Saturday, December 18, 2010

The Independent - UK RSS Feed

The Independent - UK RSS Feed


Navy objector loses appeal

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:24 PM PST

A Royal Navy medic who objected to serving in Afghanistan in the wake of the WikiLeaks revelations had his appeal to stand down on moral grounds dismissed yesterday.

Assange begins mansion arrest, but his 'source' feels the heat

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Bradley Manning spent yesterday, his birthday, alone in a tiny, bare prison cell, without a pillow or sheets on his bed, in weak health and wracked with anxiety at the prospect of a prison sentence of 52 years.

Minor British Institutions: Underdressing

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Underdressing can be observed in Britain on most weekend nights. It isn't that the revellers are careless of their clothes; just not wearing enough of them. During this year's inclemency, police in Newcastle felt the need to recommend coats in low temperatures.

Farmer cleared after shooting burglars

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

A disabled farmer arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after shooting two burglars raiding a cannabis farm on his property that he did not know existed has been cleared after a three-month investigation.

Biggest thing Beccles has seen since 'that bloke from The Bill'

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

It was a world away from the flashbulbs and fanfare which have greeted his previous appearances in Britain this week. Yesterday the quiet, and very cold, Suffolk market town of Beccles was Julian Assange's destination.

Coldest December on record puts brakes on start of the big getaway

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

December 2010 is "almost certain" to be the coldest since records began in 1910, according to the Met Office.

Village People: Dave deserts the troops

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Now that the Liberal Democrats have broken with convention to call an early by-election in Oldham East and Saddleworth – the first January by-election on the British mainland since 1966 – the dilemma for the Tories is how hard they should fight it.

Rising cost of mail 'hits the elderly'

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

A charity for the elderly has criticised price increases announced yesterday by the Royal Mail, including a 5p rise in the cost of a first class stamp from next April.

Cap on migrant workers is ruled illegal

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

A cap on migrant workers imposed by the Home Secretary has been ruled illegal.

Independent Appeal: The children who grow up before they are ready

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Stacey Cuddy can remember when she realised her childhood was over.

Prisoners can vote – but not for police chiefs

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Prisoners serving less than four years will in future retain the right to vote, the Government said yesterday.

Man gets life for 1982 triple killing

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

A man has been given three life sentences for killing a mother and her two daughters in 1982 after a cold case police review which was triggered by journalist Peter Law.

Tommy Sheridan's wife cleared of perjury

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

The wife of former MSP Tommy Sheridan walked free from the High Court in Glasgow yesterday after she was cleared of perjury.

Will Labour's new press chief become the story?

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Tom Baldwin, the chief reporter of The Times, who will shortly take on the job that Alastair Campbell had 16 years ago, has been given an early warning shot by Bob Ainsworth, the former Home Office minister.

Retail giants face taxing day of Uncut action

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Its methods are unorthodox, ranging from targeted use of superglue to hijacking Twitter-based PR campaigns, and its rapidly growing support base spanning schoolchildren and pensioners has no official leadership.

Three in court after £2m heroin haul

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:43 AM PST

Three men have appeared in court after a record haul of heroin worth nearly £2 million was seized in a single drugs bust in the Scottish capital.

EDL members banned from demonstrations

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:37 AM PST

Two members of the English Defence League have been banned from joining demonstrations outside their home city.

Roads, trains and planes all hit as big freeze returns

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:21 AM PST

Britain ground to a halt today as the big freeze returned, throwing early getaway plans into jeopardy and threatening to leave homes without heating or presents at Christmas.

Assange fears extradition to US

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:04 AM PST

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said today he had no hope of a fair trial if he is extradited to the US.

Government immigration cap ruled invalid

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:01 AM PST

Government caps on migrant workers introduced by the Home Secretary this summer were ruled invalid by the High Court today.

Royal Mail announces hike in stamp prices

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:42 AM PST

The price of a first class stamp is to increase by 5p to 46p and by 4p to 36p for second class next April, the Royal Mail announced today.

Baby orang-utan travels first-class

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:40 AM PST

An abandoned baby orang-utan had a luxury journey to its new adoptive home - as a first-class passenger on a cruise ferry.

Appeal over hit-and-run asylum seeker

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:17 AM PST

The UK Border Agency will appeal against a tribunal ruling preventing the deportation of a failed asylum seeker who killed a 12-year-old girl in a hit-and-run driving incident, Immigration Minister Damian Green said today.

Cameron warns banks over bonuses

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:04 AM PST

David Cameron today threatened the banks with higher taxes if they failed to rein in lavish bonuses.

Two killed in city centre after crash

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:46 AM PST

Two people have died after being struck by a car in a city centre.

Injured officers commended for 'bravery'

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:19 AM PST

Tributes were paid today to a police officer and a police community support officer who were injured by a man with a knife in a busy shopping street.

Sheridan wife cleared of perjury

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:15 AM PST

The wife of former MSP Tommy Sheridan walked free from court to jubilant cheers after she was cleared of perjury today.

Prisoners serving less than four years to get vote

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:14 AM PST

Criminals sentenced to four years or more will be automatically excluded from the right to vote when it is extended to prisoners, it was announced today.

Man stabbed in snowball row

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:01 AM PST

A man has been stabbed in the neck after asking a group of teenagers to stop throwing snowballs.

And finally... bizarre real life stories

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:00 AM PST

Rookie policewoman ran to help, 7/7 inquest told

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 06:52 AM PST

A new policewoman with just five weeks' service today told the 7/7 inquest how she "didn't give any thought to turning around" as she ran into a pitch black Tube tunnel where 26 people were killed.

Murderer loses appeal over right to vote

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 06:19 AM PST

A man serving a life sentence for raping and murdering his niece lost his appeal today over the right to vote while in jail.

Snow leads police to cannabis factory

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 05:47 AM PST

A makeshift cannabis factory has been closed down after police investigating residents' concerns noticed that its hothouse growing conditions had melted the snow on its roof.

Cameron 'anger' over deportation ruling

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:42 AM PST

Prime Minister David Cameron today spoke of his "great anger" at a tribunal ruling preventing the deportation of a failed asylum-seeker who killed a 12-year-old girl in a hit-and-run driving incident.

Cameron announces EU budget freeze

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:42 AM PST

David Cameron today announced he has joined forces with France and Germany to demand a real-terms freeze in the European Union budget until the end of the decade.

BNP's Nick Griffin defeats contempt legal bid

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:55 AM PST

BNP leader Nick Griffin fought off a bid to have him declared guilty of contempt of court today.

£5.6m jackpot win still unclaimed

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:54 AM PST

A Lotto jackpot prize of £5.6 million remains unclaimed, the National Lottery said today.

Asphyxia cause of goalkeeper death

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:29 AM PST

An inquest was opened today into the death of a 24-year-old goalkeeper found dead at his home.

Labour in by-election triumph

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:21 AM PST

Labour is celebrating a council by-election gain from Tories in a key parliamentary constituency.

Video: Snow to cause misery across Britain

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 01:41 AM PST

Temperatures are plummeting across the UK with widespread ice and snow set to return.

Liam Fox cancels Sri Lanka trip

Posted: 17 Dec 2010 12:28 AM PST

Defence Secretary Liam Fox has cancelled a controversial visit to Sri Lanka he had been planning to make this weekend.

Revealed: 69 inmates released by mistake

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 11:46 PM PST

Sixty-nine prisoners were released from British jails by mistake last year, figures released today reveal.