UK Overrun by Thousands of Parakeets

Unrest hits Manchester, Nottingham

(NEWSER) - Looting and arson spread to several cities in central and northern England today but calm prevailed in London, where thousands of extra police officers patrolled the streets. The most serious unrest was in Manchester, which had sent 100 officers to assist in London, the Guardian reports. Hundreds of young people went on the rampage in the city center, looting stores and hurling missiles at police. More»

(NEWSER) - London investigators have uncovered a $130 million Ponzi scheme that duped hundreds of celebrities and businessmen around the world, reports the Telegraph. The scammers were so slick that many of their victims refuse to believe they were sucked in by the ersatz high-yield fund, and are still expecting payment, according to authorities. "These victims have been totally hoodwinked," says one investigator. The probe is focusing on a Knightsbridge-based finance firm and several companies linked to it. More»

Cops aren't saying how he did it

(NEWSER) - An illegal immigrant was nabbed in England clinging to the outside of a Eurostar rail car, reports the Independent. The trains reach speeds of 186 mph. The train originated in Brussels and traveled through France. Police provided no details on how the man survived the risky journey. Immigrants sneaking into England are a continuing problem. Last week a French official vowed to destroy a squatter camp of people waiting for a chance to steal across the English Channel from northern France. More»

Man arrested in apparent suicide bombing attempt

(NEWSER) - A man has been arrested in an apparent hostage situation in central London that prompted an evacuation and the closing of a major thoroughfare. Police were called to Tottenham Court Road after office equipment was hurled from the fifth floor of an office building, the BBC reports. A man carrying explosives had reportedly entered the building and taken four hostages. He ordered workers to "throw computers from the window," according to an official email. More»

British woman guilty of helping boyfriend assault her girls

(NEWSER) - A sadistic mother in Britain will spend 10 years in prison after a court convicted her of encouraging her boyfriend to systematically rape her three young daughters. The 65-year-old woman instructed her daughters to wear provocative underwear, gave them alcohol, and then drove the girls, who were all under the age of 16, to her partner's home so he could rape them, according to court testimony. She pleaded guilty this week to 25 charges involving the aiding and abetting of child rape. More»