英国について、以下のようなニュースがありました。
一つ目はBBCから英国の人口がかなりの速度で増加しているという話。2016年までに440万人増加して6500万人に到達するそうなのです、増加の約半分、210万人は移民によるものだそうです。かなりの増加っぷりですね。
UK population ‘to hit 65m total’
The population of the UK is set to increase by 4.4 million to 65 million by 2016, according to new projections.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates 2.3 million of the rise would be a natural increase and 2.1 million down to migration.
Further projections say the population would reach 71 million by 2031 and 77 million in 2051.
Forecasts of fertility, life expectancy and inward migration have all increased since they were last made in 2004.
（後略）
もとの記事はこちらから。
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7057765.stm
二つ目は、TIMESから50万ポンド紙幣を偽造して、イングランド銀行に買い取らせようとしたグループの話。「50万ポンド紙幣は歴史上発行されたことがない」とイングランド銀行に言われても、「スペシャルエディションだ」なんて言い切ってしまうところがすごいですよね。かなり大胆な犯行です。50万ポンドって、1億円以上ですよね。20ポンドとか、50ポンドでちまちま何枚も印刷するのが面倒くさかったのでしょうか。20ポンド札の偽造と比べて、資源の節約にはなるかもしれませんが、1億円札というのはやりすぎな気がします。そういう話ではありませんね。
October 23, 2007
Haven’t you got anything smaller?
Adam Fresco, Crime Correspondent
An international counterfeiting gang tried to con the Bank of England out of £28 billion with “special issue” £500,000 notes that they had invented, a court was told yesterday.
They wanted the Bank to pay them the face value for thousands of forged notes, also including £1,000 notes – a denomination that had not been legal tender for more than 60 years. Southwark Crown Court was told that only 63 of the notes remain unaccounted for by the Bank of England.
Members of the gang told bank officials that they were representatives of Chinese families from the preCommunist era who owned the money and wished to exchange it.
They said that only six owners were left – ranging from 109 to 116 years of age – “so time is of the essence, every day counts”, the jury was told.
But their plan was undone by a number of errors: there never was a £500,000 note, they referred to the bank in documents as the “England Bank” and they did not correctly forge the signature of Sir Jasper Quintus Hollom, the chief cashier of the Bank of England, the court was told. He always used his first two initials when signing his name rather than just the second that the gang used.
The money they claimed to possess represented more than two thirds of all sterling in circulation, Martin Evans, for the prosecution, told the court.
（後略）
もとの記事はこちらから。
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2719552.ece
