Page 19 - Britain

Two British judges resign from Hong Kong court, cite 'political situation'

Two British judges have resigned from Hong Kong's top court, the city's judiciary said, deepening worries over the city's rule of law under a Beijing-imposed national security law. The judiciary said in a statement Thursday that Jonathan Sumption and Lawrence Collins, who both serve as non-permanent overseas judges of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal, have tendered their resignations to the city leader. But it did not give further details about their decisions. Collins told The Associated Press that his resignation was because of the political situation in Hong Kong." But he said he continues "to have the fullest confidence in the court and the total independence of its members. Sumption said he would make a statement next week. Hong Kong's Chief Justice Andrew Cheung noted their decisions with regret in a statement, reiterating the judiciary's commitment to upholding the rule of law and judicial independence in the city. Hong Kong, a former British colony, is a common law ...

UK polls: Britain's rich race to save their wealth from election hit

The UK was expected to lose a net 3,200 high-net-worth individuals last year, the most in Europe and double 2022's level, citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners estimated

Banknotes bearing portrait of King Charles III rolls out across UK

People have been queuing Wednesday outside the Bank of England's headquarters in London and at post offices around the UK to get their hands on the first UK banknotes featuring the portrait of King Charles III. The portrait of the king will appear on all four banknotes issued by the Bank of England 5, 10, 20 and 50 pounds with no other alterations to the existing designs. The notes will coexist alongside those featuring his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, whom he succeeded as monarch on her death in September 2022. The rollout of coins and stamps bearing the image of Charles have already been rolled out. People may not notice the new notes immediately in their change or withdrawals from ATMs, not least because so many transactions are now done cashless. Though cash payments have declined over the years, they remain particularly important for lower income households and those who get welfare benefits at their local Post Office. In 2023, legislation was passed as part of to protec

Beijing blames Britain of recruiting couple working for Chinese govt to spy

In a statement, China's civilian spy agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), said it just cracked a "major espionage case" involving MI6

Indian men's hockey team suffers 1-3 loss to Britain in FIH Pro League

The Indian women's hockey team produced its best performance of the European leg of the FIH Pro League, while narrowly losing 2-3 to Great Britain after a spirited fight here on Sunday. India made a brilliant comeback in the second half after 0-2 down with Sharmila Devi scoring four minutes from the regulation time to make it 2-2 but the visiting side conceded a goal in the 57th minute to lose the match. Watson Charlotte gave GBR a 2-0 lead with two goals in the span of two minutes in the first quarter itself to which India could not respond till the second half. Charlotte struck first through a penalty stroke conversion in the fifth minute before scoring a field goal the next minute. There was no goal from either side in the second quarter before Navneet Kaur pulled one back for India in the 34th minute through a field effort. Sharmila restored parity in the 56th minute and it looked like the match would end in a draw. But the next minute, Petter Isabelle converted a penalty corne

UK workers' union to proceed with industrial action at Tata Steel plants

A steelworkers' union has announced plans to proceed with industrial action of around 1,500 Tata Steel employees based at Port Talbot and Newport Llanwern in Wales in protest against the Mumbai-headquartered company's job cuts associated with the closure of old blast furnaces. Unite the Union said on Thursday that its workers will begin working to rule as well as taking part in a continuous overtime ban from June 18 to severely disrupt and delay the company's operations and order book unless the company rows back on the closure. It is calling for the Indian steel major to halt its plans until the July 4 General Election, when it expects the UK's Conservative Party led government will make way for the Opposition Labour Party. Tata's disastrous deal with the current government would only see its other overseas operations take advantage of the coming boom in green steel at the expense of South Wales, said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham. Now that we will have a new government in

Over 100 business leaders back UK's opposition Labour Party before polls

Rishi Sunak's governing Conservatives have typically been the party of big business but Labour's finance policy chief Rachel Reeves has spent years courting business owners

British govt moves to revive London's reputation as financial hub

The global competition for investors - among cities like New York, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore - is intense

Fewer top women earners in British finance since pandemic, shows report

The lack of progression of women to the most senior roles in financial and professional services is a major factor contributing to the gender pay gap

Rishi Sunak's national service plan faces enforcement, funding questions

Sunak is hoping that, if he can't beat Labour leader Keir Starmer, he can at least save the Conservatives from a historic wipeout, his allies have told Bloomberg

UK's July general election: It's impact on India FTA, Indo-Pacific tilt

As the campaign for the UK general election gathers momentum after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised many this week with a snap summer poll on July 4, exactly a month after India's election results on June 4, the prospect of an India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) has been kicked into the long grass. While political analysts and strategic experts have expressed confidence that very little should change on the bilateral relationship front whatever the outcome in either election, the very small window that was open for a deal being clinched by the Sunak-led Tory government has now been swept away in the election wave of both countries. The Opposition Labour Party, in the lead in most pre-election surveys, has committed itself to finish the job but the timelines will remain uncertain for some time. Rishi Sunak's shock poll date announcement of July 4 has skewered any prospect of the finalisation of the long-awaited and much-anticipated FTA with India by a Conservative ...

Growth across UK biz dips in May, in early blow to Sunak, shows PMI survey

S&P Global UK Composite Purchasing Managers' Index for the services and manufacturing sectors fell to 52.8 in May from 54.1 in April

PM Sunak, Keir Starmer to hit campaign trail as UK election race begins

Both party leaders are expected to hit the campaign trail, seeking to seize the early initiative by meeting voters and delivering the messages they hope will earn them enough seats in parliament

British PM Rishi Sunak declares July 4 as UK general election date

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday ended frenzied speculation by announcing that the country's general election will be held on July 4. In an address from the lectern on the steps of 10 Downing Street on a rainy London evening, the country's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage confirmed a summer poll in six weeks' time and that the Parliament would soon be dissolved after he formally informed King Charles III of the election timeline. The 44-year-old leader laid out his record in office in his pitch to the British electorate, who will soon give their verdict at the ballot box. "I will do everything in my power to provide you with the strongest possible protection I can. That is my promise to you now is the moment for Britain to choose its future, he said. It comes as the governing Conservative Party is forecast for a general election drubbing by most opinion polls, with the Opposition Labour Party holding a firm lead after a series of recent byelection and local ..

UK inflation drops less than expected, dashing June rate cut hopes

Consumer prices rose by an annual 2.3 per cent last month, down sharply from a 3.2 per cent increase in March

UK govt borrows more than expected in April, posing challenge for PM Sunak

Net borrowing excluding state-controlled banks was 20.5 billion pounds

Hope India-UK FTA not far away, says incoming Ficci UK Council chair

The proposed India-UK free trade agreement is hopefully not far on the horizon as it will offer immense opportunity to be leveraged within the bilateral partnership, said the new chair of a trade council that has played a key role in shaping the ongoing negotiations. UK-based tech professional Priya Guha, who invests in women-led innovation as Venture Partner of Merian Ventures, took over as chair of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) UK Council from Baroness Usha Prashar at a hand-over ceremony at the High Commission of India in London on Monday evening. The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations opened in January 2022 and are aimed at significantly enhancing bilateral trade currently worth around GBP 38.1 billion a year. The negotiations are now in their fourteenth round of talks, and likely to pick up pace following the Indian general election. Guha, the British Indian investor, expressed the hope that the bilateral partnership would ..

Victims of UK blood scandal to start receiving final compensation this year

Victims of the UK's infected blood scandal, in which tens of thousands of people were infected by contaminated blood or blood products provided by the public health service, will start receiving their final compensation payments this year, the government said Tuesday. Officials announced the compensation plans a day after the publication of a damning report that found civil servants and doctors exposed patients to unacceptable risks by giving them blood transfusions or blood products tainted with HIV or hepatitis from the 1970s to the early 1990s. The report said successive UK governments refused to admit wrongdoing and tried to cover up the scandal, in which an estimated 3,000 people died after receiving the contaminated blood or blood products. In total, the report said about 30,000 people were infected with HIV or hepatitis C, a kind of liver infection, over the period. The scandal is seen as the deadliest disaster in the history of Britain's state-run National Health Service sin

Britain's regulator seeks to rein in Mastercard and Visa fees on retailers

Cards are the most popular form of payment in Britain, with 27.1 billion transactions in 2022 worth 954 billion pounds

ICC arrest request for Israeli PM Netanyahu is unhelpful, says UK

President Joe Biden on Monday condemned as outrageous an attempt by the chief prosecutor of the world's top war crimes to seek arrest warrants for Israeli leaders