Britain

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Time Capsule Buried by Diana in '91 Is Unsealed Early

London hospital uncovers relics, including Kylie Minogue CD and pocket TV, in cancer center rebuild

(Newser) - A time capsule sealed by Princess Diana at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1991 has been uncovered, revealing a collection of items that offer a window into early '90s life. The capsule, intended to remain hidden for centuries, had to be retrieved early due to the...

UK Gives American Would-Be Assassin 30 Years

Aimee Betro, 45, gets a hefty sentence after gun jammed in victim's face in 2019 attempted killing

(Newser) - A Wisconsin woman who took a transatlantic detour into the world of contract killing has been handed a 30-year prison sentence in Britain after the gun jammed at the crucial moment. Aimee Betro, 45, was convicted of conspiracy to murder and other crimes earlier this month, after a failed...

'Astonishingly Rare' First Edition of The Hobbit Sells for $58K

Discovered in Bristol, the book lacks its original dust jacket

(Newser) - A first edition of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, uncovered during a routine estate clearance in the UK city of Bristol, has fetched nearly $58,000 at auction—more than quadrupling initial estimates, per the Guardian . The volume, one of just 1,500 originals printed in 1937, was discovered...

No 'Mope-Fest' for Ozzy's Final 'Celebration'

Tens of thousands pay tribute in the UK's Birmingham, along with Osbourne's family

(Newser) - It was essentially a funeral, but it felt like a celebration Wednesday in Birmingham, England, as Ozzy Osbourne's body moved through his hometown . Among the tens of thousands of people gathered to watch were Osbourne's own family—children Kelly, Jack, and Aimee, who supported their visibly distraught mother,...

Rising Film Star in UK Charged With Rape

Eddington 's Micheael Ward is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in January 2023

(Newser) - British actor Micheal Ward has been charged with rape and sexual assault, police said Friday. The Metropolitan Police force said the 27-year-old faces two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The charges relate to one woman, and the offenses reportedly took place in January 2023, per the...

Brits Finally Get Their Errant $115M Jet Back

F-35 fighter jet stranded in India for more than a month takes off after inspiring memes

(Newser) - A British F-35B fighter jet stranded at an Indian airport for more than a month, sparking memes and cartoons on social media, took off Tuesday after being repaired by a team of UK engineers, an Indian official said. The $115 million stealth fighter, one of the world's most advanced,...

On an Empty TP Roll, a Long-Lost Message
On an Empty TP Roll,
a Long-Lost Message
in case you missed it
Jul 19, 2025 6:00 AM CDT

On an Empty TP Roll, a Long-Lost Message

British homeowners find 35-year-old note from little girl (now 43) scrawled on cardboard tube

(Newser) - From bowling ball graveyards to human remains , homeowners sometimes find the most unexpected things while exploring or renovating their new digs. For one British couple, their discovery was of the "heartwarming" kind, and one decades in the making, per SWNS . The outlet reports that Charlotte England-Black, 30, and her...

Harry Potter Actor Banned From Getting Behind the Wheel

Emma Watson can't drive for 6 months over speeding in Oxford with prior points on her license

(Newser) - Emma Watson, best known for her portrayal of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, apparently didn't have her magic wand handy when she was caught exceeding the speed limit in Oxford last July, reports the BBC . The 35-year-old actor has been handed a six-month driving ban after...

Sycamore Gap Vandals Sentenced for 'Moronic Mission'

Duo who cut down England's beloved tree get more than 4 years in prison for the stunt

(Newser) - The vandals who cut down England's beloved Sycamore Gap tree were sentenced on Tuesday to more than four years in prison for causing irreversible damage and serious distress. The tree stood for nearly 150 years before Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers set out on a dark and stormy night...

After Secret Birth, Couple Went on the Lam. Now, Convictions

Aristocrat Constance Marten, boyfriend Mark Gordon found guilty in 2023 death of their newborn

(Newser) - A British aristocrat who went on the run with her boyfriend and their newborn daughter in 2023 were convicted Monday of killing the infant. Constance Marten, 38, and Mark Gordon, 51, were found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter during their second trial at London's Central Criminal Court. They were...

Report: Heathrow Emergency Was Entirely Avoidable

Report links fire to a fault detected in 2018

(Newser) - How much chaos can an instance of deferred maintenance cause? The UK's National Grid is finding out. A fire that shut down London's Heathrow Airport for more than 16 hours in March has been traced to a transformer fault first flagged by the local power provider seven...

Victoria's Royal Train Reaches the End of the Line

UK retires the nine cars because of operating costs, needed upgrade

(Newser) - The Royal Train will soon leave the station for the last time. King Charles III has accepted it's time to decommission the train, whose history dates back to Queen Victoria, because it costs too much to operate and would have needed a significant upgrade for more advanced rail systems,...

Jewelry Thief Undone by 'Dripping in Diamonds' Selfies
Jewelry Thief's Selfies
With Gems Did Her In
in case you missed it
Jun 29, 2025 4:10 PM CDT

Jewelry Thief's Selfies With Gems Did Her In

Lucy Roberts gets 28 months for stealing $170K in jewels from store she managed

(Newser) - A jewelry shop manager stole about $170,000 worth of diamonds, gold, and silver from her employer—and she didn't hide it. Lucy Roberts, who has been sentenced to more than two years in prison in the UK, flaunted the stolen jewels in selfies she posted online and sent...

UK Is Buying Up Nuclear-Capable Fighter Jets
UK Acts Amid 'Growing
Nuclear Threat'
Jun 25, 2025 10:05 AM CDT

UK Acts Amid 'Growing Nuclear Threat'

PM Keir Starmer says Britain is buying 'at least' 12 nuclear-capable fighter jets

(Newser) - The UK says it will soon regain the ability to drop nuclear weapons from the air. With war raging in Europe and the Middle East, the UK announced Tuesday that it would buy "at least" 12 US-made F-35A stealth fighter-bombers, capable of carrying conventional and nuclear bombs, per the...

Bears Scarf Down 'a Week's Worth' of Honey After Escape

Sweet caper took place in Devon, England, after Mish and Lucy fled their enclosure

(Newser) - Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? In Devon, England, two escaped European brown bears named Mish and Lucy saw a whole lot of honey and claimed it as their own. The BBC reports that the pair somehow got out of their enclosure at the Wildwood Devon sanctuary on...

Tunnels That Inspired Bond Films to Become Tourist Site

London officials OK plans for new destination, set to have one of world's deepest underground bars

(Newser) - There's a history-rich part of London that few people have seen, where the city braced for the Blitz, James Bond's creator got inspiration, and secret Cold War messages passed between Washington and Moscow. It's a network of tunnels 100 feet below the streets that was secret for...

Chris Brown Enters Not Guilty Plea in UK Assault Case

Singer, who faces London trial next year over 2023 nightclub incident, has pleaded not guilty

(Newser) - Chris Brown pleaded not guilty in a London court on Friday to charges of assaulting a man at a nightclub, reports the New York Times , allowing the singer to continue his world tour, including shows in North America later this summer. Brown, 36, is accused of attacking music producer...

'Vile and Depraved' UK Serial Rapist Sentenced

More than 20 other women came forward after Zhenhao Zou's conviction

(Newser) - A man believed to be one of the worst serial rapists in British history has been given a life sentence for crimes that police say were "vile and depraved." Zhenhao Zou, a 28-year-old former PhD student from China, was convicted earlier this year of raping 10 women—seven...

Reax to London's Washington Statue: 'What Is He Doing Here?'

Not everyone was happy to see restored statue returned to Trafalgar Square

(Newser) - George Washington turned plenty of heads as he rolled across London's Trafalgar Square earlier this month. More than a few locals were flummoxed to see a life-size bronze statue of the first US president, who led a rebellion against British rule, taking a place among statues of British kings...

Tiny Home Where Brontes Were Born Is Now Open to Public

Newly refurbished Bronte Birthplace in Thornton, England, is where literary sisters lived until 1820

(Newser) - What inspired not one, not two, but a total of three young women in the Bronte family to write literary masterpieces? If the answers can be found within the walls of where they grew up, fans may soon find what they're looking for: The Bronte Birthplace , a tiny cottage...

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