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  1. Blackleaf

    Knights Templar mugs? They're offensive!

    A market stall holder has been banned from having a stand in a town centre because she was selling 'offensive' Knights Templar coffee mugs. Tina Gayle has been prohibited from having a stall in Loughborough Market after someone complained about the mugs. She said the complainant had told...
  2. Blackleaf

    Britain, Catalonia etc: People crave national identity

    How can there be an amicable union between the EU’s nation states if some of those nations are themselves deeply divided and fractious, as is plainly the case with Catalonia and Spain? Here is a region of largely Catalan-speaking people who regard themselves as culturally distinct. A...
  3. Blackleaf

    The Queen will not lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday

    Throughout her 65-year reign, she has regarded it as her most sacred duty. But next month, for the first time, the Queen will attend Britain’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations as a spectator. Buckingham Palace has announced that she will watch the traditional 11am service at the Cenotaph...
  4. Blackleaf

    Why did Vikings have 'Allah' embroidered into funeral clothes?

    Researchers in Sweden have found Arabic characters woven into burial costumes from Viking boat graves. The discovery raises new questions about the influence of Islam in Scandinavia, writes journalist Tharik Hussain. Why did Vikings have 'Allah' embroidered into funeral clothes? BBC News...
  5. Blackleaf

    Siberian blue robin excites bird watchers in Orkney

    Bird watchers have been left in a bit of a flap after the rare arrival of an off-track adult Siberian blue robin in North Ronaldsay. It is believed to be the first adult male of the breed in the UK, although juveniles have been seen before. Siberian blue robin excites bird watchers in Orkney...
  6. Blackleaf

    British mission to 1 trillion ton iceberg approved

    UK scientists will lead an international expedition to the huge new iceberg that recently calved in the British Antarctic Territory. A-68, which covers an area of around 2,300 sq miles, broke away in July. Researchers are keen to investigate the seafloor uncovered by the trillion-ton block of...
  7. Blackleaf

    Did conkers help win the First World War?

    In the autumn of 1917, a notice appeared on the walls of classrooms and scout huts across Britain: “Groups of scholars and boy scouts are being organised to collect conkers… This collection is invaluable war work and is very urgent. Please encourage it.” It was never explained to...
  8. Blackleaf

    The women and children who built Spitfires

    A new documentary film has revealed the incredible untold story of the secret Spitfire factories where civilians built thousands of the iconic warplane. In 1940 the German Luftwaffe managed to bomb and destroy the Spitfire factories in Southampton, believing they had stopped the British...
  9. Blackleaf

    The Panama ghost goal that saw USA fail to reach World Cup for first time since 1986

    The US men's soccer team has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. But should a referee have disallowed a goal that helped doom their chances? Bruce Arena's men were eliminated after a disappointing 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday night. A string of...
  10. Blackleaf

    Too much cheese lands driver in a pickle

    A van driver was pulled over by police as he had too much cheese on board. Officers found the vehicle had about 2,822lb of cheese inside, in Sawtry, Cambridgeshire on Monday. Too much cheese lands van man in pickle with police 10 October 2017...
  11. Blackleaf

    The May 1940 War Cabinet Crisis: Churchill’s darkest hour?

    How Churchill brought Britain back from the brink of a negotiated peace with Hitler... The May 1940 War Cabinet Crisis: Churchill’s darkest hour...
  12. Blackleaf

    The Paper Time Machine: Colouring The Past

    A new book brings black-and-white photographs back to life in glorious colour.... Mrs Pankhurst's arrest, a zebra hauling a cart and Tower Bridge's construction... in colour: New book brings black-and-white pictures to life The Paper Time Machine: Colouring The Past offers fresh perspective...
  13. Blackleaf

    Severed head of eccentric philosopher to go on display as his DNA is tested

    The severed head of eccentric philosopher Jeremy Bentham is to go on display for the first time in decades and scientists are using the opportunity to test his DNA to find out if he was autistic. Social reformer Bentham, who died in 1832, insisted that his body be preserved after his...
  14. Blackleaf

    Britain draws up battle plan for war with North Korea

    Britain is reportedly preparing for the possibility of war breaking out with North Korea as concerns rise that another provocative missile test could trigger a military response by the US. British officials have drawn up military plans for a response to a break out of hostilities, it...
  15. Blackleaf

    Anglo-Saxon settlement found at wind farm site

    Archaeologists have unearthed an Anglo-Saxon settlement as part of preparation work for a £2.5bn wind farm. East Anglia One is being built 30 miles off the Suffolk coast, with the onshore cable route running 23 miles from Bawdsey to Bramford. There are 50 excavation sites along the route...
  16. Blackleaf

    From Brexit to Catalonia: the silencing of citizens’ voices

    Though they have different methods, and choose different times to strike, the British warriors against Brexit and the Spanish attackers of Catalan voters share a common disregard for the views of citizens. That shocking image of a Spanish police officer carrying away a ballot box so that Catalan...