London Cameras a Bust: 1 Crime Solved Per 1K

With 1 surveillance camera for every 15 Britons, unexamined life is nonexistent

(NEWSER) - The nation that embraced the "Big Brother" TV show is becoming eerily like the society George Orwell envisioned, reports the LA Times. Litterers under closed-circuit surveillance respond to commands to pick up trash they drop, and errant cyclists are ordered to dismount in pedestrian-only areas. Britons increasingly are trading privacy for security, even in small villages. More»

Nearly $222M, according to newly filed documents

(NEWSER) - A penthouse in London broke records by selling for nearly $222 million, which makes it the UK’s most expensive flat. Oddly, the deal was made in 2007, but details were just recently filed, the Metro reports. The three-story apartment overlooks Hyde Park, and the as-yet-anonymous buyer is likely a foreign tycoon who paid cash. More»

Anna Chapman loses UK passport 'for public good'

(NEWSER) - So much for Anna Chapman's wish to return to the UK, where she lived from 2002 to 2006 with her British then-husband: UK authorities have sent Chapman a letter revoking her British citizenship. The spy lost her British passport under a law that enables the UK to revoke dual nationals' citizenship in cases in which doing so would be "conducive to the public good," the Daily Telegraph reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Two well-dressed men escaped from one of London's most expensive jewelers with $65 million worth of rings, necklaces, and watches last week, in what the Telegraph calls the biggest heist in British history. Yesterday authorities released surveillance footage of the robbers, who used three cars to make their getaway. Their escape was nearly foiled when the robbers crashed their BMW into a taxi—pub customers chased them down the street, but one fired a warning shot before getting into a waiting Mercedes. More»

Queen becomes first monarch to undertake centuries-old census

(NEWSER) - With Britain still stuck in a biting recession, Queen Elizabeth is doing a bit of her own home economics—yesterday, she got on a barge and became the first monarch to undertake the annual counting of the swans. Traditionally the Queen owns all the swans on the River Thames, although a few permissions have been granted over the centuries. But until yesterday, reports the Times of London, she had never done the headcount herself. More»