Tag Archives: UK

Scotland’s governing Scottish National Party was on course Saturday to win its fourth straight parliamentary election and very close to securing a majority that would enable it to make a push for another referendum on independence from the U.K. With 60 constituencies counted, the SNP had won 51 of the …

Negotiations between London and Washington started as the UK left the European Union, entering a transition period to conclude trade deals, but the talks were soon interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. British Trade Secretary Elizabeth Truss on Thursday stated that she will step up talks with the United States in …

Scotland’s First Minster, Nicola Sturgeon, has called on the Scottish National Party (SNP) to unite ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary (Holyrood) election scheduled for May 2021. Sturgeon, who is also SNP leader, said the pro-independence party must “focus on what matters to people” by putting “aside internal disputes”. According to …

As migrant crossings across the English Channel continue to escalate, the Home Office has turned to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) for help to stem the tide. The Home Office apparently wants the Royal Navy to intervene – possibly in the form of a “passive blockade” – with a view …

The UK government has urged medicine suppliers to build up stockpiles to prepare for possible border disruptions when Britain severs ties with the European Union at the end of the year. In a letter published late Monday, the health ministry set out how firms could prepare for the end of …

An unnamed British lawmaker and the former minister were arrested on Saturday after police received allegations of rape, sexual assault, and coercive control, The Sunday Times reported. A woman in her twenties reported to police she had been assaulted and forced to have sex, the newspaper reported. The woman was …

Boris Johnson has warned of signs pointing to a “second wave” of coronavirus infections in Europe as he tries to deflect criticism about the sudden change of travel advice to Spain. Coming on the heels of the Spanish Prime Minister’s description of the quarantine measures as “unjust”, Johnson tried to soften …

Boris Johnson has warned there are signs of a “second wave” of coronavirus in Europe, as he defended a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain. The PM said the government had to be “swift” – and it would continue to take further action “where it is necessary”. It comes after …

China has announced the suspension of extradition treaties between Hong Kong and Canada, Australia, and Britain, in response to similar moves by those countries. The three governments suspended their extradition arrangements with Hong Kong earlier this month in reaction to the enactment of a uniform national security law in the …

The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, discussed with the British ambassador to Baghdad, Stephen Hickey, on Tuesday, coordinating efforts to support the Iraqi economy and government reforms. A statement issued by the Iraqi government said that during the meeting, both parties discussed, “the bilateral relations between Iraq and the United …

The prospects of the UK economy returning to its pre-pandemic size are in shambles. To underscore the crisis, unemployment has increased to 9 percent from 3.9 percent in barely a month. According to the EY Item Club, a leading economic forecast group, the British economy is at risk of shrinking …

China threatened a “forceful counter-attack” on Tuesday in response to Britain’s announcement that it would suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong following Beijing’s introduction of a national security law for the former British colony. On Monday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told parliament the extradition treaty would be suspended …

China has warned the UK against further damaging their relationship, in response to reports that London will suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong as a result of Beijing’s new national security law there. The British media has reported that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is expected to announce the suspension …

The British government asked Japan to help build its 5G wireless networks without Huawei Technologies, the Nikkei said on Sunday, a further step in a global technology and security war between the United States and China. Britain named NEC Corp (6701.T) and Fujitsu Ltd (6702.T) as potential alternative suppliers to …

Russia’s ambassador to the UK has rejected allegations that his country’s intelligence services tried to steal coronavirus vaccine research. “I don’t believe in this story at all, there is no sense in it,” Andrei Kelin told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. On Thursday, UK security services said hackers targeting vaccine …

Begum was 15 when she left the U.K. to join the terrorism caliphate. Shamima Begum, the British woman who joined ISIS as a teenager in 2015, is set to be allowed to return to the U.K. in order to challenge the government’s decision to strip her of citizenship. Begum, 20, …

Britain’s “discriminatory” ban on Huawei has severely damaged China’s investment confidence in the country, China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday, adding it will take necessary measures to defend Chinese firms’ legal rights. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday ordered Huawei equipment to be purged completely from Britain’s 5G network by …

British telecoms companies will be banned from buying Huawei 5G components starting from the end of this year, the UK media secretary said. The firms also must get rid of all of their Huawei gear by 2027. Media Secretary Oliver Dowden said that the National Cyber Security Centre informed the …

People who have recovered from COVID-19 may lose their immunity to the disease within months, according to research suggesting the virus could re-infect people year after year, like common colds.  In the first longitudinal study of its kind, scientists analyzed the immune response of more than 90 patients and healthcare …

Britain is providing more than a dozen repressive regimes around the world with wiretaps, spyware and other telecommunications interception equipment likely to be used to spy on dissidents, according to public records. The rules are quite clear on this. The UK should not export security goods to countries that might …