Britain

Stories 1201 - 1220 | << Prev   Next >>

After 1st Rant, Boyle Lights Into Cops

(Newser) - Foul-mouthed songbird Susan Boyle not only had a few choice words about a judge on Britain's Got Talent, she also blew up at fans yesterday and lit into a British bobby who subsequently tried to calm her down, reports the Sun. London cops intervened when Boyle screamed at comments by...

Woman Stashes Mom's Body in Freezer for 20 Years

Daughter feared immigration inquiry

(Newser) - A London woman hid her dead mother’s body in a freezer for two decades, apparently out of fear of immigration authorities, reports the Daily Mirror. The daughter, now 83, was worried that if the public knew her mother had died, officials would find out she’d been in the...

Queen Livid at French Snub for Obama D-Day Fete

Sarkozy wants to focus on 'main event' of US prez visit

(Newser) - Queen Elizabeth is furious at not being invited by the French for D-Day ceremonies next week that will include President Obama, reports the Daily Mail. The French never had any intention of inviting members of the British royal family to the 65th anniversary commemoration in Normandy in order to allow...

Stolen RAF Files on Drug Use, Sex Spark Blackmail Fears

Data bares UK officers' foibles

(Newser) - Top British military officials are at risk of blackmail after three Royal Air Force hard drives containing revealing vetting details were stolen, the Daily Mail reports. Files on the drives told of “criminal investigations, drug abuse, use of prostitutes, and extra-marital affairs,” said a Ministry of Defense memo....

Forget Tea Parties: Irate Brits Talking 'Bout a Revolution

Decades-long tensions come to the fore over latest scandal

(Newser) - Britain’s embattled politicians may have another revolution on their hands, but this time one that’s brewing on their own soil. Citizens are fuming over outrageous personal expenditures—including a miniature “duck house” and the clearing of a moat—by members of Parliament, but tensions have been simmering...

Covert Journos 'Bribe' Way Into Queen's Palace

News of the World reporters ushered in sans security check

(Newser) - In an exposé operation, undercover reporters were allowed into “sensitive” sections of Buckingham Palace, the BBC reports. The News of the World journalists reportedly paid a chauffeur at the palace $1,600 for a tour; dressed as Middle Eastern businessmen, they were ushered in without security checks and one...

Beekeepers Stung by Rustlers

High price of honey motivates thieves to cart off bees by the million

(Newser) - A spate of thefts has rocked Britain's once close-knit beekeeping community, the Independent reports. Many farmers have lost hives, sometimes up to 100 in one theft, worth many thousands of dollars. A shortage of honey after massive bee die-offs over two harsh winters has made bees valuable enough to be...

White Supremacist Invited to Queen's Garden Party

Brits outraged at prospect of leader of whites-only party having tea with royals

(Newser) - The convicted leader of a far-right political party is heading to the queen's summer tea party at Buckingham Palace, and Brits are furious, reports the Daily Mail. A member of the whites-only British National Party was given an invitation because of his place on the London Assembly. He decided to...

US Journo Exposed UK Expense Scandal

Freelancer's Freedom of Information Act query lifted lid on abuse of system

(Newser) - The scandal shaking Britain's Parliament to its core was set in motion by a simple request from a freelance American writer, the New York Times reports. Heather Brooke submitted a query about politicians' expenses under Britain's Freedom of Information Act after it came into effect, only to meet years of...

Brits Missed Chances to Nab Leader of London Attacks

But he was never called a threat: report

(Newser) - UK authorities crossed paths with the top planner of the 2005 London bombings six times, but never labeled him a threat, a parliamentary report out today concludes. Almost every time Mohammad Sidique Khan appeared on police and MI5 records, it was in connection with possible extremists, the Guardian reports. But...

Health Group Posts Graphic YouTube Vid of Birthing Teen

(Newser) - A British National Health Service trust posted a controversial staged video on YouTube showing a teenager giving birth amid a pack of yelling high schoolers as a way to scare girls about pregnancy, reports the Daily Mail. The video shows a teen, played by an actress, giving birth on a...

British Town Honors War Dead With Silent Farewells

Impromptu silence as soldier's hearse passed grew into tradition

(Newser) - A lone man's silent salute to a military hearse grew into a tradition that now involves thousands who line the streets of a small British town, the New York Times reports. The bodies of UK troops killed in Afghanistan pass through Wootton Bassett on the way from the nearby air...

Astor Lashed Camilla for Bedding Prince

(Newser) - Caustic socialite Brooke Astor lashed Camilla Parker Bowles for perpetuating the "family mistress business" by sleeping with Prince Charles even while he was married to Diana, reports the Guardian. "Your grandmother would be proud of you," snorted Astor, referring to Camilla's great-grandmother, who was believed to be...

Branson's Next Launch: Virgin Internet Bank

Exploiting the public's discontent with banks, Virgin could bid for Northern Rock

(Newser) - Capitalizing on public disgust with Britain’s big banks, Richard Branson plans to launch an Internet bank through subsidiary Virgin Money that will take deposits and offer mortgages, the Guardian reports. Branson is talking to investors and some US banks about financial backing and could set in motion more ambitious...

London Teen: How I Was Recruited for Jihad

Group meeting in mosque invited boy to outside gatherings

(Newser) - The Islamists approached him in the mosque, and before he knew it a 15-year-old Londoner was watching jihadist videos and being encouraged to train in Pakistan, the boy tells the Times of London in the “first inside account” of the recruitment process. “A lot of people think that...

Another UK Lawmaker Suspended Over Expenses

Public outrage grows over scandal

(Newser) - Britain’s Labour Party has suspended David Chaytor, the latest lawmaker caught up in a widening expense account scandal, the Daily Telegraph reports. Chaytor reportedly claimed $20,000 in interest on a mortgage that was already paid off. Chaytor has said he made an “unforgivable error in my accounting...

UK Dad Tries to Hire Prostitute for 14-Year-Old

Man snagged in police sting draws 10-month suspended sentence

(Newser) - A UK man who confessed to trying to pick up a prostitute for his teenage son has been sentenced to 10 months in prison but won't serve time, the Daily Mail reports. The 42-year-old visited Nottingham's red-light district last year on a quest to help his son, 14,  lose...

UK Minister Resigns in Expense Flap
UK Minister Resigns in Expense Flap
May 15, 2009 12:13 PM CDT

UK Minister Resigns in Expense Flap

1st MP to step down says he acted '1 million percent by the book'

(Newser) - Britain’s justice minister resigned today amid a furor over a sketchy rental agreement, the first MP to do so following the revelation of excessive expenses charged by members of parliament to taxpayers, the Telegraph reports. Prime Minister Gordon Brown launched an investigation into whether Shahid Malik breached conduct codes...

Sweet! 'Lolly Lover' Kid Wins Dream Job as Candy Taster

How sweet it is

(Newser) - A lollipop-obsessed boy has won a dream job right out of a Willy Wonka fantasy: he's going to become a British candy company's taster for a year, reports the Telegraph. "I'm sure the next year is going to be a real adventure," said 12-year-old Harry Willsher, who'll be...

Hipster Jesus Unveiled
 Hipster Jesus Unveiled 
May 14, 2009 2:59 AM CDT

Hipster Jesus Unveiled

Jesus given jeans and a trim for British church's new statue

(Newser) - A Catholic church in Britain has given Jesus a 21st century makeover, the Daily Telegraph reports. Uckfield Catholic Church's "Jesus in Jeans" sculpture, to be hoisted to the top of its bell tower this week, depicts a rockin' Jesus with a trim haircut and sporting baggy jeans. The design...

Stories 1201 - 1220 | << Prev   Next >>