Past Articles by Vicki Barker
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U.K. Slaughterhouses Raided As Europe's Horse Meat Scandal Widens The scandal has shown just how long and winding the food chain really is, and how little oversight is exercised within Europe's open borders. In Britain, local butchers are among the beneficiaries of this crisis. |
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U.K. Slaughterhouses Raided As Europe's Horse Meat Scandal Widens The scandal has shown just how long and winding the food chain really is, and how little oversight is exercised within Europe's open borders. In Britain, local butchers are among the beneficiaries of this crisis. |
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U.K. Slaughterhouses Raided As Europe's Horse Meat Scandal Widens The scandal has shown just how long and winding the food chain really is, and how little oversight is exercised within Europe's open borders. In Britain, local butchers are among the beneficiaries of this crisis. |
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Where's The Beef? Burger King Finds Horsemeat In Its U.K. Patties The fast food giant said this week that some of its burgers in Britain and Ireland were found to contain horsemeat. That's prompted a Twitter campaign and threats of a boycott. |
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Where's The Beef? Burger King Finds Horsemeat In Its U.K. Patties The fast food giant said this week that some of its burgers in Britain and Ireland were found to contain horsemeat. That's prompted a Twitter campaign and threats of a boycott. |
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Where's The Beef? Burger King Finds Horsemeat In Its U.K. Patties The fast food giant said this week that some of its burgers in Britain and Ireland were found to contain horsemeat. That's prompted a Twitter campaign and threats of a boycott. |
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David Cameron: EU Membership Should Be Up To British People British Prime Minister David Cameron delivered a long-awaited speech on Britain's relationship to the European Union on Wednesday. Cameron is under pressure from the growing U.K. Independence Party to pull Britain out of the EU and he has said he is seeking "fresh consent" from the British public to continue in the EU on "renegotiated" terms. He promised to hold a referendum on whether Britain should withdraw if his party retains power after elections in 2015. If the U.K. pulls out, it would weaken the EU significantly. But it could also diminish Britain's clout and that of its closest ally, the United States |
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London Real Estate, A Magnet For Mega-Rich From Around The Globe In most of Britain, property prices are slumping amid a weak economy. But mega-rich foreigners see London's upscale neighborhoods as a safe place to invest, and they are snapping up properties and pushing up prices even though many don't plan to use these homes as a primary residence. |
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London Real Estate, A Magnet For Mega-Rich From Around The Globe In most of Britain, property prices are slumping amid a weak economy. But mega-rich foreigners see London's upscale neighborhoods as a safe place to invest, and they are snapping up properties and pushing up prices even though many don't plan to use these homes as a primary residence. |
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London Real Estate, A Magnet For Mega-Rich From Around The Globe In most of Britain, property prices are slumping amid a weak economy. But mega-rich foreigners see London's upscale neighborhoods as a safe place to invest, and they are snapping up properties and pushing up prices even though many don't plan to use these homes as a primary residence. |
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There's no place for chronic misplacers of keys at the 21st World Memory Championships under way in London. About 75 competitors from some two dozen countries are vying to see who can memorize the most numbers, faces, playing cards or random words in a set amount of time in this "mnemonic Olympiad." |
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There's no place for chronic misplacers of keys at the 21st World Memory Championships under way in London. About 75 competitors from some two dozen countries are vying to see who can memorize the most numbers, faces, playing cards or random words in a set amount of time in this "mnemonic Olympiad." |
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British Army Aided In Killing During 'Troubles' Period A review of one of the most notorious killings during Northern Ireland's Troubles, has confirmed that — in the words of Prime Minister David Cameron — there was a "shocking" level of collusion by agents of the state. Cameron made an extended statement in Parliament on Wednesday. Belfast Lawyer Pat Finucane was shot dead by Protestant loyalists in front of his family in 1989. Sir Desmond de Silva's report confirms what's been open knowledge in Northern Ireland for years — that members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Northern Ireland's British-backed police force, were involved in the killing and then obstructed the murder investigation. It was also revealed, for the first time, that Britain's MI-5 had spread disinformation about Finucane before the killing. |
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Nurse Who Took Prank Call At U.K. Hospital Is Dead A nurse at a London hospital who took a hoax call about Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge was found dead on Friday. Jacintha Saldhana let through a call from an Australian radio station purporting to be the Queen calling about the ailing Duchess. |
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Starbucks Agrees To Pay British Corporate Taxes After resisting for some time, Starbucks has agreed to pay corporate taxes in Britain. It was revealed earlier that the coffee company has paid no such taxes in the past three years. |
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Starbucks Agrees To Pay British Corporate Taxes After resisting for some time, Starbucks has agreed to pay corporate taxes in Britain. It was revealed earlier that the coffee company has paid no such taxes in the past three years. |
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A Royal Baby On The Way In The U.K. Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, are expecting a baby. The child will be third in line and in direct succession to the throne. The announcement came after the duchess was admitted to a hospital in central London on Monday with acute morning sickness. The royal family had wanted to make the announcement later. The BBC reports that she is in the first trimester. |
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U.K. Judge: British Press Needs Powerful Watchdog An eight month investigation into phone hacking and other abuses by British newspapers has concluded that the industry needs a powerful new watchdog with some legal powers to wield carrots and sticks. Judge Brian Leveson, who led the inquiry, says the watchdog would be independent and insists that it "cannot reasonably or fairly be be characterized as statutory regulation of the press." But Prime Minister David Cameron, who commissioned the investigation, voiced doubts about that, saying "I think it would be a dereliction of our duty in this House of Commons that has stood up for freedom and for free press year after year, century after century, to cross a Rubicon of legislating about the press without thinking about it very carefully, first." Cameron's stance angered victims of tabloid hacking. Said one "I think he's gone back on his word and I feel betrayed." |
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Judge's Report Due On Regulating British Press On Thursday, Lord Justice Leveson is expected to release his report on regulating the British press, following phone hacking and other abuses by the tabloids. The report, and Prime Minister David Cameron's response to it, will likely be controversial. |
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Judge's Report Due On Regulating British Press On Thursday, Lord Justice Leveson is expected to release his report on regulating the British press, following phone hacking and other abuses by the tabloids. The report, and Prime Minister David Cameron's response to it, will likely be controversial. |
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BBC Embroiled In Controversy As Leaders Step Down On Saturday, the BBC's Director General, George Entwistle, resigned. On Monday, Helen Boaden, director of BBC News, and her deputy Stephen Mitchell, took leaves of absence after what appear to be major breaches of journalistic ethics. The first occurred a few weeks ago when the organization spiked an investigative report about alleged child sex abuse by a former BBC star, Jimmy Savile. The second happened last week when the BBC falsely accused a former senior politician, still living, of child abuse. |
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Retro London Cabs On The Road Toward Extinction The number of black beetle-like taxis is dwindling. The only company that makes them had to recall 400 of its newest vehicles because of a mechanical defect. Ahead of the holiday season, very few of its rentals are available. As the company files for bankruptcy protection, cabbies cross their fingers to keep the iconic vehicle alive. |
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Retro London Cabs On The Road Toward Extinction The number of black beetle-like taxis is dwindling. The only company that makes them had to recall 400 of its newest vehicles because of a mechanical defect. Ahead of the holiday season, very few of its rentals are available. As the company files for bankruptcy protection, cabbies cross their fingers to keep the iconic vehicle alive. |
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London's Classic Cabs May Be Driven To Extinction The number of black, beetle-like taxis is dwindling. As the company that manufactures the vehicles files for bankruptcy protection, cabbies cross their fingers to keep the iconic car alive. |
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London's Classic Cabs May Be Driven To Extinction The number of black, beetle-like taxis is dwindling. As the company that manufactures the vehicles files for bankruptcy protection, cabbies cross their fingers to keep the iconic car alive. |
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London's Classic Cabs May Be Driven To Extinction The number of black, beetle-like taxis is dwindling. As the company that manufactures the vehicles files for bankruptcy protection, cabbies cross their fingers to keep the iconic car alive. |
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The Story Of Steadman, Drawn From His 'Gonzo' Art Illustrator Ralph Steadman became known for his collaborations with "gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson, but their partnership wasn't always easy. The documentary For No Good Reason looks at Steadman's life, art and relationship with the eccentric writer. |
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Brits Now Have Six Years To Sue Over Unequal Pay Britain's Supreme Court has ruled that anyone who believed they were paid less than colleagues of the opposite sex can sue in civil courts, where the statute of limitations is six years. Until now Britons, like Americans, could only file discrimination cases within six months. The initial case involved 174 former "dinner ladies" and other city employees in Birmingham - but it may have reverberations at private and public sector workplaces. |
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BBC Head Grilled Over Savile Sex Abuse Scandal The BBC's director general has defended the news organization's handling of a sex abuse scandal involving a former entertainer now accused of having abused women and girls over several decades. A parliamentary committee was particularly interested in why the BBC dropped an investigative report into the allegations in December. Police say the late Jimmy Savile was a predatory sex offender. |
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BBC Roiled By Jimmy Savile Sex Abuse Scandal The BBC is dealing with its worst crisis in decades. At the heart of the affair: allegations that the late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile serially sexually abused underage women. The BBC now is having to defend how it handled an investigative report into the charges. |
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Starbucks Says It Complies With U.K. Tax Laws In Britain, eyebrows have been raised over the revelation this week that Starbucks has paid almost no corporate tax on its U.K. operations. For its part, the Seattle-based company insists it's done nothing wrong. |
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British Computer Hacker Won't Be Extradited To U.S. The U.K. has denied extradition to the United States for a computer hacker who is accused of breaking into military systems. British authorities say they feared he would commit suicide. The U.S. sought Gary McKinnon's extradition in relation to an incident 10 years ago. |
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Scotland To Vote On Independence From U.K. Scotland has won the right to hold a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom. Scotland's leader signed an agreement with Britain's prime minister, finalizing a vote in 2014. |
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Satirical Art Brings Levity To London's Underground London's mass transit system, known as the Tube, has been hit by a guerrilla attack by pranksters. Informational posters in rail cars have been covered up by stickers poking fun at the system. Shepherd's Bush stop was relabeled Shepherd's Pie. Priority seating in pranked cars now reads: "Pretend to be asleep and they won't ask you to move." |
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British Entertainer, DJ Accused Of Sexual Assaults The BBC is apologizing to women who claim they were sexually abused decades ago by one of the broadcaster's top entertainers. Jimmy Savile had been knighted for his charity work in 1990. He died last year. The number of women alleging abuse could be more than two dozen and the scandal has dominated Britain's media. |
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Terrorism Suspects Face Extradition To U.S. Britain's High Court ruled that five terror suspects, including radical preacher Abu Hamza, can be extradited immediately to the United States. The five suspects have fought for years to avoid facing charges in the U.S. |
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U.K.'s Simmering Class Tensions Roil Over "Plebe" Flap During a recent argument with a police officer, British cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell allegedly called the officer a "plebe," a pejorative term derived from "plebian." The ensuing controversy has rekindled accusations that the governing Conservative party is out of touch with ordinary Britons. |
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U.K.'s Simmering Class Tensions Roil Over 'Plebe' Flap During a recent argument, British Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell allegedly called a police officer a "plebe," a pejorative term derived from "plebeian." The ensuing controversy has rekindled accusations that the governing Conservative Party is out of touch with ordinary Britons. |
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Badger Battle: British Animal Lovers Protest Cull This month, the British government issued licenses allowing trained marksmen in southwest England to shoot badgers. Farmers - and many scientists - say the animals pose a health threat to cattle. But the decision has outraged British animal lovers. |
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Royals File Suit Over Topless Kate Middleton Photos Publications in Ireland, France and Italy have printed pictures showing Princess Kate sunbathing topless while on holiday with her husband, Prince Williams. Lawyers for the couple went to court Monday to seek an injunction against the Italian publishing house owned by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that has published a broad spread of the photos. |
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Cameron Apologizes For 1989 U.K. Sporting Disaster More than 20 years after Britain's worst sporting disaster, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed that there was a police and media conspiracy to blacken the names of the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. After summing up the blistering conclusions reached by an independent panel, Cameron apologized to the families of the 96 victims - Liverpool soccer fans who had come to Sheffield's Hillsborough stadium to watch their team play. |
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New Artwork Finds A Home At An Old English Manor British ceramicist Edmund de Waal is exhibiting his work at Waddesdon Manor, the historic country retreat of his distant cousin Lord Jacob Rothschild. The manor's lavishly decorated rooms are an unlikely space for such minimalist works, but the collaboration tells a story of collection, belonging and loss. |
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David Cameron Grilled Over Murdoch Ties Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron spent the Thursday being grilled over the nature of his relationship with media magnate Rupert Murdoch. He dismissed as "nonsense" the suggestion that they had made tacit deals to look after one another's interests. |
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An Olympic Task: Finding Good Food At The Games Restaurants and caterers will perform their own feats of strength and endurance when the Summer Olympics get started in London next month. They'll serve about 14 million meals, but critics are already panning the menu. |
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Queen Elizabeth 'Humbled' By Diamond Jubilee The four day celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne drew to a close in London on Tuesday. There was a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral. Prince Phillip was ailing so the Queen's throne was moved to the same row as her family so she wouldn't have to sit alone. Then there was lunch at Westminster for 700 people including some commoners. Finally, a carriage ride to Buckingham Palace where the Queen appeared once again on the famous balcony. |
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River Pageant Pays Tribute To Queen's Jubilee Britons are halfway through a four-day holiday celebrating Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne. On Sunday, the queen led a flotilla of a thousand boats on the Thames - described as the largest such river pageant in more than 300 years. |
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Britain's Ad Authority Releases Most-Hated List This week Britain's Advertising Standards Authority turned 50. To celebrate, it released a list of the 50 most-complained-about commercials in U.K. history. The one that generated the most viewer complaints was not about sex, violence or politics: It was a KFC ad in which the actors spoke with their mouths full. |
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At Eurovision 2012, Politics Take The Stage An estimated 125 million people are expected to tune in to Saturday night's final contest in Eurovision 2012. This year's song contest has provoked controversy over its host, Azerbaijan, whose president is accused of human rights abuses. Vicki Barker has the story. |
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At 'Eurovision 2012,' Politics Take The Stage An estimated 125 million people are expected to tune in to Saturday night's final contest in Eurovision 2012. This year's song contest has provoked controversy over its host country, Azerbaijan, whose president is accused of human rights abuses. Vicki Barker has the story. |
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New Rules Get Thorny Reception At U.K. Flower Show The 99th Chelsea Flower Show opens in London on Tuesday. It's the horticultural event of the year, and its roots go even deeper than those 99 years - British horticultural shows have been part of the gardening calendar since the 1870s. Trendspotters at this year's show can expect lots of water-logged foliage after the wettest April in the U.K. record books, and a wary acceptance of a new judging system set to take effect after this year's show. |
