Page 23 - Britain

Britain's draft UN resolution calls for ceasefire in conflict-torn Sudan

Britain has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in conflict-wracked Sudan ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins soon. The draft, obtained late Wednesday by The Associated Press, expresses grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels of acute food insecurity, particularly in Darfur. With Ramadan expected to begin around Sunday, depending on the sighting of the new moon, the council is expected to vote quickly on the resolution, likely on Friday. Sudan plunged into chaos last April, when long-simmering tensions between its military led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. Fighting spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas, but in Sudan's western Darfur region it took on a different form, with bru

Apple on track to collide with EU as new Digital Markets Act kicks in

The world's most ambitious digital regulation is being closely watched by other nations, including Japan, South Korea, Turkey and the UK, which are contemplating their own versions

Indian-origin executives appointed to Britain's competition regulator CMA

Indian-origin executives with years of experience in the field of law and finance have been appointed to the board of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a non-ministerial department responsible for strengthening business competition and curbing anti-competitive practices. Dharmash Mistry, a venture capitalist specialising in technology, new business models and finance, was named among four new non-executive directors of the CMA by the British government's Department for Business and Trade (DBT) last week. Meanwhile, Cyrus Mehta a former partner at international law firm CMS in London was named on the CMA board as a Panel Member, Non-Executive Director. Our new board members will bring further fresh perspectives and expertise at a time when our responsibilities, and our positive impact on people, businesses and the economy, are growing significantly, said CMA Chair Marcus Bokkerink. They will help us continue the great strides we have made over the past year to ensu

British accounting watchdog fines KPMG $1.9 mn over Saatchi audit failings

KPMG and its partner Adrian Wilcox failed to audit with sufficient professional skepticism, according to the Financial Reporting Council, which published a decision notice on Monday

Wales and Maharashtra explore collaboration on Future Generations Act

The visit of MLAs to Wales last year ignited interest as Wales delved into the intricacies of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act

Prince Harry loses legal challenge over security level in Britain

Prince Harry on Wednesday lost a legal challenge against the British government over the level of his security protection when he is in the UK, with a High Court judge in London ruling that the decision to remove police protection was not unlawful or irrational. The 39-year-old, younger son of King Charles III, who relocated with his family to the US after stepping back as a frontline royal, had argued that he was treated wrongly in the government's decision to change the level of his UK taxpayer-funded personal security. His lawyers told the court that it was "unlawful and unfair" to take such an approach to his protection while he is in his home country. However, Judge Sir Peter Lane ruled that the decision to remove police protection was not unlawful or irrational. "Even if such procedural unfairness occurred, the court would in any event be prevented from granting the claimant [Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex] relief, said Lane. "This is because, leaving aside any such ...

British Airways official on the run in India over £3 mn visa racket: Report

British police are working with their Indian counterparts to trace a British Airways supervisor believed to be on the run in India after his role in an alleged GBP 3 million visa scam from over five years came to light, according to a UK media report on Tuesday. The Sun' newspaper reports that the unnamed 24-year-old suspect worked at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport and is said to have charged customers GBP 25,000 per trip to abuse a loophole and fly them across the British Airways (BA) network without crucial visa documents. British police are now said to be working with their Indian counterparts to try to trace the man, who reportedly vanished with his partner a BA ground services staffer after he was arrested on January 6 and released on bail. He is believed to have flown out to India where he has reportedly bought several properties. As part of his fiddle, he got clients, most from India, to fly to the UK on a temporary visitor visa where he arranged for them to jet elsewhere,

Jacob Rothschild, banker who turned away from dynasty, dies at 87

Jacob Rothschild was also one of the UK's leading philanthropists. He chaired the boards of the National Gallery and the National Heritage Lottery Fund

Oil slick in Red Sea from British-owned ship by Houthis attack: US military

An attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on a Belize-flagged ship earlier this month caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick, the US military said on Saturday. It also warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel's cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked on February 18 while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said. The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertiliser, CENTCOM said in a statement. The vessel suffered significant damage, which led to the slick, said the CENTCOM statement, warning that the ship's cargo could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster. The Houthis continue to demonstrate disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening the

Airtel announces in-flight connectivity for users on international routes

Partnership with UK-based Aeromobile will allow Airtel users surf the web, make online calls on 19 global carriers

UK economy puts recession behind it but price pressures rise: PMI survey

That is likely to be a relief for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who has had to endure taunts of "Rishi's recession" from the opposition Labour Party which is riding high in opinion polls

Britain sanctions heads of Russian prison where oppn leader Navalny died

"It's clear that the Russian authorities saw Navalny as a threat and they tried repeatedly to silence him," said UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron

MCR Hotels to purchase London's iconic BT Tower for around $347 million

The tower used to provide a number of network operations and antennas for connectivity, but the technology isn't needed any longer

Assange begins final UK legal battle to avoid US extradition on spy charges

Julian Assange's lawyers will begin their final UK legal challenge on Tuesday to stop the WikiLeaks founder from being sent to the United States to face spying charges. The 52-year-old has been fighting extradition for more than a decade, including seven years in self-exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the last five years in a high-security prison. Dozens of supporters holding Free Julian Assange signs and chanting there is only one decision no extradition held a noisy protest outside the High Court in London, where Assange's attorneys will ask two High Court judges to grant a new appeal hearing, his last legal roll of the dice in Britain. If the judges rule against Assange, he can ask the European Court of Human Rights to block his extradition though supporters worry he could be put on a plane to the US before that happens. Supporters plan to demonstrate outside the neo-Gothic court building on both days and march to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Downing Street office

UK, allies looking to arm Ukraine with new AI-enabled swarm drones

The drones could be sent to Ukraine within months, they said, while warning the timeline could slip

UK voters deliver double blow to Sunak, elect Labour lawmakers in polls

Voters in two districts in England delivered new blows to beleaguered Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, electing opposition-party lawmakers in seats that Sunak's Conservatives had held for years. Labour Party candidate Dan Egan won the House of Commons seats of Kingswood in southwest England, and Labour's Gen Kitchen took Wellingborough in the country's center, results announced Friday showed. The Conservatives won both by large margins at the last national election in 2019. The hard-right Reform Party came third, putting more pressure on the Conservatives. Labour leader Keir Starmer said the results show people want change. The results will likely worsen fears among Conservatives that, after 14 years in power, the party is heading for defeat when a national election is held in less than a year. The Tories consistently lag between 10 and 20 points behind Labour in opinion polls.

The Independent in talks to take control of BuzzFeed, HuffPost: Report

The Independent will assume all editorial and commercial control of BuzzFeed in the UK under a licensing deal for its various brands, according to report, which cited people familiar with the talks

Indian students turning away from British universities, shows data

Amid ongoing review for post-study work visa and restrictions on bringing along dependents on government-funded scholarships, official statistics released on Thursday showed Indian students are beginning to show signs of being turned off from applying for British universities with a four per cent drop in the applications from the country. While the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) figures show the overall number of international students for undergraduate places increased by 0.7 per cent, Nigerians and Indians were leading a downward trend after record rises in recent times. Applications from India fell 4 per cent compared to last year to 8,770 and from Nigeria by 46 per cent to 1,590. UK higher education remains attractive globally, with a 0.7 per cent increase in international applicants. The highest increases are China (3 per cent, 910 applicants), Turkey (37 per cent, 710 applicants) and Canada (14 per cent, 340 applicants). There has been a decrease in ...

India, UK trade pact talks at advance stage; we want a fair deal: Govt

The negotiations for the proposed India-UK free trade agreement are at an advanced stage, and both sides are working to iron out differences on the remaining issues, a top government official said on Thursday. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said the negotiations are taking time because "we want" to safeguard India's interest. "India should commercially gain out of it and we should also be able to safeguard the interest of our farmers, PLI (production linked incentive) scheme goods. So, we are there to see that the deal is a fair deal," he told reporters here. Additional Secretary in the Commerce Ministry L Satya Srinivas said the talks are at an advanced stage and going on at a "very" high level to iron out differences. The 14th round of talks started on January 10. The investment treaty is being negotiated as a separate agreement between India and the UK. The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to USD 20.36 billion in 2022-23 from USD 17.5 billion in 2021-22.

Australian lawmakers pass motion calling for release of WikiLeaks founder

Australia's House of Representatives has ramped up pressure on the United States and Britain to end the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange by passing a motion calling for the Australian citizen to be allowed to return to his home country. Independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie moved the motion on Wednesday one week ahead of Britain's High Court of Justice hearing Assange's appeal against extradition to the United States on espionage charges. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the 86 lawmakers who voted for the motion that called on the United States and Britain to bring the "matter to a close so that Mr. Assange can return home to his family in Australia. The motion was opposed by 42 lawmakers including most of the main opposition party that unsuccessfully proposed amendments. Leaders of both the government and the opposition have publicly stated that the United States' pursuit of the 52-year-old had dragged on for too long. Assange has been in London's