Britain

The Guardian reports: Paul O’Grady, the beloved TV presenter and comedian who broke on to the scene with his drag act persona Lily Savage, has died at the age of 67. His husband, Andre Portasio, confirmed in a statement that O’Grady died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening. Days ago, O’Grady had finished a stint playing Miss Hannigan in the …

CNN reports: The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland has been raised from “substantial” to “severe” just days before a potential visit to the country by US President Joe Biden, but the White House has said the change won’t alter his plans. The decision to raise the threat level to “severe,” meaning an attack is highly likely, was made by …

The Guardian reports: Scottish nationalists picked Humza Yousaf to be the country’s next leader on Monday after a bitterly fought contest that exposed deep divisions in his party over policy and a stalled independence campaign. The 37-year-old practising Muslim succeeds Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the governing Scottish National Party (SNP) and will take over as head of the semi-autonomous …

Rolling Stone reports: In 1997, after attending a Royal Gala evening, Geri Halliwell kissed Prince Charles on the cheek. According to royal protocol and etiquette, you’re only allowed to shake a royal’s hand, so the scandalous moment landed on the front pages of newspapers and went down in pop culture history. Now, instead of daring Ginger Spice to kiss Charles …

People Magazine reports: The Duchess adopted the monarch’s two surviving corgis, Sandy and Muick (pronounced “Mick”), gifted to the Queen by Ferguson, her ex-husband Prince Andrew and their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. But caring for the U.K.’s most famous pets comes with some stress. “They are national icons, so every time they run chasing a squirrel, I panic,” …

Agence France-Presse reports: Nominations for a leader to succeed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as head of Scotland’s ruling party will close on Friday amid an uproar over a top contender’s conservative views on gay marriage. Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, a 32-year-old rising star in the SNP, caused controversy this week after revealing that she would have voted against same-sex marriage, …

The Associated Press reports: Andrew Lloyd Webber, the English composer who created the scores for blockbuster musicals such as “Cats,” “The Phantom of the Opera’’ and “Evita,” has written the anthem for King Charles III’s coronation, adapting a piece of church music that encourages singers to make a “joyful noise.” The work by Webber is one of a dozen new …

CNN reports: Nicola Sturgeon, the figurehead of the Scottish independence movement, dramatically announced on Wednesday that she would resign after eight years as Scotland’s first minister. The Scottish National Party leader made the announcement at a press conference in Edinburgh. She will stay in office until a new SNP leader is appointed. Sturgeon said she knows the “time is now” …

Sky News reports: Around 30 far-right protesters clashed with similar numbers of counter-protesters outside Tate Britain over a drag queen storytelling event. Nationalist organisation Patriotic Alternative was understood to have led a group of demonstrators against children’s author Aida H Dee reading to families at the central London art gallery on Saturday. They came face to face with counter-protesters, led …

The Guardian reports: Disturbances have broken out in Knowsley near Liverpool after several hundred far-right demonstrators protested against asylum seekers who have been housed in a local hotel by the Home Office. Merseyside police said three people had been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. Witnesses at the Suites hotel said missiles were thrown and far-right supporters set a police …

Reuters reports: A former London police officer was jailed on Tuesday for at least 30 years for a “catalogue of violence and brutal sexual offending” in a sustained campaign of abuse against women. David Carrick, who worked in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, used his position of power to intimidate many of his victims, saying no one would believe …

Axios reports: Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims in a new BBC documentary that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile during an “extraordinary” phone call before the Ukraine invasion. “He threatened me at one point, and he said, ‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute’ or …

ABC News reports: Struggling U.K. regional airline Flybe collapsed for the second time in three years Saturday, putting jobs on the line and leaving passengers stranded. The airline initially slumped into bankruptcy in March 2020, shedding 2,400 jobs, as coronavirus restrictions decimated the travel industry. It relaunched in April last year, flying many of the same routes out of Belfast, …

Leicester Live reports: Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen is to sue Matt Hancock for £100,000 over a row about Covid-19 vaccines. It comes after the former health secretary accused Mr Bridgen of sharing “anti-Semitic, anti-vax, anti-scientific conspiracy theories” in a post on Twitter. Mr Bridgen recently lost the Conservative party whip for “crossing the line” and “causing great offence” when criticising …

The Associated Press reports: King Charles III has asked that annual profits from a 1 billion-pound ($1.2 billion) Crown Estate windfarm deal be used for the public good rather than the royal family. The Crown Estate confirmed Thursday that it had signed lease agreements for six offshore wind projects. Such a windfall would normally lead to a jump in funding …

The Guardian reports: A Metropolitan police officer has been revealed as a serial rapist who committed more than 71 serious sexual offences, despite the force being told of repeated allegations over two decades that he was a threat to women. PC David Carrick, an armed officer in the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, admitted on Monday to 49 counts – …

The Telegraph reports: A law to ban all conversion therapy will be announced as soon as Monday, as Rishi Sunak reverses Boris Johnson’s decision to scale back the intervention. Mr Johnson vowed to ban homosexual conversion therapy when prime minister, but decided not to do the same for transgender conversion therapy. This week, government ministers are set to make clear …

The BBC reports: Andrew Bridgen has been suspended as a Conservative MP for spreading misinformation about Covid vaccination. It comes after the North West Leicestershire MP posted a tweet that compared vaccines to the Holocaust. Tory chief whip Simon Hart said the comments had “crossed a line” and caused great offence. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also condemned the remarks, calling …

The Metro reports: Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport have seized material contaminated with uranium, it has been reported. Counter-terrorism is said to be investigating the incident after a package coming into the UK was found with traces of the radioactive element. It was discovered by officers on December 29, and after being assessed it was said to be ‘posing …

The BBC reports: Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed. It is not clear when the ban will come into effect but it follows similar moves by Scotland and Wales. Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the move would help protect the environment for future generations. Campaigners welcomed the ban, …