United Kingdom

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Brown Didn't Want Lockerbie Bomber to Die in Prison

Minutes strengthen rumors of oil deal

(Newser) - More Lockerbie troubles for Gordon Brown. Newly released documents suggest the UK prime minister didn't want Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi to die in a Scottish prison, the London Times reports. The development will further fuel speculation that Britain tacitly led the push for Megrahi's release in exchange for a...

Megrahi Knows 'Truth,' Wants Lockerbie Inquiry

Convicted bomber says he has documents that would exonerate him

(Newser) - Convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi has always maintained his innocence and now he wants an inquiry into the 1988 plane explosion that killed 270 people, the London Times reports. Megrahi claims to hold documents that could shed light on the real culprits and says that interest among the victims’...

Brit Cops Hunt Burka-Clad Robbery Gang

Ax-wielding male thieves made off with cash, jewelry

(Newser) - British police are investigating three robberies in which men covered in burkas stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry. In separate incidents, the men burst into travel agency and jeweler shops, threatening employees with a knife, a gun, and even an ax, reports the Independent. The crimes...

London Cameras a Bust: 1 Crime Solved Per 1K

(Newser) - Surveillance cameras are nearly worthless in the fight against crime, a London police report concluded, with fewer than one crime solved annually for every 1,000 cameras.The UK is one of the world's most monitored countries, with one camera for every 14 people and 1 million cameras in London...

Why I Love Britain's Health Care System
Why I Love Britain's
Health Care System
OPINION
Aug 22, 2009 10:01 AM CDT

Why I Love Britain's Health Care System

(Newser) - US conservatives are doing their best to turn Britain’s National Health Service into a cautionary tale. Author Stephen Amidon was nervous as well when he moved to Britain; how good could free care be? But the birth of his first child taught him to love the system, he writes...

Lockerbie Bomber: Was He Traded to Libya for Oil?

(Newser) - Opposition parties are turning up the heat on Gordon Brown after Moammar Gadhafi’s son said the fate of the Lockerbie bomber came up often in trade talks between Libya and the UK. Tories say that raises “serious questions” about 10 Downing St.’s role in the release...

Obamacare Isn't 'Socialist Hellhole,' It's Switzerland

Krugman: White House plan not all that radical

(Newser) - Investor's Business Daily made a howler when it said the British physicist Stephen Hawking "wouldn't have a chance" under the UK's health care, but for Paul Krugman, the "vile and stupid" editorial missed the point. Obamacare doesn't look like the British system, in which government runs hospitals...

Men Swipe $65M in UK's Biggest Jewel Heist

(Newser) - Two well-dressed men escaped from one of London's most expensive jewelers with $65 million worth of rings, necklaces, and watches last week, in what the Telegraph calls the biggest heist in British history. Yesterday authorities released surveillance footage of the robbers, who used three cars to make their getaway. Their...

Female Sex Crimes: Society's Last Taboo

Gender myths, unreported cases allow problem to persist unchecked

(Newser) - A mother’s love is supposed to be sacred, which may explain why Britain is struggling to face up to child molestation at the hands of women, Charlotte Philby writes in the Independent. Stats are hard to come by, but one UK abuse organization says 11% of callers in 2004—...

UK Releases 'Great Train Robber' Biggs to Die

(Newser) - Ronnie Biggs, part of a crew that stole millions from a British mail train in 1963 in the notorious Great Train Robbery, has been issued a “compassionate release” from prison to undergo medical treatment in his final days, the Guardian reports. Biggs, 80, has pneumonia, and doctors say there...

London Paper Is Murdoch's Paywall Test Ground

(Newser) - Rupert Murdoch will test out his new pay-to-read Internet model this November, when News Corp launches a stand-alone website for Britain's Sunday Times. According to the Guardian, the site will feature "communities editors" and its own team of journalists. It's unclear whether users will pay a subscription or...

New Book Reveals Queen Mum's Secret Interviews

(Newser) - The Queen Mum, Queen Elizabeth II's mother, gave just one interview at age 22 and guarded her privacy the rest of her long life. But a new official biography, published next month, draws on hours of interviews she secretly gave to a school headmaster. As the Telegraph reports, the book...

Apple Sought Gag Deal Over Exploding iPod

(Newser) - Apple tried to silence an angry British father and daughter with a gag order after the girl's iPod Touch exploded and "went 10 feet in the air," said the dad. The company offered a full refund of $275 for the music player, but only if the two agreed...

Scots' Delicacy May Actually Be...English

To kilt-wearers' horror, haggis was probably invented down south

(Newser) - Alongside bagpipes, whiskey, and plaid kilts, there's naught so Scottish as haggis, the mash of sheep heart, liver, and lung disgusting to many and a delicacy to some. But recently a Scottish historian discovered the earliest ever reference to haggis—in an English cookbook. The idea that the ultimate Scottish...

Guardian May Shut Sunday Observer After 218 Years

(Newser) - The British media group that publishes the Guardian is considering closing its sister Sunday paper, the Observer, which has been in print since 1791. The Guardian Media Group reported a pre-tax annual loss of nearly $150 million. Possible futures for the Observer include an Observer-branded magazine. It's "50/50 whether...

Brit Big Brother Contestant Slashes Wrists

Incident renews debate over mental health of reality TV contestants

(Newser) - A contestant on the British edition of Big Brother slit his wrists after he was voted off the show, reports the Guardian. Sree Dasari, still being treated in the hospital, was an unpopular character; he faced mockery after flirting with another housemate who wasn't attracted to him, and when he...

Organic Food Won't Make You Any Healthier: UK Scientists

(Newser) - Organic food has no health benefits compared to ordinary food, according to a report commissioned by the UK’s Food Standards Agency. Reseachers looked at 55 studies on the subject from the past 50 years, and concluded that the differences, where they existed, weren’t particularly significant from a public-health...

Greenies Freeze Out Ben & Jerry's for Water Waste

Green-friendly company admits water-wasting practice is 'not acceptable'

(Newser) - Ben & Jerry’s locations around the world are wasting nearly 300,000 gallons of water per day, a News of the World investigation finds. The whimsical ice cream maker, famous for its green ethics and environmental activism, requires employees to wash scoops in sinks under constantly running water to...

Swine Flu: France Boots 'Disease- Ridden' British Kids

(Newser) - More than two dozen British schoolchildren on a school holiday were booted out of France after some came down with swine flu—but not before they were quarantined by medics in anti-contamination suits and insulted by locals. "It was as if we were dangerous criminals," said one of...

Mercury Prize Noms Mix Rock, Rap, Jazz

(Newser) - Scruffy rockers Kasabian and indie darling Florence and the Machine lead this year's nominations for the Mercury Prize, Britain's most prestigious musical award. The $33,000 gong, previously won by PJ Harvey and the Arctic Monkeys, is famous for its eclectic shortlist. True to form, this year's nominees include a...

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