Age is telling on iconic Big Ben – it could grind to a halt

Big Ben is a landmark of London and age is telling on it. There are fears that the British Parliament's iconic clock could grind to a halt altogether unless drastic repairs are carried out. In order to bring it back to its glory, funds ae required and a report presented to Britain's cross-party Commons Finance Committee has set out a 29.2 million pound plan for fixing the issues. However, the total repair bill could go up to as much as £40 million.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 18 October 2015.

The repair to Big Ben could see it shut down for four months – that would be the longest stoppage in the 156-year history of the clock.
The clock currently has chronic problems with the bearings behind the hands and the pendulum and this could become acute any moment and force the clock to stop - or worse. The problems are "severe metal erosion, cracks in the roof and other structural defects". Unless necessary repairs ae carried out immediately (within the next two to three years), the clock mechanism could fail and bring with it loss of international reputation.
Moreover, in case of a clock-hand failure, it could take up to a year to repair since it would involve a special scaffolding.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-
Online buyers beware: Flipkart in trouble – is it handling stolen goods?

Ramdev graduates from yoga-guru to marketing guru to capture Maggi’s market

Pepsi to withdraw from sponsorship of IPL because of spot fixing scandal


Shabana Azmi, Cate Blanchett, Freida Pinto to share their thoughts at Women in the World India Summit in Delhi

Sidharth Malhotra to be first Indian ambassador for Tourism New Zealand

Selena Gomez says her absence was not due to drugs but chemotherapy for lupus


Life imprisonment for 15-year-old British boy who plotted Anzac Day massacre in Melbourne

France joins the fight against the ISIS – bombs targets in Raqqa

Double suicide bombing in Turkish peace rally leaves 97 dead, more than 400 injured


Foodies build-up tempo to the Durga Pujas

Durga Puja today is a commercial venture

Durga Puja provides thousands of jobs for months