United Kingdom

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UK TV Won't Pull Pix of Diana's Crash

Princes make plea to cut images of mom's wreck, to no avail

(Newser) - Britain's Ch. 4 turned down a plea from Princes William and Harry to excise footage of the crash that killed Princess Diana from a documentary that will be shown this week. Instead, the channel will air a program that debates the issues raised by the decision.

UK to Patients Who Smoke: Put That Out

National Health Service imposes four-week window before surgery

(Newser) - Smokers in Britain must kick the habit for at least four weeks before undergoing routine surgery or the National Health Service will deny them the operations, the Daily Mail reports. Doctors will use blood tests to enforce the new policy, which could affect up to 500,000 smokers awaiting procedures...

Blair Looks Back on Tenure as PM
Blair Looks Back on Tenure as PM
Jun 1, 2007 12:23 PM CDT

Blair Looks Back on Tenure as PM

"We will not succeed simply by military or security means. It is a political challenge."

(Newser) - In a wide-ranging essay that offers few apologies, Tony Blair reflects on his decade as prime minister and argues that Britain must stand in the world as “a player not a spectator.” Writing in the Economist, Blair discusses the shifting landscape of his time in office, the challenges...

UK Moves to Measure Products' Eco-Impact

Labels will allow consumers to compare

(Newser) - Calories, fat, sodium ... carbon footprint? The new measurement may soon appear on British product packaging. Under a plan proposed yesterday, the government will develop standards to measure a product's environmental impact from manufacture through shipment and disposal, allowing companies to list the information as they do nutrition facts. Consumers can...

The Queen Is Not, in the End, a Blair Fan

Elizabeth "frustrated" at retiring Prime Minister Tony Blair's legacy

(Newser) - As Tony Blair prepares to leave office, one of those uneasy about his legacy is his queen, who the Telegraph reports is "exasperated and frustrated" at the effect of 10 years of New Labour rule. Queen Elizabeth is said to be unhappy about Blair's  "overstretching"  the military...

UK Demands Extradition in Spy Poisoning

Moscow balks as focus of Litvinenko case turns to fellow ex-KGB agent

(Newser) - The poisoning death of spy-turned-dissident Alexander Litvinenko was the work of another ex-KGB operative, the British government says, and it wants the accused charged and extradited. But Moscow refuses to deliver him, the BBC reports, saying that would violate the Russian constitution. Litvinenko was a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin,...

Who Is Gordon Brown?
Who Is Gordon Brown?
May 10, 2007 11:40 AM CDT

Who Is Gordon Brown?

(Newser) - As Gordon Brown prepares to succeed Tony Blair, the current chancellor of the exchequer's plans for Britain's future are unclear. Brown's dour, brusque style is a sharp contrast to Blair's slick verbosity, but some see that as an advantage. “He’s not regarded as a prince of spin or...

Tony Blair Ends 10-Year Era
Tony Blair Ends 10-Year Era
May 10, 2007 6:56 AM CDT

Tony Blair Ends 10-Year Era

"The party will now select a new leader."

(Newser) - It's official: Tony Blair will step down on June 27, as soon as a new Labour leader is chosen. Blair publicly announced his decision in his home constituency of Sedgefield, having told his cabinet earlier in the day. Blair's words prompted "much thumping of tables" by the cabinet, says...

Blair Will Resign Tomorrow
Blair Will
Resign Tomorrow
May 9, 2007 10:00 PM CDT

Blair Will Resign Tomorrow

British PM to back Brown Friday, step down in July

(Newser) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to formally announce his resignation tomorrow and anoint Chancellor Gordon Brown as his successor Friday. The Guardian reports he won't actually step down until July, but the announcement will signal the end of the Blair era and begin a divisive process of choosing...

Awkward! Bush Muffs Dates in Front of Queen

Then launches into "boilerplate" speech

(Newser) - British protocol hounds were on high alert for lapses as President Bush hosted their regent yesterday, and he did not disappoint. At a photo op with Queen Elizabeth II, he mangled the date of a previous visit. "You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17—1976," he...

Labour Party Escapes Election Catastrophe

Pro-independence faction takes control of Scottish parliament

(Newser) - Tony Blair's Labour Party took a beating in yesterday's local elections, winning just 27 percent of the vote. But both the party—wildly unpopular because of Blair's Iraq war stance and several recent scandals—and pundits scored the result a minor victory because Labour lost only 410 local council seats...

Blair Points To Successor
Blair Points
To Successor
May 2, 2007 9:08 AM CDT

Blair Points To Successor

After 10 years at No. 10, PM says he'll pass torch to Brown within weeks

(Newser) - As he marked a decade in power, British prime minister Tony Blair said yesterday he'll step down within weeks. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown is expected to succeed Blair, who stopped short of officially anointing Brown but told a Labour rally, "In all probability, a Scot will become...

BP Chief Resigns Over Lies On Gay Lover

CEO met 27-year-old on gay fetish site, not a walk in the park

(Newser) - The chief executive of U.K. energy giant BP stepped down unexpectedly today, after a court ruled he had lied about details of his relationship with a 27-year-old man, and the House of Lords decided he couldn't keep a tabloid from printing them. Lord Browne of Madingley lavished the student...

BlackBerry Blackout Lasts 12 Hours
BlackBerry Blackout Lasts 12 Hours
Apr 19, 2007 8:57 AM CDT

BlackBerry Blackout Lasts 12 Hours

Millions of data and email addicts left jonesing during service outage

(Newser) - Five million BlackBerry scrollers in the U.S. and Asia were stymied for 12 hours over Tuesday night and yesterday morning while Research in Motion frantically fixed a service outage. Early-riser Wall Streeters working on deals with London were particularly annoyed by the downtime. Experts surmise the blackout was a...

Don't Mind Us, We're British!
Don't Mind Us, We're British!
Apr 10, 2007 2:03 PM CDT

Don't Mind Us, We're British!

Rowdy brides and grooms Invade Eastern Europe for their "stag and hen dos"

(Newser) - Forget lap dancing at the local strip joint: British bridegrooms, brides and their wedding parties are descending on Eastern European capitals for cheap, drunken bachelor and bachelorette binges that last a week or more, the Journal reports. They're lured by low-cost air fares and rock-bottom prices on booze, but it's...

UK About-Face On Sailors Selling Stories

Public outcry leads to ban on further embarrassing interviews

(Newser) - The British Ministry of Defense bowed to public opinion last night and banned further media deals for the sailors and marines released from captivity in Iran. The decision to let the detainees sell their stories had "not reached a satisfactory outcome," the defense secretary said.

UK Women Limited to One Embryo
UK Women Limited to
One Embryo
Apr 2, 2007 8:42 AM CDT

UK Women Limited to One Embryo

Agency will ration IVF to stem problematic multiple births

(Newser) - British women trying to get pregnant via In Vitro Fertilization will be limited to having one embryo implanted at a time, in a move by the government to stem the surge of problematic multiple births, the Guardian reports. Only women with particularly low chances of conception will still be allowed...

U.K. Nurses Enter Abortion Battleground

Could perform early-term procedures under new reading of 40-year-old law

(Newser) - Specially trained nurses should be allowed to perform early-term surgical abortions without a doctor present, two U.K. medicos are arguing, based on a "wide interpretation" of Britain's 1967 Abortion Act. Though British nurses are currently allowed to carry out drug-induced abortions, they have been barred up to now...

Irish Rivals Unite for Self-Rule
Irish Rivals Unite for Self-Rule
Mar 27, 2007 12:05 PM CDT

Irish Rivals Unite for Self-Rule

Powersharing agreement in Northern Ireland will allow continuation of self-rule

(Newser) - Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams sat down together yesterday and agreed  to a power sharing deal for Northern Ireland that would include their rival parties. A British deadline to disband the national assembly if a pact wasn't forthcoming jump-started the negotiations, after four years of stalled talks.  The coalition...

British Torture Trial Backfires
British Torture
Trial Backfires
Mar 14, 2007 9:30 AM CDT

British Torture Trial Backfires

Acquittal in case that mirrors Abu Ghraib sparks public outrage

(Newser) - The prosecution of a group of British soldiers for mistreating Iraqi detainees—one of whom died under questioning—has backfired on the British government. Four soldiers have been acquitted of various crimes after a three-year investigation. Now the knives are out for leading members of the British government over the...

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