UK News from Times Online

Genital damage could be reversed after tissue is grown in laboratory

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:24 GMT

Damaged human genitals could eventually be restored to full function after penis tissue has been successfully grown in the laboratory and implanted into animals.

Watchdog backs off over BBC's pedigree breeders exposé

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

An investigation into a BBC documentary that exposed the poor health of pedigree dogs descended into farce yesterday after Ofcom was forced by the broadcaster to postpone publication of its report and the Kennel Club said that it had lost confidence in the regulator.

Mainstream parties attack BNP's 'nasty message of hate'

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP have urged voters yesterday in Glasgow North East not to vote for the British National Party in Thursday’s by-election.

Alan Johnson accused of misleading Parliament over David Nutt sacking

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Alan Johnson has been accused of misleading Parliament over the sacking of David Nutt as his chief drug adviser after it emerged that the Home Office was informed in advance of the controversial lecture that prompted his dismissal .

Spectators injured by flaming barrel of tar at Ottery St Mary parade

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Spectators at a traditional Bonfire Night parade in Devon were engulfed by flames after a youth threw an aerosol can into a flaming barrel of tar.

Pregnant woman flees social workers

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

A seven-months pregnant woman with a learning disability is reported to have fled Scotland because she fears her baby will be taken away from her when it is born.

Nuclear power project is first test for streamlined planning system

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

With the move to build ten nuclear power plants, the controversial Infrastructure Planning Commission faces its first test.

Britain to train 10,000 more Afghan troops to speed up withdrawal

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Britain is to help to train 10,000 extra Afghan soldiers to serve in Helmand to bring forward the date when British troops can be withdrawn from parts of the province and replaced by Afghanistan’s national army.

£91 million lottery winners enjoy lull before storm of publicity

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

There are six lottery winners in the area already, so it was always going to take something special to excite Newport about a jackpot win.

Market town clock repair leaves Manningtree in troubled times

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

A market town clock that was sent for repair after vandals damaged the glass has been returned with its numbers in the wrong order.

Government impose ‘carbon capture levy’ to fund coal-fired power plants

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Families will pay a new levy on electricity bills for at least the next 20 years to fund technology designed to capture the carbon from coal-fired power stations.

Cyber stalker waged hate campaign on teenager and her family

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

A stalker who used social networking sites to terrorise a teenager student by bombarding her with threatening messages for nearly two years has been given a lifelong lifetimerestraining order.

How the middle class are shoplifting to keep up appearances

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Middle-class shoppers who have been hit by the recession are stealing hundreds of millions of pounds of expensive food in an effort to maintain their high standard of living, according to a new survey.

Charity still thriving despite the credit crunch

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Charity, they say, begins at home. It may be a cliché most of the time, but in the recession it turns out to be a statistical fact — even for the very rich. A new report on Britain’s largest charitable donations — those worth at least £1 million — says that philanthropists are increasingly giving their money to local community foundations where donors can see where their generosity is doing good.

Soldiers Donald Payne and Aaron Cooper accused of killing Iraqi

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

A former soldier described yesterday watching two comrades kick and punch a handcuffed Iraqi prisoner minutes before he died at a British detention centre in Basra.

Ten nuclear stations to be built in bid to prevent energy shortage

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Ten nuclear power stations are to be built in Britain at a cost of up to £50 billion as the Government tries to prevent the threat of regular power cuts by the middle of the coming decade.

Spain’s wind turbines supply half of the national power grid

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Spain was celebrating its commitment to renewable energy yesterday after wind turbines dotted across the country produced more than half of all its electricity for the first time.

Brown apologises for spelling name wrongly in letter of condolence

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Gordon Brown apologised for his poor handwriting yesterday and for wrongly spelling the name of a dead soldier in a condolence letter sent to his grieving mother.

Gordon Brown's words may be futile, but they are full of meaning

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

They are done late at night and without fanfare, a solemn token of prime ministerial respect for the families of those who have fallen serving their country. Ever since Margaret Thatcher wrote handwritten notes to the relatives of the 255 Falklands dead, her successors have followed suit and committed a few thoughts to paper each time a death in service is announced.

Angry angler chains himself to rails at protest over cull of carp

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

A freshwater swimming club’s plan to cull hundreds of fish to improve water clarity at a lake has sparked fury from anglers - with one of them chained to the railings today.

Angela Merkel re-engages Germany as active player in European Union

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Germany is governed by hidden rituals. On November 11, St Martin’s Day, German omnivores always eat goose and red cabbage. The following day they start to organise their summer holidays.

British households pour away £470 million of wine every year

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

British households are pouring £470 million worth of wine down the plughole every year.

English Cardinal on path to sainthood after 'miracle'

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

An American clergyman whose recovery from a spinal condition could lead to Cardinal John Henry Newman becoming England’s first non-martyr saint since the Reformation told yesterday of his amazement when his prayers were answered.

Energetic John Prescott fears unsure future

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

I spotted John Prescott in the chamber yesterday with the joy of a twitcher who has just caught sight of a species who used to be common but is now rarely seen.

Free health checks for patients in middle age, Gordon Brown will announce

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Patients in middle age are to be offered an NHS health check every five years, Gordon Brown will announce today. By 2012, everyone aged 40 to 74 will be entitled to free checks to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease as part of an extension of patients’ rights being proposed by the Government.