Costume jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane has created the "Princess Simulated Sapphire Ring" for QVC and they're on sale today! They're made in China and come with a limited warranty. Feel like royalty for just $39.54 (plus shipping). [NYM]

Hours after Prince William announced his engagement, England's "heritage souvenir" industry has flown into action. Commemorative royal wedding magazines! Royal wedding t-shirts! Royal wedding thimbles! A guide to the souvenirs already available, plus a few suggestions of our own, below.

50,000 British students took to London's streets today to protest the Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition's sharp university tuition hikes, and all had a jolly good time. Some even started smashing, vandalizing, and occupying the Tories' headquarters. It was pretty fierce!

A new report by the EU's drug agency places Britain on top of the world's cocaine consuming nations, with more young Britons having used cocaine than Americans in the same age group. There's also been an increase in crack smoking.

Though last year it was January 19th, this year Britain has declared that today, November 1st, is their most depressing day of the year. On account of the approaching cold and dark, consuming everyone. At least it's almost over, guys!

Results from a new survey suggest that a majority of women (in Britain) believe that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is the most influential woman in the world. She even beat out Oprah! (What?) And Mother Teresa.

Christians in Britain are upset that the BBC has devoted air time to pagans and Hallowe'en, because Christmas and Easter and whatnot don't get nearly enough coverage: "It's not always healthy to represent such beliefs as paganism as mainstream." Nice.

In a new study done by a sociologist at Bath University, 89% of straight-identifying high school and university boys said they had kissed male friends. 37% had experienced "sustained" kissing with male friends. What the bloody 'ell is going on?

Italian ice cream maker Antonio Federici has been ordered by Britain's Advertising Standards Authority to stop running an ad featuring two "sexualized" priests about to kiss "passionately." Last month the company ran ads featuring a pregnant nun (also banned).

Residents of southern Exmoor today are mourning the death of "The Emperor" — a 300-pound, nine-foot tall red deer, who was gunned down by a savage hunter. Experts say he was Britain's biggest wild animal. The Emperor was around 12-years-old.

A British electrical engineer, Mike Thomas is selling his bomb shelter that he built during Cold War hysteria, and is asking for £350,000. It can withstand a nuclear blast 80 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Two British men today face sentencing for running an illegal DIY online sperm bank out of a home basement, after a woman filed a complaint over receiving a supposedly anonymous donors full name along with a syringe of his sperm.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei carpeted the Turbine Hall in Britain's prestigious Tate Gallery with a sunflower seeds. Well, not quite: With painted porcelain replica sunflower seeds. One hundred million painted porcelain replica sunflower seeds. It's like Twitter, Ai says.

Meet George Lippitt, who turned 10 at 10:10 a.m. on 10/10/10. If this were a book, he would become a wizard, or something, but it's real life, so he just got a cake in the shape of the number 10.

The Guardian today has a live update page for the London Underground strike, and one reporter is asking readers to complain to him via Twitter. He's also got Twitter swearing guidelines. "The formula is thus: (mild expletive) + tube strike."

Britain's Charity Commission today announced that Druidry is an "ancient pagan religion," and granted The Druid Network charitable status. The move makes Druidry the first pagan practice to be officially recognized in Britain as a religion. [AFP; pic: Getty]

Rampant "dogging" at the Hog's Back "lay-by" (or, public fucking at a rest stop) near Puttenham, England has officially grossed out the locals. So the county council has proposed filling the field with cattle to keep people from boning there.

Ed Miliband beat older brother David in an election to lead Britain's Labour Party today.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, who helped plan Pope Benedict XVI's visit to England, will no longer be accompanying the Pope on his journey, "for health reasons." Certainly not because he just gave an interview comparing Britain to a "third world country."

A British judge sentenced washed-up singer George Michael to eight weeks in jail after he admitted to crashing his car while stoned in July. He should move to America. Here, celebrities get 37 seconds in jail for the same crime.