This week's UK news: 24 August 2012
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24 August 2012


We're all seeing a lot of Prince Harry

Prince Harry, who is third in line to the throne, has been in the news this week. Pictures of the 27-year-old soldier were published on an American gossip website and have been in the news all over the world.

This is because the Prince is naked in the photos. He also seems to be having fun with a naked woman. The pictures were taken during a party during a holiday in Las Vegas, when the guests played something called strip billiards. This is apparently why everyone was naked.

The UK press was warned not to use the pictures. To start with, The Sun newspaper got two young reporters to copy the poses in the pictures, naked, and published these. Today they have used the real photographs.

Sport starts all over again

The Paralympic Games opens in London on Wednesday next week. The torches with the Paralympic flame have been lit on the UK's four highest mountains and are travelling to the Olympic Park in London.

The Park and the athletes village has been adapted to make it suitable for the competitors, many of whom are in wheelchairs. It is the most popular Paralympics event ever, as most of the tickets have now sold out.

There have also been more stories about the Olympic winners. The UK has a very strange "honours system" where people's achievements are recognised with some kind of title presented by the Queen. People expect Olympic medal winners to get honours but apparently there are limits to the numbers which can be given to people in different professions. It sounds as though there are fights going on about the rules.

Meanwhile gold medal heptathlete Jessica Ennis got an unusual honour. She was featured on the cover of the children's Beano comic. She replaced the comic's most famous character, Dennis the Menace (a menace is someone who causes trouble). Instead, she was Ennis the Menace.


Is a king buried under a car park?

Richard III was the last English king to be killed in battle, and no-one knows where his grave is now. He was buried in a religious building in 1485, which was later demolished on the orders of King Henry VIII.

Now archeologists are going to investigate a car park for council workers in the city of Leicester, to see if they can find traces of the religious building. If it is there, they believe the King's body may have been buried under its altar.

King Richard is one of English history's most famous and controversial figures, partly because of a play written by Shakespeare. Many people believe he ordered his young nephews to be murdered.


British film director kills himself

Tony Scott, the British-born director of films including Top Gun and Beverley Hills Cop 2, killed himself by jumping off a bridge in Los Angeles this week. Many tributes have been paid to his work, but at present it is a mystery why he jumped from the bridge.

 

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