Page 25 - Britain

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

King Charles III thanks public for support after cancer diagnosis

King Charles III has expressed his heartfelt thanks to the British public for their messages of support ever since his cancer diagnosis was revealed by Buckingham Palace this week. The 75-year-old monarch wrote the message from his royal estate at Sandringham in Norfolk, eastern England, in which he also expressed his lifelong admiration for the work done by cancer charities." The King said he was heartened that his personal experience of the disease had helped shine a light on the tireless care provided by cancer organisations around the world. I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days, reads the King's message released by Buckingham Palace on Sunday. As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement, he said. It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a ligh

King Charles III doing extremely well after cancer diagnosis: Queen Camilla

Queen Camilla said Thursday that King Charles III is doing well given his cancer diagnosis, adding that he has been touched by the messages of support he's received from the public. Camilla traveled from Sandringham House to Salisbury Cathedral on Thursday to attend a concert celebrating the work of local charities. Among the first people she met were workers from Wiltshire Air Ambulance, who offered hope that the king was doing well. Well he's doing extremely well under the circumstances,' Camilla said. He's very touched by all the letters and the messages the public have been sending from everywhere that's very cheering. The British monarch has been recuperating at his Sandringham estate in eastern England following his first treatment for an unspecified type of cancer. Buckingham Palace announced the diagnosis earlier this week.

King Charles III has cancer, is receiving treatment, says Buckingham Palace

King Charles III has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and has begun treatment, Buckingham Palace says. The palace says the cancer is not related to the king's recent treatment for a benign prostate condition. It did not say what form of cancer the 75-year-old monarch has. It said Charles remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.

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Tata Steel proposes additional support package for Port Talbot workers: CFO

Tata Steel UK will be closing its first blast furnace by mid-this year while the second furnace is planned to be shut down in the second half of 2024, he said

US, Britain begin new strikes on Houthis in retaliation to previous attacks

The United States and Britain struck at least 30 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, US officials told The Associated Press. The latest strikes against the Houthis were launched by ships and fighter jets. The strikes follow an air assault in Iraq and Syria on Friday that targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan last weekend. The Houthi targets were in 10 different locations and were struck by U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and by American warships firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea, the US officials said. They were not authorised to publicly discuss the military operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Bank of England keeps rates unchanged at 5.25%, may cut if inflation falls

The pound erased earlier losses and investors trimmed bets on the extent of Bank Rate cuts but still saw four reductions in 2024, a view that Bailey said he did not want to challenge

Houthi attack: Navy deploys fire-fighting team on board British oil tanker

The Indian Navy on Saturday said its guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam has deployed a team to help fire-fighting efforts on board British oil tanker MV Marlin Luanda which has got 22 Indian and one Bangladeshi crew members. According to foreign media reports, the tanker caught fire after a missile attack by Yemen's Houthi militants, the latest incident linked to the Iran-backed group in the key shipping route Gulf of Aden. On a request from MV Marlin Luanda, INS Visakhapatnam has deployed its NBCD team along with fire-fighting equipment to render assistance to the crew towards augmenting fire-fighting efforts on board the distressed ship, a Navy spokesperson said. "The Indian Navy remains steadfast and committed towards safeguarding MVs (merchant vessels) and ensuring safety of life at sea," the Indian Navy said. The operator of the British oil tanker has said the vessel had been "struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden after transiting the Red Sea", according to the ...

King Charles III admitted to hospital for scheduled prostate operation

Britain's King Charles III was on Friday admitted to a private hospital here for treatment for an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace announced. The procedure will be carried out at the London Clinic private hospital, where Catherine, the Princess of Wales, had surgery last week. The 75-year-old King visited the Princess of Wales in the hospital this morning, ahead of his own scheduled treatment. It is not yet known how long King Charles will remain in hospital. King Charles III had made his health problem public as a way of sending a message to other men to get their prostates checked. A statement from Buckingham Palace said the King was "delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness". He also thanked those who had "sent their good wishes," the BBC reported. The plan for King Charles to have a "corrective procedure" for his enlarged prostate was revealed by the palace last week. A benign prostate problem, which is non-cancerous,

75th Republic Day: King Charles says he looks forward to working with India

King Charles III on Friday congratulated the people of India on its 75th Republic Day and said he looks forward to the UK and India working together to tackle the world's most pressing challenges. In a message to President Droupadi Murmu, the British monarch said he cherishes the close bond shared between the two countries and added: I am confident that our ties will continue to flourish in this very special seventy-fifth anniversary year of the Commonwealth a fitting reminder of the enduring values and aspirations that unite us. Incidentally, King Charles III is the same age as the Indian Republic. It was on January 26, 1950, that the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935, a legacy of the British Raj from the colonial times. Congratulating India on a successful G20 presidency last year, King Charles III said, I look forward to our countries continuing to work together to tackle the world's most pressing global challenges. He also said he

Job cuts in Britain 'least bad option', will continue talks: Tata Steel CEO

The steelmaker will close its two blast furnaces in Britain by the end of this year, axing up to 2,800 jobs at its Port Talbot steelworks in Wales

Job cuts in Britain 'least bad option', will continue talks: Tata Steel CEO

The steelmaker will close its two blast furnaces in Britain by the end of this year, axing up to 2,800 jobs at its Port Talbot steelworks in Wales

EasyJet sees smaller loss, strong summer despite West Asia instability

EasyJet said it was able to mitigate the impact of the war in Gaza thanks to capacity growth in areas where demand was rising, and that bookings had recovered since late November

UK watchdog confirms scrapping of tougher company internal controls

The FRC has also just been given anew remit to consider Britain's global competitiveness when writing new rules