Page 30 - Britain

Saudi money is unbeatable, says Ben Stokes as Kingdom sets eye on cricket

The Indian Premier League is currently the most lucrative, though, attracting players including Stokes. But that could change given the financial firepower of Saudi Arabia

England's NHS introduces 7-minute 'under the skin' cancer treatment

This new method allows cancer patients to receive the immunotherapy drug 'Atezolizumab' through an injection, as opposed to intravenous administration which can take up to an hour

UK Foreign Secretary to visit China today, will raise human rights issues

This is the first visit of a UK Foreign Secretary to China in over five years

Britain's foreign secretary will visit China in an attempt to shore up ties

Britain's top diplomat, James Cleverly, is set to visit China on Wednesday, in the first trip by a U.K. foreign secretary to the country in more than five years. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed the long-awaited trip on Tuesday. The two sides will have in-depth communication on Sino-British relations and international and regional issues of common concern, spokesman Wang Wenbin said. We hope the British side will work with us to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, deepen exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and promote the stable development of Sino-British relations. Cleverly's visit is an attempt to stabilize China-Britain ties, which have sunk to their lowest level in decades. The countries disagree over issues such as Beijing's curbing of civil freedoms in Hong Kong, a former British colony, alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, China's support for Russia and Britain's close security ties with the United States. Cleverly said in June he would

Cyberattack not cause of air traffic issues that snarled flights: UK

The British government said Tuesday that a breakdown at the nationwide air traffic control system that saw hundreds of flights delayed and cancelled was not caused by a cyberattack. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the problem was caused by a technical fault at flight control operator National Air Traffic Services. The company said the outage had hit its ability to process flight plans automatically, meaning that for several hours the plans had to be input manually, a much slower process that meant fewer flights could take off and land. Harper told the BBC that it is going to take some days to get people back to where they should be. The problem hit on a late-summer holiday Monday that is one of the busiest days of the year for air travel. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that by Monday afternoon, 232 flights due to leave UK airports and 271 arriving flights had been cancelled. Dozens of flights were cancelled at Heathrow, Europe's busiest air hub, which warned of knock-on .

Fixed a technical problem that sparked delays: UK air traffic control

Thousands of airline passengers faced delays on Monday after Britain's air traffic control system was hit by a breakdown that slowed takeoffs and landings across the U.K. on one of the busiest travel days of the year. More than three hours after it reported the technical issue, flight control operator National Air Traffic Services said it had identified and remedied the problem and flights could begin to return to normal. But scores of flights were canceled, and Heathrow Airport said its schedules would be significantly disrupted for the rest of the day. Lyudmila Hristova said she and her husband had planned to attend a niece's wedding in Bulgaria, but their flight from Heathrow was canceled. Now we are looking for some information on how we can arrange another flight, she said. It is so difficult, they just got us out of the airport, it was very rude. There was no information, just some leaflets and that's it. NATS said the outage had hit its ability to process flight plans ...

India, UK to continue free trade agreement negotiations till Aug-end

Indian and UK officials will continue their negotiations till the month-end to iron out differences on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA), the commerce ministry said on Sunday. This meeting will be followed by a review at the higher level, it said. Following the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers Meeting (TIMM) at Jaipur, the progress of the negotiations was reviewed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK's Secretary of State for Trade Kemi Badenoch on August 26. "Teams are going to continue negotiations till the end of August 2023 which will be followed by stock taking at the higher level, it said. While expressing satisfaction over the last 12 rounds of negotiations wherein several chapters have been finalized, both exuded confidence that the next round of talks to be similarly successful. "Both Chief Negotiators apprised the ministers about the current state of play, issues outstanding for resolution and their continuous joint efforts to iron out the same,"

Russian mercenary chief's likely death could destabilize his army: UK

Britain's defense ministry said on Friday that the presumed death of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash could destabilise the Wagner Group, whose brutal fighters were feared in Ukraine, Africa and Syria and conducted a brief but shocking mutiny in Russia. Prigozhin, who was listed among those on board, was eulogized Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian president was behind a Wednesday crash that many saw as an assassination. Russian authorities have not yet confirmed Prigozhin's death. The British ministry wrote that It is highly likely that he is indeed dead. However, it noted that he is known to exercise exceptional security measures. The demise of Prigozhin almost certainly would have a deeply destabilizing effect on the Wagner Group. His personal attributes of hyperactivity, exceptional audacity, a drive for results and extreme brutality permeated Wagner and are unlikely to be matched by any successor, t

Trade talks with UK progressing extremely well, says Piyush Goyal

The ongoing negotiations between India and the UK on a free trade agreement (FTA) are progressing "extremely well" and it is expected to conclude at an early date, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said both sides are confident that they will come out with a "very" balanced, equitable and fair agreement in the interest of businesses and people of both the countries. When asked about the UK's demand on import duty concessions on auto, whiskey and dairy products, he said India and the UK both are pressing hard for their requests and concerns. "There is hardly an issue on which we are not negotiating and I assure you that it will be a strong and hard outcome that will come out of all these negotiations... I believe we have to talk with sincerity, with speed but ensuring balance... and we are both committed to come up with a win-win solution for both countries. I hope it can happen at an early date," Goyal told reporters here. The UK team is here for the

High-level meetings on FTA between India, UK scheduled for next week

High-level meetings of ministers and top officials of India and the UK are scheduled next week to review the progress of talks for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, a senior government official said on Friday. The meetings assume significance as both countries have reached a crucial juncture of the FTA negotiations. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal also said that bilateral meetings will also be held with the official teams of the European Union (EU) and Canada. These teams are coming for the two-day Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting (TIMM) in Jaipur. It is commencing on August 24. High-level bilateral meetings will be held with countries such as the UK, Canada and EU to discuss progress with regard to proposed free trade agreements, he told reporters here while briefing about the TIMM. Negotiations on such agreements are underway with all these countries. "This G20 ministerial meeting is useful for us to conduct some of the important bilat

UK headline inflation rate easing but sugar, rent, insurance surging

fficial statistics showed the Consumer Prices Index slid to 6.8% last month from a four decade peak of 11.1% late last year

Taking measures for security of Indian mission in London: UK minister

The United Kingdom is taking necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of the Indian High Commission in London and its staff members, British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said, around five months after the mission was attacked by pro-Khalistani forces that put the bilateral ties under some strain. In an exclusive interview to PTI, the senior minister said the British government is addressing India's concerns over activities of pro-Khalistani elements and that any attempt to radicalise people in the UK will be dealt with by the law-enforcing authorities. "Let me be very clear about this. This is not an Indian problem in the UK. Whenever there is radicalisation in the UK of UK citizens, this is a British problem. And so any attempt to radicalise any UK citizen in any direction will be dealt with by the British government," he said. "That is why we have the Prevent Programme and we are using it to face those challenges of radicalisation across different communities," he .

Nawaz Sharif will return to Pak next month to face court cases: PM Sharif

Pakistan's outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that his brother and former premier Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan next month to face his pending court cases and lead the party's campaign for the general election. Nawaz Sharif, 73, has been living in self-imposed exile in the UK since November 2019. He was convicted in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases in 2018. He was serving a seven-year imprisonment at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail in the Al-Azizia Mills case before he was allowed to proceed to London in 2019 on "medical grounds". In an interview with Geo News on Thursday, Shehbaz Sharif, 71, said he would travel to London to meet his elder brother Nawaz Sharif as soon as the caretaker government took charge in the country. Shehbaz Sharif reiterated that his elder brother would be Pakistan's prime minister for the fourth time if the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won the next election to be held later this year. His statement came as the proce

UK announces 95,000-pound new funding to tackle pro-Khalistani extremism

The United Kingdom's Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat has announced a new funding of 95,000 pound (around Rs 1 crore) to enhance Britain's capability to tackle "pro-Khalistan extremism". The British High Commission said this in a readout on Tugendhat's three-day visit to India that began on Thursday. The announcement on the new funding comes amid growing concerns in India over increasing activities of pro-Khalistani elements in the UK. Tugendhat is in India to bolster bilateral cooperation on security initiatives and attend the G20 anti-corruption ministerial meeting. "During a meeting with India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, in New Delhi on Thursday, Tugendhat announced the new funding to enhance the UK's capability to tackle Pro-Khalistan Extremism," the high commission said. It said the 95,000 pound investment will enhance the government's understanding of the threat posed by "pro-Khalistan extremism", complementing the joint work already underway between the UK an

Why are South African expats flocking to this tiny island in the Irish Sea?

The island of 85,000 people is seeking skilled professionals in finance, insurance, technology and gaming to help bolster its economy. It is part of a drive to increase population to 100,000 by 2027

India, UK launch health care alliance in a bid boost bilateral ties

Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS, England, said he believed that both countries face many challenges in healthcare and they have many opportunities too

PM Sunak very much looking forward to G20 summit in September: UK envoy

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is very much looking forward to attending the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September, UK High Commissioner in India Alex Ellis has said. Interacting with PTI on Friday on the sidelines of a preview of an art exhibition here, Ellis said he thought it was "great" that India is in the chair of the G20. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022. About 200 meetings under different tracks of the bloc will be hosted across the country, culminating in the September 9-10 Summit. "I think it's great, I think it's great that India is in the chair of the G20," Ellis told PTI when asked about India's role as G20 chair. "Because, the world is quite divided at the moment, unfortunately, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine," he added. Praising the "vibrant" culture and diversity of India that has been attracting people from all over the world, the UK envoy, said, "India is a unique country to bring the world to it. And, India has always fascinat

India, Britain could sign free trade agreement this year: Trade ministry

New Delhi sees an FTA with Britain as crucial to hopes of becoming a bigger exporter, while the UK would obtain wider access for its whisky, premium cars and legal services

Tottenham owner Lewis surrenders to face charges in insider trading case

Lewis faces more than a dozen counts of securities fraud for alleged brazen conduct that spanned about eight years

UK Conservatives suffer big defeats but avoid wipeout in special elections

Britain's governing Conservative Party avoided a drubbing Friday in a trio of special elections, managing to hold onto former premier Boris Johnson's seat in suburban London. Though the main opposition Labour Party and the smaller centrist Liberal Democrats overturned massive Conservative majorities to win a seat apiece, the Conservatives found some crumbs of comfort in their narrow success in Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London. Labour won the seat of Selby and Ainsty in northern England while the Liberal Democrats took Somerton and Frome in southwest England, with voters from both parties clearly backing the party most likely to beat the Conservative candidate. Facing this level of tactical voting by voters, the defeats will leave many Conservative lawmakers rattled ahead of the likely national vote next year. The defeats don't mean a change of government, since the Conservatives still have a big majority in the House of Commons. Opinion polls have been giving Labour a ...