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/ 15 September 2007
Worried customers were expected to keep withdrawing savings en masse on Saturday from embattled British bank Northern Rock after the Bank of England bailed out the lender. Customers formed lengthy queues outside branches on Friday after Britain’s fifth-biggest home-loan provider said it was facing severe difficulties raising cash to cover its liabilities.
The doors to the biggest pub in the world swung open on Tuesday as bartenders at the 30th Great British Beer Festival poured the first of 340 000 pints from across the globe. The annual five-day bash, which raises a toast to finelycrafted ales — and hurls bland, fizzy lager straight out with the slops — promises to be the biggest festival yet.
Author JK Rowling was to lead the cast of <i>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</i> down the red carpet in London on Tuesday for the film’s much-anticipated official world premiere. Excitement was building ahead of the star-studded London event, with thrilled fans expected to pack into Leicester Square for a glimpse of their heroes.
Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour party suffered major losses on Friday in local elections and risked losing control of Scotland, but averted the crushing defeat polls had predicted. Blair, due to make an announcement on his resignation next week, saw his ruling party face a fight to remain the largest party in the Scottish Parliament.
Madonna, Genesis, Bon Jovi and The Police will top the pop megastars rocking the world against climate change in seven concerts across the globe on July 7, organisers say. More than 100 acts will perform in the giant, 24-hour Live Earth concert relay spanning Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Johannesburg, London, Rio de Janeiro and New York.
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/ 15 January 2007
Is Wales closed during the winter? Are the churches in England open at Christmas? From the confused to the frankly bizarre, British tourist centres have dealt with them all. Visit Britain, the national tourism agency, has half-a-million people a year pass through its information centres seeking advice on how to make the most of their trip.
Though warm and frothy ale is an enduring symbol of Britain, there’s a fight on to save the traditional British pint from being flushed away by a fizzy tide of bland, mass-produced Euro-lager. Real ale, made the time-honoured, natural way, is an endangered species that enthusiasts say is being muscled out of British pubs by international brewing giants.
A videotaped message from the grave by one of the London suicide bombers was broadcast on British television on Thursday as the country braced for the painful first anniversary of the July 7 attacks. Shehzad Tanweer’s statement came as Britain prepared to remember the victims of the bombings, an atrocity that woke the nation.
Britain absorbed far more money from sub-Saharan Africa than it gave in aid and debt relief last year, despite pledges to help the region, the charity Christian Aid said on Wednesday. In the 12 months since an annual Group of Eight summit in Scotland last July, the British economy gained a net profit of more than £11-billion ($20,3-billion) from the region.
Sick of sky-high prices and lengthy waits for operations, growing numbers of Britons are going under the surgeon’s knife overseas, in destinations like South Africa, India and Eastern Europe. Cheaper operations are enticing more than 10Â 000 Britons per year abroad, some travelling huge distances to factor in some fun in the sun — and still saving on the price of British private sector surgery.
The Beatles’ company Apple Corps lost its long-running trademark battle with Apple Computer in a British High Court ruling on Monday over the use of the famous name and logo. Apple Corps had accused the United States company of breaching a trademark agreement by promoting music products.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair could be forced into naming the day he will step aside if Thursday’s key local elections go any worse than predicted for his scandal-hit Labour Party. Experts predict that after nine years in power, Blair’s centre-left party is set for a pounding at the polls.
The Beatles’ record company Apple Corps re-entered battle with Apple Computer at London’s High Court on Wednesday, accusing it of breaching a trademark agreement by promoting music products. The dispute centres on Apple Computer’s revolutionary iTunes online music store, which allows users of its iPod to download and save songs through the internet.
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/ 10 October 2005
Dazzling lights, an Eiffel Tower of its own and the constant "ker-ching" of slot machines make Blackpool Britain’s answer to Las Vegas. But unlike the booming extravagant resort in the Nevada desert, Blackpool is fading fast, and the seaside town is gambling on a Vegas-style super-casino makeover to save it.
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/ 23 September 2005
Troubled British supermodel Kate Moss got sympathetic words on Friday after she apologised following allegations of cocaine abuse that saw her high-profile catwalk career crumble around her. British cosmetics giant Rimmel, which has featured Moss in its advertising since 2001, welcomed her statement late Thursday, offering the 31-year-old some hope of at least holding on to her lucrative deal with them.
The arrested fugitives from the botched July 21 London bomb attacks faced an intense grilling as police were congratulated on Saturday for seizing all four suspects in a massive international manhunt. Dramatic raids in London and Rome left the alleged bombers in police custody.
"It’s election fever!" yells Captain Beany, the bright orange superhero hoping to be Britain’s first elected baked bean. For many, Britain’s general election campaign has been downright dull. But the man once voted Britain’s fourth-best eccentric is putting a stop to all that by standing for Parliament.