Page 5 - Britain

'Working to establish facts': British envoy meets PM Modi over plane crash

British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron said she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad on Friday and shared condolences on behalf of her country in the face of the tragic plane crash a day ago and underlined that the UK and India are "working together" to establish facts linked with the accident. The London-bound Air India flight, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad and burst into a ball of fire on Thursday moments after takeoff. Air India has confirmed that 241 people, including 52 British nationals who were on board the AI171 flight, were killed in the crash. One person, a British citizen, has survived and is currently undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during the accident. Overall, at least 265 people, including some on the ground, were killed in the tragedy after the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College complex in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area. Talking to PTI in Ahmedabad, Cameron said, "We have ..

Ahmedabad crash: EAM in touch with UK, Portuguese, Canadian counterparts

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said he was in touch with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and also with his Canadian and Portuguese counterparts in connection with the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. Besides 169 Indians, 53 British, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals were on board the flight that crashed on Thursday. Air India has confirmed that 241 people, who were on board were killed in the crash. One person has survived and is currently undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during the accident. "In touch with FS @DavidLammy of UK, FM @PauloRangel_pt of Portugal and FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada regarding the Ahmedabad plane crash. Expressed our profound condolences and offered fullest support in this hour of grief," Jaishankar said in a post on X. At least 265 people were killed on Thursday when the London-bound Air India plane crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad and burst into a ball of fire less than a minute after takeof

UK employment plunges most in 5 yrs, 276K jobs lost since Reeves budget

Tax data showed the number of employees on payroll tumbled 109,000 in May, the biggest decline since May 2020, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday

Frederick Forsyth, author of book 'Day of the Jackal', passes away at 86

Frederick Forsyth, the British author of The Day of the Jackal" and other bestselling thrillers, has died after a brief illness, his literary agent said Monday. He was 86. Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said Forsyth died at home early Monday surrounded by his family. We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," Lloyd said. Born in Kent, in southern England, in 1938, Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a foreign correspondent. He covered the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle in 1962, which provided inspiration for The Day of the Jackal, his bestselling political thriller about a professional assassin. Published in 1971, the book propelled him into global fame. It was made into a film in 1973 starring Edward Fox as the Jackal and more recently a television series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. In 2015, Forsyth told the BBC that he had also worked for the British intelligence agency MI6 for many years

UK PM Keir Starmer calls on Nvidia's Huang to train up Britons on AI

The Labour leader will hold an in-conversation event in London with tech billionaire Huang to mark an agreement in which Nvidia helps the UK train more people in AI

Sam Altman's eyeball-scanning identification technology expands to UK

Starting this week, people in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast and Glasgow will be able to scan their eyes using Tools for Humanity's proprietary orb device

Amazon to intensify fake review crackdown after UK watchdog investigation

Amazon has pledged to beef up fight against fake reviews, Britain's competition regulator said Friday after an investigation into whether big online platforms are doing enough to crack down on phony online ratings for products and services. The Competition and Markets Authority said it secured the undertakings from Amazon, after getting a similar agreement earlier this year from Google to clamp down on rogue reviews plaguing the internet. The company promised to strengthen its existing systems for fighting fake reviews. It will also tackle catalog abuse, which involves sellers boosting star ratings for a product by hijacking good reviews from a completely different one. As an example, a shopper might come across a pair of headphones with a five-star rating. But, after looking closer, most of the reviews are for a mobile phone charger, the watchdog said. As part of its commitments, Amazon has agreed to sanction anyone caught using these tactics. Businesses could be banned from selli

Data error may have pushed up UK inflation, rate cut bets in April: ONS

The data error means the inflation rate would have been closer to the 3.3 per cent consensus forecast and 3.4 per cent predicted by the central bank

Number of migrants reaching UK in small boats hits a single-day high

UK government figures Sunday showed nearly 1,200 migrants arrived in the country Saturday in small boats from France across the English Channel, the highest number recorded on a single day so far this year. The latest Home Office figures show that 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats Saturday in what were settled weather conditions, bringing the provisional annual total so far to 14,811. That's 42% higher than the same point last year, an increase that has piled pressure on the Labour government, which returned to power nearly a year ago partly on disillusionment with the previous Conservative administration's efforts to get a grip on the numbers making the crossing. Having ditched the Conservative government's plan to send migrants who arrived in the UK by unauthorised means to Rwanda, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government would get control by smashing the gangs and the business models that sustain their smuggling operations. Since gaining power, Starmer's government has .

A 355-year-old company that once owned one-third of Canada shutting down

While she was pleased that her swimwear had been discounted by 70 per cent, she was not happy about the reason

UK taps Ukraine lessons to invest GBP 1 billion into warfare systems

In its strategic defense review, expected to be published in full next week, the UK will also set up a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to protect military networks

Shravin Bharti Mittal joins wealthy exodus as UK tax reforms bite

Shravin Mittal's relocation to UAE highlights the impact of Britain's crackdown on non-dom tax perks; analysts warn of broader economic fallout

British Indian twins join Mensa club after top scores in IQ tests

The twins, Krish and Keira Arora, scored in the top two per cent globally, making them some of the youngest members of the elite Mensa club

Third man charged over fires at properties linked to UK PM Keir Starmer

A third suspect has been charged with arson over a series of fires targeting property linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, police said Wednesday. Petro Pochynok, 34, has been charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. The Ukrainian national is scheduled to appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning. Two other men have already been charged with setting fire to Starmer's personal home, along with a property where he once lived and a car he had sold. They are Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26. Lavrynovych and Carpiuc have already appeared in court and were ordered detained until a hearing on June 6. No injuries were reported from the fires, which occurred on three nights in north London between May 8 and May 12. Starmer and his family had moved out of his home after he was elected in July, and they live at the prime minister's official Downing Street residence. A Toyota RA

Zelenskyy thanks Britain after UK announces new sanctions on Russia

Zelenskyy, during a call with the UK PM, emphasised the need for a coordinated international response, urging the US also to take stronger action against Russia

Second man charged over fires at properties linked to UK PM Keir Starmer

A second man was charged Tuesday over a series of fires that targeted properties linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, police said. Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, from Romford, east London, is accused of arson with intent to endanger life, the Metropolitan Police said. He had been arrested at Luton Airport, north of London, on Saturday. Last week, Roman Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian national, appeared in court on charges of setting fire to Starmer's family home, along with a property where he once lived and a small SUV he had sold. Lavrynovych, 21, didn't enter a plea Friday at Westminster Magistrates' Court to three counts of arson with intent to endanger life but denied the charges in a police interview. An unnamed 34-year-old was also arrested Monday in Chelsea, west London, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, the Met said. He remains in custody. No injuries were reported from the fires, which occurred on three nights in north Londo

UK, EU seal post-Brexit 'reset' deal to boost trade, security ties

UK and EU strike a landmark deal to ease post-Brexit trade barriers, enhance security ties, and launch youth mobility plans amid changing global dynamics and reduced US engagement in Europe

What does the British royal family and King Charles III cost the UK?

Assessing the true cost of the monarch's finances is a murky business, both opaque and highly secretive, with a myriad of rules and customs serving to stifle public debate.

UK, EU to hold first post-Brexit summit in London to deepen relations

The UK and the European Union will meet in London on Monday to discuss closer ties in their first official summit since Brexit. The meeting between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and top EU officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is intended to pave the way toward a new agreement between both sides. There is hope that a deal could improve the British economy, which has been hit by a drop in EU trade caused by increased costs and red tape after the United Kingdom left the bloc in 2020. Resetting relations Since becoming prime minister in July, Starmer has sought to reset relations with the EU, following years of tensions in the wake of the UK's Brexit referendum on June 23, 2016. Post-Brexit relations have been governed by a trade agreement negotiated by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Starmer thinks that can be improved in a way that boosts trade and bolsters security. It's unclear what will be announced at the summit, but Starmer said Sunday t

Ukrainian man charged over fires at properties linked to UK PM Keir Starmer

A 21-year-old man was charged Thursday with three counts of arson for fires that targeted two properties and a car linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Metropolitan Police force said Roman Lavrynovych, who was arrested Tuesday, was charged with arson with intent to endanger life. The charges are linked to three incidents over the past week a car fire on May 8, a fire Monday at Starmer's private home that damaged the door of the house, and a fire Sunday outside a north London house converted into apartments connected to the U.K. leader. No injuries were reported from any of the fires. Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian national, is due to appear in court on Friday. After he was arrested, Lavrynovych remained in custody after warrants of further detention were obtained, the police said in a statement. Starmer moved with his family to the prime minister's official Downing Street residence after taking office in July. The investigation was led by counterterrorism detectives as it