United Kingdom

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Royal Butler Recalled to Diana Inquest

Paul Burrell is asked to return after video suggests he lied

(Newser) - After a video showed the former royal butler saying he’d been untruthful during an appearance at the Princess Diana inquest, Paul Burrell is being asked to return and explain himself, reports the BBC. In the tape, Burrell allegedly claims to have dropped “red herrings” and kept secrets in...

UK Troops Accused of Executing Iraqis

Five men file suit, say soldiers killed and tortured 20 captives

(Newser) - British soldiers killed up to 20 Iraqi captives after a 2004 firefight, say lawyers representing five men taken prisoner that day, the BBC reports. The men—described by their lawyers as laborers, not insurgents—say they heard UK soldiers killing and torturing captives at a British base after the gun...

Record Brain Drain Rocks Britain as Emigration Soars

Professionals heading to life overseas

(Newser) - The UK is experiencing the worst "brain drain" of any country as the British move abroad to seek better lives at the highest rate since just after World War II, a study has found. More than a tenth of the highest-skilled Brits have moved overseas for reasons that one...

How Bad Is Northern Rock?
How Bad Is Northern Rock?
OPINION
Feb 19, 2008 1:08 PM CST

How Bad Is Northern Rock?

Pundits examine the fallout of unavoidable nationalization

(Newser) - The subprime crisis has forced the British government to do what it dreaded: nationalize a bank. What's the fallout from the Northern Rock takeover?
  • Gordon Brown "put quite a good face" on an unpalatable decision, says Philip Stephens of the Financial Times. Nationalization hasn't hurt him much, but the
...

UK Military Wives Freezing Husbands' Sperm

More women planning for kids should husbands die in combat

(Newser) - More UK military wives are freezing their husbands' sperm before the men serve in the Middle East. One London fertility clinic expected interest from soldiers but was surprised by the "wives and girlfriends who want to have children should anything happen," a spokesman said. But servicemen must give...

UK Nationalizes Northern Rock
UK Nationalizes Northern Rock
Feb 17, 2008 12:52 PM CST

UK Nationalizes Northern Rock

Bank takeover marks desperate move for British ministers

(Newser) - British ministers plan to nationalize Northern Rock as part of a bold, desperate move to rescue the struggling bank, the BBC reports. Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling said two private bids to take over Northern Rock failed to offer “sufficient value for money to the taxpayer,” adding...

Georgian Exile Died of Natural Causes: Police

Opposition billionaire had feared government was trying to kill him

(Newser) - Tests on a billionaire Georgian opposition leader found dead yesterday in his London-area home show he died of natural causes, the Telegraph reports. Badri Patarkatsishvili, 52, said in December he had been the target of two assassination attempts, and his death surprised acquaintances, who said he was in good health,...

UK Scraps Plan To Tax Rich Foreigners
UK Scraps Plan To Tax Rich Foreigners
Feb 13, 2008 12:17 PM CST

UK Scraps Plan To Tax Rich Foreigners

Finance industry's fears of exodus forces minister's hand

(Newser) - Facing criticism from Britain's financial establishment and within his own Labour party, Treasury Minister Alistair Darling yesterday scrapped plans to tax "non-domiciled" foreigners as much as $60,000 a year. Investors worried the levy would push rich foreigners out of London and compromise the financial sector, the Financial Times...

Georgian Dissident Found Dead in Britain

Opposition leader's sudden death treated as 'suspicious'

(Newser) - A Georgian opposition leader living in Britain was found dead today outside London, the Guardian reports. Badri Patarkatsishvili, a 52-year-old businessman and former presidential candidate involved with last year's anti-government protests, died of an apparent heart attack; police are treating the death as "suspicious." Patarkatsishvili, worth an estimated...

UK File Pirates Could Lose Net Privileges

Proposed laws would disconnect illegal downloaders

(Newser) - Legislation proposed in the UK would disconnect from the Internet people who illegally download or share files. Under a plan to be recommended in a paper from the government's Department of Media, Culture and Sport, file pirates will face a "three strikes" policy—the first offense gets an email,...

US, UK Zero in on Illegal Prescription Drug Abuse

'These drugs are coming from inside our homes,' expert warns

(Newser) - American and British officials have launched campaigns to curb the illegal use of prescription drugs. The target of the British effort is doctors who "mis-prescribe" high doses of painkillers and sleeping pills that officials say are proving dangerously addictive, the Guardian reports. Across the Atlantic, Washington is spearheading an...

Woman Held in Bomb Threat on British Oil Rig

Officials evacuate 539 workers; incident not terrorist-related

(Newser) - British authorities have detained a 23-year-old woman in connection with a bomb threat that caused an evacuation of hundreds of oil workers from a North Sea oil rig, the BBC says. The woman had been working aboard the platform, which is located about 130 miles northeast off the coast of...

Fury After Head of Anglicans Condones Sharia in UK

Archbishop calls Islamic law 'inevitable'

(Newser) - The Archbishop of Canterbury made the cover of almost every British newspaper today after condoning the application of sharia law in Muslim communities in Britain. Although Rowan Williams rejected the extreme versions of sharia practiced in parts of the Muslim world, he said in a lecture last night that the...

Super-Strong 'Skunk' Pot Linked to Psychosis

Officials debate reclassifying drug as seizures of potent dope soars

(Newser) - Seizures of a super-strong strain of marijuana nicknamed "skunk" have risen sharply in the UK and experts say it could be causing an epidemic of cannabis-induced psychosis, the Daily Telegraph reports. Skunk is up to four times more potent than regular herbal cannabis, and now accounts for 80% of...

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...

Bank of England Governor Gets 2nd Term

King reappointed despite criticism over Northern Rock

(Newser) - Mervyn King has won a second term as governor of the Bank of England, the Fed's British counterpart, ending months of speculation about his future. Reuters reports that King will serve at the head of the UK central bank for another five years despite the City's fury at his handling...

UK Cracking Down on Suicide Sites
UK Cracking Down on Suicide Sites
Jan 26, 2008 3:45 PM CST

UK Cracking Down on Suicide Sites

Spate of copycat deaths sparks calls for tougher laws

(Newser) - A spate of apparent copycat suicides in a Wales town has lead to a nationwide campaign against suicide websites, the Guardian reports. Rumor has it that seven recent suicide victims in the town of Bridgend knew each other, and noted each others' deaths on a social networking site. Police are...

Northern Rock Bailout Plan a Money Shuffle

Deal pays back government loans, but public still on the hook

(Newser) - The British government today unveiled its last-gasp plan to hand off the Northern Rock hot potato and prevent nationalization, the London Times reports. Under the plan, the bank would immediately pay back the £25 billion it owes the government by selling the debt to private investors as bonds. But...

Brits Debate Eco-Wisdom of Biofuels
Brits Debate Eco-Wisdom
of Biofuels
Jan 20, 2008 11:03 AM CST

Brits Debate Eco-Wisdom of Biofuels

Oil substitute may destroy rainforests, increase food prices

(Newser) - Biofuels may actually exacerbate the environmental problems they were meant to allay, reports the Observer, and a UK Parliamentary committee has released a report examining the possible effects. Using fuel made from crops like tallow and rapeseed may actually worsen greenhouse gas emissions, kill rainforests, and drive up food prices...

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