Edinburgh

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Scotland Arts Festival Crowns This Year's Best Joke

A cheetah pun ranks No. 1 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland

(Newser) - A renowned arts festival in Scotland has picked its top 10 jokes, and the winner is, as usual, one that might make you groan little. "I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah," is the winning entry at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, reports...

Greta Thunberg Bows Out of Event Over 'Greenwashing'

Climate activist cites sponsorship from investment firm with ties to fossil fuels

(Newser) - Greta Thunberg has pulled out of an international book festival, where she was slated to discuss her recent book on climate change, due to what she claims is "greenwashing" by the festival's main sponsor. The climate activist said she would not attend the Edinburgh International Book Festival, to...

This Is the Friendliest City in the World

Toronto takes the top spot in Preply's rankings; 2 US cities also make the top 10

(Newser) - Looking forward to a summer vacation, or even a relocation? Preply is out with its Community Spirit Index , which ranks more than 50 cities around the world in terms of how friendly they are to non-natives. The language learning app examined six main metrics to gather a sense of how...

Paul Allen's Beloved Ship Tips at Dockyard

Research ship once owned by late Microsoft co-founder topples in Edinburgh, Scotland

(Newser) - A large research ship docked in Edinburgh, Scotland, tipped on its side Wednesday and injured nearly three dozen people. Photos showed the 250-foot-long Petrel leaning at a 45-degree angle, reports the AP . The BBC reports that 12 people were treated at the scene and another 21 were taken to the...

Andrew Doesn't Catch a Break During Funeral Procession

'You're a sick old man!' spectator yelled out to prince in Edinburgh, shortly before being arrested

(Newser) - If Prince Andrew thought he was going to get a reprieve from public rebuke with the death of his mother, it didn't happen. Although most spectators who converged Monday upon the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral procession were respectful, one man was arrested...

Here Are the 10 Top Jokes From Edinburgh Festival

Winner is a pun about pasta

(Newser) - The annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe has crowned its best joke of the year, along with nine runner-ups. Fair warning: If you don't like puns, you won't like this year's winner from part-time stand-up Masai Graham. The arts festival runs every August in the Scottish capital (pandemic permitting),...

Museum Uncovers Van Gogh Self-Portrait

X-ray shows the artist on the flip side of Head of a Peasant Woman

(Newser) - Ownership of Van Gogh's Head of a Peasant Woman comes with a bonus: An X-ray has shown a self-portrait of the artist is on the reverse side of the 1885 canvas. "Such a major discovery happens once, twice in a conservator's lifetime," said Lesley Stevenson, senior...

Protesters 'Seize' Edinburgh Castle
Protesters 'Seize'
Edinburgh Castle
Aug 18, 2021 6:49 AM CDT

Protesters 'Seize' Edinburgh Castle

Anti-lockdown demonstrators occupy historic castle

(Newser) - A group of about 20 demonstrators converged on Scotland's Edinburgh Castle on Tuesday night and refused to leave, claiming they'd "seized" the ancient landmark. The protesters cited article 61 of the Magna Carta in claiming they have the right to "take the castle back" because it...

Fan Asks JK Rowling to 'Tell Me the Truth.' So She Did

Author reveals 'true birthplace' of her 'Harry Potter' books: a London apartment

(Newser) - On Thursday, a Harry Potter fan implored JK Rowling on Twitter to "tell me the truth"—and she did, with a reveal that may have surprised many readers. CNN notes that the initial tweet included a picture of the Elephant House, a coffeehouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, which has...

Thermal Camera at Tourist Attraction Spots Cancer

Woman noticed a heat spot over one breast

(Newser) - A woman's visit to a tourist attraction in Scotland ended up being an important stroke of luck for her health. Bal Gill, 41, used the thermal imaging camera at Edinburgh's Camera Obscura & World of Illusions back in May, and when looking back through the images from it...

Pilot Isn't Sure Why He Flew to the Wrong Country
Pilot Touches Down
in the Wrong Country
in case you missed it
Mar 30, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Pilot Touches Down in the Wrong Country

British Airways jet received a bogus flight plan, ended up in Scotland, not Germany

(Newser) - A British Airways flight from London to Germany went to Scotland instead, a mistake that no one realized until the plane was on the ground. Passengers were shocked, the Scotsman reports, as was the crew. "The pilot said he had no idea how it had happened," a passenger...

Chelsea Clinton's Political Future a 'Definite Maybe'

Will she or won't she?

(Newser) - Chelsea Clinton will not rule out a future in politics. Per the Guardian , the daughter of Democratic superstars Bill and Hillary Clinton was plugging her children's book at the Edinburgh international book festival when the question of her potential future in elected office was posed. While bashing Trump, the...

This Joke Is the Funniest One-Liner of 2017
This Joke
Is the Funniest
One-Liner of 2017
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Aug 27, 2017 2:02 PM CDT

This Joke Is the Funniest One-Liner of 2017

According to 'Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe'

(Newser) - If you haven't heard of Scotland's Edinburgh Fringe Festival, you may be part of the minority. The New York Times reports the arts festival is the largest "in the known world," with its organizers boasting that only the Olympics and World Cup have a bigger attendance....

A Giant Secret in Queen's Garden: 2 'Extinct' Trees

Few knew how to identify rare Wentworth elms

(Newser) - Botanists were sure that the Wentworth elm had gone extinct as part of a mass die-off of elm trees in the UK in the 1970s. Soaring 100 feet in the air in the garden of none other than Queen Elizabeth was proof to the contrary. Two botanists say they've...

Is This the Face of a 16th-Century Pirate?

Remains were found under a school playground in Scotland

(Newser) - Students at a primary school in Scotland are set to get a real-life forensics lesson thanks to a centuries-old skeleton—believed to be that of a pirate—found last year beneath their playground, the Telegraph reports. Workers unearthed the remains while doing survey work for a planned extension at Victoria...

10 Most Expensive New Year's Eve Cities

New York City doesn't come in until No. 8

(Newser) - Spending New Year's Eve in New York City? You may be surprised to know it's not the most expensive place you could be. (Though even its Olive Garden is pricey .) CheapHotels.org looked at the cheapest double room available from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2 in 30...

Airline Plans to Offer $69 Flights to Europe

Norwegian Air wants to tap into lower fees at smaller US airports

(Newser) - It's hard to find a one-way ticket domestically for $69, but if the CEO of Norwegian Air has his way, a ticket for that much may soon be available between Europe and the US, NBC News reports. Bjorn Kjos' master plan is to connect flights from smaller coastal US...

Cops Solve Street View 'Murder'

Scottish pranksters alarmed Google user

(Newser) - With only a minute to act, a pair of Scottish pranksters who spotted a Google Street View car faked a murder realistic enough to cause at least one person to call the police. One of the Edinburgh mechanics lay in the road while the other stood over him holding a...

How to Move a Whale Carcass
 How to Move a Whale Carcass 
Jan 18, 2014 8:00 AM CST

How to Move a Whale Carcass

City of Edinburgh had to solve the problem in a hurry

(Newser) - Officials in Edinburgh, Scotland, faced a vexing question this week: What do you do with a dead 30-ton whale that washes up on a beach—near a hotel, no less—and begins stinking up the city? The answer involves a crane, a big truck, a landfill, and some unusual images,...

Glasgow All the Rage After Brad Pitt Stay

Zombie flick helps Glasgow edge out Edinburgh for top Scottish destination

(Newser) - What happens in Glasgow stays in Glasgow—except when Brad Pitt comes to town to film a potential zombie blockbuster, and the city transforms into Scotland's top destination spot so far this year. Calling it the "Brad Pitt effect," the Daily Mail notes that Scotland's No....

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