United Kingdom

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UK Moves Near Recession as Growth Hits Zero

Economy stagnates, sends dollar soaring against pound

(Newser) - The British economy has ground to a halt, according to official figures, ending the longest period of growth in over a century. The nation's statistics office revised its estimate for first-quarter growth from 0.2 percent to zero—the first time it's been flat since 1992—sending the pound falling...

Fest Cops Ban Doherty's Band
 Fest Cops Ban Doherty's Band

Fest Cops Ban Doherty's Band

Fans get 'geed up' and fight, they say

(Newser) - Police have banned Pete Doherty's band Babyshambles from headlining a UK music festival, citing the group's rowdy stage antics, NME reports. After "an analysis of what Pete Doherty and his band does," police determined they "speed up and then slow down the music" to incite violence. Moonfest...

Britain to Test Car Satellite Toll

Controversial plan will charge up to $2.40 per mile for British autos

(Newser) - Britain plans to test a toll system that tracks drivers by satellite and charges them by the mile, the Daily Telegraph reports. Dubbed "spy in the sky," the controversial plan was floated by the Labour government and was considered dead under PM Gordon Brown. "It seems that...

UK Weighs Taking Fat Kids From Parents

Dangerously chubby children may end up in social service system

(Newser) - Local government leaders in Britain warn that they may need to take drastic action to protect the health of dangerously overweight children—including taking them away from their parents, the Independent reports. They predict that a million British children will be clinically obese within four years, and that the social...

Trawler Dumps Endangered Fish, Sparking Eco-Outrage

Vessel jettisoned 80% of its catch to comply with EU rules

(Newser) - Film of a British trawler dumping 10,000 pounds of dead fish caught in Norwegian waters back into the sea has outraged Norway as well as environmentalists, the Guardian reports. The boat dumped nearly 80% of its catch, including cod and other endangered fish, to comply with EU quotas. Conservationists...

Leaked Blair Memo Blasts Brown 'Vacuity'

Leadership challenge gains steam as ex-PM slams successor

(Newser) - Gordon Brown took further lashed from his own party over the weekend as allies of Tony Blair leaked an old memo from the former prime minister bashing Brown's tenure. In the memo, written last year after Brown called off a mooted snap election, Blair accuses his successor of "hubris...

Top Allies Look to Unseat Gordon Brown

Knives come out for battered PM as Labour ministers plan revolt

(Newser) - Several of the leading members of Gordon Brown's government will try to oust him as prime minister, reports the Times of London. Two contenders have emerged in a possible leadership challenge: David Miliband, the youthful foreign secretary allied with Tony Blair; and Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour...

Catastrophic Loss for Brown in Scottish Vote

Separatists win one of Labour's safest seats; PM may not survive

(Newser) - Gordon Brown suffered a potentially fatal blow to his leadership when Labour lost a once rock-solid seat to the Scottish National Party in a special election early this morning. In one of the most stunning upsets in years, the separatists seized the constituency of Glasgow East as more than 22%...

Mosley Wins Privacy Suit over 'Nazi' S&M Orgy

Formula 1 boss wins $120,000 in damages against tabloid

(Newser) - Max Mosley has won his lawsuit against a British tabloid for exposing a sadomasochistic orgy he took part in and falsely claiming it had Nazi overtones, reports the Guardian. In a landmark decision, the head of world motorsport was awarded $120,000 in damages—thought to be a record in...

Europe Can't Wait for Obama
 Europe Can't Wait for Obama 

Europe Can't Wait for Obama

But supporters know that too much love might hurt him in America

(Newser) - Europe is brimming with excitement for the arrival of Barack Obama next week, but his supporters are hoping not to hurt him with too tight an embrace, the Los Angeles Times reports. British, French and German polls show strong support for Obama, but as the Guardian warned, “To be...

Tab Claims It's ID'd Graffiti Artist Banksy

UK guerrilla tagger turns out to have posh background

(Newser) - An exhaustive investigation has uncovered the carefully guarded identity of guerrilla graffiti artist Banksy, the Mail on Sunday claims. The man whose works are coveted by celebrities and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars is Robin Gunningham, now 35, who attended a posh private school as the son of...

Mosley Bares Lurid Details in Hopes of Privacy
Mosley Bares Lurid Details in Hopes of Privacy
ANALYSIS

Mosley Bares Lurid Details in Hopes of Privacy

S&M trial entertaining, yes, but also a major salvo against tabloids

(Newser) - The spanking and the alleged Nazi overtones might be entertaining, but the Max Mosley trial playing out in London could have huge implications for the rights of the media, writes John F. Burns in the New York Times. The Formula 1 chief's lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's News of the World...

Judge: Rape Victim Can Sue Lottery-Winning Attacker

Brit judge rules time limit can be waived for woman raped 20 years ago

(Newser) - Britain's High Court has ruled that a rape victim can sue her lottery-winning attacker 20 years after the crime, reports the Guardian. The man bought a lottery ticket while on day release from prison and won a $14 million jackpot. The case is exceptional but it may set a precedent...

Pringles Aren't Potato Chips, British Court Rules

Maker of the chip—sorry, snack —wins case, avoids tax

(Newser) - It’s official: Pringles are legally no longer considered potato chips in England—and manufacturer Procter & Gamble couldn’t be happier, Reuters reports. In an effort to avoid the UK's tax on chips, P&G went to court to argue the tube-dwelling snacks were actually more like cakes or...

Humiliating Defeat for UK Ruling Party

Labour comes in 5th place in election on Brown's anniversary

(Newser) - On the first anniversary of Gordon Brown's premiership, the Labour Party went down to a humiliating fifth-place finish in a special election near Oxford, reports the Times of London. Although the Tories had been expected to retain the seat vacated by new London mayor Boris Johnson, the ruling party came...

One Year On, a Prime Minister Diminished
One Year On,
a Prime Minister Diminished
ANALYSIS

One Year On, a Prime Minister Diminished

How Gordon Brown went from powerhouse to pushover

(Newser) - Gordon Brown has seen his reputation collapse in his year as UK prime minister: once the colossus of the Labour Party who enjoyed buoyant poll ratings, he is now so diminished that many in his own party want him to resign. To mark the first anniversary of his elevation to...

As Celtic Tiger Slows, Ireland Again Empties

With Eastern Europe booming, newcomers pack bags en masse

(Newser) - The massive Irish economic engine of the '90s brought decades of emigration to a screeching halt and hordes of EU immigrants flooding through open borders to lay claim to plentiful jobs. But as the Celtic Tiger begins to look like a kitty, the Wall Street Journal reports, many of those...

UK Won't Let Martha Visit
 UK Won't Let Martha Visit 

UK Won't Let Martha Visit

Brits refuse to issue a visa for the domestic diva (and felon)

(Newser) - Domestic diva Martha Stewart has been refused entry into the United Kingdom because of her felony conviction, the Daily Telegraph reports. She planned a business trip this month to meet with leading figures in the fashion and design worlds and to speak at the Royal Academy, but Britain refused to...

Bin Laden's 'Right-Hand Man' Released
Bin Laden's 'Right-Hand Man' Released

Bin Laden's 'Right-Hand Man' Released

Judge grants bail as Brits try to deport Abu Qatada to Jordan

(Newser) - The British government will appeal the release of a terrorism suspect described as Osama bin Laden's "right-hand man in Europe," the Telegraph reports. A judge ruled that Abu Qatada should be released because he has not been convicted of a crime and is not facing deportation. The British...

Murdoch Set to Finance Editor in UK Election

Sun editor will run in special vote on terrorism laws

(Newser) - With the personal backing of Rupert Murdoch, the former editor of Britain's biggest-selling tabloid is set to run in a special election triggered by yesterday's surprise resignation of a top Tory. Kelvin MacKenzie, who edited Murdoch's Sun for more than a decade, is preparing to contest the seat vacated by...

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