by Alice Ritchie Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)– British police launched a murder inquiry Sunday after a woman died following exposure to the nerve agent Novichok in southwest England, four months after the same type of chemical was used against a former Russian spy in an attack blamed on Moscow. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “appalled and shocked” by the death of Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, and […]
Tag: Britain
Electricity potential answer to the mystery of ‘flying’ spiders
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Cloudy with a chance of… spiders? The phenomenon of “flying” spiders gliding into the air and traveling like balloons for hundreds of miles (kilometers) has a new possible explanation: the air’s natural electric charge. Aerial spider journeys — often known as “ballooning” — have long been observed, notably by biologist Charles Darwin, who documented the spectacle in his diary in the 19th century. One closely studied hypothesis suggested that spiders […]
‘Cats’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’ choreographer Gillian Lynne dies at 92
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British choreographer Gillian Lynne, who was best known for her work on the long-running musicals “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera, has died aged 92, her husband said. Lynne died on Sunday at the Princess Grace Hospital in London. “She leaves behind a huge legacy & is adored by many,” her husband, actor Peter Land, said on Twitter, paying tribute to his “dearest wife & friend & love for […]
Michael Jackson’s artistic legacy explored in London show
by Joséphine Gruwe-Court Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Michael Jackson’s legacy as a pop-culture and artistic icon is explored in a new exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery opening Thursday. “Michael Jackson: On the Wall” — a play on the title of classic 1979 album “Off the Wall” — follows the king of pop, who still captivates artists nine years after his death, through his multi-million selling career. The exhibition features paintings, […]
UK lawmakers approve expanding London’s Heathrow airport
by Alice RITCHIE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Members of Parliament (MPs) overwhelmingly approved on Monday long-awaited plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, after decades of acrimonious debate over its potential impact. Lawmakers, by a wide margin of 296 votes, backed expansion proposals agreed earlier this month by Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, overcoming vehement opposition from MPs with constituencies nearby where residents fear increased pollution […]
Uber claims U-turn in bid to restore London license
by Edouard GUIHAIRE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Uber claimed Monday to have mended its ways as the ride-hailing app started its appeal against being stripped of its license to operate in London. Uber agreed that the city’s transport authority was right to block its renewal last September — but said it had since undergone “wholesale change” in response, and the decision should therefore be overturned. Transport for London (TfL) had decided […]
Bear necessities: cooler home for last polar bear in SoKor
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The last polar bear kept in South Korea will be sent to Britain to escape the country’s stifling, humid summers and live out his days in more appropriate surroundings, zookeepers said Thursday, June 21. Tongki — a 23-year-old male named after a Japanese cartoon character of the 1980s — lives in a 330-square-metre (3500-square-foot) concrete enclosure at the Everland theme park outside Seoul. Born in captivity at a zoo […]
Global warming will make veggies harder to find: study
TAMPA, United States (AFP)—Global warming is expected to make vegetables significantly scarcer around the world, unless new growing practices and resilient crop varieties are adopted, researchers warned on Monday. By the end of this century, less water and hotter air will combine to cut average yields of vegetables — which are crucial to a healthy diet — by nearly one-third, said the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A 7.2 Fahrenheit […]
Harry and Meghan to head Down Under later this year: palace
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince Harry and his new wife Meghan will visit Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand later this year for their first overseas tour as a married couple, Kensington Palace announced Monday. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were married at Windsor Castle last month, have timed their trip to coincide with the Invictus Games in Sydney in October. Harry, the second son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, set up the global sports […]
1.2 billion children threatened by war, poverty, discrimination: study
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — More than half of the world’s children are threatened by conflict, poverty or sexual discrimination, Save the Children said in a report published on Wednesday. Entitled “Many Faces of Exclusion”, the study ranked 175 countries in terms of the threat of child labor, exclusion from education, child marriage, and early pregnancy. It found that 1.2 billion children worldwide were at risk from at least one of the three main […]
Watch: Newlyweds Harry and Meghan make first appearance at 70th bday of Prince Charles
by Dario Thuburn Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan attended their first engagement as a married couple on Tuesday after their spectacular, tradition-defying wedding in Windsor Castle, which was watched around the world. The two, now officially the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after receiving the title from Queen Elizabeth II, attended a party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 70th birthday of Harry’s father, Prince Charles. […]
Harry and Meghan thank royal wedding guests as Kensington Palace releases official wedding photos
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan thanked everyone who took part in the celebrations of their wedding on Saturday, as their Kensington Palace residence published three official wedding photographs. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would like to thank everyone who took part in the celebrations of their wedding on Saturday,” the palace said in a statement. “They feel so lucky to have been able to share their day with […]





