Australia Man Greets Queen by Mooning Her

US president, first lady welcomed at Buckingham Palace

(NEWSER) - The Obamas were grandly received at Buckingham Palace today, greeted by a 41-gun salute as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip welcomed them to London. Earlier in the day, the president and first lady had a chance to meet with Prince Charles and wife Camilla, as well as newlyweds Prince William and wife Kate—and the Obamas are even staying in the same suite Wills and Kate used on their wedding night. According to the AP , royal watchers say the queen took a liking to the Obamas after their 2009 visit, during which the first lady famously touched the royal back . Click for more pictures, and details on what all the ladies wore . More»

The Windsors are pretty wacky, says Christopher Hitchens

(NEWSER) - For those salivating over every bit of cake or gown drivel that oozes out of the royal wedding, Christopher Hitchens is here to rain on your parade. The "constitutional absurdity" (ie, monarchy) is getting ready to claim its latest victim, he writes in Slate, and Kate Middleton had best consider the spectacularly dysfunctional family she's marrying into:

• Queen Elizabeth: Praised for her "stoicism and a certain integrity," she really "refused to allow her younger sister Margaret to marry the man she loved and had chosen, and she let her authoritarian husband have charge of the education of her eldest son." Both to "gruesome" results.

Death toll is at 25 as waters begin to recede

(NEWSER) - With floodwaters starting to recede, the toll in Australia is at 25 and expected to climb given the dozens of people still missing, reports the AP . As the state's premier put it: "Queensland is reeling this morning from the worst natural disaster in our history and possibly in the history of our nation. We face a reconstruction task of postwar proportions." More»

Panic reigns as people hoard food

(NEWSER) - Australia’s vast floods shut down the center of Brisbane today, sending thousands fleeing and others to stores in a panicked rush of food hoarding. Rescuers, meanwhile, combed the area for 43 people who have gone missing. Brisbane is the country’s third-largest city, home to 2 million people. Floodwaters are expected to peak before sunrise tomorrow, inundating roughly 20,000 homes and thousands of other buildings, the LA Times reports. More»

Brisbane river breaks its banks

(USER SUBMITTED) - The floods that have ravaged huge areas of the Australian state of Queensland show no signs of abating, with the state capital Brisbane now under serious threat. ABC Australia reports that the town of Toowoomba, 70 miles west of the capital, was inundated with rain Monday, with the deluge so fierce that houses in the nearby Lockyer Valley were washed away. At least ten people were killed and 78 are still unaccounted for, AP reports. More»