This week's UK news: 10 July 2009
10 July 2009


Spy in his swimming trunks

We are used to seeing fictional spy James Bond in his swimwear. Britons were more surprised to see pictures of our new spy chief, Sir David Sawers, in swimming trunks this week.

Newspapers published the photos after they appeared on the Facebook page of Lady Shelley Sawers, who is married to Sir David. Very few personal details are usually given about  the head of “MI6” and nobody expects to see family photographs.

Some security experts say the Sawers family will now have to move house. But Foreign Secretary David Miliband was less excited. He said: 'It is not a state secret that he wears Speedo swimming trunks.'

The world’s oddest music competition?

The national comb and paper music competition is currently being held at the Stonehaven festival in Scotland.

Performers play a hair comb with hard toilet paper wrapped over it. They put the comb against their mouths, and hum a tune. The sound can be good or terrible.

Former world champion Bob Kibble won by playing My Way on the comb. 

A world without men?

Lots of debates were started this week after British scientists created male sperm in a laboratory. It will take many more years of work before women can have babies without a man – but some men are worried.

The newspapers were full of articles by women on why they still like men, and by men on why they are still useful. “Women will need us until they can get their own spiders out of the bath,” said one man on the radio.

Newspapers in the news

Well-known people are consulting their lawyers because they fear journalists have been listening to their private messages.

One newspaper is claiming that “thousands” of mobile phones may have been targeted by journalists looking for stories. The journalists had found a way of getting into the voicemail of phones to hear messages.

One journalist has already been sent to prison for doing this, but it is now claimed that many other cases were found by police. The police do not plan to investigate any further.

 

by Susan Young - susan@englishuk.com

 

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