Eight towns, from the capital of the Falkland Islands to Dunfermline in Scotland, have been given city status to mark the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
Colchester, Doncaster and Milton Keynes in England, Bangor in Northern Ireland and Wrexham in Wales have also won the honour," the Cabinet Office said.
Stanley in the Falklands is the first UK overseas territory to be declared a city, and Douglas on the crown dependency of the Isle of Man has also received raised status.
They are some of the places that “make Britain great”, said the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Steve Barclay.
“What was clear to me during the process of assessing each application was the pride that people felt for their communities, local cultural heritage and the royal family," Mr Barclay said.
“As we celebrate Her Majesty the queen’s colossal contribution to society, I am thrilled that we are able to recognise some of the many places that make Britain great.
“It is also incredibly reflective of Her Majesty’s global outlook and years of international service that applicants from the overseas territories and crown dependencies have been selected as winners for the first time.”
The new cities can expect a boost to local communities and open up new opportunities for people who live there, the Cabinet Office said.
Stanley’s sustainable practices and civic pride also helped it to seal its new status.
The award comes as the 40th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War, after Argentinian forces invaded on April 2, 1982, has seen residents come together to remember the sacrifices made in the conflict.
The anniversary includes celebrations and special events such as Peat Cutting Monday and the annual Stanley Sports Race Meeting, which includes horse racing and gymkhana events.
The Falkland Islands has been a regular place for royal visits for many years, starting with the late Prince Philip in 1957.
Stanley’s top-quality fisheries management has been key to the long-term sustainability of the industry.
It is home to the Government Fisheries Departments, which has seen the development of a range of world leading bycatch mitigation measures.
Douglas is a cultural centre. The Royal Hall is home to annual concerts by the Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra, the Isle of Man Choral Society, and the Manx Last Night of the Proms.
It stages the annual Manx Music Festival and there is also an Isle of Man Film Festival and events that celebrate Gaelic culture.
The Queen is patron of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution that originates from Douglas. George IV was the original patron, before it became the RNLI under the patronage of Queen Victoria in 1854.
Douglas has also given its industrial quayside and town centre area an upgrade in a sweep of urban regeneration.
Doncaster’s bid showed its community spirit and resilience after the floods in 2019, where locals rallied to provide relief.
It has more than 70 places of worship and its mosques and gurdwaras became pop-up vaccination centres during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was originally a Roman settlement and has an industrial heritage that is built on rail and coal.
Important locomotives including The Flying Scotsman and The Mallard were built there.
Horse racing fans will know Doncaster as the home of the classic St Leger, founded in 1776, which has been graced by various members of the royal family over the years.
Wrexham’s Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a Unesco World Heritage Site and the region, which is a base for companies including JCB and Kellogg’s, as well as aerospace giants such as Magellan and Cytec, is to become home to the new National Football Museum of Wales.
Wrexham Football Club, founded in 1864, has the world’s oldest international ground and gained more attention last year when it was bought by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Dunfermline’s bid pointed out that its annual fireworks display attracts about 30,000 local people, while the Christmas light event packed the town centre with 10,000.
The new city’s most famous son is Andrew Carnegie, whose steel industry helped to build America.
His philanthropy started the world’s public library system, and he gave away the equivalent of $65 billion in today’s money.
Bangor, at the mouth of the Belfast Lough, became a key site for allied forces during the Second World War.
In May 1944, the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, Dwight D Eisenhower, gave a speech to 30,000 assembled troops in Bangor, shortly before ships left for Normandy and D-Day.
The Milton Keynes new town includes 27 conservation areas, 50 scheduled monuments, 1,100 listed buildings and 270 pieces of public art.
It has 84,500 citizens who are volunteers and the town also claims to have a higher per capita number of volunteers than any other UK city.
The Open University was established there in 1969.
Colchester is Britain’s first recorded settlement and its first capital. It has been a garrison town for the past 165 years, and for the past 21 years has been home to the 16 Air Assault Brigade, the UK’s rapid response force.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries described city status as “a huge accolade”.
“This competition showcases the best of Britain and the overseas territories, and will act as a lasting legacy of Her Majesty the queen’s platinum jubilee.”
The Cabinet Office said Perth, the Scottish town that was granted city status in 2012 as part of the queen’s diamond jubilee, has had its local economy grow by 12 per cent in the decade since.
“Being granted city status in the platinum jubilee year is a tremendous honour, made all the more significant as 2022 also marks the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands and reflects the tremendous transformation that has taken place in Stanley over the last 40 years,” said Richard Hyslop, UK Representative to the Falklands government.
The Isle of Man’s Chief Minister, Alfred Cannan, said: "Douglas being named as one of the eight city status winners, and leading the way for the crown dependencies, is a huge honour for the island and celebrates our unique mix of culture, history and heritage.
“The accolade is a marvellous way to mark our relationship with Her Majesty the queen, our lord of Mann, while celebrating the platinum jubilee.”
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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UAE%20SQUAD
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The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)
British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell
NBA Finals results
Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
