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NEWS ABOUT: British

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Mount Everest's Mystery: Should We Solve It?

Two British adventurers may have climbed it first

(Newser) - A long-frozen roll of film may solve one of Mount Everest's most enduring mysteries. England has long been caught in the romance of two British adventurers who scaled the mountain with a team in 1924 and were last seen a few hundred yards from the peak. Did George Mallory... More »

Constant Oil Leaks Killing Gibraltar Bay: Critics

Spain and UK feud while spills threaten the strait's ecosystem

(Newser) - As blame spreads between Spain and the UK, so too does ecosystem-destroying oil in the Strait of Gibraltar. Europe's No. 1 transfer port, located between the towering Rock of Gibraltar and the Spanish fishing town of Algercias is, on any one day, home to tens of oil tankers and... More »

Taliban Offer Kidnapped Doc for MIT Terrorist

Insurgents nab Scottish aid worker, want Aafia Siddiqui in return

(Newser) - The Taliban today admitted to kidnapping a female Scottish aid worker in Afghanistan, and offered to trade her for the release of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani ex-MIT student sentenced to 86 years in prison last week for trying to kill FBI officers. Siddiqui’s sentence set off a wave of... More »

Dubai Upholds Month in Jail for Kissing Brits

Pair kissed in a restaurant; Emirati woman told cops

(AP) - A Dubai appeals court today upheld a one-month prison sentence for a British couple convicted of kissing in a restaurant. The pair landed in court after an Emirati woman complained about the public kiss, which the couple insisted was just a peck on the cheek. They were arrested in November... More »

9 Missing Foreigners Found Dead in Yemen

Hospital workers had been picnicking; al-Qaeda blamed

(AP) - Nine missing foreigners, including three children, have been found dead in Yemen today, their bodies mutilated, a security official said. The foreigners, including seven Germans, a Briton, and a South Korean, disappeared Friday while on a picnic in the turbulent northern Saada region. Shepherds roaming the area found some remains... More »

World's Largest Cave Found

(Newser) - A British expedition team has discovered what they believe to be the world’s largest cave deep within the Vietnamese jungle, the Telegraph reports. At 650 feet high and nearly 500 feet wide, Hang Son Doong—or Mountain River Cave—is twice the size of current record holder Deer Cave... More »

'Cult' Writer JG Ballard Dead at 78

(Newser) - British author JG Ballard died this morning "with great sadness" after many years of poor health, his agent said today. The 78-year-old novelist and short story writer was most famous for his semi-autobiographical book Empire of the Sun, later made into a film by Steven Spielberg, and his controversial... More »

Jargon Not a Best Practice, Brit Bureaucrats Told

Confusing phrases are keeping people from using services: agency

(Newser) - This recession requires the British government to drop its jargon and get consensually transparent, er, clear. A government agency frets that people are missing out on services because they don't understand bureaucratic lingo like the following phrases, per Reuters:
  1. Slippage: Why not just admit the delay?
  2. A menu of options
... More »

Manners Killed Titanic's Brits as Yanks Fled: Study

British were more likely to line up for lifeboats, researcher contends

(Newser) - British passengers aboard the Titanic were most likely to die because their sense of propriety inclined them to line up for lifeboats while Americans elbowed past to save themselves, claims an Australian researcher who is studying how people react in life-threatening disasters. Americans were 8.5% more likely than other... More »

US Phrases That Annoy Brits

"Happy Holidays", and "Have a nice day," irksome Americanisms

(Newser) - Toby Harnden must live among Yanks in his job as a correspondent for the UK's Telegraph, and sometimes American phrases drive him nuts. Here are his worst offenders:
  • Happy holidays (just say Christmas, please)
  • Have a nice day (make it stop)
  • You're welcome (this one's just "Pavlovian" to him)
... More »

Sorry, Pops, Lily Allen Ain't My Mouthpiece

Mockney posturing does not make her an expert on gang violence

(Newser) - British pop singer Lily Allen can carry a cute tune, but "spokesperson for her generation"? Puh-leeze, Emily Hill writes in Spiked. Allen's first album, Alright, Still, "soundtracked a summer," inspiring middle-aged music hacks to praise her and London Mayor Boris Johnson to ask for her insight... More »

Mumbai-Linked Terror Crew Hunts Western Recruits

Lashkar-e-Taiba seen as stepping stone to al-Qaeda

(Newser) - The Islamic militant group thought to be behind the Mumbai terror attacks has recruited Westerners, particularly Americans and Britons, to aid in planning and executing attacks, the Los Angeles Times reports. A 23-year-old Brit, convicted this year on terror-related charges, was among the Lashkar-e-Taiba adherents helping get converts to Pakistan... More »

Brits Turn to Sex for Cheap Thrills

Hard times encourage people to find inexpensive activities, poll finds

(Newser) - For those who can't afford to shop during the holidays, the British offer a suggestion: have sex instead. Love-making topped a list of increasingly popular cost-free activities, followed by window shopping and gossiping—which beat out sex among women—in a survey of 2,000 Brits. The findings coincide with... More »

Dental Divide: US Goes for White, UK Prefers Character

British celebs often mocked for polishing, straightening teeth across the pond

(Newser) - The difference between British teeth and American teeth is in societal expectations, the BBC reports. “Americans have the idea uniformity is equivalent to looking good,” one UK expert says. “The British character is more free-spirited, more radical.” Brits like Ricky Gervais have resisted the lure of... More »

Boorish Brits Overwhelm Resorts

In places like Greece, pasty, drunken tourists are wreaking havoc

(Newser) - Lured by all-you-can-drink vacations and very un-British weather, more Britons are heading south for their getaways—but many resorts are no longer thrilled to welcome them. In places like the Greek city of Malia, inebriated Englishmen are wreaking havoc, writes the New York Times. “It is only the British—... More »

UK Hostage in Iraq Kills Himself: Kidnappers

Captors blame Downing St. for ignoring negotiations

(Newser) - One of five British hostages seized in Baghdad last year has killed himself, according to a video made by his Shi'ite captors. Seeking the release of comrades in US captivity, they blame the British government for failing to negotiate: "Foot-dragging" has hastened the captives' "psychological deterioration, pushing one... More »

Brits Join the Fight in Basra

US widens its airstrikes, and Sadr tells followers to keep their weapons

(Newser) - As the Iraqi army struggles to combat militias in Basra, British troops for the first time directly joined the fight, and American forces expanded their bombing beyond the militia stronghold. The Brits, who had previously provided only logistical and air support to the Iraqis, fired on an insurgent mortar team... More »

Record Brain Drain Rocks Britain as Emigration Soars

Professionals heading to life overseas

(Newser) - The UK is experiencing the worst "brain drain" of any country as the British move abroad to seek better lives at the highest rate since just after World War II, a study has found. More than a tenth of the highest-skilled Brits have moved overseas for reasons that one... More »

Catholics Now No. 1 in Britain

Anglicans second to Catholicism for first time in 400 years

(Newser) - For the first time in 400 years, Catholicism has more adherents than the Church of England in Great Britain, the Sunday Telegraph reports. Immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa have filled the pews of Catholic churches, while attendance at Anglican Sunday services has dipped 20% since 2000, according to a... More »

Champ Delivers on KO Promise

Mayweather fends off Hatton with big blows in the 10th

(Newser) - Floyd Mayweather Jr. defended his welterweight crown against British challenger Ricky Hatton last night in 10 rounds. The 147-pound champion showed more punching than dancing, as Hatton kept on the offensive—contrary to the predictions that the bout would be a boring one. Before an overwhelmingly British crowd, Mayweather came... More »

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