Britain

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Monty Python Plans Stage Reunion

Will be surviving members' first performance together since 1998

(Newser) - For the first time in more than a decade, all surviving members of Monty Python will be performing together. Member Terry Jones confirmed the event to the BBC following a Sun report. "We're getting together and putting on a show—it's real," he says. "I'...

We're Running Out of Corgis

Low registration may put them on Kennel Club's 'vulnerable' list

(Newser) - In a serious threat to adorable viral videos, it appears corgis are facing the dog-breed equivalent of endangerment. With just 241 Pembroke Welsh Corgis registered this year, the breed is currently on Britain's Kennel Club's "at watch list": if 300 aren't registered by January, they'll...

Trapped in UK Sea Cave, Swimmer Dies

Rescuers fail to reach her through tiny 'blowhole'

(Newser) - A woman was swimming off the south coast of England when she got trapped in a sea cave; amid "horrendous" weather conditions, the 30-year-old died before rescuers could reach her, the BBC reports. She and her brother, 31, had apparently been "coasteering"—climbing on rocks, then jumping...

Europe Storm Leaves 11 Dead
 Europe Storm 
 Leaves 11 Dead 

Europe Storm Leaves 11 Dead

Britain, Denmark, Germany take the brunt of it

(Newser) - A nasty storm killed at least 11 people in northern Europe today while snarling transportation and leaving half a million people without power, AFP reports. The storm's high winds and heavy rains claimed four lives in Britain and three in Germany, mostly from falling trees. On a French island,...

Murdoch Honchos' Trial Begins in Britain

Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson face phone hacking charges

(Newser) - Today marks the beginning of a phone-hacking trial centered on two former bosses at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp: Rebekah Brooks, once head of News International, and Andy Coulson, former editor of the now-shuttered News of the World. Brooks is accused of hacking mobile phone messages, paying off public officials,...

Armed Man Busted at Buckingham Palace

Tried to get inside carrying knife

(Newser) - A man carrying a knife tried to muscle his way into Buckingham Palace today but was stopped by police and arrested. He tried to get in through the everyday entrance to the right of the ceremonial central gates, the Daily Beast reports. The 44-year-old is now being held at a...

Pilot Gets Sick, Passenger Gets Landing Lesson
 Pilot Gets Sick, Passenger
 Gets Landing Lesson 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Pilot Gets Sick, Passenger Gets Landing Lesson

He landed safely despite lack of flying experience

(Newser) - After the pilot of a small plane fell ill at the controls, two flight instructors were called in to the airport to give his only passenger a crash course in not crashing. The passenger—who had no flying experience—managed to bring the plane in for a safe, though somewhat...

Taliban: We're Still After Malala

Teen education advocate invited to Buckingham Palace

(Newser) - It's been a year since Malala Yousufzai was shot by Pakistani Taliban —and new threats aren't stopping the 16-year-old in her fight for girls' education. Traveling to her native Swat Valley, the BBC offers a new window into Malala's background and life story. The region launched...

'Missing Piece' Emerges in Stonehenge Mystery

Landmark's location tied to solstices, not sun-worship

(Newser) - New digging at Stonehenge sheds some light on the ancient site's mysterious ties with the summer and winter solstices. Contrary to what some have speculated, the landmark wasn't built for some sort of sun-worshipping ritual, says a researcher, nor was it "some kind of calendar or astronomical...

300K Porn Site Visits Made From UK Parliament

And 52K hits on adultery matchmaking service

(Newser) - Perhaps the UK's new Internet porn block is actually an act of self-restriction? People working in Parliament tried to access porn sites some 300,000 times in the past year alone, the Huffington Post has uncovered via an FOI request. It's not clear, however, which of the 5,...

EU Looks to Make Drivers Stop Speeding

Britain opposes 'Big Brother' proposal

(Newser) - The European Union is pushing a high-tech plan to prevent speeding: Cars could be equipped with devices to reduce their speed when it breaks the limit, the Daily Mail reports. Some 30,000 people in the EU die in road accidents each year; officials are hoping to slash that figure...

Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case
Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case 
UPDATED

Lawmakers Unswayed by White House Syria Case

When strike would occur remains unclear

(Newser) - The specifics of President Obama's plans for Syria don't seem much clearer after a conference call with Congressional leaders. The call didn't include information on when a strike would occur, Politico notes, nor did it appear to sway lawmakers who had doubts about military action. During the...

Crafty Brit Cons Telemarketers Into Paying to Call Him

Man sets up pay line, makes hundreds off callers

(Newser) - Lee Beaumont was sick of telemarketers calling him, so he came up with a brilliant solution: He made them pay him for the privilege. The Leeds man signed up for an 0871-number (the British equivalent of a 900-number), and began giving that out to banks, utility companies, and other commercial...

Specter of Iraq 'Evidence' Hangs Over Obama in Syria

US, Britain face uphill battles ahead of military action

(Newser) - President Obama has concluded that Syria used chemical weapons, but his next step remains a major challenge. As his administration considers military action, it's well aware that a public intelligence presentation—which could occur today—would be the most important of its kind since the run-up to the Iraq...

How Spoons Tucked Into Underwear Fight Forced Marriage

 How Spoons in 
 Underwear Fight 
 Forced Marriage 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

How Spoons in Underwear Fight Forced Marriage

They serve as airport warning

(Newser) - A charity in Britain has devised a clever last line of defense against forced marriage, and it involves an unusual trick: packing a spoon in your underwear. The Karma Nirvana charity suggests the move to victims being taken out of the UK via plane: The spoon will set off the...

Teen Kills Himself Over 'Skype Blackmail': Mom

Perpetrators allegedly threatened to reveal chats to his family

(Newser) - Police are looking into the death of a Scottish teenager who appears to have killed himself after being blackmailed online, the Guardian reports. Daniel Perry, 17, chatted with someone on Skype who he thought was an American girl. His mother said police have learned that blackmailers threatened to show his...

Man&#39;s Diary Weighs Half a Ton
 Man's Diary Weighs Half a Ton 

Man's Diary Weighs Half a Ton

John Gadd's daily journal fills 21K pages in 151 volumes

(Newser) - If you've ever perused War and Peace, you know it's as long a war itself. But it's a short story compared with John Gadd's diary—a life collection eight times as long as Tolstoy's novel. It spans 66 years, 21,000 pages, and weighs half...

Kate in Labor, Royal Baby Coming

Expect a little prince or princess shortly

(Newser) - Kate Middleton is in labor in London's St. Mary's Hospital, the royal family says. She's in the "early stages," the BBC reports, in what CNN notes is the hospital where William and Harry were born. Details are few, and there won't likely be more...

UK Deports Radical Cleric to Jordan After Decade Fight

Abu Qatada will finally face trial in Jordan

(Newser) - A radical Muslim preacher suspected of being a key al-Qaeda operative in Europe arrived in Jordan today to face retrial on terrorism charges after his deportation from Britain, ending a decade-long legal battle over his fate. The return of 53-year-old Abu Qatada was viewed as a victory in Jordan, whose...

Royal Baby's Cash Value: $376M

New heir to bring in more cash than his dad did

(Newser) - You can't put a price on the birth of a child—unless you're the British economy, and the child is an heir to the throne. The royal baby, due in July, will bring some $376 million into Britain's retail coffers, according to a Center for Retail Research...

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