Friday, November 12, 2010

The Independent - UK RSS Feed

The Independent - UK RSS Feed

Wartime bomb made safe after city evacuation

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 11:26 PM PST

A German Second World War bomb has been made safe and removed from a city centre, police said today.

Single parents should 'prepare for work' when child is a year old

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

Lone parents could lose some of their state benefits when their baby reaches the age of one if they refuse to prepare to get a job.

Weather ruins police surveillance balloon

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

The rain in Manchester has brought a premature end to many a cricket match over the years, but now it has claimed a new victim: an £80,000 police surveillance balloon.

Tweeted bomb threat conviction upheld

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

A trainee accountant who posted a Twitter message threatening to blow up an airport has lost an appeal against his conviction.

Amazon retains links to websites selling literature on child abuse

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

The online retailer Amazon still has links to websites that sell literature by pro-paedophilia campaigners, despite being forced yesterday to remove a self-published e-book offering advice to child abusers.

Student leader urges 'French-style resistance'

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

The protester who threw a fire extinguisher from the top of a building during Wednesday's student demonstrations could already be under arrest, police said last night as they began trying to identify those responsible for the violence in London.

Vase from house clearance sold to China for £51m

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

A rare 18th-century Chinese vase found during a house clearance was sold for an astonishing £43m at an auction in west London last night, the total rising to £51.3m once VAT and commission were included.

Producer: how I survived make-up artist's attack

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

A television producer has described how he clung to the bonnet of a car being driven on the wrong side of a busy main road by a disgruntled celebrity make-up artist before he rolled off to safety.

Labour endorses graduate tax

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

Labour is to endorse a graduate tax as its official policy after Ed Miliband overruled Alan Johnson, the shadow Chancellor, who has expressed grave doubts about the idea.

Councillor arrested for saying columnist should be stoned

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

A city councillor has been arrested after he posted a message on Twitter suggesting that The Independent columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown be stoned to death following comments she made on a radio show.

Found after 300 years, the scourge of the British navy

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST

With 25 guns and a plunder-thirsty crew, La Marquise de Tourny was the scourge of the British merchant fleet some 260 years ago. For up to a decade, the French frigate terrorised English ships by seizing their cargoes and crew under a form of state-sanctioned piracy designed to cripple British trade.

City centre cleared as wartime bomb uncovered

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 10:22 AM PST

Part of a city centre was evacuated today after builders discovered a Second World War bomb, police said.

£80,000 police blimp plan falls flat

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 09:50 AM PST

Police bosses were feeling deflated today after an £80,000 surveillance balloon was scrapped after just a year.

Bridge closed as strong winds batter Britain

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 09:20 AM PST

Britain was battered by strong winds and heavy rain today as storms broke over the country.

Man loses appeal over 'menacing' airport Tweet

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 09:18 AM PST

A trainee accountant who posted a message on Twitter threatening to blow an airport "sky high" was today facing a £3,000 bill after he lost his appeal against his conviction and sentence.

£4m lottery win for man who came back from coma

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 07:27 AM PST

A man who has twice cheated death was dealt another lucky hand when he scooped more than £4 million on the Lottery, he revealed today.

Tougher welfare sanctions spark 'destitution' warnings

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 06:49 AM PST

Campaigners issued stark warnings today about the impact of tougher sanctions on benefit claimants who refuse work planned under Government welfare reforms.

Anti-fees violence blamed on protesters

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 06:41 AM PST

The police response to violent protests during the anti-fees march "clearly did not go to plan" but the blame lies squarely with those who carried it out, Policing Minister Nick Herbert said today.

Brother's plea to catch 'homophobic' killers

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 06:38 AM PST

The brother of a man who police believe may have been killed in a homophobic attack today made an emotional appeal for information to help catch those responsible.

Tory councillor arrested over Twitter stoning post

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 06:37 AM PST

A Conservative councillor was arrested over a message on his private Twitter account calling for a newspaper columnist to be stoned to death, police said today.

Unemployment benefits shake-up 'a fair deal'

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 06:30 AM PST

A radical shake-up of out of work benefits represents a "fair deal" for both the jobless and the taxpayer, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said today.

Sir George Young defends Tory vanity staff on public payroll

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 05:56 AM PST

A Cabinet minister today defended the practice of putting some Conservative Party officials and aides on the public payroll.

7/7 victim shielded from blast by luggage

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 05:52 AM PST

An academic was partially shielded from the force of the Edgware Road bomb blast by the luggage at his feet, an inquest heard today.

Elvis's will among memorabilia to go under hammer

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 05:45 AM PST

Memorabilia belonging to Elvis Presley is to go under the hammer, it was announced today.

Millions fall silent to remember war dead

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:57 AM PST

Millions of Britons fell silent today to remember those who have died in war.

Union ballot over BA agreement suspended

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:45 AM PST

A planned ballot of British Airways cabin crew on resolving their dispute with the airline has been suspended, dashing hopes of an end to the bitter row, it was announced today.

Child welfare body not fit for purpose, say MPs

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:44 AM PST

The body responsible for looking after the interests of vulnerable children in the family courts was exposed as "not fit for purpose" in the wake of a large rise in cases following the Baby P tragedy, MPs said today.

David Cameron draws on 1930s depression in G20 consensus bid

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 04:10 AM PST

The Prime Minister said that one of the key factors behind the 2008 financial crisis - the build-up of massive trade imbalances between the high-consuming West and the productive economies of east Asia - had not gone away and might even, according to the IMF, be getting worse.

Report released into UKIP leader's aircraft crash

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 03:20 AM PST

An air crash which left UKIP leader Nigel Farage severely injured on general election day was caused by a campaign banner, an accident report said today.

Tube services hit by series of delays

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 03:07 AM PST

London Underground passengers faced fresh delays today when services were disrupted on three lines because of problems including a failed train.

Rehab clinic Gascoigne misses drink-drive court

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 02:15 AM PST

One-time World Cup star Paul Gascoigne missed his sentencing for drink-driving today because he is in rehab.

Father and son fight over £5.1m divorce settlement

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 02:04 AM PST

A father is fighting his son in court over a £5.1 million divorce settlement he made with his former wife two months before she died.

Clegg: I should not have made tuition fees pledge

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 12:47 AM PST

Nick Clegg today admitted he "should have been more careful" when he signed a pre-election pledge to oppose a rise in tuition fees.

China and Britain agree action on sex trafficking

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST

A drive against the "scourge" of sex trafficking from China to Britain was agreed by the two countries at the end of David Cameron's two-day visit to Beijing.

Fees protest thugs must be punished, says Cameron

Posted: 10 Nov 2010 11:51 PM PST

David Cameron called today for "the full force of the law" to be used against people who assaulted police or damaged property during yesterday's student demonstrations at Conservative Party HQ.

Slaughter by moonlight: the Coventry blitz

Posted: 10 Nov 2010 10:01 PM PST

Imagine this: every day you walk the same two miles to work. Then one night your city is bombed and, emerging from your shelter after a terrifying night-long bombardment and the 6.15am all-clear, you head off as normal.

posted by Greg Shaw at Friday, November 12, 2010