Britain

Stories 1581 - 1600 | << Prev   Next >>

Beatles Hotel Opens in Liverpool
Beatles Hotel Opens in Liverpool
Feb 2, 2008 3:59 PM CST

Beatles Hotel Opens in Liverpool

'Interest has been unbelievable,' says manager

(Newser) - Move over, Penny Lane: Liverpool’s latest draw is the Hard Day's Night, a Fab Four-styled hotel that boasts 110 rooms and two swanky penthouses near the fabled Cavern Club, the BBC reports. The hotel also displays rare band photos and art by Beatles painter Shannon. “The bookings are...

Citizenship Test Just Too Tough for Most Brits

High standards, or a scheme to foil would-be immigrants?

(Newser) - Should would-be immigrants to the United Kingdom be required to know the population of Wales when a majority of Britons don't? Only one in seven natives would pass the test required to get a passport, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The government says the bar should be set high even...

Britain's Official Tax Site Falters at Deadline

Citizens get extra day after web volume proves too, er, taxing

(Newser) - British taxpayers hoping to file their returns by tonight's UK deadline have been thrown for a loop by crashes of the government’s tax website, the Guardian reports. Midnight tonight is the usual deadline, but it has been extended by 24 hours. Tardy taxpayers in the UK usually face an...

Britain to Offer McQualifications
Britain to Offer McQualifications
Jan 28, 2008 8:11 AM CST

Britain to Offer McQualifications

McDonald's training program will result in nationally-recognized credit

(Newser) - Gordon Brown parried criticism today for his government's decision to give students school credit for completing a McDonald's "basic shift manager" course, and other entry-level corporate training programs. "It's not that standards are going to fall. It's going to be a tough course," Brown said of the...

UK Tories Give Hillary a Hand
UK Tories Give Hillary a Hand
Jan 27, 2008 10:32 AM CST

UK Tories Give Hillary a Hand

Britain's right aligns itself with America's left

(Newser) - Since David Cameron became leader in 2005, Britain's Conservative Party has moved steadily to the political center on issues from climate change to gay rights. That shift has alienated the Tories from their American cousins, the Republicans, and in an election year the division has become especially acute. As the...

Britain to Pay Citizens to Lose Flab
Britain to Pay Citizens to
Lose Flab
Jan 24, 2008 10:31 AM CST

Britain to Pay Citizens to Lose Flab

Experts say if trends continue, most Brits will be obese by 2050

(Newser) - With British waistlines bulging and no end in sight for the obesity crisis, the government has come up with a plan: offer cash incentives to workers who slim down. Employers will host competitions, with prizes going to those who shed the most, the Daily Telegraph reports. The Well@Work plan includes...

Boeing 777 in Spotlight After London Crash

Popular passenger jets had piled up 3.5M hours without such an incident

(Newser) - British and American investigators are still piecing together flight data to determine why a Boeing 777's engines suddenly refused to increase power just short of landing, causing the plane to crash-land at London's Heathrow airport on Thursday. The unexplained crash has drawn worldwide puzzlement, as the popular passenger plane previously...

Witness Says 'Creepy Man' Kidnapped Maddy

New sketch sparks worldwide manhunt

(Newser) - A second sketch of Madeline McCann's alleged kidnapper sparked a worldwide manhunt yesterday, the Daily Mail reports. Maddy's parents revealed the drawing, based on a UK witness' account of a "creepy man" she saw after Maddy vanished in Portugal last May. She reported him to Portuguese police, but the...

UK Veal Now Cool, Not Cruel
UK Veal Now Cool, Not Cruel
Jan 20, 2008 2:21 PM CST

UK Veal Now Cool, Not Cruel

New farming standards make calf meat a newly ethical food

(Newser) - Veal is the new guilt-free meat in Britain, and everyone from top chefs to farmers and animal activists is pushing consumers to eat up. Anti-cruelty groups largely eliminated veal from the UK diet in the '90s, and as a result, dairy farmers slaughter half a million male calves and export...

Heathrow Pilot Hailed as Hero
Heathrow Pilot Hailed as Hero
Jan 18, 2008 5:47 AM CST

Heathrow Pilot Hailed as Hero

Deftly averted crashing into houses, road, perimeter fence

(Newser) - When all power on a British Airways flight suddenly failed 400 feet above ground as it headed into Heathrow Airport yesterday, pilot Peter Burkill had to muster all his skills gained in decades of flying to save the lives of hundreds of people—not only passengers, but also those in...

10 Best Bookstores on Earth
10 Best Bookstores on Earth
Jan 17, 2008 3:35 PM CST

10 Best Bookstores on Earth

From the Netherlands to Japan to L.A., a Guardian scribe picks his faves

(Newser) - Not all bookstores are mega-style these days. Some are even built in churches, theaters, and 19-century buildings. A Guardian scribe lists his top 10 booksellers worldwide:
  1. Maastricht, Netherlands: Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen. Owners converted an 800-year-old church into a divine bookstore.
  2. Buenos Aires' El Ateneo. Once a theater, its stage is
...

Crash Landing at Heathrow Injures 8; Cause Unknown

British Airways 777 buckles after hitting grass short of runway

(Newser) - A British Airways passenger jet slammed into the ground at London's Heathrow Airport today, causing eight injuries but no deaths, the AP reports. The crash landing damaged the plane's underbelly and wings. The cause is still unknown; the 6-year-old Boeing 777 had never previously crashed, and was flown by "...

Brits Close Russian Offices Over Brouhaha

'Cold War' intimidation of cultural centers' staff has minister outraged

(Newser) - After days of what Britain called “Soviet-era” intimidation tactics, the British Council today closed its offices in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, the Times reports. Britain had tried to keep the cultural centers going, despite Russian orders to close them, but after staff members were subjected to multiple visits—and...

Indignant NATO Allies Blast Gates' Critique

It's 'bloody outrageous,' says angry Brit official

(Newser) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has sparked an uproar among America's allies after he complained to the Los Angeles Times that some NATO forces are unprepared for their jobs in Afghanistan. The Dutch, British and Canadians—who all have troops in the south of the country—immediately slammed the comments,...

UK Pushes 'Opt-Out' Organ Donor Plan

Patient groups say 'presumed consent' is no consent at all

(Newser) - UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown is backing an initiative to let hospitals harvest organs from dead patients without their consent, the Telegraph reports. The plan, which could take effect this year, presumes consent unless patients opt out or family members object. The goal is to help the 1,000 Britons...

Vomiting Bug Still Has UK on Its Knees

Nasty norovirus has now hit 3M; cases could spike again

(Newser) - A vicious bug that causes days of vomiting and diarrhea continues to wreak havoc in the UK, striking down 3 million Brits so far this winter, the Telegraph reports. Experts warn that with many returning to school and work after the holidays this week, the norovirus, which is potentially deadly...

UK Bishop Blasts Muslim 'No-Go' Zones

Blames extremists, immigration laws for anti-Christian areas

(Newser) - A high-ranking UK bishop has sparked a row by criticizing immigration laws and claiming that Islamic extremists threaten Christians in "no-go" areas across Britain. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, the Church of England's only Asian bishop, wrote a Telegraph editorial that blames the "novel philosophy of multiculturalism" for threatening Britain's...

Brits Richer Than Yanks for First Time in 100 Years

Britons earn more than Americans for first time in over 100 years

(Newser) - Britons are making more per capita than Americans for the first time since the 19th century, a new GDP report finds. Brits are earning $46,323 a year on average, $500 more than their US counterparts, according to Oxford Economics. The Yanks are still ahead when it comes to purchasing...

Thousands Glued to WWI Blog
Thousands Glued to WWI Blog
Jan 6, 2008 5:38 PM CST

Thousands Glued to WWI Blog

Private Harry Lamin's letters appear in real time online

(Newser) - Does he live, or lose his life to "liquid fire and bombs"? That question is keeping tens of thousands glued to a site that is posting the letters of a World War I soldier in real time, 90 years after they were written. The soldier's grandson, who collected...

Outbreak Has UK Wards Closing Doors

Vomit-inducing norovirus strikes with a vengeance

(Newser) - Dozens of hospital wards across the UK have shut their doors in an effort to stop the spread of a vomiting virus that has already infected more than 2 million nationwide. With 100,000 new patients per week, many already-overflowing hospitals have been forced to cancel non-emergency operations and focus...

Stories 1581 - 1600 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser