The figure at the centre of the action - the caller - traditionally announces each number in a language so familiar it has become corny: "Two fat ladies - 88", "clickety click - 66".

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Known for installations that bring a new perspective to landmarks and architectural objects, Nishi has constructed a fully decorated living room in which the 13ft-tall figure of the 15th-century explorer holds centre stage.

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The number of people taking the whole of the Christmas and New Year period off work in the UK was expected to be higher than last year's figure of about five million, said the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

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Much of the haggling at Laeken may centre on who exactly this pivotal figure will be.

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The figure in Scotland is lower than the UK national town centre vacancy rate of 10.9% and significantly lower than both Northern Ireland and Wales, where 17.2% and 17% respectively.

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Part of that boost may be explained by an astonishing figure I heard from Susan Nicol, manager of Glasgow's St Enoch Shopping Centre.

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"There is an appeal because I'm not some nanny figure or authoritarian, if there's a party going on I'm normally the centre of it but I don't mix the two - alcohol and driving, " he said.

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Despite the low figure, it is a 4% increase from 2011's numbers, the Centre for the Study of Women in Television and Film said.

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The carrier controls around 45% of the Indonesian market, a figure that could rise to 50% this year, according to CAPA Centre for Aviation, a Sydney-based consulting firm.

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