Topic: United Kingdom

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Queen Victoria: 6 stories from her diaries

A new website features the entire text of Queen Victoria's diaries. Here are six excerpts.
Where gas prices are highest

Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
6 stories about life with your adult children

In "Slouching Toward Adulthood," Sally Koslow shares what she learned about the differences between the boomer and Facebook generations.
College rankings: Which countries have the best education systems?

A new higher education ranking focuses on evaluating quality by countries as a whole, rather than specific academic institutions. Here are some of the findings:
10 best books of May, according to Amazon

Amazon's editors picked these 10 books as the best for the month.

All Content

Iran nuclear talks a 'complete failure,' says Iranian diplomat

Both sides spoke of 'some common ground' that will drive the next round of Iran nuclear talks set for mid-June in Moscow. Yet a chasm of mismatched expectations widened in Baghdad.
Iran enriching uranium to higher levels than reported, says UN

The IAEA has found uranium enriched up to 27 percent in an underground bunker in central Iran, several diplomats told The Associated Press. Until now, Iran had only reported enriched uranium to 20 percent. Highly enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear weapons.
Climate change allows once-rare British butterfly to thrive

Although it's well known that climate change can prompt plants and animals to shift the ranges in which they live, the brown argus (Aricia agestis) has widened its living quarters with unusual speed, according to an analysis of decades of data collected by British volunteers.
Stefan Karlsson
Europe can strengthen Greece without weakening Germany

Some experts warn that Greece can't reduce its current deficit unless Germany and other better-off nations reduce their surpluses. Here's why they're wrong.
Likely Egypt election runoff: Muslim Brother vs. Mubarak man (+video)

According to initial returns from Egypt's presidential election, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood and Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's prime minister, are likely to face off in next month's runoff.
Iran nuclear talks: What world powers are offering, Iran isn't buying. Yet.

The parties to the Iran nuclear talks agreed only to reconvene, in Moscow next month. For now, any inducement short of easing sanctions is not enough to persuade Iran to relinquish its 20-percent-enriched uranium.
Queen Victoria: 6 stories from her diaries

A new website features the entire text of Queen Victoria's diaries. Here are six excerpts.
British, Spanish ships almost come to blows over 'The Rock'

The British navy and Spanish civil guard faced off today over a fishing dispute off the Gibraltar coast. Spain maintains it only ceded Gibraltar to the British, not the waters around it.
Where gas prices are highest

Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
Hopes fade for progress at Iran nuclear talks in Baghdad

Iranian officials say practically no sanctions relief was placed on the table by Western powers in response to Iranian concessions over its nuclear program, dashing hopes for any breakthrough in Baghdad.
Horizons
Newly knighted, Apple design chief hints at mystery product

Jonathan Ive, the design chief at Apple, told a reporter that his current work – still a mystery – trumps everything that has come before. 
Keep Calm
With Crocker's exit, a chance for a new approach to Afghanistan

Ambassador Ryan Crocker announced he is stepping down as the US ambassador to Afghanistan. 
Gordon Brown: Europe needs a global rescue

The G8 summit at Camp David failed to find a plan for economic growth in Europe and to deal with a euro crisis that goes beyond debt. It may seem strange to propose that the world’s second-richest continent needs a global rescue. But today’s European consumers are too fearful to spend.
Iran nuclear talks: why optimism could be different this time

The meeting in Baghdad will discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The US and some of its partners are speaking more hopefully about prospects for these talks than at almost any point in the past.
On the Eve

The focus in this book about the approach of the Holocaust is not Adolf Hitler and the Nazis but the European Jews themselves.
Unusually good forecast for Iran nuclear talks (+video)

UN nuclear chief Yukiya Amano today announced an agreement with Iran to clear up remaining questions about Iran nuclear weapons work ahead of tomorrow's talks in Baghdad.
Israel: South Africa's desire to label West Bank goods is 'racist'

When South Africa requested imports from Israeli settlements be labeled 'made in the occupied West Bank,' Israel's Foreign Ministry said the move 'bears clear racist characteristics.'
Lockerbie convict dies, closing dark chapter for Libya

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was the only person ever convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. He died at home in Tripoli Sunday, nearly three years after his release from Scottish prison.
Obama, G-8: Recovery takes both growth and cutting

Confronting an economic crisis that threatens them all, President Obama and leaders of other world powers on Saturday declared that their governments must both spark growth and cut the debt that has crippled the European continent and put investors worldwide on edge.
The New Economy
Facebook IPO? Flat. Facebook future? Bright.

Facebook IPO generated no big stock gains on its first day of trading. But Facebook has many of the traits that made Apple, Microsoft, and Google great in the long run.  
Are celebrity judges ruining American Idol and other talent shows?

Killing the Golden Goose? By relying on Jennifer Lopez (American Idol) and Britney Spears (The X Factor), are talent shows putting celebrities ahead of discovering new talent?
6 stories about life with your adult children

In "Slouching Toward Adulthood," Sally Koslow shares what she learned about the differences between the boomer and Facebook generations.
As its banking woes mount, Spain ponders where to go from here

Its banks struggling, Spain has moved closer to needing a bailout. But some argue the takeover of Bankia and other measures could mark the beginning of movement toward greater stability.
G8 summit: Euro crisis and possible 'Grexit' overshadow agenda

The G8 leaders hosted by Obama at Camp David have several global issues on their minds: Syria, nuclear proliferation, famine. But the eurozone debt crisis is once again the dominant concern.
David Beckham escorts Olympic flame upon arrival in UK

David Beckham will take the Olympic flame at a ceremony Friday when the flame arrives from Greece. Then, the Olympic flame will go on a 70-day, 8,000-mile relay around England ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.