Page 12 - Britain

Unilever eyes sale of Dutch brands Unox, Conimex in turnaround strategy

Unilever has lined up ABN Amro to conduct a sale of some of the Dutch food brands, including Unox soups and Conimex seasonings

Four cases of new mpox variant identified in UK, first time outside Africa

British health officials say they have identified four cases of the new, more infectious version of mpox that first emerged in Congo, marking the first time the variant has caused a cluster of illness outside of Africa. Scientists said the risk to the public remains low. Authorities announced the first case of the new form of mpox in the UK last week, saying the case was being treated at a London hospital after recently travelling to countries in Africa with ongoing outbreaks. This week, the UK Health Security Agency said it had now identified three further cases who lived in the same household as the first patient. They too are now being treated at a hospital in London. Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact and so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household, said Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor of the UK Health Security Agency. The new variant of mpox was first detected earlier this year in eastern Congo. Scientists believe it causes

Taiwan and Britain hold fresh trade talks on green energy, investment

In November last year, Taiwan and Britain signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership Arrangement that Taipei hopes will further boost its case to join a major pan-Pacific free trade pact and bolster

Harry & Meghan's Colombia tour sparks outrage over Rs 16.3 cr security bill

The tour was widely viewed as an attempt to mirror an official royal visit, raising questions given the couple's decision to step back from royal duties over four years ago

Biodiversity policies should include behavioural changes, say researchers

About 90 per cent of the current national biodiversity policies fail to specify behavioural changes expected of an individual or a group, such as farmers, consumers and fishers, a finding that researchers said could explain the lack of progress on meeting conservation targets. A total of 1306 policy actions proposed by ten National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) from all world regions were coded for target actors, target behaviour and responsible agents as well as the policy options. The team, including researchers from the University of Surrey, UK, found that only 11 per cent of national biodiversity policies explicitly addressed the critical role of behavioural changes expected of individuals to meaningfully deliver on biodiversity conservation. "Unfortunately, we have collectively developed a major blind spot in biodiversity policies. There's a heavy focus on grand actions such as resource management, but little attention is paid to the everyday behaviours -- .

Singapore slams 'smear campaign' from ex-PM Lee Hsien Loong's brother

The escalating war of words between the city's government and Hsien Yang stems from a bitter, yearslong family feud

UK Treasury chief Reeves unveils budget with 40 billion pounds in tax hikes

British Treasury chief Rachel Reeves is announcing 40 billion pounds in tax hikes in her first budget, saying she will use the money to invest, invest, invest and get the economy growing. Reeves is delivering the first budget from the UK's Labour Party government since it took power in July. She says the tax increases are needed because of the economic black hole left by the previous Conservative government. She told lawmakers, I am restoring stability to our public finances and rebuilding our public services. The centre-left party was elected July 4 after promising to banish years of turmoil and scandal under Conservative governments, get Britain's economy growing and restore frayed public services.

King Charles visits medical facility in Bengaluru for treatment: Report

Britain's King Charles paid a private visit to Bengaluru for wellness treatment at a sprawling integrative medical facility here, sources said on Wednesday. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, he stayed at the holistic health centre, known for rejuvenative treatment, including yoga and meditation sessions and therapies, near Whitefield here, an official said. This was not the King's first visit to the 'SOUKYA', International Holistic Centre at Samethanahalli. He celebrated his 71st birthday here in 2019. It is run by Dr Issac Mathai, who is among the few individuals from India invited to attend his coronation as the UK's King on May 6 last year. "The couple underwent therapeutic yoga, enjoyed a strictly vegetarian diet with eggs. They underwent rejuvenative treatment, which also included meditation and therapies," an official at the facility said. "The King received wellness treatment, including Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Naturopathy." It was like a typical day for them just like for any .

BAE Systems shipyard fire: There is no nuclear risk, say UK police

Two people have been hospitalised after a fire broke out at the shipyard that builds Britain's nuclear-powered submarines, but there is no nuclear risk, police said Wednesday. Cumbria Constabulary said a significant fire broke out soon after midnight at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, northwest England. Video shared on social media overnight showed flames shooting out from the Devonshire Dock Hall building while alarms blared. When I opened the front door, we just saw a lot of black smoke," said Donna Butler, who lives next to the shipyard. It was a lot of black smoke, like really thick black smoke, and it was very loud. The force said two people were taken to hospitals with suspected smoke inhalation and there were no other casualties. It advised people living nearby to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed. The 150-year-old shipyard, about 350 kilometres northwest of London, is currently building several nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Navy. It i

UK PM asks for judgement on tackling 'unprecedented' challenges in budget

Starmer, whose Labour Party won a landslide election victory in July, has said generating growth is his number one priority, but he said that the situation was different to previous scenarios

British far-right figure's allies rally amid 'anti-racism' counter-protest

Thousands of supporters of jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson marched through London on Saturday as anti-racism demonstrators mounted a nearby counter-protest. The so-called Unite the Kingdom march planned by Robinson and supposed to feature him as speaker led to calls for his freedom after his arrest Friday on a warrant for contempt of court. We want Tommy out," the crowd of mostly white men chanted. The sea of marchers toted Union and England flags and some waved Make America Great banners as they gathered near a fenced-off statute of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the square opposite the Houses of Parliament. The march was countered by thousands of people organized by the group Stand Up to Racism who held signs saying Refugees welcome and Oppose Tommy Robinson. Robinson, 41, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is the founder of the nationalist and anti-Islamist English Defense League and remains one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain.

UK plans to expand pacific fishing patrols in pushback against China

Countries such as the US and France, which each have overseas territories in the South Pacific, have announced similar efforts

King Charles says past can't change as leaders urge UK to confront slavery

King Charles III told a summit of Commonwealth countries in Samoa Friday that the past could not be changed as he indirectly acknowledged calls from some of Britain's former colonies for a reckoning over its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The British royal understood the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate," he told leaders in Apia. But Charles stopped short of mentioning financial reparations that some leaders at the event have urged and instead exhorted them to find the right language and an understanding of history to guide us towards making the right choices in future where inequality exists." None of us can change the past but we can commit with all our hearts to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to write the inequalities that endure," said Charles, who is attending his first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, as Britain's head of state. His remarks at the summit's official opening ceremony echoed comments a day earlie

Rachel Reeves aims for economic reset in UK's Budget ahead of IMF meetings

Britain's finance ministry said Reeves would support proposals in Washington to expand development financing for poorer countries to meet the United Nations' sustainable development goals and encourag

UK's National Health Service owes so much to Indian diaspora: British min

Britain's National Health Service (NHS) owes so much to the Indian diaspora and it is the partnership with India which will help the UK meet the challenges of modernising the country's healthcare system for the future, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said. As a keynote speaker at India Global Forum's (IGF) annual Diwali celebration in London on Wednesday evening, Streeting drew upon the spirit of the Festival of Lights to express optimism towards the enormous reform agenda ahead for his department. If I think about the way in which the NHS has been shaped in the last 76 years, we owe so much to the Indian diaspora here in Britain, said Streeting. It was the generation that helped to build the NHS in 1948 and today we see the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren shaping its future. When we see such enormous challenges in our health and care service, when we look out to a very fragile and unstable world, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenge and beaten by

Lloyds confidence grows, rising house prices as Q3 profit beats forecasts

Britain's growth prospects and public finances meanwhile remain frail

Britain and Germany to sign defence pact to counter Russia's growing threat

German submarine-hunting planes will patrol the North Atlantic from a base in Scotland under a new Britain-Germany defense pact in response to the growing threat from Russia, officials said. Defense ministers from Britain and Germany will sign the agreement in London on Wednesday in what officials call the first such defense pact between the two countries to boost European security amid rising Russian aggression. The UK and Germany are moving closer together. With projects across the air, land, sea, and cyber domains, we will jointly increase our defence capabilities, thereby strengthening the European pillar within NATO, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement ahead of signing the deal. It is particularly important to me that we cooperate even more closely to strengthen NATO's eastern flank and to close critical capability gaps, for instance in the field of long-range strike weapons, he added. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February ...

Britain to contribute $2.9 billion to G7 loan for Ukraine's weapon purchase

The European Union, where the bulk of the Russian assets are blocked, has already agreed to provide 35 billion euros ($38 billion) as part of the bloc's share

'Not my king': Indigenous Australian senator yells at visiting King Charles

An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land as the British royal visited Australia's parliament on Monday. Sen. Lidia Thorpe was escorted out of a parliamentary reception for the royal couple after shouting that British colonisers have taken Indigenous land and bones. You committed genocide against our people," she shouted. Give us what you stole from us our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty. No treaty was ever struck between between British colonisers and Australia's Indigenous peoples. Charles spoke quietly with Albanese while security officials stopped Thorpe from approaching. This is not your land. You are not my king, Thorpe yelled as she was ushered from the hall. Thorpe is renowned for high-profile protest action. When she was affirmed as a senator in 2022, she wasn't allowed to describe the then-monarch as the colonising Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She briefly blocked

PM Modi has very clear plan for India's future: Britain's ex-PM Cameron

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a very clear plan about technology and the future of India and his third consecutive term in office demonstrates the ability to bring real change in a consistent way. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Cameron said it was very important to have a clear plan for driving economic growth, improving infrastructure and the future of the country. "What you find in politics, when you become prime minister everything hits you at a million miles an hour. If you don't have a very clear plan about what you want to do, you get endlessly distracted by the short term problems and difficulties," he said. Earlier, at the Summit, Prime Minister Modi shared his vision for a developed India by 2047 and listed the achievements of his government in the first 125 days of his third term. "It was great to hear Prime Minister Modi's speech. To have that energy level at the start of your third term is truly impressiv