Britain

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How Brown Became a Superhero
 How Brown 
 Became a 
 Superhero 
ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2008 8:25 AM CDT

How Brown Became a Superhero

Glum British PM now seems more 'Flash Gordon'

(Newser) - Unpopular at home and nearly invisible on the world stage, Gordon Brown endured a tough ride during his first year in power. But the global financial crisis has transformed the British prime minister, who now finds himself in the unlikely position of international superstar. As Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, and...

So These Kids Walk Into a Bar (and Barflies Start Griping)

UK drinkers say brats put them off their pints

(Newser) - A smoking ban and an increasing trend of serving food have made Britain's pubs more family-friendly, but many drinkers are far from thrilled about sharing their watering hole with rowdy kids, the Times of London reports. The editors of the Good Pub Guide say complaints have soared about "baby...

Brits May Ban Free Drinks to Slow Staggering Booze Problem

Health warnings may replace ladies' night

(Newser) - The British government is considering banning the bar tradition of free drinks for women and other measures to combat the overwhelming problem of public drunkenness, the Guardian reports. Explicit alcohol health warnings in pubs and a ban on drinking games may also be enacted. Drinks should not be promoted as...

Brown's Failing Eyesight Raises Concerns

PM's damaged vision may be getting worse, friends worry

(Newser) - If Gordon Brown promises not to turn a blind eye to the financial crisis, he could mean that literally—the British prime minister lost the sight in one of his eyes in a rugby accident as a teenager. But now advisers are worried that Brown could lose the already-diminishing sight...

Brits Launch Classroom 'Terror Watch'

Teachers asked to watch out for extremist students

(Newser) - British teachers will be asked to monitor student behavior and report any suspected extremists to police under new government guidelines, the Guardian reports. A "tool kit" for teachers sets out how they should conduct classroom debates to smoke out any possible Islamic extremist  or far-right racist views across all...

UK Buys Up Bank Shares in Radical Bailout

Cost of drastic rescue package could top $800B

(Newser) - The British government will become part owner of the nation's biggest banks with a mammoth $88-billion rescue package for the troubled institutions, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under the plan, swiftly assembled after UK bank stocks plummeted in trading yesterday, the government will purchase non-voting shares in eight of the...

Cannibal Chef Cooked Gay Lover: Cops

Former Mr. Gay accused of killing, eating victim

(Newser) - A British chef is on trial for killing, cooking and eating part of a man after having sex with him, the Independent reports. The one-time winner of the Mr. Gay UK contest stabbed the man to death, cut flesh from his thigh, seasoned and cooked it, and tried to eat...

Ab Fab Gets US Remake
 Ab Fab Gets US Remake 
Oct 7, 2008 3:55 PM CDT

Ab Fab Gets US Remake

Saunders, creator of original British hit, will be executive producer on Fox effort

(Newser) - A Fox remake of British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous will swill its way into Los Angeles, reports Variety. Creator Jennifer Saunders, who played one half of the delightfully boozy and dysfunctional 40-something duo, is on board as executive producer; Saturday Night Live writer Christine Zander will pen the initial set of...

Barenaked Brit Skinny-Dips at Tokyo Palace

Tourist arrested after climbing royal wall during hour-long chase

(Newser) - A naked Westerner jumped into the moat surrounding Japan’s fortified imperial palace today, Reuters reports, climbing its walls during a chase that lasted more than an hour. Onlookers giggled and snapped photos of the 40-year-old bald man, who claimed to be a British tourist from Spain. He was captured...

'Ashley Wilkes' Was a Spy
 'Ashley Wilkes' Was a Spy 
Oct 6, 2008 11:31 AM CDT

'Ashley Wilkes' Was a Spy

Howard's plane shot down after delivering message to Franco

(Newser) - Best remembered as one of Scarlett O'Hara’s love interests in Gone with the Wind, actor Leslie Howard was also a British secret agent who died returning from a clandestine war mission on behalf of Winston Churchill, the Guardian reports. The Luftwaffe shot down Howard's plane in 1943 after the...

Europe Scrambles to Save Banks

Governments rescue troubled institutions, pledge to back deposits

(Newser) - Barely a day after rejecting the need for a massive unified rescue plan, European leaders are wading into two substantial bailouts and vowing to save banks, Bloomberg reports. France’s BNP Paribas will take over Fortis in Belgium and Luxembourg, while Germany’s government and banks bail out Hypo Real...

Europe Agrees to Take It One Financial Crisis at a Time

Sarkozy's hopes dashed amid other leaders' opposition

(Newser) - Leaders of Europe’s four biggest economies did not settle on a unified plan for tackling the financial crisis, the Washington Post reports. Instead, each country will deal with banking problems as they crop up. While France’s Nicolas Sarkozy hoped for a Europe-wide plan, British and German leaders were...

'That Is the End of This Broadcast'

UK declassifies BBC's Cold War script for nuclear attack

(Newser) - A radio script that the British government planned to broadcast to survivors of a nuclear attack has been made public for the first time, the BBC reports. The script, written in the 1970s and released by the National Archives, warns listeners to stay in hiding for 14 days and to...

Brown Appoints Archrival to Rejoin Cabinet

Blair ally returns to British government in surprise move

(Newser) - Gordon Brown shocked the British political establishment by reappointing one of his long-time enemies to his Cabinet. Peter Mandelson, who with Brown and Tony Blair was an architect of New Labour, will be made a lord and become the new business secretary. The return of Mandelson, currently serving in Brussels...

US Doomed in Afghanistan: British Envoy

Leaked French cable quotes diplomat opposing surge

(Newser) - The British ambassador to Afghanistan believes “the American strategy is destined to fail,” the Telegraph reports, based on a leaked memo written by a French diplomat. In the memo, the French diplomat records statements by Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles at a Sept. 1 meeting in which the British envoy...

Bad News for Banks Is Great News for Brown

British PM gets poll boost in crisis, silencing critics

(Newser) - In America the financial crisis has dealt yet another blow to an already unpopular President Bush. But in Britain, collapsing banks and volatile markets are the best thing to happen to Gordon Brown in recent months. In reasserting his global economic know-how, the prime minister, who is reportedly preparing an...

Brits Want Diplomats' Kids Out of Volatile Pakistan

Spouses offered return to UK, too, after hotel bombing

(Newser) - Children of British diplomats stationed in Pakistan are returning home amid security concerns following the Marriott Hotel terrorist bombing in Islamabad last month. Britain will also allow spouses and other dependents to join the 60 kids as instability grows in the volatile nation, the Daily Telegraph reports. The departures are...

Euros Eat Their Words as Own Bailouts Loom

A week after ripping US for crisis, dismissing need for own plan, Brown et al. retool

(Newser) - European leaders are eating their words a week after criticizing the US for allowing its banks to run dry and engineering a system-wide bailout for financial firms, Bloomberg reports. Governments across Europe, including Germany, the UK, Belgium and France bailed out banks across the continent and pledged support for others...

UK Cook Eats Own Hot Sauce, Dies

Contest with girlfriend's brother ends in tragedy

(Newser) - A budding British cook died last week after eating his own spicy tomato sauce, the London Times reports. Andrew Lee, 33, challenged his girlfriend’s brother to a contest, arriving with a jar of the sauce, made with chilies his father had grown. After eating it, he felt itchy and...

Royals Party Like It's 1899
 Royals Party Like It's 1899 
Sep 29, 2008 12:55 PM CDT

Royals Party Like It's 1899

Prince Charles will have two lavish 60th birthday bashes

(Newser) - Seemingly impervious—or oblivious—to the international economic meltdown, the royal family will throw not one but two lavish celebrations for Prince Charles’ 60th birthday in November, the Daily Mail reports. The Queen will host a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for 170 guests, and Charles' wife, Camilla, will host...

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