United Kingdom

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Get Ready to See a Lot More Venison, Brits

Advocates stump for culling of deer, and selling their meat, to keep them from overrunning UK forests

(Newser) - In the half-light of dusk, Martin Edwards surveys the ancient woodland from a high seat and waits. He watches with his thermal camera. Then, the bang of his rifle pierces the stillness. He's killed a buck, one of many wild deer roaming this forest in Hampshire, southern England. Edwards...

Award-Winning Building Has Become a 'White Elephant'

UK's Centenary Building isn't even 30, but 'aging infrastructure' necessitates demolition, per school

(Newser) - In 1996, the then-new Centenary Building on the campus of Salford University won an esteemed architectural award as Britain's best new building, with judges calling it "a dynamic, modern, and sophisticated exercise in steel, glass, and concrete." Now, less than 30 years later, the empty structure has...

Archbishop of Canterbury Resigns, Citing His 'Shame'

Report determined Justin Welby likely knew of concerns around child abuser John Smyth

(Newser) - The archbishop of Canterbury, the topmost figure in the Church of England, has resigned under pressure following an independent report that found he failed to take action against a prolific child abuser. It's "unlikely" Justin Welby was unaware of the concerns around John Smyth, an attorney who sexually,...

After Election, a Spike in Emigration Queries

Inquiries on living abroad follow Trump's victory

(Newser) - As Donald Trump starts to make plans for his next Cabinet, some Americans are potentially making other plans, including getting out of Dodge. Reuters reports that searches on Google for "move to Canada" spiked 1,270% in the day after US polls closed on Tuesday. Similar searches for moving...

Bill Would Mean British Kids Could Never Legally Smoke

Government is looking to make it so no one born after Jan. 1, 2009, can purchase cigs legally

(Newser) - Legislation intended to ban today's British children from ever legally being able to smoke began its journey through Parliament on Tuesday. As the AP reports, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill would also bar smoking and vaping in some outdoor spaces such as playgrounds and the entrances to schools and...

London Marchers Demand 'Species Not Feces' in Waters

Sewage spills rose more than 50% last year, agency reports

(Newser) - Holding signs with slogans including "Stop the plop" and "Species not feces," thousands of people marched in London on Sunday to demand a cleanup of Britain's sewage-clogged waterways. Organizers estimated that 15,000 people took part in the march along the River Thames to Parliament, many...

UK Conservatives Make Groundbreaking Choice

Kemi Badenoch is the first Black woman to lead a major British party

(Newser) - The UK's struggling Conservatives announced Saturday that they have made a historic decision in electing the daughter of Nigerian immigrants to lead their party back to power. Kemi Badenoch received votes from 53,806 party members, NBC News reports, to Robert Jenrick's 41,388. Both are members of...

'Witches Marks,' Curses Cover This Historic Manor

20 eerie carvings, 100 burn marks discovered at England's Gainsborough Old Hall

(Newser) - A "staggering array" of markings said to ward off evil spirits and witches have been discovered lining the walls of a historic English manor, along with a curse against a former owner. William Hickman was an "astute and ruthless businessman" who, beginning in 1596, manipulated his authority as...

One Scare-Fest Customer Was Scarier Than the Clowns

Somebody attacked Ffear Fforest clown with a needle

(Newser) - A Halloween event in north Wales calls itself the "ultimate scare-fest," but one visitor did something scarier than anything the creepy clowns that roam Ffear Fforest do to frighten customers. A worker dressed as a clown was attacked with a needle at the event at the Zip World...

We Have a Cheating Scandal in the World of Conkers
Drama in the World
of Conkers Is Over
UPDATED
Oct 21, 2024 9:54 AM CDT

Drama in the World of Conkers Is Over

UK's Dave Jakins was accused of swapping chestnut for metal in his first win

(Newser) - The drama in the cutthroat world of conkers is at an end, with Dave Jakins, aka "King Conker," now cleared of cheating, reports the Guardian . Jakins had been accused of using a steel conker instead of a regular chestnut in his win at the World Conker Championships, but...

UK's Plan: Give the Unemployed Weight-Loss Drugs

Major study of injection will track 'changes in participants' employment status'

(Newser) - The British government believes weight-loss drugs could play a role in its push to reduce the number of long-term unemployed people. The government says a $365 million investment from Eli Lilly will include a "major real-world study" on the effectiveness of tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro, reports Reuters . The...

She Applied for a Daredevil Job. The Letter Was Lost for 48 Years

Taza Hodson ended up working as a stunt pilot instead

(Newser) - Taza Hodson applied for a job as a motorcycle stunt rider in 1976, and she wondered for many years why she never got a reply. "I was very careful not to let people who were advertising for a stunt rider know that I was female, or I thought I...

Britain Gives Up One of the Last Pieces of Its Empire
Britain Gives Up One of
the Last Pieces of Its Empire
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 6, 2024 10:40 AM CDT

Britain Gives Up One of the Last Pieces of Its Empire

Under deal, it will hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius

(Newser) - What some call the UK's "last colony in Africa" will now return to African hands. The UK on Thursday said it will hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as part of a to-be-signed agreement. What you need to know:
  • The history: Mauritius has for decades claimed
...

Reducing 20-Ounce Pint Would Have Great Health Impacts

Research shows people drink less overall, but no one is keen on the idea of changing the pint

(Newser) - The pint is embedded in British pub culture, standardized centuries ago as the 20-ounce imperial pint. Research from a new study suggests a shorter pour of beer could have great health impacts, but Rachel Dixon looks at one big problem, per the Guardian : Pretty much no one is in favor...

Swift Joins UK Fight on Hunger With 'Unexpected' Donation

Pop star's 'generous' gift is going toward 1.4K food banks, community groups in United Kingdom

(Newser) - Taylor Swift has long been hailed for making an impact on local economies , but she's been helping out locally in more direct ways, too. The Independent reports that the 34-year-old pop star made an "unexpected" donation to 1,400 or so food banks run by the Trussell Trust,...

First Country to Open Coal-Fired Power Plant Closes Its Last One

UK is first G7 county to fully phase out coal power

(Newser) - Britain has said goodbye to coal power, some 142 years after Thomas Edison opened the world's first coal-fired electricity plant in London. The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottingham, the last coal-fired power plant in the country, closed on Monday, the Guardian reports. The plant, which opened in 1967, employed...

Van Gogh Painting Gets a Soup Bath by Climate Activists
They Dumped Soup on a
Van Gogh. Now, Jail Time
UPDATED
Sep 28, 2024 7:00 AM CDT

They Dumped Soup on a Van Gogh. Now, Jail Time

Sunflowers wasn't harmed, but Just Stop Oil protesters will be spending some time behind bars

(Newser) - Two climate activists from the Just Stop Oil group will see jail time after dumping tomato soup on a Van Gogh painting in London's National Gallery. Citing PA Media, CNN reports that Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, received sentences Friday of two years and 20 months, respectively,...

85 Years Later, a Brontë Typo Is Fixed

Westminster Abbey adds dots or diaereses to the surname following historian's complaint

(Newser) - For 85 years, a stone tablet honoring literary greats Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë has hung in Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner with a blatant omission. The sisters, three of the UK's greatest writers, spelled their last name Brontë, with diaereses over the last vowel, indicating a separate syllable....

Even the 'Cow Whisperer' Couldn't Escape Bovines' Wrath

Guardian reports on incidents of cattle attacks in the UK

(Newser) - When people spot cows idling in a field, it typically becomes an idyllic photo op. In the UK, however, cattle are the leading cause of accidental death in the nation's agricultural sphere, and they're said to be even more dangerous than dogs when it comes to going on...

Days After Theft, Gallery Displays Banksy Print in Evidence Bag

'Girl With Balloon' print, stolen from London gallery on Sunday, was quickly recovered

(Newser) - One of Banksy's most iconic images was stolen from a London gallery on Sunday. Four days later, Metropolitan Police announced they'd recovered the pricey Girl With Balloon print and charged two men in the burglary. Larry Fraser, 47, of east London, and James Love, 53, of North Stifford,...

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