Page 15 - Britain

UK economy records strong growth in Q2 but likely to see slowdown ahead

Zero growth in June as wet weather hit retail sales

UK inflation rises 2.2%, remains slightly less than expected in July

When the BoE cut interest rates from a 16-year high of 5.25 per cent at the start of this month, it said May and June's 2 per cent inflation readings probably marked a low point for inflation

CEOs of Britain's biggest companies get record pay in 2023, shows research

The highest-paid British CEO was Pascal Soriot of drugmaker AstraZeneca,

Britain on alert for unrest despite anti-racism campaigners halting protest

British authorities said Thursday they were preparing for the possibility of further unrest, even as they applauded the efforts of anti-racism campaigners and police officers who largely stifled a threatened wave of far-right demonstrations overnight. Prime Minister Keir Starmer sounded the note of caution after a week of anti-immigrant violence that has scarred communities from Northern Ireland to the south coast of England. Starmer spoke to reporters at a mosque in Solihull, near Birmingham, where demonstrators shut down a shopping center on Sunday. It's important that we don't let up here, Starmer said. At an emergency meeting with law enforcement officers at his office, Starmer said on Thursday evening that police need to remain on high alert, Britain's Press Association reported. He credited strategic police staffing and swift justice for rioters in the courts for creating a deterrent that kept trouble at a minimum the night before. Police across the United Kingdom had braced

Elon Musk stirs UK divisions, urges faster rollout of online safety laws

An Online Safety Bill was passed into law in October but has yet to be implemented

Racist aggressions plague UK cities: What happened, and what's next?

The violence spread across multiple cities, with rioters targeting public buildings, damaging property, and clashing with police

All you need to know about anti-immigrant violence taking place in Britain

Britain has been convulsed by violence for the past week as crowds spouting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic slogans clashed with police. The disturbances have been fuelled by right-wing activists using social media to spread misinformation about a knife attack that killed three girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event. The violence, some of Britain's worst in years, has led to hundreds of arrests as the government pledges that the rioters will feel the full force of the law after hurling bricks and other projectiles at police, looting shops and attacking hotels used to house asylum-seekers. As Britain's new government struggles to quell the unrest and announces a standing army of specialist police to deal with rioting, here's a look at what's happening and why. When did the violence begin? People across Britain were shocked by what police described as a ferocious knife attack that killed three girls between 6 and 9 on July 29 in Southport, a seaside town north of Liverpool. .

UK foreign secy calls for UN-led probe in Bangladesh amid violent protests

David Lammy has described the situation as unprecedented, highlighting the severity of the crisis

US military destroys Iranian-backed Houthi cruise missile in Yemen

A suspected missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck a container ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden, authorities said on Sunday, likely the first assault by the group since Israeli airstrikes targeted them. The Houthis have offered no explanation for the two-week pause in their attacks on shipping through the Red Sea corridor, which have seen similar slowdowns since the assaults began in November over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the resumption comes after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor, amid renewed concerns over the war breaking out into a regional conflict. The attack on Saturday happened some 225 kilometers (140 miles) southeast of Aden in a stretch of the Gulf of Aden that has seen numerous Houthi attacks previously. A security official on the vessel said a missile struck the vessel, but no fires, water ingress or oil leaks have been observed, according to a statement from the British military'

Online misinformation fuels tensions over stabbing attack in Britain

Within hours of a stabbing attack in northwest England that killed three young girls and wounded several more children, a false name of a supposed suspect was circulating on social media. Hours after that, violent protesters were clashing with police outside a nearby mosque the first of several violent protests in across England. Police say the name was fake, as were rumours that the 17-year-old suspect was an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain. The suspect charged with murder and attempted murder was named Thursday as Axel Rudakubana, born in the UK to Rwandan parents. By the time a judge said the teen suspect could be identified, rumours already were rife and right-wing influencers had pinned the blame on immigrants and Muslims. There's a parallel universe where what was claimed by these rumours were the actual facts of the case, said Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a think tank that looks at issues including integration and national identity. And that

Airbus faces criminal probe in Britain over potential export control breach

The investigation emerged in footnotes to the company's half-yearly earnings, which said Airbus was fully cooperating with the probe by Britain's Revenue and Customs agency (HMRC)

Police clash with a violent crowd near site of UK stabbing attack

Far-right protesters fuelled by anger and false online rumours hurled bottles and stones at police, wounding more than 20 officers Tuesday outside a northwest England mosque near where three girls were fatally stabbed a day earlier. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the thuggery and said the crowd had hijacked what had earlier been a peaceful vigil attended by hundreds in the centre of Southport to mourn the dead and 10 surviving stabbing victims, seven of whom were in critical condition. Police said the violent crowd that torched a police van and several cars was believed to be supporters of the English Defence League, a far-right group, and the mayhem was inspired by rumours about the identity of the teenage suspect arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently in police custody and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets, ...

UK's new finance minister accuses last govt of multi-bn pound 'cover-up'

On becoming finance minister, Reeves ordered officials to conduct a fresh assessment of public funding needs which she will present to Parliament on Monday

Nation 'broke & broken', says new UK govt as it plans to repair economy

Britain's new left-leaning government said Sunday that the nation is broke and broken, blaming the situation on its predecessors ahead of a major speech on the state of the public finances that is widely expected to lay the groundwork for higher taxes. In a sweeping assessment three weeks after taking power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office professed shock at the situation they inherited after 14 years of Conservative Party rule, while releasing a department-by-department analysis of the perceived failures of the previous government. The critique comes a day before Treasury chief Rachel Reeves is expected to outline a 20-billion-pound ($26 billion) shortfall in public finances during a speech to the House of Commons. We will not shy away from being honest with the public about the reality of what we have inherited," Pat McFadden, a senior member of the new Cabinet, said in a statement. We are calling time on the false promises that British people have had to put up with and we .

Viral Video: UK cop stamps on Pak national's head at airport, suspended

Manchester Airport Video: The incident, captured in an 18-second viral video, shows the officer pointing a Taser at the victim and kicking him forcefully while he is on the ground

UK faces fiscal hole if Labour govt grants above-inflation pay awards

Independent pay review bodies that represent more than 1.8 million teachers and National Health Service workers have recommended pay increases of about 5.5%, according to the Times

India FTA talks set to be revived with first major UK ministerial visit

The renewed parameters of the India-UK free trade agreement negotiations are set to be defined this week as UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected in India on Tuesday, the first high-profile visit under the newly elected Labour government in Britain. The free trade agreement (FTA) talks began in January 2022, under the then Conservative government, with a target to significantly boost the GBP 38.1 billion a year bilateral trading partnership but hit a block in the fourteenth round of negotiations to make way for general elections in both countries. A report in The Daily Telegraph' on Sunday quotes a New Delhi source to claim the Indian side would seek clarity on whether the Labour government intends to pick things up from where they were left off or start afresh in some way. India is keen to resume talks on a positive note, but the date needs clarity, the source told the newspaper. The trade deal was at the final stage in the previous government, and we want to see whether th

UK airports, trains, LSE, NHS impacted by global Microsoft outage

The UK's airports and trains experienced delays, with the London Stock Exchange and the National Health Service among the other organisations in the country dealing with the fallout of a global IT outage on Friday that has grounded planes and caused chaos around the world. The outage, believed to be related to an issue at US-headquartered prolific cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike and Microsoft, seems to be affecting Windows PCs globally and has also forced Sky News' off the air. London's biggest airport, Heathrow, said in a statement that its "flights are operational though we are experiencing delays". While the airport said it is implementing contingency plans to minimise impact, Gatwick Airport said passengers may experience some delays" when checking in and passing through security. Luton and Edinburgh Airport, meanwhile, switched to manual systems to support operations. The London Stock Exchange Group said trading continues to operate as normal while it is working on resolving an

Britain borrows more than expected, underscoring task for new government

Public sector net borrowing, excluding state-controlled banks, was a larger-than-expected $18.75 billion last month

Globally-mobile millionaires threaten to leave Britain over tax revamp

Starmer says the overhaul will make Britain's tax system fairer and raise funds for stretched public services