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Britsh prime minister Gordon Brown
(c) Nancy Ohanian

Why Sometimes Pays to Be Like Gordon Brown
by William Pfaff

Flamboyance of the Latin kind gets you into the newspapers, but for bad reasons as well as good.

Nicolas Sarkozy of France is not a man noted for charm but for his unchecked energies and the restless activity. Italy's Silvio Berlusconi is another matter entirely. He is a success in politics apparently because the majority of Italians like him.

Indeed, sometimes pays to be a nondescript politician like Gordon Brown of Britain.

The Arrogant and the Ignorant
Cal Thomas

On my last visit to the UK three months ago, Members of Parliament were embroiled in a scandal involving outrageous expense claims for such things as moat cleaning, a baby crib and second homes that were sometimes occupied by friends and relatives, or not at all

 

Brown Warns Afghan Leader on Corruption
The prime minister said that President Hamid Karzai would lose British support if he failed to stem corruption.

French Minister Calls British Tories ‘Pathetic’
Pierre Lellouche, the minister for European affairs, said the British Conservatives’ policy on Europe reflected a “bizarre sense of autism.”

Briton Is Front-Runner for E.U. Foreign Policy Job
With his main rival for the job facing opposition because of his political past, David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, has emerged as the man to beat for the European Union's new top foreign policy post.

Troop Deaths in Afghanistan Stir Outcry in Britain
The deaths of five British soldiers at the hands of an Afghan policeman have highlighted troops’ vulnerability as they pursue counterinsurgency.

Different Worlds Along a Road Trip in England
The evidence of the political, economic and social difference between the north and south is on view in the northern town of Barrow-in-Furness.

Cost Cuts Led to British Jet Crash, Study Says
Corner-cutting on safety led to the fiery explosion of a Nimrod surveillance aircraft over Afghanistan in 2006 that killed all 14 crewmen aboard, a report finds.

Britain Resolves, U.S. Wavers
More troops for Afghanistan? As Barack Obama hesitates, a talk with David Miliband, the British foreign secretary, offers as good an indication as any of what the president will do.

Rock of Ages, Cleft by the Pope
Why Pope Benedict XVI’s offer to allow disgruntled Anglicans to come over to Roman Catholicism en masse could be good for England.

Historians Reassess Battle of Agincourt
Some historians are doubting the Battle of Agincourt’s status as perhaps the greatest military victory against overwhelming odds, while also drawing some modern comparisons.

Britons Weary of Surveillance in Minor Cases
A local government’s investigation of a British family over a girl’s school application raised concerns about the usage of a 2000 surveillance law.

U.K. Is Still in Recession as the Euro Bloc Improves
Analysts cited British consumers’ larger debt burden as a major reason for the differences between Britain and the euro nations.

Rightist on BBC Panel Draws Protests and Viewers
The appearance of Nick Griffin, leader of the far right British National Party, on the BBC’s flagship politics show unleashed a storm of protests in London.

In Chinese Art Trade, the English Aren't Buying
As Asia Week opens on Thursday, British collecting in the field of Chinese art is in steep decline, in startling contrast with the strength of the English trade.

In Saving Jobs, Mixed Efforts in E.U.
Policies to fight the recession in the European Union have been highly varied, even between the closest of neighbors.

Banks’ Plans to Pay Back Britain Pose a Dilemma
The Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland are considering repaying billions by selling additional shares, but that would dilute the government’s holdings and any possible gains for taxpayers.

NYT > Great Britain
World news about Great Britain, including breaking news and archival articles published in The New York Times.

 

Ex-defence chiefs' verdict on Brown: dithering and failing British troops
THREE former defence chiefs have attacked Gordon Brown's commitment to the war in Afghanistan, accusing the Prime Minister of dithering and failing British troops.

Double standards row as Cameron says 'yes' to Welsh referendum – but 'no' to Scots one
DAVID Cameron has been accused of "double standards" after he agreed he would allow a referendum that could lead to more powers for the Welsh Assembly.

Mother bled to death as doctor refused to leave bed
A MOTHER of two who bled to death hours after breast surgery would have had the best chance of survival if a consultant surgeon had agreed to leave his home to attend to her,

Financial crisis to take Britain's national debt to £2,300,000,000,000
THE financial crisis is likely to add up to £1.5 trillion to the national debt, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. The surge comes from the huge liabi

Singer's tribute to war veteran grandfather
A HIGHLAND army officer who fought in the doomed Battle of Arnhem during the Second World War will be commemorated in a song performed by one the UK's top indie bands on

Lloyds TSB charity row set to continue as London talks fail
THE battle between Lloyds Banking Group and its charitable arm looks set to continue after "crisis talks" aimed at resolving a bitter funding dispute broke down yeste

Woman jailed after death of her unborn twins
A WOMAN who killed her unborn twins by injecting herself with drugs to induce their birth was jailed yesterday after going on the run.

Two sides in post dispute pledge better relations
THE two sides in the postal dispute have pledged to achieve a "radically different" culture in industrial and employee relations under a deal that ended the threat of

Racism is endemic, say minority teachers
BLACK and minority ethnic (BME) teachers face an "endemic culture of institutional racism" in schools, research has found.

Expenses MP reconsiders
A CONSERVATIVE MP who said she would stand down from parliament after being caught up in the expenses row has changed her mind.

Wife's tribute to 'very brave man' killed in Afghanistan
THE WIFE of a soldier killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan has paid tribute to her husband who she described as a "very brave man".

Police followed leads from psychics in death inquiry
A POLICE force has admitted following up leads supplied by "mystics" after a man's death.

Strictly storms into Blackpool
STRICTLY Come Dancing contestants got into the seaside spirit yesterday as they donned "kiss me quick" hats to prepare for an edition from Blackpool.

'So, can I take your order now, Ma'am?'
HATS are de rigueur when the Queen is awarding honours, but this must be the first time she has been faced by a recipient sporting a pen.

Reforms may be scrapped
THE "enforcer" brought in to ensure the proposed reforms to MPs' expenses were implemented stringently plans to scrap them, it has emerged.

Families of soldiers killed by rogue policeman divided on war policy
THE mother of the most senior of the five soldiers gunned down by a rogue Afghan policeman has called for British troops to be brought home.

Killer caught by prayer
A MURDERER whose prayers for forgiveness were overheard by police who bugged his car has been jailed for life.

David Cameron: Man of faith
DAVID Cameron has spoken frankly about his faith in God and his dread of losing another child.

Fine fare at the G20
THE world's leading finance ministers were being treated to a distinctly Scottish dinner as they settled in for the G20 summit last night.

Minister says Nutt sacking caused 'serious concern'
THE sacking of the Government's chief drugs adviser has caused "serious concern" among the scientific community, the Science Minister Lord Drayson said today.

BA to cut 1,200
BRITISH Airways is to cut 1,200 more jobs, taking the total reduction to 4,900 by next year. Most of the losses will be overseas and follow a high response from staff wantin

Nutt 'concern'
THE sacking of the government's chief drugs adviser, Professor David Nutt, has caused "serious concern" in the scientific community, science minister Lord Drayson

Elton John out of hospital after flu
SIR Elton John is out of hospital and feeling "fine" after being struck down with a bout of flu and an E coli bacterial infection.

Coffee chains still thirsty for space
COFFEE shops have been snapping up yet more space on Britain's high streets.

Ex-defence chiefs blast UK's Afghanistan policy
THREE former defence chiefs have launched a scathing attack on Gordon Brown's Afghanistan policy.

Sentences delayed for child abusers
THE sentencing of child sex abusers Vanessa George, Angela Allen and Colin Blanchard was delayed for a month yesterday.

Asda recalls figs after maggot find
CUSTOMERS have been advised to return figs bought at Asda after maggots were found.

Britons share £90m prize
TWO British ticket-holders shared a massive £90 million jackpot in last night's Euromillions draw. They scooped £45,570,835.50 each – the largest lottery prizes ever paid

Star Ryan Thomas in drink-drive probe
CORONATION Street star Ryan Thomas has been questioned by police in connection with a drink-drive collision.

Warts and all, the gruffalo is favourite
THE Gruffalo has been named as the nation's favourite bedtime story.

Scotsman.com News - UK
Get the latest breaking UK news headlines and video from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Irealnd including updates on swine flu and the UK economy

 

Taggart's returning to our screens … but it could be shown on BBC
A NEW series of Taggart, one of Scottish Television's flagship dramas, could be aired on the BBC or a satellite channel should ITV decide not to recommission the gritty cr

'Jobs for all' pledge in poll hustings
THE Prime Minister said he wanted to create an economy with "jobs for all" as he campaigned in Glasgow yesterday.

Rooftop garden, cinema and private rooms in Scotland's £840m hospital
EVERY detail has been considered. Private rooms, state-of-the-art scanners and a tunnel linking adult and children's wards to a cutting-edge laboratory.

Highest in Europe – one in ten Scots used cannabis last year
SCOTS are some of the biggest users of drugs in Europe, a new study has shown.

Health chiefs say sorry for Marlene Wightman 'failings'
HEALTH chiefs today apologised "unreservedly"for the "major failings" in its care which left a woman to bleed to death following breast cancer surgery.

Jail for crash at 'crazy' speed that ended with two deaths
A DRIVER who caused an accident in which his partner and her mother died has been jailed for more than six years.

Couple tie the knot 30 years after saying 'I do'
THEY called it puppy love when two Stobhill Primary pupils got "married" at the tender age of five. When they finally sealed the deal almost 30 years later, however,

Gas works spark misery on Edinburgh's roads
MOTORISTS are facing more traffic misery after a £270,000 project got under way to replace ageing gas mains on one of the Capital's busiest roads.

Student block operates for two months without licence
A CONTROVERSIAL development of student flats next to the Meadows has been operating for two months without a licence.

East Coast Main Line 'should be nationalised permanently'
THERE were growing calls today for the flagship Edinburgh-London rail line to be permanently nationalised after the loss-making franchise was temporarily taken out of private

Lethal danger of purchasing prescription drugs online
SCOTS are risking their health by buying prescription medicines on the internet, campaigners have warned.

Spy headhunters set sights on Scots students
THE assassination attempts and sports cars made famous by super-spy James Bond are "myths and misconceptions".

One call-out a minute on bonfire night
FIREFIGHTERS faced a barrage of calls after thousands of people swamped emergency service switchboards during bonfire night.

Stalker who wrote love letters in blood to doctor given life
A STALKER who wrote love letters to his therapist in blood was yesterday sentenced to life behind bars.

Student death is sixth in seven years
CAMPAIGNERS have called for awareness to be raised about a seafront danger spot after a student plunged to his death and the cliffs claimed their sixth victim in seven years.

Farm horror as man crushed to death under forklift truck
THE owners of a farm in East Lothian where a man was crushed to death under a forklift truck have spoken of their shock.

It's a free-for-all as 25,000 sign up to exchange website Freegle
IF YOU'VE ever wondered where to go to get hold of a chestnut roaster, a broken washing machine or a walking harness for a cat, then you're in luck.

Schools must teach skills that saved my life, says 999 woman
A WOMAN whose life was saved by two strangers has launched a campaign to have vital resuscitation skills taught in schools.

Patience – castle is nearly ready for Take That star's Highland wedding
CAWDOR Castle will provide a fairytale setting for the wedding of Take That star Mark Owen and his fiancée Emma Ferguson this weekend.

Motorbike champion guilty of dangerous driving
A CHAMPION Scottish motorbike racer was yesterday cleared of killing an OAP pedestrian but found guilty of dangerous driving.

Gay group dubs minister a hero
A CONTROVERSIAL gay minister who sparked a huge Church of Scotland debate has been honoured as a hero.

Village school with two pupils to close
A VILLAGE school is to be "mothballed" after its only two pupils asked to move.

Killer watched TV as man died
A MURDERER who left his victim dying in a garden while he went indoors to watch a television comedy has been jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years in pris

Edinburgh homes are targeted in energy scheme
MORE homes in the Capital are to be targeted as part of a £60 million scheme to promote energy-saving measures across Scotland.

Train services back on track after flooding
TRAIN services between Aberdeen and Dundee are due to return to normal after flooding damaged the line.

Edinburgh house prices show 15% rise in 12 months
THE average Edinburgh house is worth significantly more than this time last year, figures released yesterday revealed.

100-mile trip in store for new dental patients
PATIENTS on Skye are being asked to travel almost 100 miles to see an NHS dentist because of problems recruiting staff.

Latest fatality brings Scots swine flu total to 32
A SCOTTISH patient with swine flu has died, bringing the total deaths to 32, it was announced yesterday.

Health academy will address global illnesses
EDINBURGH University has launched a health academy which will address global health challenges including obesity, pandemic flu, tuberculosis, diabetes and tropical diseases su

Glasgow MSPs accused of sabotaging Borders link
GLASGOW-BASED Labour MSPs have been accused of conspiring to divert money away from an Edinburgh-Borders rail route to help resurrect their own city's axed airport link.

Scotsman.com News - Scotland
breaking-scotland:Scotland

 

Brown floats global tax on banks
Gordon Brown raised the possibility of a global tax on financial transactions in a move that threatened to reignite international tensions over the regulation of the banking industry and upstage the Group of 20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors

Tide of opinion turns against war
In Grimsby, the home town of Sgt Matthew Telford who was killed on Tuesday in Afghanistan, it is hard to find anyone who supports the growing loss of life to protect the far-flung country

Ghost of bad publicity stalks party plans
Cash-strapped businesses are axeing their office Christmas parties and scrapping the traditional festive knees-up in a penny-pinching austerity drive

Kraft set for hostile move on Cadbury
US group finalising plans to make a direct appeal to the shareholders when a 'put-up or shut-up' deadline enforced by the Take-over Panel expires

Harlequins wipes its bloody nose
Malcolm Wall, the new chairman of 'Quins', sees the US response to the Enron scandal as a model for change in rugby union in the wake of 'Bloodgate'

JCB reshuffle heralds next generation
Construction group to replace chief executive after less than 18 months in the role. Move comes as group announces steep fall in profits

BA cost-control at heart of recovery
The troubled carrier has delayed delivery of its Airbus A380 superjumbos and confirmed it had reduced its overall staff positions by 10 per cent but but a merger or alliance is still crucial

RBS Insurance profits plunge
Operating profits tumble 93 per cent to £11m, amid rising number of 'no win-no fee' lawyers bringing costly personal injury cases against motor insurers

Royal Mail and union put diverse stamp on deal
Royal Mail and the postal union offered starkly different interpretations of the interim agreement that has allowed strikes to be called off until the new year

LCH.Clearnet streamlines ownership structure
LCH.Clearnet has announced it has completed its shareholder streamlining, ending a two-year saga over the ownership of the clearing house

Leaderless ITV at war with the Scots
As several respected City figures are mentioned as potential chairmen, the broadcaster's legal battle with the owner of its Scottish and Grampian franchises is escalating

BA suffers record first-half loss of £292m
Flag carrier suffers worst first half results since its 1987 privatisation after reporting a loss of £292m for the six months to the end of September

RBS hit by £3.3bn impairment charges
The state-owned lender, which this week agreed changes required by Brussels in return for further state funds, swung to a pre-tax loss of £2.2bn from a £2.2bn profit a year ago

Personal insolvencies rise by 28%
The number of companies going into liquidation fell in the third quarter but the number of individuals becoming insolvent has continued to rise, according to official data

Bank tries 'last heave' with £25bn boost
The Bank of England will pump another £25bn into the economy, which remained mired in recession in the third quarter, in what was described as 'one last heave' to propel growth

FT.com - UK News
FT.com - UK News

 

Clarification: Home schooling

In “An inspector calls” (October 24th) we said the number of home-schooled children known to social services included disabled children. The author of the official inquiry into the matter has clarified that it did not. Children taught at home are twice as likely to be known to social services as those who attend school.

...

Dating in the downturn: Well met by clublight

What online-dating sites are learning from pick-up artists

IN A dark underground room in central London, a group of men scribble intently in notebooks. They are in a class on “how to be funny” and they want to get it right. It has been a long day; they have already attended classes on teeth-whitening, self-esteem and personal finance as part of an intensive course on how to attract women. This evening they will put their work into practice as tutors assess their attempts to score dates in some of the city’s leading clubs.

The programme is run by Love Systems, an American firm that charges up to GBP3,000 ($5,000) for three-day boot camps. Other outfits offer similar “pick-up” courses, though they remain relatively small and almost clandestine. The real money in the “dating industry” is online. ...

Drugs policy: Blinded by science

An outspoken scientist is dumped, leaving the government in a mess

“THE Nutty Professor”, as David Nutt is known in the Sun and other newspapers, has never been far from controversy. As chairman of the government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), Dr Nutt, who heads Bristol University’s psychopharmacology unit, issued reports on narcotics and recommended where each should be placed on Britain’s three-point scale of harmfulness. Such is the seething state of the drugs debate that more or less anything he said was guaranteed to enrage somebody.

Most recently he managed to upset Alan Johnson, the home secretary, who promptly sacked him on October 30th. His offence was to have repeated his view that cannabis and ecstasy are both less harmful than the government implies in its classification of them. Cannabis, currently class B, and ecstasy, class A, should both be demoted to class C, he said, adding for good measure that both were less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. ...

Reforming parliamentary expenses: The never-ending story

Those charged with fixing a discredited system are taking their time

IF THE next general election takes place in May, as is expected, a year will have elapsed since MPs were shamed by revelations of their systematically fiddled expenses and allowances. It looks increasingly possible, however, that the broken system will have been fixed only partially by the time voters go to the polls.

Gordon Brown asked the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life to propose reforms to the expenses regime soon after the scandal broke, thanks to the Daily Telegraph. Despite the prime minister’s pleas for a speedy inquiry, Sir Christopher Kelly, the committee’s chairman, reported only on November 4th. His main recommendation concerns the so-called second-homes allowance, which MPs can claim to maintain separate homes in their constituencies and in London. He wants it confined to the cost of renting a place or staying in a hotel. Those who currently claim for mortgage payments can do so for the duration of the next parliament, but any capital gains made over that time must be returned to the taxpayer. ...

New banking measures: Chipped, not broken

The latest chapter in the banking rescue is less novel than it seems

JUST over a year ago, as Britain’s banking system suffered a near-death experience, the government resuscitated it with an emergency infusion of capital. This week Alistair Darling pumped in yet more money, leading to accusations that policy failures had brought about another big bail-out. The chancellor of the exchequer, for his part, made much of moves to create a more competitive banking market, forcing the two big banks that have gobbled up state aid—Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG)—to pay for it by shedding branches and customers.

In fact, this latest chapter in the banking rescue is neither a new bail-out nor the dawn of a new competitive era. The government’s sudden interest in opening up the market was in any case the result of pressure from Europe (see article). And despite much hoopla before this week’s announcement about breaking up the banks, it amounted to precious little. ...

Teaching at universities: A sense of entitlement

When demanding students meet reluctant lecturers

A COMIC novel, “Lucky Jim”, published by Kingsley Amis in 1954, portrayed life as a university lecturer as a grubby, tiresome slog, for all that it was shot through with humour. A somewhat drier study of university life has now found that academics no longer devote as much time to teaching as they did because of the bureaucratic burdens they are now forced to carry.

The study, by Malcolm Tight of Lancaster University, examined surveys of academic workloads since 1945. He found that university staff have worked long hours, typically 50 hours a week, since the late 1960s. Academics fiercely protect the time they spend on research. They also do more administrative work than in the past. As a result, he concludes, “the balance of the average academic’s workload has changed in an undesirable way… [making] it more difficult to pay as much attention to teaching as most academics would like to do.” ...

School places: Admissions of guilt

Ministers want to make the great schools game harder to play

FAKING divorce, claiming to live in a shop, passing off a grandparent’s house as one’s own: not more revelations of MPs’ accounting tricks, but tactics used by parents to get their children into oversubscribed state schools. A report on the subject published on November 2nd listed all these and more. In it Ian Craig, the schools adjudicator, describes those who game the system as “thieves” whose actions deprive the more deserving of places of their own.

It is the latest salvo in an escalating war between ambitious parents who cannot or will not pay independent-school fees— and their ranks have been swelled by recession—and the local councils charged with policing state-school admissions. Officials are not above extreme measures of their own. One head teacher bragged on national television that he had hired private detectives to spy on parents, and town halls have had their knuckles rapped for using surveillance laws normally reserved for serious criminals. ...

Policing Northern Ireland: New cop in town

A tough task awaits the new chief constable

JUST when the finishing line was in sight, a stumble. Last month, after long talks with Northern Ireland’s ruling politicians, Gordon Brown agreed to hand over GBP800m-1 billion ($1.7 billion) to the Stormont government to finance the final stage of devolution—giving Belfast responsibility for policing and justice. The self-congratulatory announcement to Parliament was barely out of the prime minister’s mouth when Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland’s first minister, called a halt. Members of his Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) needed to see more “confidence-building measures” on issues such as Orange Order parades before he could give his final approval. Even the promise of a further GBP20m for mainly Protestant police reservists has not moved matters forward.

For all their irritation over unionist foot-dragging, however, mainstream republicans are playing a full part in transforming how Northern Ireland is policed. This has changed radically over the past decade, as the old Protestant-dominated Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) has given way to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Thanks to 50-50 hiring of Protestants and Catholics, the proportion of the latter in the ranks has risen from 8% to 28%, and it is growing (in senior ranks the Catholic proportion has doubled to 16%). Women now make up a quarter of a force that has lost much of its former laddish complexion. ...

Bagehot: Plan B

David Cameron's wisely pragmatic approach to the Lisbon treaty still carries risks—mostly for him

SOME pairs of terms seem somehow to be linked ineluctably in Britain’s political discourse. “Proportional” is followed by “representation”, “expenses” is now eternally yoked with “scandal”, “boom” with the unabolished “bust”. So it has been, for the last few years, with “Lisbon treaty” and “referendum”: if European integration is the problem—and for several in the Conservative Party and the commentariat, it is—a referendum is the only solution. At least, it has seemed so until now.

On November 4th, the day after the Czech president signed the treaty, David Cameron, the Tory leader, severed that association, for the time being. If the Tories win the impending general election, he said, there will not be a plebiscite of any kind on Europe. His idea of what a Tory government would do over Europe, however, was less robust than his statement of what it will not. ...

A prisoner seeks the vote: Conviction politics

One inmate’s appeal is thrown out, but changes beckon

“VOTES for paedophiles” is unlikely ever to be a popular rallying cry, and few mourned the dismissal of Peter Chester’s case before the High Court on October 28th. Thirty-two years ago Mr Chester raped and strangled his seven-year-old niece. Still in prison, he wants to vote, which the law currently forbids. He had hoped that the European Convention on Human Rights might allow him to claim that right, but Mr Justice Burton, judging the case, felt otherwise. Mr Chester and his fellow lags will remain disenfranchised.

Britain is unusual in Europe for applying a near-blanket ban on prisoners voting. According to the Prison Reform Trust, a charity which wants this reversed, the policy is shared by only six other EU countries, mainly eastern European ones. The rest either allow prisoners full voting rights or restrict the franchise only partially. This usually involves taking into account the length of the prisoner’s sentence (as also happens in Australia and New Zealand) or giving judges the discretion to impose a ban as an extra penalty. America, exceptional as ever in penal policy, bans inmates from voting in most states and even bans former inmates in a few. ...

Reshaping British banking: Rock carving

Splitting Northern Rock is just the beginning

NORTHERN ROCK was rescued in September 2007, more than a year before the much-bigger Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Lloyds TSB and HBOS. The mortgage bank may also be the first to wriggle out of government hands. On October 28th the European Commission approved a restructuring plan, as required under the European Union’s state-aid rules, splitting it into a good bank and a bad bank.

The good bank will keep the retail deposits and some existing mortgages. The bad bank will take no deposits and look after the remaining assets. UK Financial Investments (UKFI), which manages the government’s shareholdings in RBS and Lloyds, will take over both bits after the split. The plan is to sell the good bank and gradually run down the assets of the bad one, making sure in the process that neither distorts competition. ...

Tony Blair for Brussels: El Presidente

The Tories’ exaggerated loathing for their old adversary

ONE well-known rule of politics is that early front-runners for big jobs often fail to land them. Tony Blair has accordingly been coy about whether he wants to become the first full-time president of the European Council. But his old pals in the government, chief among them David Miliband, the foreign secretary, are suddenly eager to press his claim. And his old foes in the Conservative Party are desperate to wreck it.

William Hague, Mr Miliband’s shadow, is said to have told assorted European diplomats that support for Mr Blair’s candidacy would be viewed as a “hostile” gesture by the Tories. Meanwhile David Cameron, the Tory leader, says that, opposed as he is to the Lisbon treaty that creates the post, he thinks the EU shouldn’t have a president—but if it must, the role should be (in his parlance) “chairmanic”, and not “all-singing, all-dancing, all-acting”. In other words the president should chair meetings but not swan around like a global power-broker. If Mr Blair becomes president, the argument runs, that is what he will do; and since the post’s first occupant may define it, the presidency will become a higher-profile and more powerful position than the Tories would like. ...

Bagehot: Cameron's ransom

What the row about the Conservatives' European allies reveals about their party

THE lands between the Baltic and Black seas endured a 20th century of almost unimaginable horror: it brought war, genocide, famine, invasion, occupation, fascism, communism, economic turmoil and corruption. The politics and parties that emerged have been warped and confused by that awful past. They cannot fairly be judged by the standards of long-established democracies. But that does not mean, as Britain’s Conservatives almost seem to think, that they cannot be judged at all.

Earlier this year, David Cameron fulfilled a pledge to pull his Conservative members of the European Parliament out of the European People’s Party (EPP), the block to which they formerly belonged. Instead the Tory MEPs now form the core of a cobbled-together new group, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). One of their new partners is a mainstream centre-right party from the Czech Republic. But some of the others are less respectable. They include the Law and Justice Party of Poland, and in particular Michal Kaminski, a controversial MEP who has made remarks about homosexuals, and about a wartime massacre of Jews by Poles in Jedwabne (a town he once represented in the Polish parliament), which many find alarming. ...

The pickup in sales: Mall nutrition

Shoppers return, but their habits are changing

FOR over a year retailers have been cowering in their high-street redoubts as recession replaced the longest consumer-spending spree in recent times. Good news appeared this week, and a hint that the economy may be in less-dire shape than third-quarter GDP figures suggest. Sales recovered sharply in early October—particularly in food and footwear, but also in clothing and furniture—according to a survey released by the Confederation of British Industry. The outlook for November is even better, though with the looming uncertainties of Christmas and a return to higher VAT in January.

But the pattern is patchy. London shops have defied the recession better than those elsewhere, bolstered by tourism and the weak pound, and by the spending power of local residents. The divide between “have” and “have-not” shoppers across Britain has widened, according to the Retail Think Tank, an expert panel. The “haves” make fewer shopping trips but buy what they want; the “have-nots” are making more trips but buying less. ...

The Bank of England's next step: Engineering that elusive recovery

The central bank must decide whether to boost its unconventional stimulus

SINCE the recession intensified a year ago, the Bank of England has pulled out the stops. Not only did it yank the base rate down to an historical low of 0.5% in March, but it also embarked on quantitative easing—injecting newly created money into the economy by buying assets, mainly gilts. The programme has expanded from an initial target of GBP75 billion to GBP175 billion. Those purchases have almost been completed, which means that the bank must soon decide whether to leave it at that or raise the target again.

Before the unexpected disclosure of Britain’s continuing recession in the third quarter of 2009, the City was starting to think a halt would be called to quantitative easing when the bank’s monetary-policy committee (MPC) meets in early November. But the 0.4% fall in GDP from its level in the second quarter, bringing the decline in the economy since its pre-recession peak in early 2008 to 5.9%, has made the bank’s next move harder to predict. ...

Scottish history and politics: Old wars, new battles

On the use and abuse of national stories

ALEX SALMOND, the nationalist first minister of Scotland, firmly believes that the 1995 movie “Braveheart” played a big role in persuading Scots to vote for a devolved Parliament in a referendum two years later. The gory biopic relates the life of William Wallace, leader of a 13th-century Scottish rebellion against Edward I of England. Now he seems bent on using another medieval Scottish hero, Robert the Bruce, to work the same magic for his Scottish National Party (SNP). But harnessing history for political profit, Mr Salmond is discovering, can be a two-edged claymore.

Last month the SNP government said it was giving GBP180,000 to finance school visits to three historic places, including the battlefield of Bannockburn, to “help deepen understanding of our nation”. It ruffled feathers. Bannockburn was the site, in 1314, of Scotland’s biggest victory in centuries of Anglo-Scottish warfare. The SNP marches to it each year to commemorate the destruction of Edward II’s army. ...

Reforming the centralised state: The great giveaway

The growing fervour for handing power to local government and citizens

“NOT English” is how Mr Podsnap deplores the idea of a mighty central state in Charles Dickens’s “Our Mutual Friend”. That was a century and a half ago. Central government in Britain now raises and spends more money in relation to economic output than any OECD country bar New Zealand. This top-heavy state, the legacy of centripetal policies since the war, is no clunkier than the language of those keenest to reform it. In recent years politicians and their favourite thinkers have called for a “post-bureaucratic age” brought about by “double devolution” and “pro-social behaviour”. Rhetorically, it is hardly the stuff of Dickens.

But the opacity of the language should not obscure the momentum behind a policy more simply described as giving power away. At its most basic, it means devolving decision-making from central to local government. Public services would be run by town halls rather than Whitehall, and more cities would have elected mayors with real powers. But the agenda also includes more exotic ideas for transferring power from government to individuals and communities. Examples include letting the recipients of social care and other services manage the money spent on them, allowing almost anyone to set up a state-funded school and spreading data about public-sector performance. ...

Bagehot: Time for a novice

How the country is secretly run by the young

THE greybeards are back, some in rumour but others in fact. The Conservatives deny reports that Michael Heseltine, aka Tarzan, is set to return to government in a putative Tory administration; but other veterans are likely to serve alongside Ken Clarke, now the shadow business secretary, who will be 70 soon after the general election expected next year. The infatuation with youth, which helped to secure the Tory leadership for David Cameron and that of the Liberal Democrats for Nick Clegg, seems to have waned—on the surface of politics, at least.

For Bagehot, perhaps the most intriguing overall lesson of the party-conference season was the extreme youth of many of those in important positions in the party hierarchies, making policy and conducting high-level negotiations. This is one of the hidden features of the political machine: the callow age of many of its cogs, including some big ones. ...

Foreign aid in a recession: Wrapped up against the cold

Austerity finds Britain’s development budget untouchable, for now

COMPARED with the twin monoliths that house the Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for International Development (DfID) is a poky dwelling set back from the Whitehall action. But the department attracts the kind of graduate civil servant who would once have had eyes only for the grandest offices of state.

There is more to this than the missionary wanderlust of the young. Over the past decade, the personal backing of Gordon Brown has given development policy both status and money. Britain spent GBP6.3 billion on overseas aid in 2008—all but 12% of it through DfID. That was twice as much, as a proportion of national income, as in 1998. This level of spending now reflects political consensus. The Conservatives have pledged to retain the government’s UN-inspired target of boosting aid to 0.7% of GDP by 2013, up from 0.4% today. ...

The Economist: Britain
Britain

 

Anti dirty coal campaign takes to the streets
The Bristol Greenpeace Group is one of many taking part in the Big If Coal Campaign and launched their activities on 17-18 October. Ive got to do something said Fi Radford from Bristol who became involved for the first time with this campaign. People want to get involved but they dont...

BA union to ballot cabin crew members over strike action
British Airways BA early last week faced the prospect of fresh industrial action after a key trade union announced it would ballot cabin crew staff over new employment contracts. The Unite union said 14 000 of its members at the airline will vote on whether to launch a campaign of...

Many more suspects in Lockerbie case?
British investigators were initially looking for 8 further potential suspects in connection with the 1988 Lockerbie bombing for which only one man - Libyan Abdel Basset al-Megrahi has been convicted according to press reports early last week. The revelation was made on 26 October by Stuart Henderson a former detective...

Ukraine thinks about gas debts
The Ukrainian government confirmed on 22 October the concept of development and modernization of the gas transport system for 2009-2015. Ukraines Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan mentioned a focus on the technical re-equipment of the pipelines compressor and gas distribution centres. The estimated cost of the project is $2.57...

Ukraine starts election campaign
Ukraine`s presidential election campaign is being formally launched amid hopes it could drag the country out of its political paralysis local media said. Opinion polls suggest the pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko is unlikely even to make a run-off in the election set for 17 January. Since coming to power after...

Tesco halfyearly profits edge 1.5% higher
ON 6 OCTOBER Tesco announced half-year pre-tax profits of GBP 1.42 billion an increase of 1.5 percent on a year earlier after total sales of GBP 30.4 billion RTE Ireland reported. Group sales including VAT for the six months to the end of August rose by 8.3% to £30.4 billion....

EDF to sell its British electricity distributor
FRENCH energy provider EDF said on 2 October that it was initiating a process that could lead to the sale of its British electricity distributor EDF Energy Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The move is in line with EDFs announced intention to reduce its debt by at least €5 billion...

HSBC to delay expansion on second slump fears
HSBC HEAD Michael Geoghegan is planning to delay any expansion of the bank following concerns that there will be a second economic downturn in the coming months RTE Ireland reported. Is this a V recovery or a W? the HSBC chief executive officer said in an interview with the Financial...

Jaguar Land Rover secures Bank of India loan
BRITISH carmaker Jaguar Land Rover JLR announced on 7 October that it had secured a loan of £175 million $278 million from the State Bank of India taking to £500 million the level of new funding agreed so far this year DPA reported. JLR which is owned by Tata Motors...

World War II prisoner camp in Britain offered for sale on eBay
A former World War II prisoner-of-war camp in Britain has been advertised for sale on eBay as a unique leisure attraction at 900 000 pounds 1.4 million dollars Deutsche Presse Agentur reported on 30 September. The Harperley Prisoner of War Camp near Crook in County Durham in north-east Britain housed...

Deadline in place for Kraft in Cadbury bid
Cadburys American suitor was on September 30 issued with a put up or shut up deadline by the City takeover authority in the UK Ireland Online reported. A Takeover Panel ruling instructed US giant Kraft Foods to announce its intentions to either make a firm offer or not to bid...

New BA business service to use Shannon
Loss-making airline British Airways has launched an all-business class service from London to New York on September 29 as it seeks to get back on track amid the downturn RTE Ireland reported. The twice-daily service will operate between London City Airport and New York offering 32 seats onboard an Airbus...

Magna to axe 1 200 Vauxhall jobs
Magna is preparing to cut between 1 100 and 1 200 jobs at Vauxhall in a move that would wipe out almost a quarter of the carmakers British workforce The Daily Telegraph reported on 23 September. Magnas plans to keep the lights on at Vauxhall will be scrutinized by the...

Builders seek cash injection
British house builders Barratt Developments and Redrow have both turned to investors for fresh funds to repair their balance sheets and take advantage of weak property prices to snap up land RTE Ireland reported on 23 September. Barratt said that that it would raise £545.5 million via a 1.3 for...

Lloyds joining toxic scheme
Britains part-nationalized bank Lloyds said early last week that it was considering alternative options to the governments insurance scheme for toxic assets citing improving economic conditions RTE Ireland has reported. Lloyds Banking Group LBG which is 43 per cent-owned by taxpayers after a huge bail-out added that it might place...

Cadbury knocks back 2nd offer
In a back and forth rally that has confectionery critics standing firm to their Cadbury tastes economists and market watchers speculative and the trading floors fluctuating a letter dated September 7 from Kraft Foods Inc Kraft Foods to Cadbury plc Cadbury in relation to a proposed combination Cadbury has sent...

Barclays fined for transaction failures
British bank Barclays has been fined GBP 2.45 million for failing to provide accurate transaction reports and flaws in its reporting procedures RTE Ireland reported on September 8. Companies in the UK need to submit data for reportable transactions. The Financial Services Authority said the failures by investment bank arm Barclays...

Bausch Lomb cut jobs in Scotland
The multinational eye care company Bausch and Lomb has announced that 500 jobs are to be lost at its facility in Scotland a move which may help safeguard jobs in Waterford RTE Ireland reported on September 4. The company said that as part of a restructuring process approximately 30 new positions...

Laura Ashley blooms again
Home furnishings and fashion retailer Laura Ashley on September 9 said half-year sales rose 6.3 percent after strong trading in three of its four product areas Ireland Online reported. Like-for-like retail sales in the UK gained 6.7 percent in the six months to August 1 with sales of furniture and clothing...

BP discovers giant oil field in Gulf of Mexico
Oil company British Petroleum BP on September 2 announced the discovery of a giant new oil field in the Gulf of Mexico in what it described as one of the deepest wells ever drilled in the oil and gas industry Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The find was made at BPs...

DSG Q1 sales fall less than expected
DSG International Europes second-biggest electrical goods retailer posted a smaller than expected quarterly sales drop on September 2 and said it had agreed to sell its Polish operations RTE Ireland reported. The group which runs Currys and PC World in Ireland and the UK Elkjop in the Nordic region and...

UK branch of Lehman Brothers claims USD 100 bln
Administrators of the UK arm of Lehman Brothers on August 31 said they were preparing up to USD 100 billion 70 billion Euro in claims against the US parent as the year anniversary of the banks collapse nears Ireland Online reported. Pricewater­houseCoopers PwC is working on the mammoth claims on...

Uzbekistan to offer power for transiting electricity to Tajikistan
Uzbekistan recently agre­ed to offer its power systems for transiting Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan in autumn-winter 2009-2010. An agreement to this effect was inked in Tashkent Uzbekistan the Ministry of Energy and Industries MEI told Turkmenistan.ru. It should be recalled that in 2007 Tajikistan and Turkmenistan inked a five-year agreement...

Turkmenistan Russia discuss bilateral ties
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov recently initiated a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. Berdimuhamedov expressed his sincere condolences and feelings of fraternal solidarity to the President of Russia and all Russian people in connection with the recent tragic events and resulting casualties. In return the Russian Head expressed...

Talking Turkey and tourism
Ahead of a planned official visit to Turkey Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov has stressed common points between his country and Turkey while declaring the other a strategic partner for his country. Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov speaking at a cabinet meeting held on Saturday informed cabinet members of Berdymukhamedovs upcoming...

Vacation at home - whatever the weather
Pinched by the recession disadvantaged by a strong Euro as also plagued by swine flu Britons have wholeheartedly embraced staycation this summer giving overseas holidays in hot climates a miss in favour of a bucket-and-spade break on native shores. According to one survey up to a fifth of Britons who...

Chancellor praises Tescos challenge to banks
The supermarket chain Tesco recently announced it would be opening offices in central Glasgow next year to provide customer service for its Tesco Personal Finance arm which would involve a good number of new recruitments a move that has been highly appreciated by the national finance boss. Chancellor Alistair Darling...

Record numbers of students secure a university place
For a record number of students A Level results day has also brought confirmation that they have secured a place at university or college for this autumn. A total of 371 016 applicants have had their places confirmed so far more than 60 percent of all those who have applied...

BA workers reject cost-cutting plans
Plans by British Airways to axe thousands of jobs freeze pay and make other savings were rejected by workers on July 6 company officials said. A mass meeting of more than 2 000 employees including cabin crew sent a strong message that they were not prepared to accept an assault...

Grafton expects to return to modest levels of profitable
Building materials group Grafton said it continues to experience the most challenging trading conditions in decades company officials said last week. In a trading update the group said its profitability has been impacted severely by the ongoing lack of credit and depressed markets. It said that its Irish operations which...

Summer brightening outlook
Drinks group CC has said trading in the first four months of its financial year is ahead of expectations and a successful launch for its pear cider products in Ireland and the UK company officials said. As a result it said operating profits for the full year will be at...

Lufthansa buys Bishop BMI stake
Lufthansa has wrapped its acquisitions of Brussels Airlines and BMI British Midland after it addressed competition concerns voiced by the European Commission company officials said on June 22. The German carrier obtained permission from EU competition authorities to buy Brussels Airlines in a deal worth up to 250 million Euro...

Hard times for British Airways
Airline British Airways is considering selling its OpenSkies subsidiary only a year after it acquired it company officials said. The airline which previous week asked its staff to consider working for free some weeks is believed to be considering winding up or selling the business which runs flights from Paris...

Telecoms workers told to work somewhere else part time
British telecoms provider BT is encouraging its staff in Britain to work temporarily for other companies to avoid further redundancies in the latest example of firms seeking creative alternatives to firing staff company officials said. A BT spokesman said that staff were being asked to volunteer for secondments of at...

New Financial year for Tesco
Supermarket giant Tescos first quarter sales rose 4.3 percent during a solid start to its trading year company officials said on June 16. The group said the same-store sales increase in the UK excluding VAT and fuel was achieved with a return to growth in non-food sales. Concerning its international...

Work and fly for free
Last month British Airways BA posted a record annual loss of 468.138 Euro for 2008 due partly to higher fuel bills. In order to BA for help its airlines finances BA asked tens of thousands of staff to work without pay for up to a month this summer company officials...

MS listens to the consumer voice
Marks and Spencer has announced a permanent price cut of up to 12 percent across its clothing furniture and homeware products in its Irish stores. The lower prices were to come into effect from last Thursday company officials said on June 17. Weve listened. Weve lowered campaign follows pressure from...

Farage: Im Back and Im Proud – and cautiously Eurosceptical
On his first day back in Brussels Nigel Farage as Member of the European Parliament from the United Kingdom and the Independence Party which advocates the countryrsquo;s withdrawal from the European Union took some time out from organising the new IND/DEM Group to talk to New Europersquo;s Andy Carling about...

Mining giant puts in the margin China deal
Rio Tinto global mining company has dumped plans for a 19.5 billion USD tie-up with Chinas Chinalco a world-leading company which provides engineering and technical services to the mining industry and agreed to set up an iron ore joint venture with rival BHP Billiton a global resources company and sell...

Jobs at risk as LDV looking for money
Stricken British vanmaker LDV finally applied for administration on June 8 following the collapse of a rescue deal putting thousands of jobs at risk of being axed in the coming days company officials said. A lack of money had forced the directors of the commercial company to reapply for administration...

Lloyds Banking Group cutting more jobs
Britains Lloyds Banking Group on June 9 announced the closure of nearly 200 branches of a subsidiary with the loss of 1 600 jobs company officials said. Lloyds which has been struggling to digest its mega-merger with ailing Halifax Bank of Scotland HBOS earlier this year said it would close...

Burberrys profits out the door
Luxury goods firm Burberry on May 19 reported a 13 percent fall in underlying profits despite annual revenues topping more than GBP one billion 12.5 billion Euro for the first time Ireland Online reported.The profits decline to GBP 174.6 million 199.14 million Euro for the year to March 31 came...

MS profits fall overseas expansion continues
Leading British retail chain Marks Spencer MS suffered a sharp drop in pre-tax profits to GBP 706 million USD 1.1 billion in 2008 despite a strong rise in turnover in outlets in Asia and Eastern Europe the company reported on May 19 Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. Although overall sales...

Lloyds Banking Group to cut 625 UK jobs
Britains state-controlled Lloyds Banking Group is to axe 625 jobs the UKs biggest union Unite said on May 20. LBG has yet to confirm the job cuts RTE Ireland reported on May 19. The Lloyds Banking Group was created in January when Lloyds TSB bought rival lender HBOS which faced...

Vodafone profits halved on write-downs results
British mobile phone operator Vodafones full-year net profit halved on the back of write-downs according to company figures released on May 19 Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. Profits fell by by 54.4 percent to GBP 3.08 billion USD 4.7 billion by revenue in the fiscal year ending in March the...

UK van maker LDV is looking for money
...

No weddings in the sky on Easyjet
...

Warm weather boosts sales for BQ and Kingfisher
...

RBS lets go of another 100 workers
The Royal Bank of Scotland RBS on eof the largest and oldest banking institutions in the UK is to axe almost 100 jobs from its business dealing with personal loans based-in Rotherham England it has been announced Ireland Online and local media reported on March 25. Union officials reacted with...

UK insurance giant to cut 10% of workforce
British insurance giant Legal General said on March 25 around 10 percent of its life and pensions workforce would go this year after it reported a GBP 1.5 billion 1.6 billion Euro annual loss Ireland Online reported. LG said the UK job cuts - out of a 6 500-strong division...

UK News - New Europe News
UK News - New Europe News: The European News Source.

 

British man shot dead in Texas bar

A British man has been shot dead after a gunman opened fire after walking into a bar in the United States.

Police: House fire death was murder

Police are treating the death of a woman in a house fire sparked by a firework as murder, and warned the culprits that they will be caught.

Brown in call for global 'contract'

Gordon Brown has called for a new global "economic and social contract" with the financial institutions to ensure taxpayers around the world will never again have to bear the cost of banking failure.

Two-year-old punched by muggers

Muggers punched a two-year-old girl in the head as they demanded money from her mother, Scotland Yard said.

'Stitch-up' reports on MP expenses

There have been accusations of a "behind-the-scenes stitch-up" following reports that key elements of the proposed plan to clean up the system of MPs' expenses could be scrapped.

Britons scoop a £90m Euro jackpot

Two British ticketholders shared a massive £90 million jackpot in Friday night's Euromillions draw, Camelot said.

£1m worth of cannabis plants seized

Cannabis plants worth more than £1 million have been seized by police in one of the biggest finds of the drug in Essex.

Plans to cut legal aid fees warning

Government plans to slash legal aid fees to barristers would be disastrous, the chairman of the Bar Council has warned.

Ryan Thomas quizzed over road crash

Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas has been questioned by police in connection with a drink-drive collision.

BA cabin crews balloted over cuts

Union leaders have served formal notice of a ballot among thousands of British Airways cabin crew in a dispute over new contracts and job cuts.

Miss England relinquishes her crown

A soldier will take on beauty contest duties after the original Miss England relinquished her crown following her arrest over an apparent nightclub brawl.

Police seek murder clue 15 years on

Detectives have said they are still actively looking for the killer of a 13-year-old schoolgirl on the 15th anniversary of the day she went missing.

5,000 complaints made against Met

Scotland Yard's riot squad has received more than 5,000 complaint allegations, mostly for "oppressive behaviour", it has emerged.

PM's Afghanistan policy criticised

Three former defence chiefs have launched a scathing attack on Gordon Brown's Afghanistan policy.

Drugs tsar sacking causes 'concern'

The sacking of the Government's chief drugs adviser has caused "serious concern" among the scientific community, the Science Minister Lord Drayson has acknowledged.

Elect local police chiefs - call

Every town should have an elected police commissioner responsible for meeting the needs of local people, a think tank said.

'Soft schools increase crime risk'

Lax standards of school discipline make pupils more likely to turn to crime and drugs, Government research has revealed.

Insolvency numbers at record high

Mounting numbers of indebted Britons sent personal insolvency figures soaring to a new high as more people succumbed to the recession.

Leaders react to Texas gun rampage

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has sent a message of condolence and support to US President Barack Obama after an Army psychiatrist killed 13 soldiers in a gun rampage at a Texas army base.

Drugs czar sacking 'caused concern'

The sacking of the Government's chief drugs adviser has caused "serious concern" among the scientific community, the Science Minister Lord Drayson has acknowledged.

Firework link to fatal fire probed

Investigators are looking into whether a firework posted through the letterbox of a house could have sparked a blaze which killed a mother.

Climate deal essential - Chancellor

Alistair Darling has said that a deal to tackle climate change is "essential", as he prepared for a summit with finance ministers and bankers.

Ventilator baby 'reacts to music'

A seriously disabled one-year-old boy whose estranged parents are divided over whether he should be allowed to live or die has shown signs that he "appears to like music", the High Court has heard.

Brown warns Karzai over corruption

Gordon Brown has warned Afghanistan's re-elected president that he will "forfeit the right to international support" if he fails to root out corruption.

PM pledges jobs for all 'mission'

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has declared jobs for all to be his "mission".

Drugs link to India murder probe

Witness statements in the investigation into the rape and murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling have suggested that drugs were freely available near the beach where her body was found.

Off-licences hold major booze sale

A giant booze sale has begun after Threshers and Wine Rack stores earmarked for closure launched "very substantial" discounts.

Post deal seeks a new way forward

The two sides in the bitter postal dispute have pledged to achieve a "radically different" culture in industrial and employee relations under a deal which ended the threat of fresh strikes, it was disclosed.

Miss England quits after arrest

Miss England Rachel Christie has relinquished her crown after being arrested on suspicion of a nightclub assault sparked by a row over a TV gladiator.

More BA jobs to go after £292m loss

British Airways is to cut an extra 1,200 jobs, taking the total reduction to 4,900 by next year, it was revealed.

'Praying' murderer jailed for life

A murderer whose prayers for forgiveness were overheard by police who bugged his car has been jailed for life.

Cheese driving UK economic growth

Offshore wind farms, yacht building and cheese are among the industries driving the UK's economic growth, according to a new report.

Suspect, 99, among 223 OAP arrests

A 99-year-old alleged burglar was among more than 200 pensioners arrested in the past two years by one police force.

Police checked leads from psychics

A police force has admitted following up leads supplied by "mystics" after a man's death.

Boyzone honoured by gay campaigners

Boyzone have been honoured by gay campaign group Stonewall for the late Stephen Gately's contribution to raising awareness.

RBS posts losses of £1.53 billion

Part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has posted third-quarter losses of £1.53 billion despite slim signs of improvement at the beleaguered business.

Royal Mint medal honours Sir Bobby

The life and times of former England football manager Sir Bobby Robson are to be remembered in a special medal commissioned by the Royal Mint.

Call for exam boards to face fines

Exam boards should face fines if they fail to stick to guidelines on standards, the head of the Royal Society of Chemistry has said.

Prayer confession killer faces life

A murderer whose prayers for forgiveness were overheard by police who bugged his car is due to be sentenced to life in prison.

Veterans urged to secure funding

Second World War veterans are being urged to make sure they secure funding for commemorative trips to places where they fought.

Mandelson call for greater EU role

Lord Mandelson has called for new leadership in Europe to give the EU a key role in the world.

BA to announce first summer loss

British Airways will announce its first ever summer loss as the airline counts the cost of a gruelling six months.

Helmand dead 'were men of courage'

Tributes have been paid to the five British soldiers murdered by an Afghan police officer as the death of another UK serviceman was announced.

Courts told get tough on polluters

The courts have been urged by a watchdog to issue tougher fines for environmental pollution.

BA crews to work rota until hearing

British Airways cabin crews have agreed "unwillingly" to work the new schedules brought in by the airline until a full trial of the dispute next year.

£20m game show deal for Ant and Dec

Ant and Dec have signed a new, exclusive two-year deal with ITV, thought to be worth around £10 million each to the presenters.

Prayer confession killer convicted

A man whose prayers for forgiveness were overheard by police who bugged his car has been convicted of murder.

Payne seeks 'clarity' on sentencing

Sentencing judges should spell out the exact amount of time a criminal is likely to spend in prison, Victims' Champion Sara Payne has said.

 

Registration Opens for Brighton Festival Fringe

Have you got an act the public Must see? A dance company, stand-up routine, musical ensemble, play or performance art event that's time has come?

The Brighton Festival Fringe, England's biggest fringe festival, may be just the place for your debut. Registration for 2010, for performers and companies opened this week. You can register between now and February 8, 2010 to participate in the festival, scheduled for May 1 to 23, 2010.

There's an online registration form for participants who have it all sussed. But if you're not sure what's involved in putting on an event at the Brighton Festival Fringe, check out the Participants page and the very helpful Get Involved section.

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Registration Opens for Brighton Festival Fringe originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 12:01:34.

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Thanksgiving in the UK-Where to Have a Trad Turkey Feast

Just because you're away from home, that's no reason not to carb load at a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner - and eat some turkey too, of course. Americans abroad, for vacation, school or work, can tuck into turkey with all the trimmings at a remarkable number of restaurants and informal gatherings around Britain. Dinners range from haughty gourmet feasts in expensive hotels to friendly homestyle feasts. Several even throw in live broadcasts of the Macy's Parade and Thanksgiving football games. In Plymouth, they make a whole weekend out of the holiday.

Find out more about Thanksgiving in Plymouth, England, and about other places to enjoy this most American festival in the UK in our round up of Thanksgiving Celebrations in the UK.

And while you're at it, drop in to my forum to share your Thanksgiving thoughts, traditions and plans with the rest of us.

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Thanksgiving in the UK-Where to Have a Trad Turkey Feast originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 01:40:01.

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Southern Railways Half Price Deal
Day trips from London and around the south of England just got much cheaper. Southern Railways has launched half price day return tickets (that's round trip, same day) for customers who book online between now and December 15.

The fares are for off-peak, weekday journeys and some are pretty remarkable. London Victoria to Brighton, round trip, is just £10.40. Travel to Arundel with its wonderful castle and access to the South Downs Way for just £11 round trip.

Tickets must be purchased online before the closing date but you can use them after December 15. Sounds like some school vacation outings might be in the cards.

To book, visit The Southern Railways website.

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Southern Railways Half Price Deal originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 01:20:51.

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More News About Ancient UK Gold Finds

Metal detectorists seem to be having a field day in the UK at the moment. As a small selection from the Anglo Saxon gold hoard, unearthed in September, went on show at the British Museum in London today, a new find, in Stirling, Scotland was announced.

The Stirling find, a 2,000-year-old hoard consisting of four twisted gold neckbands, or torques, is estimated to be worth £1 million. The pieces are believed to date from the 1st and 3rd centuries B.C.

The find has been declared treasure trove and is now being valued by the The Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel. The finder has no right to the find, which becomes the property of the Crown, but is customarily offered a reward equal to the appraised value.

Meanwhile, a small group of items from the West Midlands Anglo Saxon hoard went on display at the British Museum while the entire find - approximately 1,600 items - is being valued.

At the same time, a group of West Midlands institutions, including the Birmingham Museums and Art Galleries and Staffordshire County Council, announced that the gold will, ultimately, be returned to Staffordshire, in the West Midlands, where it was found.

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More News About Ancient UK Gold Finds originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 15:19:06.

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An Evening at Windsor Castle - What a Holiday Treat

If you've ever fancied getting closer to some of the treasures of Windsor Castle, or having a virtually private view of them, after hours - you may just be in luck.

Four exclusive evening tours of the Castle are planned for December 16-19. A maximum of 30 people on each night will have a chance of spending two and a half hours in the company of an expert guide from 5p.m. onward.

The tour costs £50 per person and includes an official guidebook, a 20% discount in the Royal Collection shop, a glass of champagne and a traditional mince pie. The tour can be booked online, or by telephoning 44 (0)207 766 7333.

More Holiday Merriment at Windsor Castle

Family visitors are invited to "A Christmas Ball at Windsor Castle" on the 19 and 20th of December between 11a.m. and 3p.m. But don't hurry to get the designer gown out of storage. This is a kind of virtual ball.

Children are invited to imagine what it would be like to host a ball and to follow a special trail through the State Apartments. They'll learn about costumes, decorations and feasts of the past before heading for the Moat Education Room to design a royal outfit or make a Christmas decoration.

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An Evening at Windsor Castle - What a Holiday Treat originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 08:42:04.

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Blog Carnival: Christmas Markets Light Winter Nights
All over Europe, traditional Christmas markets brighten the early winter dusks this month. Shoppers enjoy the twinkling lights, steaming crocks of spicy mulled wine, sizzling sausages and chestnuts. There's usually music, crafts, baked goods and sweets. The Best Christmas Markets in UK go on for most of November and December, in the shadow of Medieval cathedrals.

The tradition may have begun in Germany and Austria, but today Christmas markets (or Christkindle Markets as they are sometimes called), have spread to Northern and Eastern Europe, France, Italy and Spain. We've even found some around the USA.

And this year, with everyone pinching pennies, the traditional Christmas market is a good choice for unique gifts at reasonable prices. About.com's Travel Guides have joined together for this week's blog carnival to recommend their favorite Christmas markets:

• Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland all feature in The Best Christmas Markets in Scandinavia from Scandinavia guide Terri Mapes.
• Birge Amondson, About.com's guide to Germany, highlights a handful of The Best Christmas Markets in Germany including the oldest, in Dresden, dating from 1454. Check out her Christmas Market photo gallery too.
• Paris always sparkles so it's no surpise that Paris guide Courtney Traub has found a nice bunch of Paris Christmas Markets. And check out other Christmas Markets in France
• Eastern Europe is positively effervescent with holiday markets. Guide Kerry Kubilius highlights these Christmas Markets in Eastern Europe.
• And, heading south, Italy guide Martha Bakerjian says Italian Christmas Markets, called Mercatini di Natale, are good places to shop for Italian Christmas gifts and, perhaps, catch a glimpse of Babbo Natale, Father Christmas.
• Stateside, New York City guide Heather Cross spotlights Holiday Markets in New York City.
• And frosty Chicago is the setting for Christkindlemarkt in Daley Plaza.

And, if you are heading for Spain and can handle a bit of Spanish, do check out Madrid's Ciudad Navidad website. They've been selling traditional nativity figures in the Plaza Mayor since 1860 and the Plaza España is the place to find traditional and contemporaray Spanish crafts.

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Blog Carnival: Christmas Markets Light Winter Nights originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 01:36:53.

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Ghost Cams for Armchair Ghost Hunters

I love Halloween, chills and thrills and ghostly manifestations as much as anyone. But here's the thing. I hate the dark and being cold, and all that manky mildew in haunted cellars makes me sneeze.

So how am I supposed to go ghost hunting?

Lucky for me the web can solve anything. Some of the most haunted places in the UK now have web cams - ghost cams actually - trained on them during the spookiest times of day...and night. If, like me, you prefer armchair ghost hunting, check out Haunted Places with Ghost Cams around the UK.

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Ghost Cams for Armchair Ghost Hunters originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 01:21:07.

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Michael Jackson Exhibition Opens

Michael Jackson:The Official Exhibition opens today at the O2 bubble in London, where the King of Pop was to have launched his come back concert career.

The exhibition showcases many of the star's most personal and iconic memorabilia, including the famous white glove, costumes from the show that never was and a selection of (occasionally bizarre) paraphernalia from Jackson's Neverland mansion.The exhibition continues through January, with tickets available online.

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Michael Jackson Exhibition Opens originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 00:50:12.

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Giant Sea Monster Found on UK's Jurassic Coast

The fossilized skull of a giant pliosaur, an aquatic reptile that ruled the seas about 150 million years ago, has been found on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, one of the UK's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The skull, which is about 8 feet long, was discovered by local collector. It is believed to be the largest find its kind ever discovered and may have been part of an animal that was at least 50 feet long.

Dorset County Council used UK Lottery Heritage Fund money to pay the local collector £20,000 for the find. After it is investigated, it will be put on public display in the Dorset County Museum in Dorchester.

Apparently the skull was revealed in segements as time, tides and rock falls exposed it. According to the County Council's experts, it may be many years before more of the skeleton is exposed.

County officials are keeping the location of the find secret because of the danger of landslides and rock falls in the area. But, visitors can walk and fossil hunt along much of the Jurassic Coast.

Find out more about fossil hunting on Britain's Jurassic Coast

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Giant Sea Monster Found on UK's Jurassic Coast originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 13:55:56.

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Halloween Blog Carnival - Spooky Thrills Worldwide

Just in case not enough of their chocolates end up in this Halloween's trick or treating loot, Cadbury World, near Birmingham, is planning to go all out for Halloween with a whole Ghosts and Ghouls Week from October 24 to November 1. Kids who come dressed for trick or treat can win prizes for best costumes (two winners every day); there'll be Halloween entertainers, craft workshops, spooky stories and disgustingly ghoulish food served in the café every day.

More grown-up Halloween thrills can be had at some of the UK's most haunted places, where creepy spirits have been spooking locals and tourists alike for hundreds of years.

Once an American celebration (via the Irish and Celtic originals), Halloween is now catching on all over the globe. Hotels and Resorts guide Charlyn Keating Chisholm has polled About.com's Travel team to come up with a collection of spooky special events where you might just try capturing a ghost or a ghoul on film. Check out this week's blog carnival Halloween Around the World.

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Halloween Blog Carnival - Spooky Thrills Worldwide originally appeared on About.com United Kingdom Travel on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 01:54:36.

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