Her Majesty the Queen, turns 90....

Today, the Queen becomes the nation's first-ever Nonagenarian Monarch. 

On the 9 September 2015, the Queen broke the record held by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria by being on the throne for 63 years and seven months.

God save the Queen!

Happy birthday Her Majesty 🎂👏👏   

Celebrations mark Queen's 90th birthday

• 22 minutes ago
 
• From the section UK

Image copyrightGetty Images

Celebrations are taking place around the country on the day the Queen turns 90.

Crowds lined the streets in Windsor as the monarch took part in a walkabout, and royal gun salutes have been fired from each of the UK's capital cities.

The Prince of Wales recorded a special radio broadcast for the day, in which he read an edited passage from William Shakespeare's Henry VIII. 

On Twitter, the Queen thanked senders of "#HappyBirthdayYourMajesty" tweets.

Follow the day's live events as Queen turns 90

In another tweet, the Queen said: "I send my best wishes to those who are celebrating their 90th birthday... on this shared occasion, I send my warm congratulations to you." 

The Queen, who was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh during her tour in Windsor, was presented with a birthday cake at the Guildhall by the Great British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain, who had created an orange drizzle cake with a butter cream and marmalade filling. 

The monarch unveiled a plaque marking The Queen's Walkway - a 6.3km trail that links 63 significant points in Windsor.

The trail was designed to recognise the moment on 9 September 2015 that the monarch broke the record held by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, by being on the throne for 63 years and seven months.

Later on Thursday, the Queen will light symbolic beacons in Windsor.

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On the scene

Image copyrightAP

By Lauren Turner, BBC News reporter

This was, in many ways, an ordinary working day for the Queen. Unveiling a plaque, meeting flag-waving members of the public on a walkabout, being presented with a bouquet of flowers - these are things she has done thousands of times. But the crowds weren't going to let her forget that this day, her 90th birthday, was something out of the ordinary. 

Some had been waiting for hours - some for days - to catch a glimpse of the Queen on the day she became the nation's first-ever nonagenarian monarch. 

The crowds were 10 deep in places, with locals from Windsor desperate to see their regal neighbour standing alongside those from Canada, America and Japan. They came wearing Union Jack ties and wigs, and tights embellished with crowns. 

As the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh walked the short distance from Windsor Castle, a spontaneous rendition of Happy Birthday rang out - and it wouldn't be the last. 

"Oh, I can see her!" someone shouted out, spotting a glimpse of her lime green hat. 

There were three cheers for the Queen and excited applause as she passed the crowds on her way to the Guildhall. 

One woman who has lived nearly as long as the Queen summed up the atmosphere. Gwen Tarr, 88, who says she is "Windsor born and bred", said: "It was so lovely. I just wanted to celebrate the day with her and wish her a happy birthday - and many more birthdays to come."

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Most of the gun salutes were due to be 21 shots - the standard royal gun salute - at locations including Hillsborough Castle, Cardiff Castle, and Edinburgh Castle. 

In London, the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery staged a 41-gun salute at midday in Hyde Park. And the Honourable Artillery Company fired a 62-gun salute across the Thames from the Tower of London at 13:00 BST.

Image captionThe Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh travelled the streets of Windsor in an open top Range Rover

Image captionThe Queen met well-wishers in Windsor

Image captionThe Queen was presented with a birthday cake at the Guildhall in Windsor by the Great British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain

Prime Minister David Cameron said the Queen had been "a rock of strength for our nation" and the Commonwealth, as he and fellow politicians paid tribute in the House of Commons.

Mr Cameron said: "Her Majesty The Queen has lived through some extraordinary times in our world.

"From the Second World War... to the rations with which she bought the material for her wedding dress. 

"From presenting the World Cup to England at Wembley in 1966, to man landing on the moon three years later.

"From the end of the Cold War to peace in Northern Ireland. 

"Throughout it all, as the sands of culture shift and the tides of politics ebb and flow, Her Majesty has been steadfast - a rock of strength for our nation, for our Commonwealth and on many occasions for the whole world." 

Image copyrightPA

Image captionThe Queen was presented with flowers from the crowd in Windsor

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionPeople from Windsor, Canada, America and Japan cheered the Queen in Windsor

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionThere was a gun salute at Edinburgh Castle

The reading by Prince Charles, which has been broadcast by the BBC, is an extract from a speech by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to King Henry VIII after the birth of the future Queen Elizabeth I. 

Media captionPrince Charles pays Shakespearean tribute to the Queen

Earlier, a photograph was released showing the monarch with young members of the Royal Family.

The image, one of three taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, shows the Queen surrounded by her five great-grandchildren and her two youngest grandchildren.

The other Leibovitz photographs show the monarch walking in the grounds of Windsor Castle with four of her dogs and sitting with her daughter, the Princess Royal.

Image copyrightAnnie Leibovitz/PA 

Image captionThe Queen with her great-grandchildren and youngest grandchildren. From left: James, Viscount Severn; Lady Louise Windsor; Mia Tindall (holding the Queen's handbag); Princess Charlotte; Savannah Phillips; Prince George and Isla Phillips

Image copyrightAnnie Leibovitz/PA 

Image captionThe Queen on steps at the rear of the East Terrace and East Garden with her four dogs, her corgis Willow and Holly and dorgis Vulcan and Candy

Image copyrightAnnie Leibovitz/PA 

Image captionOne of the pictures is an informal shot of the Queen with her daughter, Princess Anne

The image of the Queen with the young royals was taken in the Green Drawing Room, part of Windsor Castle's semi-State apartments just after Easter.

In it, the Queen - in the tradition of royal portraiture - holds her youngest great-grandchild Princess Charlotte, who is 11 months old, in her arms.

Also appearing in the image is two-year-old Prince George, Zara Phillips's two-year-old daughter Mia Tindall, who holds the Queen's famous black handbag, and Peter Phillips's daughters Savannah, five, and three-year-old Isla.

The Queen is also joined by the two youngest of her eight grandchildren - the Earl and Countess of Wessex's children - James, Viscount Severn, eight, and Lady Louise Windsor.

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Queen's 90th: What's happening and when?

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionMonarchy fans were out early in Windsor, waiting for the Queen's walkabout

• 21 April - The Queen will unveil a plaque on Windsor's Queen's Walkway, before lighting the first of a chain of beacons. Gun salutes will also be held across the UK
• 12-15 May - Celebrations featuring hundreds of horses and performers in the grounds of Windsor Castle
• 10 June - A national service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral
• 11 June - The annual Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade
• 12 June - The Queen will host a street party for 10,000 people in the Mall

Full details of Queen's birthday celebrations

World media mark Queen's 90th birthday

Cameron and Corbyn lead tributes

In pictures: The Queen at 90 in 90 images

iWonder - Britain’s longest reigning monarch

Full coverage: The Queen at 90 

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Highest peaks

In the evening the Queen will be accompanied by Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall, as she lights the first of more than 900 beacons across the UK and the world to mark her birthday. 

Members of the Army cadet force will take beacons to the top of the highest peaks of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Some of the beacons will be specially-built gas-fuelled structures, while others will be traditional bonfires or braziers on top of tall wooden posts. 

Image copyrightAFP/Getty Images

Image captionWell-wishers gathered in Windsor ahead of the Queen's walkabout

Image captionBBC correspondent Christian Fraser spotted a London Underground tribute to the Queen at just the right moment

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionThese fans travelled to Windsor from Wales

To coincide with the Queen's birthday, the largest exhibition of the Queen's clothes and accessories ever shown in Scotland will open at the Palace of Holyroodhouse later.

The display has been selected to cover the Queen's life and reign, and includes evening and day wear.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionThe largest exhibition of the Queen's clothes and accessories ever shown in Scotland will open at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

On Friday, US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be joining the Queen for lunch at Windsor Castle.

Every year the Queen celebrates two birthdays, with her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on a Saturday in June. 

Celebrations of her official birthday this year take place from 10-12 June.

• The Prince of Wales's reading from Shakespeare was broadcast at 07:20 GMT (08:20 BST) on BBC World Service radio and at about 08:40 BST on BBC Radio 4's Today programme

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Queen Elizabeth II at 90

• The Queen has been married for 68 years, longer than any other British monarch
• Her coronation was the first to be televised and was watched by over 20 million people in the UK
• There have been 12 UK prime ministers, seven Archbishops of Canterbury and seven Popes during her reign
• She has sat for more than 130 official portrait paintings
• During her reign, she has visited 117 countries, travelling more than a million miles
• In 2012 she became the second British monarch to celebrate a diamond jubilee, and in 2015 became the UK's longest reigning monarch

Nigerian Senate tells Amaechi to apologise or Resign....

Once a thief, always a thief!
 Amaechi and his APC clowns are so desperate to liquidate Nigerians. They started with their desperation to capture Asorock, yes they succeeded because Goodluck Jonathan chosed to save lives, even at that, innocent bloods are still flowing. Amaechi and his APC demons are men of the underworld who mischievously took over power to perfect the work of their master and King-the devil!

No fuel, no light, no food, no education, no transportation, no peace, blood shed everywhere in Nigeria yet Amaechi and his APC killers are comfortably living! They enjoy 24 hours electricity yet part of Nigerians. They go wherever they want to go without thinking of how or where to fuel their vehicles. They shed shed innocent bloods without a second thought about the Maker.

Shameless APC's with the heart of their father- the devil!


Budget falsehood: Senate tells Amaechi to apologise or resign

●says there was no Calabar-Lagos rail project  in the budget
●describes Amaechi  as a mischievous  politician plotting to set North and South  on collision  course

The senate has called for the resignation of Chibuike Amaechi, minister of transportation, over his claim that national assembly removed an item – the Lagos-Calabar rail project – from the 2016 budget.

The senate advised the presidency to come clean with Nigerians on the budget and “stop engaging in surreptitious campaigns of calumny against it in order to cover up its serial errors”.

Reacting to claims in the media credited to the executive arm of government on the 2016 budget, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, chairman, senate committee on media and public affairs, said the national assembly had bent backwards to wring a coherent document out of the excessively flawed and chaotic versions of the budget proposal submitted to it.

“While the executive is mandated to prepare and lay before the national assembly a proposed budget detailing projects to be executed, it should be made clear that the responsibility and power of appropriation lies with the national assembly,” he said in a statement.

“If the presidency expects us to return the budget proposal to them without any adjustments, then some people must be living in a different era and probably have not come to terms with democracy.

“We make bold to say, however, that the said Lagos-Calabar rail project was not included in the budget proposal presented to the national assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari and we challenge anyone who has any evidence to the contrary to present such to Nigerians.

“Since the beginning of the 2016 budget process, it is clear that the national assembly has suffered all manners of falsehood, deliberate distortion of facts, and outright blackmail, deliberately aimed at poisoning the minds of the people against the institution of the national assembly.

“We have endured this with equanimity in the overall interest of Nigerians. Even when the original submission was surreptitiously swapped and we ended up having two versions of the budget, which was almost incomprehensible and heavily padded in a manner that betrays lack of coordination and gross incompetence, we refused to play to the gallery and instead helped the executive to manage the hugely embarrassing situation it has brought upon itself; but enough is enough.

“This latest antics of this particular minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is reckless, uncalled for and dangerously divisive. Apart from setting the people of the southern part of the country against their northern compatriots, it potentially sets the people against their lawmakers from the concerned constituencies and sets the lawmakers against themselves.

“This manner of reprehensible mischief has no place in a democracy. We hereby demand from Mr. Amaechi a publicly tendered apology if he is not able to show evidence that the Lagos-Calabar road project was included in the budget. Otherwise, he should resign forthwith.

“Finally, by the provision of Section 81 (4) (a) and (b) of the constitution, the President is allowed to sign the budget and kick-start the implementation of the other areas that constitute over 90 percent of the budget where there is agreement between both arms, even as we engage ourselves to resolve the contentious areas, if there were any. We therefore maintain that even this contrived discrepancies are not sufficient excuse not to sign the budget into law.

“We therefore urge President Buhari to sign the 2016 budget without any further delay. For every additional day that the president withholds his assent from the bill, the hardship in the land, which is already becoming intolerable for the masses of our people gets even more complicated. Certainly, as primary representatives of the people we shall not vacate our responsibility and watch the people continue to suffer unduly.”

Sourced by Scannews.

West Ham United to Move into their new home at the end of 2015-2016 season

Olympic bosses ordered to reveal West Ham stadium deal

• 2 hours ago
 
• From the section London

Image copyrightPA

Image captionWest Ham are poised to move into their new home at the end of the 2015-16 season

Olympic Stadium bosses have been ordered to reveal details of their deal with West Ham United over the club's use of the east London venue.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) fought a ruling that the contract should be made public, but the appeal has been rejected by an Information Tribunal.

The LLDC said the decision could cost the organisation "millions of pounds".

West Ham are due to move to the Olympic Stadium at the end of the season.

A LLDC spokesperson said the decision "could significantly impact [on] the stadium's ability to act competitively" and it is considering its next steps.

It has the right to appeal against the latest decision, but only on a point of law.

Final bill raises questions over West Ham deal

West Ham costs 'met by taxpayer'

New details on West Ham stadium deal

West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady has previously said she fought for the best deal, but has denied this was at the expense of taxpayers.

A fans' group which called for the publication of the contract said it was "naturally delighted with the outcome".

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Analysis: By Frank Keogh, BBC Sport

Image copyrightWest Ham

This latest decision marks a significant chapter in a long-running tug of war over whether the deal should be made public.

Supporters of publication say they have every right to know where public money has been spent.

The LLDC insists commercial sensitivity could impact on other business, while West Ham are keeping their distance, saying they have nothing to hide.

If the deal is published, the focus is likely to be on how much rent the Hammers are paying and the arrangements for a stadium naming rights partner.

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Football supporters first submitted a Freedom of Information request to obtain the tenancy agreement amid claims the LLDC would subsidise the rent.

As a result, the Information Commissioner ordered the deal should be made public.

However, bosses appealed saying it would place them at a commercial disadvantage, undermine negotiations and reduce returns to the taxpayer.

In January, the London Assembly heard that about £17,000 had been spent by the corporation to stop details of the deal being revealed.

Andrew Boff, a member of the assembly, said he was "delighted we have a legal confirmation for what the assembly has been saying unanimously for some time".

It has previously been revealed West Ham will not have to pay for staff, including cleaners and turnstile operators, when the club moves into the new ground.

Image copyrightPA