Doherty Freed Early From London Prison

Even 'I Kissed a Girl' not as obvious as it sounds

(NEWSER) - In honor of Jay-Z’s Decoded, which breaks down the meanings behind his songs, the Independent offers up the true stories behind 10 hits:

• Katy Perry, “I Kissed a Girl”: The message behind this one seems fairly obvious, but Perry has insisted it’s actually about heterosexual friendships and was only sexed up to sell more records.
• Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl”: Though many think it’s about heroin use, Van Morrison has said it is about an interracial relationship and was originally titled “Brown Skinned Girl.”

Start of 'cash for vasectomy' program in Britain

(NEWSER) - Here's an odd bit of international relations: An American charity has paid a British heroin addict to undergo a vasectomy. The group, called Project Prevention , paid the man about $315 dollars in the hope of preventing him from passing his addiction on to the next generation. The man, John, said he'd been thinking about the operation for a while, but the money "spurred" him to act, reports the Telegraph . More»

German crowd not up for drunken rendition of 'Deutschland über Alles'

(NEWSER) - British rocker Pete Doherty was booed off a Munich stage after crashing a concert lineup and singing the first verse of the German national anthem—the part associated with the Nazi regime. The Babyshambles frontman and onetime Kate Moss boytoy "sang Deutschland, Deutschland Über Alles four times," a rep for the radio station that was broadcasting the concert, and quickly cut the live feed, tells Der Spiegel . More»

Fans get 'geed up' and fight, they say

(NEWSER) - Police have banned Pete Doherty's band Babyshambles from headlining a UK music festival, citing the group's rowdy stage antics, NME reports. After "an analysis of what Pete Doherty and his band does," police determined they "speed up and then slow down the music" to incite violence. Moonfest organizers had their license revoked and canceled the Wiltshire festival as a result. More»

'These drugs are coming from inside our homes,' expert warns

(NEWSER) - American and British officials have launched campaigns to curb the illegal use of prescription drugs. The target of the British effort is doctors who "mis-prescribe" high doses of painkillers and sleeping pills that officials say are proving dangerously addictive, the Guardian reports. Across the Atlantic, Washington is spearheading an initiative to alert parents to the new drug threat facing teens. More»