United Kingdom

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Brit Dog Walker Reported Close Encounter of the Alien Kind

1989 tale in recently released in UFO files

(Newser) - Another tale from the UK's recently released military files on UFOs comes from a dog-walker, who reports encountering an extraterrestrial who spoke in a Scandinavian accent. It was classified as a "genuine call" by a Royal Air Force phone operator, reports the Telegraph. The alien, appearing in human form...

Google Street View Launched in UK

23K miles of British roads captured on 3D maps

(Newser) - Google launched its Street View service in the UK last night, allowing Brits to wander the streets of 25 cities without leaving their computers, the Guardian reports. The 3-D maps allow 360-degree views of cities from London to Edinburgh. Specially equipped cars traveled 22,639 miles of British roads over...

UK Breaks Up London Airport Monopoly

Gov't watchdog forces Heathrow owner to sell 2 other facilities

(Newser) - Britain's competition authority has ordered the country's largest airport operator to sell two London airports, reports the Guardian, in the biggest shakeup of air travel in decades. BAA will retain Heathrow but must sell Gatwick and Stansted airports, along with a Scottish facility. The watchdog said that only a radical...

UK Bans Jolie Movie Ad
 UK Bans Jolie Movie Ad 
Mar 18, 2009 11:53 PM CDT

UK Bans Jolie Movie Ad

Sexy scene with guns glamorizes violence: ad authority

(Newser) - The UK has banned a TV ad for a new Angeline Jolie flick, saying it glorifies violence. In a trailer for Wanted, Jolie kisses co-star James McAvoy as they fire guns in a car chase. It implies "that using guns is sexy and glamorous," complains the nation's ad...

Nervous N. Ireland Cancels St. Paddy's Parade

Festivities called off in town where policeman was killed

(Newser) - A St. Patrick’s Day parade set for today in Northern Ireland was canceled amid growing tensions, reports the Times of London. Loyalist leaders have been nervous about reprisals in Lurgan, where a police officer was shot dead by an Irish republican paramilitary last week. Graffiti in a loyalist area...

Hard Times Again Push Irish Youth Abroad

Flatlining economy makes US, Britain, Canada attractive

(Newser) - After two decades of boom, Ireland’s economy has faltered and Irish youth are once again looking to distant shores for opportunity, the Los Angeles Times reports. Experts predict up to a 7% contraction this year for an economy that posted double-digit gains not too long ago, and, like their...

Brown Kills UK Plan to Double Alcohol Prices

Britain's top doc called for raising costs to combat binge drinking

(Newser) - Gordon Brown today rejected controversial proposals from Britain’s top medical officer to establish minimum prices for alcohol, the Guardian reports. The PM said he would protect the “sensible majority of moderate drinkers” after a report advised doubling prices to combat binge drinking. In Scotland, however, the regional government...

EU Maternity Benefits May Triple

(Newser) - Maternity leave benefits in the EU are set to triple if a new proposal goes through, the Telegraph reports. New moms would see a bump from 14 to 18 weeks of paid leave under the plan and would get a full paycheck during that time—rather than lower sick-pay rates....

Frantic Cops Hunt IRA Bomb
 Frantic Cops Hunt IRA Bomb 
Mar 12, 2009 9:22 AM CDT

Frantic Cops Hunt IRA Bomb

Police from both sides of border team to find 300-lb. device

(Newser) - Security forces from both sides of the Irish border are scrambling to find a 300-pound bomb that the Real IRA may have smuggled from the Republic into Northern Ireland. A telephone call alerted authorities that the device was intended for an army barracks. Belfast was also on alert after a...

Lost Contact Lens Delays Brown Speech

British PM, already blind in one eye, may be losing sight in other

(Newser) - Gordon Brown was forced to delay a speech to a Labour Party conference last week after he accidentally washed a contact lens down the sink, reports the Times of London. The British PM had no extra pair, and a staff worker had to detach the pipe beneath the sink to...

Green Protester Slimes UK Minister

Mandelson pelted with custard as he arrives at environment meeting

(Newser) - An environmental protester threw a cup of green slimy liquid onto one of Britain's most powerful ministers this morning, reports the Times of London. Peter Mandelson, the business secretary, was arriving at a meeting when he was doused with a mix of custard and green food dye. The demonstrator was...

UK Drops Rates to 0.5%, Begins 'Printing Money'

Quantitative easing begins with $108B of new money

(Newser) - The Bank of England cut interest rates today by 50 basis points to an all-time low of 0.5% and began a far more drastic process: quantitative easing, or "printing money." The Times of London reports that the Bank received permission from the government this morning to spend...

Brown Tells US to 'Seize the Moment'

Now more than ever the rest of the world wants to work with you

(Newser) - Gordon Brown inspired applause breaks and a standing ovation in Congress today, urging America to team up with England in battling the financial crisis, the BBC reports. Brown urged lawmakers not to indulge impulses toward protectionism—which “protects no one,” the prime minister quipped—and called for new...

Not Tonight, Honey, I'm Sleepy
Not Tonight, Honey, I'm Sleepy
Mar 2, 2009 11:51 AM CST

Not Tonight, Honey, I'm Sleepy

Most Brits prefer snoozing to other bed activities, survey says

(Newser) - As bedroom activities go, more than three-quarters of Britons would choose a really good night of sleep over sex, writes the Telegraph. And with 79% preferring extra shut-eye, about 70% reported trouble sleeping, and 25% suspected insomnia. Although many people believe 8 hours per night is necessary, nearly everyone is...

RBS Posts $34B Loss, Biggest in UK History, Gets 2nd Bailout

British taxpayer may soon own 95% of bank

(Newser) - The Royal Bank of Scotland today announced an annual loss of $34.3 billion, the largest in British corporate history, and the Treasury said it would inject another $36 billion into the troubled bank. The UK government already owns 70% of RBS, a figure that could now rise to 95%,...

UK Conservative Leader's Son Dies at Age 6

Cameron's eldest child suffered from rare neurological condition

(Newser) - The eldest son of David Cameron, leader of Britain's Conservative Party and the country's possible next prime minister, died early this morning at age 6. Ivan Cameron suffered from severe epilepsy and cerebral palsy and required constant care, reports the Times of London. He was born with Ohtohara syndrome, a...

Gitmo Prisoner in Rendition Dispute Arrives in UK

British AG may press charges in torture case

(Newser) - The Guantanamo Bay prisoner at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between Britain and the United States has been released and landed in the UK today. Binyam Mohamed alleges he was tortured when the CIA rendered him to Morocco, but a British court decided not to release relevant documents after...

UK Minister Rips Starbucks Over Economy Jibe

'How the hell are they doing?' exclaims furious politician

(Newser) - One of Britain's leading politicians laid into an unlikely adversary yesterday: the head of Starbucks. Company chief Howard Schultz said on CNBC that "the UK is in a spiral" and was causing Starbucks considerable grief, prompting business secretary Peter Mandelson to fire back: "Why should I have this...

Long Dormant, Scarlet Fever Returns to UK

Brits had 3K cases last year; disease seems more virulent

(Newser) - Scarlet fever may seem like a disease of bygone times—it's what took Beth away from the Little Women and sealed the fate of the Velveteen Rabbit—but for many Britons it has become all too current. England and Wales have seen a spike in cases, with 3,000 last...

Iranian Lesbian Wins Asylum in Britain

Refugee fled after girlfriend sentenced to death by stoning

(Newser) - A woman who fled Iran for Britain after her girlfriend was arrested has won her battle for asylum in the UK. In 2007 Pegah Emambakhsh was refused asylum, but gay rights groups claimed that she would be executed if she was forced to return to Iran and led a campaign...

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