United Kingdom

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Ad's Choice of Song Sparks Debate on Artists' Lives

HP yanks tune by pedophile Gary Glitter

(Newser) - HP's decision to change an ad because it featured a song by convicted child molester Gary Glitter has Charlie Moran in Advertising Age wondering about how far we should go in drawing the line between the artist and his art. The ad for the TouchSmart PC drew complaints because it...

Pound Craters After Latest Grim Stats

British currency falls to $1.56 amid recession fears

(Newser) - The British economy shrank by 0.5% last quarter, all but confirming that the UK is in its first recession since 1991, reports the Times of London. The decline is greater than expected, and this week both the prime minister and the head of the Bank of England acknowledged that...

Lloyds CEO Vows Bonuses, Despite Bailout

CEO promises execs big paydays for their 'terrific job'

(Newser) - The CEO of Lloyds had promised staff that they will receive bonuses even though the British banking giant is being bailed out by the government. Employees were told that Lloyds faced "very, very few restrictions" after taking up to $9.4 billion in government money, reports the Guardian....

UK's Gay 'Cannibal' Chef Gets 30-to-Life

Gruesome murder 'plumbed depths rarely encountered': judge

(Newser) - The British “cannibal chef” who cooked and ate parts of his boyfriend after killing him was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison today, the Telegraph reports. Applause and cries of “murderer” exploded from the gallery after Anthony Morely, 36, was sentenced. The judge called it “...

How Brown Became a Superhero
 How Brown 
 Became a 
 Superhero 
ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2008 8:25 AM CDT

How Brown Became a Superhero

Glum British PM now seems more 'Flash Gordon'

(Newser) - Unpopular at home and nearly invisible on the world stage, Gordon Brown endured a tough ride during his first year in power. But the global financial crisis has transformed the British prime minister, who now finds himself in the unlikely position of international superstar. As Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, and...

So These Kids Walk Into a Bar (and Barflies Start Griping)

UK drinkers say brats put them off their pints

(Newser) - A smoking ban and an increasing trend of serving food have made Britain's pubs more family-friendly, but many drinkers are far from thrilled about sharing their watering hole with rowdy kids, the Times of London reports. The editors of the Good Pub Guide say complaints have soared about "baby...

Brits Launch Classroom 'Terror Watch'

Teachers asked to watch out for extremist students

(Newser) - British teachers will be asked to monitor student behavior and report any suspected extremists to police under new government guidelines, the Guardian reports. A "tool kit" for teachers sets out how they should conduct classroom debates to smoke out any possible Islamic extremist  or far-right racist views across all...

UK Buys Up Bank Shares in Radical Bailout

Cost of drastic rescue package could top $800B

(Newser) - The British government will become part owner of the nation's biggest banks with a mammoth $88-billion rescue package for the troubled institutions, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under the plan, swiftly assembled after UK bank stocks plummeted in trading yesterday, the government will purchase non-voting shares in eight of the...

Cannibal Chef Cooked Gay Lover: Cops

Former Mr. Gay accused of killing, eating victim

(Newser) - A British chef is on trial for killing, cooking and eating part of a man after having sex with him, the Independent reports. The one-time winner of the Mr. Gay UK contest stabbed the man to death, cut flesh from his thigh, seasoned and cooked it, and tried to eat...

Brown Appoints Archrival to Rejoin Cabinet

Blair ally returns to British government in surprise move

(Newser) - Gordon Brown shocked the British political establishment by reappointing one of his long-time enemies to his Cabinet. Peter Mandelson, who with Brown and Tony Blair was an architect of New Labour, will be made a lord and become the new business secretary. The return of Mandelson, currently serving in Brussels...

Bad News for Banks Is Great News for Brown

British PM gets poll boost in crisis, silencing critics

(Newser) - In America the financial crisis has dealt yet another blow to an already unpopular President Bush. But in Britain, collapsing banks and volatile markets are the best thing to happen to Gordon Brown in recent months. In reasserting his global economic know-how, the prime minister, who is reportedly preparing an...

German Gamer Admits to Brutal Murder

Knifes UK man to death, was in love with victim's girlfriend

(Newser) - A German man has confessed to stabbing to death a Brit he met through an online war game, the Guardian reports. The 20-year-old victim ran a forum for fans of the game. Detectives had initially believed that the slaying stemmed from an online feud but it later emerged that the...

Britain to Ax Ban on Catholic Monarchs

Female heirs will also have the same rights as male counterparts

(Newser) - The British government is planning a royal shake-up of the laws governing who can become king or queen, the Guardian reports. The 300-year-old law currently in place bars Catholics or their spouses from taking the throne, and gives male heirs priority over women; both are targeted for change. Critics say...

Stranded Brits Expected Home on Schedule

Up to 85K were overseas when holiday firm went bust

(Newser) - The  sudden collapse of XL Airways left as many as 85,000 passengers marooned in foreign lands, but they're now expected to get home on schedule, or at least only a little late, the Times of London reports. Aviation authorities plan a vast airlift to take home the stranded, but...

Dad Saves Toddler Sucked Into Storm Drain

Girl was carried 230 feet through pipe into river swollen with floodwater

(Newser) - Emergency workers are praising the "incredibly quick thinking" of a British man who saved his 3-year-old daughter from drowning yesterday after she was sucked into a storm drain with her dog, the Guardian reports. Royal Air Force sergeant Mark Baxter raced to a river just in time to save...

Prof Argues for Looser Spelling

English-speaking pupils hamstrung by non-phonetic words, apostrophes

(Newser) - A British academic argues that English-speaking schoolchildren waste time learning the peculiarities of spelling, and should be given more freedom to spell phonetically, the Times of London reports. Children studying in languages with more phonetic writing systems, like Finnish or Italian, don’t need to waste classroom time on spelling,...

UK Millionaire Set Fire After Killing Family

Footage shows Foster blocking exits before murder/suicide

(Newser) - Police have found the body of a UK millionaire inside the charred remains of his mansion, the Guardian reports. Authorities now believe Christopher Foster fatally shot his wife and teenage daughter, along with three family horses and four dogs, early on Aug. 26 before setting the house ablaze and turning...

Pound Plunges to Record Low Against Euro

Gloomy economic outlook sends British currency tumbling

(Newser) - The British pound has sunk to its lowest level ever against the euro since the European currency was introduced in 1999, the Financial Times reports. The fall follows Chancellor Alistair Darling's dire warning that the outlook for the British economy is the worst in 60 years. The pound dropped to...

UK Cops Hunt Millionaire Family in Arson Attack

Failed businessman 'not to be trusted,' according to judge

(Newser) - British police have issued an "all-ports" alert for a family whose mansion was mysteriously gutted by arson this week, the Independent reports. The charred remains of  the home are still unsafe to enter and police are unsure if the bodies of Christopher Foster, his wife and their teenage daughter...

UK Banks 'Milk Borrowers' to Pay for Credit Crunch

Banks hike mortgage payments despite interest rate cuts

(Newser) - Britain's big banks are being accused of hoisting nearly £3 billion in interest payments on customers to make up for bad bank investments, the Daily Mail reports. Seeking to recoup huge losses from assets linked to subprime US mortgages, the banks have hiked mortgage rates and fees despite interest...

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