In a 2006 documentary produced out of Moscow, Russia a spying device believed to be from the United Kingdom was shown to the delight and laughter of audiences. The device was funny because spy officials in the UK actually believed they could place a bug inside a fake rock and nobody would notice.

In that footage Moscow officials kick the rock around in a park after it was discovered.

According to the Guardian officials in Britain have denied that the rock belongs to their agencies until recently when a former aide to Tony Blair told the BBC:

“The spy rock was embarrassing … they had us bang to rights.”

The aide goes on to note:

“There’s not much you can say, you can’t really call up and say, ‘I’m terribly sorry about that, it won’t happen again.’”

What might make the fake rock more embarrassing is the fact that it was possibly used against the UK. According to reports Russian President Vladimir Putin knew about the rock but kept it a secret so he could wait for the perfect moment to use the device as part of his crackdown initiative on the foreign-funded NGOs, allowing him to eventually increase his authoritarian power.

In fake the rock dispute was so bad according to Tony Brenton, the British ambassador to Moscow in 2006 that it marked a “dramatic disintegration of ties between London and Moscow.”

Perhaps the Brits should have stuck with pet rocks instead of turning them into objects of spying on the Russians.

UK Bashfully Admits To “Fake Rock” Spying Device Discovered In Russia is a post from: The Inquisitr

The South American country of Brazil has officially surpassed the United Kingdom as the world’s sixth largest economy according to a recent report.

The report was revealed by the BBC and shows traditional superpowers losing some of their grip on the world economy as countries in Latin America and Asia continue to build out their economic infrastructures.

While that news isn’t great for UK the Center for Economics and Business Research says the country is set to overtake France’s economy by 2016.

Speaking to the BBC a CEBR economist noted:

“I think it’s part of the big economic change, where not only are we seeing a shift from the west to the east, but we’re also seeing that countries that produce vital commodities—food and energy and things like that—are doing very well and they’re gradually climbing up the economic league table.”

Brazil has been helped along by a population of more than 200 million people, that’s approximately three times the size of the UK population.

Brazil was also helped by a 7.5% increase in spending last year, although the Brazilian government has cut 2011 forecasting to just 3.5% after the economy drastically slowed in the third quarter as the country much like other parts of the world dealt with a worsening economic situation in Europe and high interest rates that have slowed lending.

The same research study also released 2020 economic forecast for the Top 10 countries economically speaking:

1. United States
2. China;
3. Japan
4. Russia
5. India
6. Brazil
7. Germany
8. United Kingdom
9. France
10. Italy

Are you surprised to see where certain countries will rank when 2020 rolls around?

Brazil Economy Surpasses UK For First Time is a post from: The Inquisitr

Meryl Streep gave an interview on the hit show The View, and in it she made a startling admission.  While she was a guest at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue she managed to boost some White House Napkins. “I stole the White House Napkins” Politico quoted her as saying.

The Academy Award winning actress was on the View to promote her new film Iron Lady, where Streep electrifies in her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Interestingly enough, Streep revealed to the British Newspaper The Mirror that she almost turned down the role due to her strong disagreement with the policies that Thatcher promoted.  “I was not thrilled with her policies or her politics because my friends and I were all playing for the other team,” Meryl revealed.

Despite their political differences There were some of the Iron Lady’s attributes that she respected.

“She was head of the United Kingdom for eleven and a half years and did not have a cook,” she says in amazement. “I have a cook. The last movie I made when I stopped making dinner was Sophie’s Choice and that was a long time ago.”

Watch the interview with Meryl Streep on The View

Meryl Streep: I Stole Some White House Napkins is a post from: The Inquisitr

Britney Spears doesn’t have the same pull she once had over fans during her world tours, at least that appears to be the case in the UK where her Birmingham concert slated for October 30 has failed to sell out or even come close to selling out.

While Spears would have had no problem selling out the 16,000 seat LG Arena in her early days one ticket seller says of the current ticket sales situation:

“It’s probably about half-full. There’s good availability.”

The lack of buyers comes after 500 standing tickets remain unsold and 11 entire seat blocks are still available even after promoters dropped ticket pricing from £30 down from £55 through social selling website Groupon.

Speaking about the Groupondeal concert promoter LiveNation said:

 “Offering a deal on Groupon is not a reflection of the quality or status or sales of a show.”

Promoters haven’t even been able to give away tickets through their buy 10 get two free deal.

Called her “flashiest show” yet by Rolling Stone the Femme Fatale concert tour includes eight UK dates.

Would you be willing to purchase 10 Britney Spears tickets just to get two free? That deal seems more like a win for ticket brokers than fans who might want to attend the concert with 11 of their closest friends.

Britney Spears Concert Tickets Slow To Sell During UK Tour is a post from: The Inquisitr

Years of rumors, let downs and hope have turned into a possible celebration for Black Sabbath fans after comments from a June discussion with guitarist Tony Iommi were revealed Tuesday, those comments reveal that the group is getting back together, recording a new album and ultimately touring.

Speaking with the Birmingham Mail Tony said:

“We’re really looking forward to it and I think the stuff we’ve been writing is really good,’’ while adding,  ”It’s all been very hush-hush. Ozzy’s been the worst at trying to hold it back. He’s doing a lot of TV and he’s being asked stuff about a reunion and he’s going ‘Well, I never say never.’”

Iommi did say on Tuesday that those quotes are from June and that he was merely “speculating” and “shooting the breeze” however he never denied during his most recent statement that what he said was true.

The announcement of a Black Sabbath reunion comes just six months after bassist Geezer Butler released his own statement in which he wrote:

“I would like to make it clear, because of mounting speculation and rumours, that there will be definitely no reunion of all four original members of Black Sabbath,” while adding, ”Whether to record an album or to tour.”

The last time Ozzy toured with the band was in 2005, while the last Sabbath album was Never Say Die which was released in 1978.

In 2001 super producer Rick Rubin tried to work with the group but those sessions fell apart and Ozzy Osbourne decided to focus on his successful solo career.

Come on Black Sabbath, what do you possibly have to lose by working together and giving fans what they’ve been waiting for since 1978.

Black Sabbath Reuniting, Recording New Album and Touring…Maybe is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ikea Group isn’t just for home-furnishings the company is also invested in wind and solar power after announcing on Friday that they have purchased a new wind farm in Scotland and plan to install 39,000 solar panels on their U.K. stores in order to gather more renewable energy from alternative sources.

The 12.3-megawatt wind farm in Huntly was purchased from Good Energies Capital Inc.

Chief Sustainability Officer Steve Howard told Bloomberg:

“That’s enough to cover 30 percent of Ikea’s U.K. electricity use. The solar panels, totaling 2.1 megawatts, will be fitted on 10 stores, providing an average of 5 percent of each shop’s power.”

Wind farms are not a new approach for Ikea which also owns farms in Denmark, France and Germany. According to reports the company loses approximately $1.7 billion per year due to fluctuating energy prices.

Howard explained:

“The principle strategy is to match the direct energy consumption of the business with electricity production from renewable assets,” while adding, “We can certainly see a point in time where renewables are likely to be the most cost-effective form of energy generation.”

The move to grab cheap renewable energy on a corporation level isn’t something new, Google last year acquired the rights to buy energy at wholesale prices and while they are not attempting to sell that power to customers, the move was seen as a smart business decision for powering the company’s data centers which require constant power in various parts of the world.

Ikea To Install 39,000 Solar Panels On Company Stores, Buys Scotland Wind Farm is a post from: The Inquisitr

The UK Government is considering giving bloggers access to Parliament on similar grounds currently available to journalists.

According to PR Week,

House of Commons chiefs are fine-tuning plans to give bloggers privileged access to government communications. The radical move would see selected bloggers allowed into the Westminster lobby system, provided they meet certain criteria. PRWeek understands that conversations have been taking place between the Commons authorities and Financial Times political editor George Parker, who is chairman of the parliamentary press gallery.

Under the current system, the access grants journalists privileged access to certain parts of Parliament, including access to off-camera government briefings and the Members’ Lobby.

If granted it will be a big win for local UK political bloggers, who will finally be treated equally with their heritage media peers.

Bloggers Could Be Given Special Access To UK Parliament is a post from: The Inquisitr

A man in the United Kingdom has avoided jail time on assault charges because the judge decided he should be let off because he was religious.

Shamso Miah attacked another man in a London bank after the two argued about who was next in line. Witnesses and CTV showed Miah attacking the other man both inside and outside the bank.

According to the BBC, Judge Cherie Booth, the wife of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, told Miah that violence had to be taken seriously, but said she would suspend his prison sentence because he was a religious person. She helpfully added “You are a religious man and you know this is not acceptable behavior.”

Quite rightly the UK National Secular Society has complained to the appropriate Government body that the decision was unjust and discriminatory.

Being Religious Now Gets You Off Assault Charges In The UK is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kate Moss + Beth Ditto is such a bad combination; whoever orchestrated that should be to blame for the mess that was the UK’s House of Blue Eyes event. Kate quickly went from trying to smoke indoors with the rowdy Gossip vocalist to grabbing a riding crop, spanking Beth with it, and then strutting down the runway.

The low (high?) point in the evening was when Kate started shouting about going to the toilet and ran behind a bush in the venue’s garden instead. Lovely. You don’t need to be famous to make a fool of yourself, but it’s a lot more fun for all of us!

Kate Moss is a Wreck (Again?) is a post from: The Inquisitr

It was just $15 million yesterday, but now we’ve got even heftier reports that the unborn Brangelina baby pics could have possibly reached $22 million in the bidding war between People and OK! The numbers are probably a little off, but it is believed that the pictures will fetch more than the J-Lo baby pics that were reportedly sold at $7 million.

Rumor has it that People Editor Larry Hackett is dedicated to beating OK!, which he just might think of as undeserving. My money is on People as well, since they’ve got the most solid budget for this type of purchase.

This is actually getting pretty fun. How many more wild figures are we going to get in before someone forks over the dough? I’m shivering with anticipation!

Angelina Report: Photos Now Worth 22 Mill. ? is a post from: The Inquisitr