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  1. Blackleaf

    In Iran's eyes, Britain is still the 'old fox’

    The “old fox” is back. When Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond visited Tehran this week, he did far more than reopen the British Embassy: his presence signalled a new chapter in the poisonous yet strangely intimate relationship between Britain and Iran. In Iran's eyes, Britain is still the 'old...
  2. Blackleaf

    Dinosaur's foot found on beach

    The fossilised foot of a dinosaur has been discovered on a south Wales beach, National Museum Wales has announced. A skeleton of a meat-eating Jurassic dinosaur, the theropod, was uncovered by spring storms at Lavernock beach, Vale of Glamorgan, in 2014. The dinosaur's missing foot was...
  3. Blackleaf

    Work begins on Lincoln Castle Magna Carta sand sculpture

    Work is under way to create a giant sand sculpture in the grounds of Lincoln Castle to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. Sand sculptors Remy and Paul Hoggard are using about 80 tonnes of sand to create the sculpture, which will depict King John at Runnymede in 1215. The art...
  4. Blackleaf

    Nigel Farage: Immigration will be the defining issue of this EU referendum campaign

    Immigration is the biggest worry among British voters, overtaking the NHS and the economy as their main concern, according to a new poll. A whopping fifty per cent of the public said immigration was among the most important issues facing the country, the highest level ever recorded by the...
  5. Blackleaf

    The amazing 'prey's-eye view' of a buzzard coming in for the kill

    A wildlife fan spent four months planning a 'once in a lifetime' snap of an open-winged buzzard - which he eventually caught after ten days hidden in a shallow grave. Colin Crowdey, from Gloucester, wanted to capture the perfect 'prey's eye view' of a bird swooping on its prey. Knowing...
  6. Blackleaf

    Why Americans should give thanks for the British Empire

    As we Americans celebrate on this day of gluttony, football, and prayer (not necessarily in that order), we might offer up thanks for the institution that gave us our glorious traditions of liberty and prosperity. That institution would be the British Empire, which not only put us here...
  7. Blackleaf

    Marine mammals thriving in Thames

    Ten years of public sightings show that large marine mammals are regularly found in the River Thames. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has received records of 2,732 animals over that period. Seals were the most common animal seen, with many spotted around London's Canary Wharf...
  8. Blackleaf

    First Blue John vein in 150 years found in Derbyshire Peak District

    A new vein of a very rare mineral has been found in Derbyshire. The only place in the world where you can find Blue John stone is in a cavern beneath Treak Cliff Hill, near Castleton in the Peak District, and now a new vein of the mineral has been found. It's been named the Ridley Vein after...
  9. Blackleaf

    Can you solve the code in the sword?

    A medieval sword that carries a mysterious inscription has baffled historians for centuries. Little is known about the double-edged weapon, least of all the meaning behind a cryptic 18-letter message running down the central groove which reads: NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI. Now The British Library...
  10. Blackleaf

    How to speak like a Corbynite: a helpful guide

    As socialist and bearded lefty Jeremy Corbyn - who, like many on the British left, never wears a tie and generally looks scruffy - looks set to become the new leader of the Labour Party, and therefore to have a crack at trying to be Prime Minister in 2020, the Telegraph has issued a helpful...
  11. Blackleaf

    VJ Day: Queen leads 70th anniversary commemorations

    The Queen is leading events to mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, when Japan surrendered and World War Two ended. She and the Duke of Edinburgh joined the PM and former prisoners of war at a remembrance service at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London. The Reverend Dr Sam Wells told...
  12. Blackleaf

    Who was the real Edward VI?

    The Tudor boy king is often painted as a sickly puppet. But as Stephen Alford – author of a recent biography – reveals, he may actually have been much like his father, Henry VIII Who was the real Edward VI? Thursday 13th...
  13. Blackleaf

    The Roman invasion: Whose side were the Britons on?

    The display of the Hallaton helmet reconstruction in 2012 sparked debate about how far Britons colluded with the Romans on their invasion in AD 43. Here, Gillian Hovell considers this and other key questions about the start of the Roman occupation. The Roman invasion: Whose side were the...
  14. Blackleaf

    William and Kate issue furious warning over paparazzi pictures of their children

    The paparazzi are using children to lure Prince George into view as they take increasingly desperate measures to capture lucrative images of the young royal, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have revealed. The tactic is one of several "dangerous" and "distressing" methods revealed in an...
  15. Blackleaf

    Spanish ships accused of 'violating' Gibraltar's territory

    Spanish vessels and helicopters were in "clear violation of international law" after entering UK waters in Gibraltar, the Foreign Office has said. Spanish police chasing criminals have made several incursions into British waters in the past two days, it added. The Royal Navy escorted the...
  16. Blackleaf

    Old English wisdom enters Twitter-verse

    An Old English expert is sharing the wisdom of our ancestors on Twitter. But can we learn anything from 1,000-year-old thinking? Old English wisdom enters Twitter-verse By Duncan Leatherdale BBC News 13 August 2015...
  17. Blackleaf

    Karl Pilkington: The Moaning of Life 2

    Everyone's favourite bald Manc twonk and comedy travel documentary host Karl Pilkington - the whingeing but lovable comedy genius whom his friend Ricky Gervais once called "the funniest man alive in Britain today" - is back with the second series of his hilarious round-the-world TV series The...
  18. Blackleaf

    Schoolchildren re-enact football's most infamous moments

    These schoolchildren have been recreating some of the most infamous moments in football. School children become 'Football's Bad Boys' Whoever had the idea for this is an absolute genius. Rather than teaching children about good morals and encouraging them to look up to responsible...
  19. Blackleaf

    The London shipwreck: 1665 gun carriage recovered

    A gun carriage has been recovered from the wreck of a warship which exploded and sank in the Thames estuary in 1665. The London went down off Southend-on-Sea in Essex, killing 300 crew. It is the first complete carriage to be raised from the ship, which is lying about 65ft (20m) below the...
  20. Blackleaf

    10 dangers of Georgian London

    Disease, cesspits and gin: What was life like on the streets of 18th-century London? 10 dangers of Georgian London...