Britain – News Stories About Britain - Page 77

Mar 26, 2008 10:39 AM CDT

UK Pig Farmers Squeal Poverty

As high feed costs drive losses, protests seek higher pork prices

(Newser) - Floundering British pig farmers are on the march behind a curious protest song: "Stand by Your Ham." With feed prices soaring, UK farmers say they're losing $50 on every pig they sell, so they’re begging anyone who’ll listen to support higher pork prices, reports the Wall ...

Fans Pray It's
No Careless Whisper

Mar 24, 2008 9:46 PM CDT

Fans Pray It's No Careless Whisper

George Michael announces first US tour in 17 years

(Newser) - UK pop icon George Michael will embark on his first US tour in 17 years this summer, NME reports. Scheduled to coincide with his upcoming "Twenty Five" album, the 20-show trip will kick off in California in June and include visits to Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Madison Square Garden...

Cellphones
Sound Last Call for British Icon

Mar 24, 2008 12:18 PM CDT

Cellphones Sound Last Call for British Icon

Famous red booths disappear from English streets

(Newser) - Britain’s iconic red phone booths are going extinct in a country where cellphones outnumber people, USA Today reports. British Telecom is shrinking the overall number of pay phones and replacing the red booths with modern ones that double as wireless hotspots. With just 12,700 of the originals left...

Brits Ready the Red Carpet for Sarko Visit

Mar 23, 2008 9:40 AM CDT

Brits Ready the Red Carpet for Sarko Visit

Flashy French prez will meet queen, work on often-turbulent UK ties

(Newser) - Carla Bruni isn’t the only tempestuous romance in Nicolas Sarkozy's life—the “turbulent love affair” of Anglo-French relations comes to the fore Wednesday as the flamboyant French prez prepares to meet with Queen Elizabeth. But Sarkozy is a vocal fan of Britain’s hardy economy, and with increasing...

UK, France in Nuke Power Pact

Mar 22, 2008 12:18 PM CDT

UK, France in Nuke Power Pact

Major deal also includes anti-illegal immigration measures

(Newser) - Britain and France are set to sign a deal this week to collaborate on a new generation of power plants, as well as a joint venture to export the technology around the world, the Guardian reports. The nuclear pact will part of a London summit next week between Nicolas Sarkozy...

First Film Was Minghella's Finest Work

OPINION

Mar 21, 2008 12:45 PM CDT

First Film Was Minghella's Finest Work

Truly, Madly, Deeply can help fans grieve director's early passing

(Newser) - He might be known for his sweep of the 1996 Academy Awards with The English Patient, but director Anthony Minghella should be remembered for his first film, Dana Stevens writes in Slate. Truly, Madly, Deeply, a 1990 made-for-TV movie that's now something of a cult classic, is a "psychologically...

Rogue Traders Bag $200M in Credit Hysteria

Mar 20, 2008 7:46 AM CDT

Rogue Traders Bag $200M in Credit Hysteria

False emails drive down stock of UK mortgage lender

(Newser) - The UK's financial regulator is probing whether malicious traders attacked the share price of the country's largest mortgage lender yesterday by spreading rumors it faced a major liquidity crisis. The Telegraph reports that HBOS saw its shares plunge 20% as an email circulated suggesting the firm was facing trouble. The...

Brit Furor Over Asylum for
Gay Iranian

Mar 15, 2008 10:45 AM CDT

Brit Furor Over Asylum for Gay Iranian

Teen says boyfriend was killed; calls gay treatment 'genocide'

(Newser) - A gay teenager who fears the death penalty at home in Iran, after his boyfriend was hanged for sodomy, is fighting for the right to stay in the UK permanently, the Independent reports. Mehdi Kazemi, 19, lost his asylum claim in Britain and is now in a detention center in...

British Duke Tied to Spitzer Hooker Ring

Mar 13, 2008 4:44 PM CDT

British Duke Tied to Spitzer Hooker Ring

Gerald Grosvenor, UK's richest man, could be Emperor's 'Client 6'

(Newser) - The richest man in England has been linked to the prostitution ring patronized by Eliot Spitzer, the New York Daily News reports. Sources identified Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, as Emperors Club “Client 6,” who arranged four visits in late 2006. Grosvenor is a close friend of...

UK Acts to Boost 'Britishness'

Mar 11, 2008 4:18 PM CDT

UK Acts to Boost 'Britishness'

Lord unveils proposals to strengthen citizenship

(Newser) - The British government is considering a set of proposals intended to increase British pride and strengthen citizenship. An American-style pledge of allegiance—to the queen, not the flag—a new holiday to celebrate "Britishness," and a citizenship ceremony for schoolkids are under review, the Guardian reports. The peer...

UK Probes Forced Child Marriage

Mar 11, 2008 1:45 PM CDT

UK Probes Forced Child Marriage

Officials fear parents force missing kids into wedlock abroad

(Newser) - Hundreds of kids from ethnic minorities are disappearing from British schools, and authorities are worried that they're being forced into marriages in other countries. Two separate government probes are investigating, the BBC reports, but one expert says there could be as many as 3,000 forced marriages a year in...

UK Questions Mount Over US 'Torture Flights'

Mar 10, 2008 10:01 AM CDT

UK Questions Mount Over US 'Torture Flights'

Brits uncertain of extent that rendition flights utilized UK territory

(Newser) - Amid pressure British officials said yesterday that they were “working behind the scenes” to root out more information about the CIA rendition flights that landed on British soil, the Guardian reports. The UN’s special torture investigator has said there is credible evidence to suggest that the US ran...

Aussie Mag Apologizes
to Harry

Mar 10, 2008 4:30 AM CDT

Aussie Mag Apologizes to Harry

Publishing Afghan story was 'irresponsible and insensitive,' say editors

(Newser) - An Australian women's magazine has apologized to Britain's Prince Harry for breaking a media embargo and being the first to reveal that he was serving with troops in Afghanistan. The young royal was immediately pulled from the combat zone after just 10 weeks because of fears he would become a...

Brits Probe Soldier Who Tried to Sell Harry Pics

Mar 9, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

Brits Probe Soldier Who Tried to Sell Harry Pics

Comrade defied media ban, says Guardian

(Newser) - The British military is investigating a soldier who defied military orders and tried to sell "extraordinary" pictures of Prince Harry’s secret Afghanistan deployment to the media, the Guardian reports. In the pictures, Harry witnesses the beheading of a live goat during Christmas celebrations and films the event on...

Ripper Case File to Be Unveiled

Mar 9, 2008 9:15 AM CDT

Ripper Case File to Be Unveiled

With possible note from killer that he'll soon return 'to work'

(Newser) - For the first time in over a century the actual police file for London's notorious "Jack the Ripper" case will go on public display, the Guardian reports. The cache even contains a note that may have been written by Jack himself: It warns detectives that he will soon "...

Serbia's PM Dissolves Government

Mar 8, 2008 11:47 AM CST

Serbia's PM Dissolves Government

Kostunica cites infighting over Kosovo, calls for new elections

(Newser) - Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica dissolved the government today, saying it had become paralyzed over disagreements on how to deal with Kosovo and EU membership. He proposed new elections for May. "We are lacking government unity,” said Kostunica, charging that his pro-Western coalition partners aren't being adamant enough...

Thatcher Leaves Hospital

UPDATED

Mar 8, 2008 9:13 AM CST

Thatcher Leaves Hospital

Former British PM said to be doing fine after precautionary stay

(Newser) - Margaret Thatcher is back home after an overnight stay in a London hospital triggered by a "fainting episode," a spokesman says. Tests showed nothing more serious than that for the former British PM, the Guardian reports. Thatcher, 82, who suffered multiple strokes in 2005, smiled and waved to...

Brown Upbraids UK Public for Taunting Troops

Mar 7, 2008 5:34 PM CST

Brown Upbraids UK Public for Taunting Troops

PM irked that some personnel advised not to wear uniform off base

(Newser) - After reports that officers in Britain's Royal Air Force advised members against wearing uniforms in public, Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged troops to show their colors, the Telegraph reports—and chastised citizens for the verbal abuse that prompted the guidelines. Brown said troops should “have the respect and gratitude...

Teddy Teacher Spurs UK
to Kill Own Blasphemy Law

Mar 6, 2008 2:12 PM CST

Teddy Teacher Spurs UK to Kill Own Blasphemy Law

House of Lords strikes down statute questioned since Sudan teddy-bear case

(Newser) - Britain's House of Lords voted yesterday to abolish blasphemy laws after an international incident sparked debate over secularism and tradition, the Los Angeles Times reports. With the UK and Sudan at odds in November over the prosecution of a British teacher allowing students to name a teddy bear Mohammad, many...

Di's Butler Refuses Court Return

Mar 6, 2008 1:12 PM CST

Di's Butler Refuses Court Return

Burrell denies he perjured himself to princess' inquest

(Newser) - Princess Diana’s ex-butler rejected a request to return to Britain to clarify statements made to a reporter about having lied to the inquest into her death, the Guardian reports today. Paul Burrell, who now lives in Florida, says he had "been drinking all evening and was tired and...