Brit Cafe Bomber 'Preyed On by Extremists'

Say stigmatizing community fosters far-right violence

(USER SUBMITTED) - British anti-terrorism strategy is wrong to focus on Muslims when far-right extremists actually pose a far greater threat to national security, says a Muslim police officers' association previously backed by PM Gordon Brown. The group warned that anti-terrorism strategies that stigmatize Muslim communities are racist and could increase far-right violence against ethnic minorities, the Daily Telegraph reports. More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama today brought his displeasure over the release of the Lockerbie bomber directly to Gordon Brown’s attention, the BBC reports. Obama did not specifically blame Brown, but relatives of those who died are outraged at the release, and the president has called it a “mistake.” The UK PM maintains the decision to spring Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was entirely up to the Scottish government. More»

Planned use of liquid explosives sparked restrictions still in effect

(NEWSER) - Three British Muslims were convicted today of conspiracy to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives in a failed 2006 plot that led to restrictions on drinks and toiletries on flights, the Times of London reports. Ringleader Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar, and Tanvir Hussain were retried after a jury last year found them guilty only of conspiracy to cause explosions in a plot to place suicide bombers on at least seven flights from Heathrow to the US and Canada. More»

Teachers asked to watch out for extremist students

(NEWSER) - British teachers will be asked to monitor student behavior and report any suspected extremists to police under new government guidelines, the Guardian reports. A "tool kit" for teachers sets out how they should conduct classroom debates to smoke out any possible Islamic extremist or far-right racist views across all age groups. Some teachers complain that they're being handed an unfair burden. More»

England needs them for Elizabeth's jubilee dessert

(NEWSER) - The slimy eel-like creature known as a sea lamprey happens to be the special ingredient in a traditional English pie that will be cooked up for Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her reign in June, reports the Detroit Free Press . But the animals are endangered and protected in England, so British officials have sent a request to a region of the states where the ugly critters swim wild and are seen as a menace: the Great Lakes. More»