Author: Jill Lawless
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‘Harry Potter’ actor Richard Griffiths dies at 65
LONDON — Richard Griffiths was one of the great British stage actors of his generation, a heavy man with a light touch, whether in Shakespeare or Neil Simon. But for millions of movie fans, he will always be grumpy Uncle Vernon, the least magical of characters in the fantastical “Harry Potter” movies. Griffiths died Thursday…
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London tries tripling police presence to end riots
LONDON — London began nearly tripling the number of police on its streets Tuesday to try to end Britain’s worst rioting in a generation — three nights of looting and burning by poor, diverse and brazen crowds of young people. Scenes of ransacked stores, torched cars and blackened buildings frightened and outraged Britons just a…
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European countries agree to resume air traffic
LONDON — European officials acted Monday to end the air paralysis caused by a volcanic eruption in Iceland, agreeing to let air traffic resume in designated “caution zones” following a five-day shutdown that left millions of travelers stranded. European Union transport ministers agreed during a crisis videoconference to partly reopen Europe’s skies. The agreement creates…
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Flight disruptions in Europe worsen over volcanic ash
LONDON • Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland on today as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.Polish officials worried that the ash cloud could threaten the arrival of…
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Volcanic ash causes largest flight disruption since 9/11
LONDON — An enormous ash cloud from a remote Icelandic volcano caused the biggest flight disruption since 9/11 Thursday as it drifted over northern Europe and stranded travelers on six continents. Officials said it could take days for the skies to become safe again in one of aviation’s most congested areas. The cloud, floating miles…
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Documents indicate detainee abused in U.S. custody
LONDON — A British resident was beaten, shackled and threatened while in U.S. custody in Pakistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, according to a newly published summary of intelligence reports sent from the CIA to Britain’s MI5 spy agency. The information, released by a court Wednesday over the objections of the…
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Loach mines love of soccer in ‘Looking for Eric’
CANNES, France – The Cannes Film Festival’s latest contenders are a cinematic odd couple – British director Ken Loach and French soccer legend Eric Cantona, who stars in Loach’s festival entry “Looking for Eric.” It turns out that Loach – an unflinching social realist whose subjects have ranged from troubled teens (“Kes”) to illegal immigrants…
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Cheesy book takes top prize for oddest title
LONDON • A heavyweight study of the future of soft cheese has won Britain’s annual competition to find the year’s oddest book title. “The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais,” by Philip M. Parker won the Diagram Prize, awarded last week by trade magazine The Bookseller. The runner-up was primate study “Baboon…
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Winnie-the-Pooh to return in authorized sequel
LONDON – The world’s favorite “silly old bear” is back.Publishers in Britain and the United States said Friday they will publish a new book of Winnie-the-Pooh adventures on Oct. 5. “Return to the Hundred Acre Wood” is the first authorized sequel to A. A. Milne’s Pooh stories, which were first published in the 1920s.It will…
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Musicians gather to honor Mandela
LONDON – Queen, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox and Razorlight were among the performers who serenaded Nelson Mandela at a concert Friday honoring the South African statesman’s 90th birthday. Will Smith hosted the Hyde Park show marking Mandela’s birthday July 18. The event came 20 years after a 70th birthday concert at Wembley Stadium that helped…