England

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UK Teachers: Ban Homework for Kids Under 11

(Newser) - A British teachers’ group thinks homework for children under 11 is a waste of time for all involved, the Telegraph reports. It can “damage parents and children's relationships when trying to get it all done, and ends in tears all round,” the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said....

Queen-Michelle PDA A-OK: Royal Court

(Newser) - Michelle Obama’s hands-on encounter with Queen Elizabeth yesterday was not a breach of protocol, Buckingham Palace assures CNN. The two shared a surprising half-embrace, virtually unheard of from Her Highness. “It was a mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation,” the Royal Press Office said. Besides,...

UK Shakespeare Troupe Seeks Canine Thespians

(Newser) - Dog-owners in the UK city of Bath can audition their pooches tomorrow for a spot in a Shakespeare play, the Telegraph reports. The role in The Taming of the Shrew is historically accurate, the director said: “In Shakespeare’s time … they had a troupe of dogs specially trained...

G20 Protest Draws 35K to London Streets

(Newser) - Security patrols for next week's G20 summit, take note: A protest in London today drew an estimated 35,000 people, about three times as many as expected, the Guardian reports. Organizers of the march—a coalition of unions, church groups, and charities—are pushing for movement on “jobs, justice,...

In Classroom, Twitter Trumps the Queen

Proposed UK curriculum focuses on learning skills, flexibility

(Newser) - Why learn about World War II or Queen Victoria in elementary school when you can always look them up on Wikipedia? That seems to be the rationale behind a new proposed overhaul of the British school system. Because secondary schools teach plenty of history, the reasoning goes, early schooling should...

Brit Dog Walker Reported Close Encounter of the Alien Kind

1989 tale in recently released in UFO files

(Newser) - Another tale from the UK's recently released military files on UFOs comes from a dog-walker, who reports encountering an extraterrestrial who spoke in a Scandinavian accent. It was classified as a "genuine call" by a Royal Air Force phone operator, reports the Telegraph. The alien, appearing in human form...

Henry VIII Hooked on Women: Historian

Reared in feminine household, Henry king became 'emotionally dependent' on women

(Newser) - Henry VIII may have been cruel to some of the women in his life, but he was "emotionally dependent" on them, according to a top expert on the oft-married king. Being raised in a feminine household after the death of his dad led Henry to fall in love and...

Poor Folk Disliked Hood Too: Expert

(Newser) - The rich and poor alike may have despised Robin Hood in his day, the BBC reports. A note written by a monk in a medieval manuscript describes the famous thief—and giver to the needy—as having “infested” the countryside “with his accomplices.” The find also pinpoints...

25% of Brit Kids Don't Know Auschwitz From Beer Brand

(Newser) - A quarter of British schoolchildren aged 11-16 don’t understand the purpose of the Nazis’ Polish concentration camp Auschwitz, the Telegraph reports. 10% of kids surveyed were unsure of what Auschwitz was, while 8% think it was a country on Germany’s border, 2% each think it is a beer...

Psychic Vicar Killed Wife in a 'Rage'

Exorcist lost it when she uncovered his affairs, UK jury rules

(Newser) - A British psychic healer murdered his wife in a fury when she uncovered his numerous affairs, a jury ruled today. David Chenery-Wickens, 52, will serve at least 18 years for killing his wife Diane, who found phone records of his calls to girlfriends and a gay chatline. The 5-week trial...

HIV+ Brit Arrested for Unprotected Sex

(Newser) - Police have arrested a British man for allegedly keeping his HIV status secret while having unprotected sex with women, the BBC reports. Cops in Cornwall and Devon captured the suspect after multiple complaints from women who say they learned of his infection after sleeping with him. The man, 39, can...

UK Cops Nab Pot Farmer Who Posted Crop on YouTube

Using his real name likely hastened bust

(Newser) - Police taught aspiring drug lords everywhere a valuable lesson yesterday: If you’re going to grow pot, don’t put a video of yourself doing it on YouTube—and definitely don’t sign that video with your real name. But one 25-year-old Somerset man did just that, and was treated...

Brits Hunt for Oldest Bulb
 Brits Hunt for Oldest Bulb 
Jan 31, 2009 6:12 PM CST

Brits Hunt for Oldest Bulb

(Newser) - The UK’s Royal Society of Chemistry has offered a $700 prize for the lucky Briton who turns up with the oldest working light bulb in the nation, the Telegraph reports. The society hopes the search will produce a bulb even older than the current world record holder—a lamp...

Killer Enraged by Facebook Status Gets Life

Seeing estranged wife was 'single' spurred British man to murder

(Newser) - A British man convicted of killing his wife after she changed her Facebook relationship status to “single” was sentenced to life in prison today, the Independent reports. Richardson, 41, flew into a “frenzied and brutal attack,” brutally stabbing his estranged spouse to death at her parents’ home...

Garage Yields Dusty Surprise: $4.3M Bugatti

(Newser) - A rare Bugatti sports car found in a late British doctor’s garage will be auctioned off next month and is expected to fetch at least $4.3 million for his surprised relatives, the AP reports. The Type 57S Atalante, built in 1937, is one of only 17 ever made....

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...

Aussie Repays £5 Debt—40 Years Late

(Newser) - An Englishman was surprised to come home and discover a £5 loan repaid nearly 40 years late, the BBC reports. In 1969, Jim Webb loaned an Australian traveler the money to help him get to England. The Aussie took Webb's address but never sent him the money as promised....

Green Protesters Vow to Target Heathrow

'Plane Stupid' group protests climate change and airport expansions

(Newser) - A British anti-pollution group emboldened by protests that shut down an airport outside London yesterday has vowed to do the same at Heathrow, reports the Guardian. The group, Plane Stupid, campaigns against climate change, air travel and airport expansion plans. "We intend to continue to directly challenge airport expansion,...

Jane Austen Museum Bans Fans' Ashes

Devotees were using her garden as their final resting place

(Newser) - The caretakers of Jane Austen's estate in England have issued an unusual plea to her devoted fans: Please stop having your ashes scattered in her garden. Museum representatives say they understand the passion but can't allow the practice. “It is distressing for visitors to see mounds of human ash,...

Veg Group to Ikea: Keep Rudolph Off Menu

(Newser) - A British vegetarian group is calling on Ikea to stop selling reindeer salami in its in-store cafes, citing cruel hunting practices, the Independent reports. In Sweden, reindeer are herded by snowmobile and helicopter then shipped hundreds of miles to slaughterhouses, which the group says causes “considerable physical and mental...

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