their military spending budgets.

This update includes new and updated figures, graphs and charts exploring this further.

Read full article: World Military Spending

A recent study has found that three quarters of the world’s big carnivores are in decline, due to declining habitats and persecution by humans. This is also having a negative impact on the environment because top predators have a crucial role in any given ecosystem which is hard to replace.

At the same time, the number of rhinos being poached in South Africa (where most rhinos now remain) has soared exponentially in recent years.

This update includes more information on the above issues.

Read full article: Nature and Animal Conservation

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has suggested he could leave Ibrox after their defeat to Hearts as the manager said he will consider his future over the next couple of days.

In these unprecedented times, we have published the following open letter thanking those working in the meat industry in Wales for their co-operation.

ELVIS PRESLEY's Sunday Meatloaf can be made at home and now Graceland chef's has shown fans how from the mansion's kitchen in a new video.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 6 may go ahead without Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow and fans are having none of it.

The Ryder Cup remains scheduled to take place in September despite other major golf tournaments being postponed.

EXCLUSIVE: Justin Rose opens up on applauding the NHS from afar, supporting online fundraising efforts with fellow celebrities and why the Ryder Cup should not take place behind closed doors.

The PGA Tour has been disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic - but will player eligibility be affected?

LYING flat out on a hot stone table, wearing nothing but the skimpiest of briefs, I suddenly felt incredibly uneasy. A Turkish man, topless and muscular, entered the room, threw freezing water over me then rubbed my stomach with abrasive mittens… and this was meant to be a holiday!

Waking up in the Maldives is pure joy.

AS I SIT at the bar looking out across the best, white-sand beach in Jamaica, the chilled beats of reggae's latest superstar bounce across the breeze. The chorus to local boy Chronixx's "Skankin' Sweet" kicks in. An ode to parking the stresses of life and appreciating the good things, his lyrics "forget your troubles and rock with me," certainly resonate throughout this laid-back Caribbean island nation.

From classic culture to stylish food, enjoy being pampered in Greece.

STATE pension age is continually being reviewed and altered by the government. The latest change occurred earlier this week.

UNIVERSAL CREDIT claims have surged in recent weeks, as Britons have begun to feel the impact of the coronavirus crisis. How do earnings affect payments?

California is the mecca of vacation attractions and excitement. It’s known for its beautiful scenery and infamous weather year-round. If you’re planning a family trip, you have your pick from Universal Studios Hollywood, Discovery Kingdom,...

The post Best Cities to Visit in Southern California appeared first on Geeky Traveller.

You can’t say that you have travelled until you visit all the continents of the world. If you’re a hardcore traveler, it’s best to explore not only one side of the globe, but all parts...

The post Travel to Different Corners of the World appeared first on Geeky Traveller.

Travelling to Antarctica is usually a once in a lifetime experience, and one many people have on their bucket lists. It’s not surprising, considering the dramatic icebergs, huge areas of wilderness and sensational lagoons. Just...

The post 5 Ways To Get The Most Out Of A Trip To Antarctica appeared first on Geeky Traveller.

Express Sport have rounded up five deals that could yet still happen between now and the transfer deadline at 11pm later tonight.

CELTIC will need to up their offer to David Turnbull if they want to salvage his £3million transfer.

HOLIDAYS have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic which has killed more than 100,000 people worldwide. When can we go on holiday again?

UK HOLIDAYS and staycations are becoming more sought after since the coronavirus pandemic sent most the world into lockdown back in March. With many planning their next staycation, the Trip Sisters gave their verdict on the best UK destinations for your next trip.

AIRCRAFT engineers are on hand to do everything from small bits of daily maintenance at the end of a flight, to fixing major issues to avoid a fatal emergency. However, they also have the task of unclogging toilets - discovering some very bizarre items along the way.

Tottenham have been tipped to sign Ryan Fraser when his contract with Bournemouth ends.

Novak Djokovic has been involved in controversial talks with a friend on Instagram.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is planning for the future this summer as the Blues add two more highly rated youngsters to their list of transfer targets.

MICHAEL JACKSON is known for being an incredible singing voice and epic dance moves - but who is his youngest child Blanket and who is Blanket's mother?

MICHAEL JACKSON'S death shocked many people - but what happened to his home, the Neverland ranch?

MUSIC rounds are some of the funniest and most tricky pub quiz sections to master - here are our favourite quiz questions.

FINISH THE LYRICS is one of the most fun rounds in a pub quiz - here is our pick of the best pub quiz questions to include.

ELVIS PRESLEY's Sunday Meatloaf can be made at home and now Graceland chef's has shown fans how from the mansion's kitchen in a new video.

FA Cup fourth round action takes place this weekend - but when is the draw for the fifth round? Express Sport is on hand with the date, start time and TV information for the draw.

Jeff the Chef Foods Ltd is recalling a variety of Chicken Parmo and Doner Kebab products because they have been labelled with a ‘use by’ date of 1 April 2020 or 2 April 2020 instead of 1 March 2020

Mizkan Euro Ltd is recalling Branston Pickle products because they may contain pieces of plastic.

Coop is recalling Frozen Hash Browns because they may contain pieces of white plastic. The possible presence of plastic makes this product unsafe to eat.

Unilever is recalling Wall’s Mini Calippo (Orange and Lemon-Lime) multi-packs because they may contain small pieces of metal. The presence of metal makes this product unsafe to eat.

DRIVING instructors work hard to help people pass their driving tests - but are they still working during the lockdown?

POLICE in Essex have admitted the decision was made to "take no further action" on many low level traffic offences last month as road crimes hit record levels.

CAR TAX changes and grants for those purchasing brand new fully electric vehicles means there's "never been a better time" to switch, according to an EV expert.

SAMSUNG has refreshed its Galaxy Buds with a new Plus model offering something that Apple AirPods simply can't match. Here's our full Galaxy Buds+ review.

GOOGLE CHROME is the undisputed champion of the internet browser marketplace, but one of its big rivals has received a major update that may tempt you over.