Page 12 - Britain

Sale agreed for the Guardian-run Observer, world's oldest Sunday newspaper

The sale of the Observer, the world's oldest Sunday newspaper and a bastion of liberal values in Britain's media landscape, was approved Friday despite two days of strike action from journalists this week. The Scott Trust, the owner of the Guardian Media Group, which includes the Observer and its sister paper the Guardian, said the sale to Tortoise Media is expected to be signed in the coming days. The Scott Trust said it will invest in Tortoise Media, becoming a key shareholder, and take a seat on both its editorial and commercial boards. Under the terms of the deal, Tortoise will invest 25 million Pounds (USD 32 million) in the Observer, and has committed to continue its Sunday print edition and build up its digital brand. It has also committed to safeguarding journalistic freedom and the editorial independence of the Observer, undertaking to honour the liberal values and journalistic standards of the Scott Trust in its editorial code. Tortoise was launched in 2019 by James Hard

Will think on retaliating if hit by Trump tariffs, says UK minister

Trump has floated blanket tariffs of 10 per cent 20 per cent on virtually all imports

World stands at the cusp of '3rd nuclear age': Britain's armed forces head

The head of Britain's armed forces has warned that the world stands at the cusp of a third nuclear age,' defined by multiple simultaneous challenges and weakened safeguards that kept previous threats in check. Admiral Tony Radakin, chief of the defence staff, said Britain needs to recognise the seriousness of the threats it faces, even if there is only a remote chance of Russia launching a direct nuclear attack on the UK or its NATO allies. While the Cold War saw two superpowers held at bay by nuclear deterrence and the past three decades were characterised by international efforts to restrict the spread of nuclear weapons, the current era is altogether more complex, Radakin said Wednesday in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute. We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age' he said. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before. Challenges face

Norway's Equinor, Shell plan to form UK oil and gas joint venture

Joint venture will be based in Aberdeen, Scotland, and will be set up to sustain domestic oil and gas production and security of energy supply in Britain, Equinor said

Britain approves $19 billion merger between Vodafone UK, Three mobile

Vodafone and Three have committed to spend $14 billion to build a better 5G network that will serve 50 million customers, including the subscribers of Vodafone's network partner Virgin Media O2

Britain and Qatar to sign MoU boosting fintech and green finance ties

The memorandum is being signed during a two-day state visit to Britain by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is expected to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer later on Wednesday

Qatar to invest $1.3 bn in climate tech in Britain, Rolls-Royce to benefit

The announcement was made during a two-day state visit to Britain by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

India, UK convene second 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue in Delhi

The second India-UK 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue convened in New Delhi on Tuesday, underscoring the growing strategic partnership between the two nations.The Indian delegation was led by Piyush Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Europe West, Ministry of External Affairs, and Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, Ministry of Defence, according to the Ministry of External Affairs press release.Representing the UK were Ben Mellor, India Director, Indian Ocean Directorate, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and Shimon Fhima, Director Strategic Programmes, Ministry of Defence.Discussions revolved around the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and highlighted the significance of sustained high-level engagement to advance the bilateral relationship.Both delegations reviewed progress under the India-UK Roadmap 2030 and emphasized revitalizing the partnership by identifying new areas of collaboration, added the release.Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of

Microsoft faces legal action in Britain over cloud computing licences

Microsoft in 2020 introduced new licence fees for running its software on major cloud providers

British firms downbeat about China business despite stimulus: Survey

Doing business in China had become tougher for five consecutive years and only 41 per cent of its members were expecting to have a better time next year, the survey said

UK MPs vote in favour of assisted dying bill for terminally ill adults

Members of Parliament in the House of Commons on Friday voted in favour of a historic bill that could pave the way for terminally ill adults in England and Wales with just six months left to live to request medical assistance to end their lives. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill tabled as a private member's bill by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater attracted 330 votes in favour as opposed to 275 against clearing its second reading stage by a majority of 55. This means the legislation can now progress through a lengthy process of amendments and scrutiny by the House of Lords before it can become law. The issue had deeply divided MPs, who were given a free vote without being constrained by party lines when deciding on this significant new legislation. People across the country will be paying extremely close attention to today's vote, but this is a matter of conscience, said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who voted in favour of the bill. It is for Parliament to de

Former British soldier convicted of passing on sensitive info to Iran govt

A former British soldier whose audacious escape from a London prison spurred a dayslong search was convicted on Thursday of passing on sensitive information to the Iranian intelligence service. Daniel Khalife, 23, was found guilty by a jury in Woolwich Crown Court on violations of Britain's Official Secrets Act by collecting information useful to an enemy Iran. He was cleared of a charge of planting fake bombs in his military barracks. Prosecutors said Khalife played a cynical game by claiming he wanted to be a spy after he had delivered a large amount of restricted and classified material to Iran, including the names of special forces officers. Khalife testified that he had been in touch with people in the Iranian government but that it was all part of a ploy to ultimately work as a double-agent for Britain, a scheme he said he got from watching the TV show Homeland. The former soldier snuck out of a London prison in September 2023 while awaiting trial on the spying charges. Hesp

UK govt outlines first steps in new plan to get more people back into work

Britain is the only major economy where the inactivity rate remains above its pre-Covid-19 levels

British employers warn tax rise will hit investment, jobs, salary

"The rise in National Insurance and the stark lowering of the threshold caught us all off guard," CBI Chief Executive Rain Newton-Smith said as the organisation met for its annual conference

Russian forces capture British mercenary fighting with Ukraine: RIA

It was not clear when the video was filmed. The British Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment on the reports outside office hours

We want partnerships, not just investments: MP CM Yadav on UK-Germany visit

CM Yadav is on a six-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany, starting Monday, with the focus on enhancing investment opportunities in Madhya Pradesh

FTA talks with India to relaunch early 2025: UK PM Starmer tells Parliament

The Free Trade Agreement negotiations with India -- expected to significantly boost the estimated GBP 42-billion a year bilateral trade partnership -- will be relaunched early in the new year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has informed the UK Parliament here. It came during his statement to update the House of Commons on Thursday about his G20 Summit visit to Brazil, where he said he had a good discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other world leaders. The meeting earlier this week had led to both countries agreeing to resume the election-stalled Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks. I had a good discussion with Prime Minister Modi about deepening our bilateral ties, Starmer told the members of Parliament. We agreed to raise the ambition of our UK-India comprehensive strategic partnership, which covers security, defence, technology, climate, health and education, building on the unique bonds and cultural ties between our two countries. Crucially, this work will start with t

HSBC stops processing all Russia, Belarus payments for retail customers

A message sent from the bank to its personal banking customers and seen by Reuters said the lender has 'made the decision to stop processing payments' from the two countries

UK retail sales plunged more than expected before new govt's budget: ONS

A monthly rise in sales in September was also revised down to 0.1 per cent from a previous estimate of a 0.3 per cent gain

HSBC relaunches 'Premier' brand in UK in pursuit of wealthy customers

HSBC aims to double assets under management in its British wealth business to 100 billion pounds