The Independent - UK RSS Feed
Back to News Portal
05/12/2008 12:00 AMThings ain't what they used to be: Whatever happened to the season? As last week seemed to herald the beginning of the English summer, so this Thursday – the opening day of the first Test at Lord's – brings the start of "the Season", the loosely grouped chain of events in which sport, opera and gardening have traditionally met social snobbery, hidebound dress codes and British and international royalty.
05/12/2008 12:00 AMStrawberry fields forsaken Millions of pounds worth of soft fruit and vegetables are likely to be left to rot in fields this summer because of a shortage of foreign pickers caused by the falling value of the pound and new restrictions on the number of seasonal labourers allowed to enter Britain, farmers' leaders have warned.
05/12/2008 12:00 AMBrown to use Queen's speech in bid to restore confidence in Labour Gordon Brown is preparing a string of initiatives to help parents, families and the low paid as he launches the Government's fightback against dismal poll ratings and a stream of damaging revelations by senior Labour figures.
05/12/2008 12:00 AMPro-life group say 60 MPs to defy whip Anti-abortion MPs have told Gordon Brown to offer a free vote on all stages of new legislation governing embryo research, which starts its passage through the Commons today. They attacked the decision by ministers to whip votes on tonight's Second Reading of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, when MPs debate the overall principle of the measure, as well as the Third Reading, its final Commons stage.
05/12/2008 12:00 AMCheap rail fare 'con' attacked Train companies are "deliberately misleading" passengers over the availability of cheaper advance tickets during busy periods, says a transport union.
05/12/2008 12:00 AMTax evasion 'costs lives of 5.6m children' The lives of more than five million children could be saved in the developing world – if the super-rich and the world's largest companies paid their fair share in taxes, according to a leading British charity. In Death and Taxes: the True Toll of Tax-dodging, Christian Aid says that the extent of tax abuse "is so widespread and damaging that it is tantamount to a new slavery".
05/12/2008 12:00 AMNottingham tackles Asbo culture with early action It has been called the gun crime capital of the UK and has languished at the bottom of the education league tables, but now Nottingham is transforming its fortunes with a groundbreaking early intervention project to tackle Asbo culture.
05/12/2008 12:00 AM'Significant witness' to murder of teenager in bakery comes forward Detectives hunting a youth who killed a 16-year-old boy with a shard of glass after an argument in a London baker's shop say a "significant witness" has come forward.
05/11/2008 05:07 PMLevy accuses Brown over Labour funding Tony Blair's former chief fund raiser, Lord Levy, said today it was "inconceivable" Gordon Brown did not know about the secret loans which led to the "cash for honours" inquiry.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMHey nonny no, no, no: Goths and pagans are reinventing morris dancing Just before dawn, by an empty shingle beach, sinister figures move through the gloom. Living shadows, they're dressed all in black, their coats made from long rags, their faces obscured by paint. But their eyes burn brightly as they gather in a circle. If some poor insomniac comes walking the dog now – at 5am on a cold, damp morning – they'll get a massive fright. "Hey-ya!" yell eight men and women as they come together with a loud clash of sticks, and what appears to be a blend of country dancing, martial arts and the mating ritual of raggedy crows. The dance is about sex, there's no mistaking that: one partner stands with legs straddling his stick, holding it upwards from the groin, while the other uses his own stick to bash it about. "It's so much a fertility dance that you'd have to really not know what you were looking at to miss the point," says 47-year-old Laurence Ranger, the squire (a kind of road manager) of Hunters Moon Morris.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMElect one Johnson, and you might get more than you bargained for A week after the London mayoral election, the capital is still full of people denying that they voted for Boris Johnson and demanding to know who did. Boris himself has had a busy week: he managed to switch on his computer with only minimal assistance, and immediately used it to make a new law banning alcohol on public transport. (So, smoking ban bad; drinking ban good. So much for joined-up thinking.)
05/11/2008 12:00 AMWayne's wheels: why big stars drive small cars So, what do you do when you're a big star with a big, bulging wallet and a big pack of paps following you all over town? Think small.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMDeath in Chelsea: How did Mark Saunders come to die in a shoot-out with police? We seem to have been here before: a young man is shot dead by police, and the next day's papers fall over themselves with lurid headlines accompanied by pictures of armed officers in balaclavas and ballistic vests.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMMore pressure on Brown as Prescott claims: 'I told Blair to sack him' John Prescott urged Tony Blair to sack Gordon Brown as chancellor when tensions ran high after their frequent rows, the former deputy prime minister revealed last night.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMCulture Secretary to rock Albert Hall A cabinet minister is to make a surprise effort to be Labour's new frontman this week.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMBritish MEPs took gifts from firms they are meant to regulate Members of the European Parliament are routinely accepting gifts, wages and hospitality from companies they are charged with regulating.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMBenn gives go-ahead for new GM potato trial Ministers have given permission for thousands of GM potatoes to be grown in Britain, a decision that is bound to provoke a new confrontation with environmentalists.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMExclusive report: Soldiers need loans to eat, report reveals A highly sensitive internal report into the state of the British Army has revealed that many soldiers are living in poverty. Some are so poor that they are unable to eat and are forced to rely on emergency food voucher schemes set up by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
05/11/2008 12:00 AMCherie's revenge: Explosive revelations pile woe on beleaguered Brown If revenge is a dish best served cold, it may taste even better garnished with an added element of surprise. So Cherie Blair's decision to catch Gordon Brown unawares and publish her memoirs several months early will be savoured by the Prime Minister's enemies at a moment when he is considered to be at his most vulnerable.
05/11/2008 12:00 AMTeen murdered with shard of glass from shop window A 16-year-old boy was attacked with a glass shard after confronting a youth who had smashed a shop window, becoming the 13th teenager to be murdered in London this year.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMPolice shot barrister at least five times, inquest hears Mark Saunders was shot at least five times by police to end the siege at his Chelsea home, an inquest heard.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMFilipino whose wife died after blunder by NHS to be deported A man whose wife died as a result of an NHS blunder has lost his right to remain in Britain, in what a coroner described yesterday as an "extraordinary" decision.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMMystery liquid at blast site The London house destroyed this week by a mysterious explosion was the target of a vandalism attack hours earlier when a purple liquid was poured through the letter box, police said yesterday.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMRumbled: farmer who hid his illegal castle behind the hay They say an Englishman's home is his castle. Unfortunately for Robert Fidler, that sentiment does not impress has local council.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMAfter the first sun of the year comes the first smog Just when the country was beginning to enjoy some warm weather, experts warned that the sun has arrived with a sting in its tail – the first smog of summer.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMDisillusioned supporters use party website to voice anger Gordon Brown was facing a backlash from Labour's grassroots supporters as they used the party's website to pour scorn on his leadership.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMCrewe voters set to derail Labour's fightback James Elson, a retired postman, delivers a damning verdict on Gordon Brown: "He was a better chancellor than prime minister." The 79-year-old lifelong Labour voter, basking in a sun-trap in the middle of Crewe, is so disillusioned that he is going to do the unthinkable in the upcoming by-election and vote Tory. He is hardly brimming over with enthusiasm for David Cameron's new-look party but shrugs and says he will "give them a go for a change".
05/10/2008 12:00 AMBurrell will not face perjury charge Paul Burrell will not be formally investigated for perjury following claims he did not tell the "whole truth" to the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Scotland Yard said today.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMTeenage gang detained for stabbing boy, 16, to death Two teenagers were given life sentences yesterday for the murder of a schoolboy.
05/10/2008 12:00 AMRight on! So, is it finally cool to be a Conservative? Joan Collins's face may be falling, but for once it's not at the state of the Conservative Party. Boris Johnson's victory over Ken Livingstone last week was the first shake of the champagne bottle that uncorked a week-long Bacchanalian fiesta of fine plonk, posh grub and celebratory glad-handing for supporters of Britain's newly-successful Opposition.
05/09/2008 01:27 PMDetective charged over credit card misuse A second Metropolitan Police officer has been charged in connection with an investigation into the alleged misuse of corporate credit cards.
05/09/2008 01:03 PMTwo teenagers jailed for schoolboy murder Two teenagers were given life sentences today for the murder of a schoolboy.
05/09/2008 11:50 AMNew date for BA's Heathrow Terminal 5 flights British Airways will start transferring its Heathrow long-haul flights to the new Terminal 5 (T5) on 5 June, it was announced today.
05/09/2008 11:07 AMBloodied knife leads police to body A suspected killer was tackled by London Underground workers as he wandered nearby carrying a bloody weapon.
05/09/2008 10:18 AMSiege lawyer hit at least five times Barrister Mark Saunders was hit at least five times by police marksmen during a shoot out at his home, an inquest heard today.
05/09/2008 12:00 AMThe Big Question: What would Scottish independence mean, and how would it work?
05/09/2008 12:00 AMFreedom Of Information: Businesses must disclose what they tell ministers The role of lobby groups in influencing government policy by holding private meetings with ministers has long been a bone of contention among those who want to see more transparency in the corridors of Westminster. Unless there is proper disclosure about the comings and goings of corporate bodies and campaign groups to Downing Street and the Palace of Westminister, there will be always a whiff of prejudicial dealing surrounding such meetings.
05/09/2008 12:00 AMA Rough Guide to England? It certainly is England may boast one of the world's largest cities and can claim to have some of the most beautiful countryside on the planet, but that was not enough for it to escape a scathing appraisal in one of the world's top travel guides.
05/09/2008 12:00 AMCameron hails Tories as 'true progressives' David Cameron has launched another raid into Labour's natural territory by hailing the Conservatives as the "true progressives" of British politics.
05/09/2008 12:00 AMBrown furious as ITV asks about sick son An apparent attempt by Gordon Brown to show his "human side" led to a furious row yesterday between Downing Street and ITV after the Prime Minister was questioned about his youngest son's struggle with cystic fibrosis.
05/09/2008 12:00 AMScottish independence row rages on both sides of border Gordon Brown and Wendy Alexander, Labour's leader in Scotland, have been taunted by political opponents over their split on whether Scotland should hold an early referendum on securing independence from the United Kingdom.
05/09/2008 12:00 AMBrown offers debt advice and affordable housing The Prime Minister is planning to extend shared equity schemes to make home-owning more affordable for first-time buyers as part of a range of measures aimed at helping those hit by the credit crunch.
05/09/2008 12:00 AMMy son did not have to be shot, says barrister's father The father of a barrister shot dead during an armed siege in Chelsea has insisted his son posed no threat to the public, despite being armed with a licensed shotgun.
05/09/2008 12:00 AMRadical Muslim cleric with links to Bin Laden is freed on bail Abu Qatada, the Islamist preacher described as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe", could be freed on curfew within weeks after being granted bail by an immigration tribunal.
05/08/2008 01:28 PMBoy awarded damages over bouncy castle accident A teenager who was brain damaged when he was kicked in the head on a bouncy castle today won his damages action against the couple who hired it for their children's birthday party.
05/08/2008 12:30 PMMurder inquiry after body found in blast house Detectives were investigating today whether a man found dead after a massive explosion ripped through four homes was murdered.
05/08/2008 11:51 AMFour accused of supporting banned terror group Four men have been charged with conspiring to support the banned terrorist Tamil Tigers organisation.
05/08/2008 10:53 AMBenefits officers enlisted to tackle anti-social behaviour Officials from housing benefits officers to TV licence inspectors are to be enlisted in the fight against anti-social behaviour, under plans unveiled today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
05/08/2008 07:41 AMWinehouse released on bail after police quiz Singer Amy Winehouse was released on bail after being quizzed by police about drug offences, Scotland Yard said.
05/08/2008 12:00 AMLondon Mayor bans alcohol on Tube The first posters warning travellers not to crack open a beer – or anything stronger – on London public transport network have already been put up.
Copyright © 2004 - 2008 [Scopulus Limited]. All rights reserved. Terms of use Privacy Policy Directory Contact Search Site Map