Save the Travel Bookshop

The economic downturn had hit one of Britain’s most famous book stores.

After more than three decades in business the Travel Bookshop is due to close in two weeks unless a last-minute buyer can be found.

The well-known bookshop in west London was the inspiration for the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill in which its owner, played by Hugh Grant, met and fell in love with a famous film actress played by Julia Roberts.

The 1999 movie turned the store into one of London’s most popular tourist attraction, regardless of the fact that the scenes were not filmed in the store, but in a nearby antique shop with recreated interiors.

The Travel Bookshop is having a bad time, but a group of supporters are rallying to save it from closure. In fact, this group of writers and poets is offering to volunteer a day a week to help run it if a new buyer can be found.

Meanwhile, other independent bookshops all over the country are threatened with closure because of the recession.

BBC journalists go on strike

BBC journalists nationwide went on strike yesterday in protest at compulsory redundancies.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is facing significant cuts to the central government grants that fund BBC Monitoring and the World Service. A number of compulsory redundancies have already been made and more job cuts are expected in the coming weeks.

Picket lines were mounted outside studios and offices, including the BBC TV Centre in west London and cities like Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester. Meanwhile significant parts of the BBC news network were disrupted due to the strike and there is a warning of more disruption on the way.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is solidly supporting the BBC journalists and staged walkouts that hit several shows on Radio 4 and 5 Live and caused the loss of radio flagships PM and The World at One. NUJ general secretary, Michelle Stanistreet is said to have told strikers they have had messages of support from other unions and members of the public who think that quality journalism is under attack.

Lucy Adams, the BBC's director of business operations, said six out of seven employees were working normally and only limited changes to programmes had been made.

NUJ and BBC bosses will meet for talks next week, on August 11.