Britain

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Knox Murder Trial Begins Tomorrow
Knox Murder Trial Begins Tomorrow

Knox Murder Trial Begins Tomorrow

Italian police still have little evidence in death of British roomie

(Newser) - The murder trial of 21-year-old American Amanda Knox begins in Italy tomorrow, though police have gathered little more than her roommate Meredith Kercher’s dead body as evidence since the 2007 murder, Der Spiegel reports. The sexual crime involving two promising college students and several shady Italian men has the...

Psychologists: Victorian Novels Helped Us Evolve

Victorian literature upheld cooperation, personal sacrifice

(Newser) - Victorian novels didn't just tout moralistic values of 19th-century British society, they helped altruistic genes flourish, a study claims. Evolutionary psychologists say classic characters such as Mr. Darcy and Count Dracula helped instill and promote a sense of right and wrong in society, the Guardian reports, specifically the notion that...

Emma Thompson, Others Try to Foil Heathrow Plans

Group opposed to plan aims to drag project into legal quicksand

(Newser) - A high-profile coalition led by Greenpeace has purchased a soccer field-sized piece of land intended to become part of a new runway for London’s Heathrow airport, the Times reports. The group intends to parcel out the land to thousands of individual owners, dragging out any attempt to buy it...

Gordon Brown: Harry's Sorry, Now Move On

But victim's dad slams prince

(Newser) - Britain’s PM defended Prince Harry today amid an uproar over an army training-camp home video in which Harry calls a colleague “our little Paki friend,” the Daily Mail reports. “I think Prince Harry knows that these comments aren't acceptable,” Gordon Brown said, in calling for...

Furor Follows Harry's 'Paki' Vid

Prince's taped words 'not acceptable in a modern army': official

(Newser) - Britain's defense ministry has launched a formal inquiry following widespread outcry over a videotape showing Prince Harry calling a fellow military trainee “our little Paki friend” and another cadet “a raghead,” reports the Telegraph. “This sort of language is not acceptable in a modern army,”...

Atheist Bus Ads Draw Fire from UK Christians

Complaints say campaign breaks requirements of 'truthfulness and substantiation'

(Newser) - A series of pro-atheism ads on London buses have prompted nearly 150 complaints to Britain’s advertising regulator, the Guardian reports. The complaints largely claim that the ads, which declare, “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life,” are offensive to monotheists and break...

Keys in Ignition, Princess Bea's Beamer Goes Missing

Security detail follows Sarah Ferguson's daughter, 20, into store; thieves take advantage

(Newser) - The prized BMW belonging to Princess Beatrice—daughter of Sarah Ferguson and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth—was stolen yesterday, the Sun reports. The daylight theft occurred while Bea and her bodyguard shopped in downtown London; she left the car unlocked and the keys in the ignition. “She is naturally...

UK Slashes Interest Rates to All-Time Low of 1.5%

50-point cut less than business groups had hoped for

(Newser) - The venerable Bank of England cut interest rates today by 50 basis points, trimming them to 1.5%—their lowest since the bank's founding in the 17th century. Investors had expected the move, although business organizations had pressed for a 100-point cut. Yesterday, Britain's finance minister admitted that the recession...

Britons Eat Gray Squirrels to Save Beloved Reds

Curiosity, drive to save indigenous species creates thriving market for critter's meat

(Newser) - Squirrel is quickly becoming a part of the British palate, as curiosity—and devotion to a native icon—drives Britons to try something new, the New York Times reports. The trend can be traced in part to the surging population of gray squirrels, a North American import. The grays have...

Waterford Enters Bankruptcy
 Waterford  Enters Bankruptcy 

Waterford Enters Bankruptcy

Struggling icon of British Isles couldn't find a buyer

(Newser) - After failing to find a buyer, five years of losses have driven Waterford Wedgwood into receivership, Bloomberg reports. Deloitte Ireland has been named receiver for the iconic  crystal- and china-maker that built Times Square’s New Year’s Eve ball. If no new financing emerges, 1,900 Irish and British...

How Much Should Your Kindergartner Be Swilling?

UK debates boozing guides for 5-year-olds

(Newser) - While most countries worry about the nutrition and development of their kids, the British government wants to make sure its wee ones aren't falling down drunk, the Independent reports. Officials in Britain, where it’s legal to drink at home from age 5, are debating whether to issue guidelines on...

Brit, Aussie Actors Find US Success

(Newser) - British and Australian actors are flocking to the US in search of work and finding great success in roles that challenge their mimicry skills, the Chicago Tribune reports. Whether it’s Hugh Laurie on House, Anna Friel on Pushing Daisies, or Simon Baker on The Mentalist, the thespians have found...

Ahmadinejad: Jesus Is On Our Side
Ahmadinejad:
Jesus Is On
Our Side

Ahmadinejad: Jesus Is On Our Side

British TV will air Christmas address from Iran's leader

(Newser) - Iran's ever-controversial president will deliver a Christmas address on British television tomorrow in which he will argue that if Jesus were alive today, he would "fight against the tyrannical policies of prevailing global economic and political systems, as he did in his lifetime." Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's address is billed...

UK Mailman Maimed by Rottweilers
UK Mailman
Maimed by Rottweilers

UK Mailman Maimed by Rottweilers

Passerby clubbed, drove over dogs; may have saved man's arm

(Newser) - A British mailman suffered serious injuries when he was mauled by rottweilers while delivering Christmas cards yesterday, the Times of London reports. The two dogs ripped his arm, and bit his back and legs, until a passerby intervened, clubbing the canines with an iron bar and running over one with...

Bangladeshi Parents Forced Me Into Marriage: UK Doctor

Case prompts other Brits to come forth

(Newser) - The Bangladeshi parents of a 33-year-old doctor living in Britain kidnapped and forced her into a Muslim marriage during a trip home because they disapproved of her Hindu boyfriend, the Independent reports. Humayra Abedin returned to the UK this week after four months in captivity, and is seeking to have...

Brown Announces July Withdrawal in Baghdad

Brown says troops home by July in surprise Baghdad visit

(Newser) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a surprise visit to Baghdad today and announced that all but a handful of British troops will leave Iraq by July 2009. About 4,000 British service members remain in Iraq, mostly around Basra, though at the height of the war 100,000 were...

Terror Suspect Is Key Scotland Yard Adviser

He's 'regularly consulted' on terror issues, say officials

(Newser) - A convicted terrorist wanted by Interpol is serving on a Scotland Yard advisory board, reports the Times of London. Mohamed Ali Harrath, the subject of a "red alert" Interpol warning since 1992, was sentenced to 56 years in absentia in Tunisia for violence linked to a militant group there....

Brown Hints He'd Nix Obama Plea for Troops

Time for other nations to step up in Afghanistan, warns prime minister

(Newser) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hinted that Britain would defy a request by Barack Obama to send 2,000 more troops to Afghanistan, the Times of London reports. After hearing of bleak progress there against the resurging Taliban, Brown warned that other nations will have to shoulder further deployments....

Disgusted No More: Britons Eating Brussels Sprouts

Britons say they like the veggie, but many will toss the leftovers

(Newser) - Brussels sprouts were once no-nos at Christmas dinner in Britain, but the veggie is gaining ground as people learn how to cook them, the Telegraph reports. Nearly two-thirds of Britons now like them, although one-third admit they refused to try them as kids, a survey says. Even jokes about the...

Website Seethes Over Newly PC Christmas Carols

(Newser) - A British website is accusing churches of political correctness after they made changes to age-old Christmas carol lyrics, the Telegraph reports. Vicars say the edits aim to remove gender-specific or racially charged words, but the editor of a Christian site calls it "a festive car crash. Half the congregation...

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