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While many other European monarchies have come and gone, or are far diminished in scale and importance, the British royal family has remained remarkably resilient. Republic, a group that wants to abolish the monarchy, has pointed to a poll which showed a majority of people were not interested in the coronation. RELEVANCE"Relevance is absolutely crucial to the monarchy," said Robert Hardman, a long-time royal correspondent and author of 'Queen of our Times'. But, in return, the royals are considered public property with an expectation that they play the press "game" in return for gilded lives in palaces. "Monarchs and their families need the media just as the media need them," Harshan Kumarasingham, senior lecturer in British politics at the University of Edinburgh.

☆ Loren Cameron, 63, Dies; His Camera Brought Transgender Men to Light
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Penelope Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Loren Cameron was in his early 30s when he bought his first suit, walking nervously into a haberdashery for short men. He was 5-foot-3 and wanted so much to be bigger, equating masculinity with heft — which is why he was also a dedicated body builder. The salesman sized him up “as a regular working-class Joe,” as Mr. Cameron put it, who was entering unfamiliar territory, and set out to teach him the rituals of fine dressing. He fitted Mr. Cameron into a double-breasted Italian-made suit, taught him the difference between a half and a full Windsor tie knot and showed him four variations on folding a pocket square. “I felt at least two inches taller when I walked out of there,” Mr. Cameron wrote of his suit-shopping adventure, “and it wasn’t because of the elevator shoes.”

The size of subsidies under the EU Chips Act, which aims to tempt the world's top chipmakers to build factories in the bloc and double its share of global output to 20% by 2030, lags the $52 billion CHIPS for America Act. Taiwan accounts for more than 60% of global chip production and concerns are growing about heightened tensions between Taipei and Beijing. But Europe's relatively modest subsidies could put a brake on its ambition, said Richard Windsor of research company Radio Free Mobile. GOOD STARTThe EU Chips Act is a good start given the EU has little choice but to join the subsidy race, but the bloc should play to its chipmaking strengths, said Christopher Cytera, research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis. Catching up on the chips race is more than just building factories and the Chips Act acknowledges this with its focus on developing skilled labour for the future, said Anielle Guedes, senior research analyst at IDC Technologies.

☆ Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Take That to perform at King Charles' coronation concert
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Take That will star in an eclectic lineup at a concert to celebrate King Charles' coronation next month, billed by organisers as a chance to celebrate a new chapter in Britain's history. The formal coronation ceremony for Charles, who became king on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth last September, will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6. U.S. music star Richie said: "To share the stage with the other performers at the Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honor and a celebration." The line-up also includes opera star Andrea Bocelli, singer-songwriter Freya Ridings, Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, and classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench. The list of performers was announced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who will produce and broadcast the showcase.

☆ Black and Tans: Biden confuses All Blacks rugby team with brutal police force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —President Joe Biden made a gaffe during his visit to Ireland on Wednesday as he confused a rugby team with a controversial 1920s-era British police force. Biden was speaking at the Windsor Bar in Dundalk, Ireland, when he appeared to mistake New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team with the Black and Tans, a brutal force deployed against rebels during the Irish War of Independence. He received the Irish team tie after they won against New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago in November 2016. “See this tie I have, this shamrock tie?” Biden said. He personally called the Irish rugby union team to congratulate them when they defeated New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in 2021.

☆ Windsor Framework a 'pragmatic and sensible solution,' Ireland's finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWindsor Framework a 'pragmatic and sensible solution,' Ireland's finance minister saysIreland Finance Minister Michael McGrath discusses the country's growth prospects, trade relations with Northern Ireland and the potential of the post-Brexit Windsor Framework.

Ambassador to the United Kingdom Jane Hartley greet U.S. President Joe Biden next to Joe Kennedy upon Biden's arrival at RAF Aldergrove airbase in County Antrim, Northern Ireland April 11, 2023. Ahern said he knew from experience that "knocking heads together" did not usually work in Northern Ireland and that Biden should point out the obvious case that, in any democracy, institutions of parliament were essential. Biden will travel later on Wednesday to County Louth - midway between Belfast and Dublin - where his great-grandfather was born. Biden will meet relatives from another side of his family in the western county of Mayo on Friday. Writing by Padraic Halpin; Additional reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Peter Graff and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Unfinished business': Biden visits Northern Ireland as political tensions persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

He will give a speech in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, before traveling south of the border to the Republic of Ireland, where he will remain until Friday. Northern Ireland is part of the U.K. while the Republic of Ireland is a separate nation state that remains part of the EU. "Whilst it's positive in many ways — particularly on movement of food and medicines between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it really removes a lot of the frictions — it doesn't deal with all the problems of the Northern Ireland protocol, so I'm afraid it's unfinished business," Villiers told CNBC's Tania Bryer. Clinton became the first sitting U.S. President to visit Northern Ireland and the first to appoint a U.S. special regional envoy. Though Biden is expected to use the trip to promote a return to functioning government in Stormont, his previous support for the Northern Ireland Protocol has drawn criticism from DUP politicians.

☆ Biden Must Tread Rocky Path in Belfast Before Tending His Irish Roots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Though Mr. Biden deplored I.R.A. The events became one of the most infamous episodes of the Troubles, known as Bloody Sunday. Mr. Powell said Mr. Biden had made his own contribution later on by pressing the British government to break an impasse with the European Union over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland. In doing so, he fulfilled a promise he made to Mr. Biden when the two met last fall at a summit in Indonesia, during which the prime minister vowed to resolve the issue. “It is possible that Biden could be seen as adding more pressure on the unionists,” said Katy Hayward, a professor of politics at Queen’s University in Belfast.

☆ British royals gather for first Easter of King Charles' reign
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] King Charles III and the Queen Consort attend the Easter Mattins Service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, Britain April 9, 2023. Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - King Charles and senior British royals gathered at Windsor Castle for their traditional Easter service on Sunday, the first of the new monarch's reign. Also present was the king's younger brother Prince Andrew, who was removed from royal duties before settling a U.S. sex abuse lawsuit last year. Both are buried in the King George VI chapel at Windsor. It is also the 18th wedding anniversary for Charles and second wife Camilla, who tied the knot in Windsor in 2005.

☆ King Charles invited Biden for state visit, Biden accepted - White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles has invited U.S. President Joe Biden to the United Kingdom for a state visit and Biden accepted, the White House said on Wednesday. The invitation came during a conversation between Biden and Charles on Tuesday in which Biden informed the king that U.S. first lady Jill Biden would attend his coronation in May. A print of the picture of Britain's King Charles, used on the bottles of a coronation ale called Return Of The King, is seen at the bar area of the Windsor and Eton Brewery, in Windsor Britain, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo"The president was appreciative of the offer by the King and looks forward to that state visit," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. Reporting by Steve Holland and Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ American, Delta, and United have collectively dropped 74 US airports since the pandemic — see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Taylor Rains | Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines have exited 74 airports since 2020. Some of the airports are in the Essential Air Service program and are now served by a new airline. In September 2022, the company's research revealed American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines had exited 59 airports. In total, American has left 19 airports, Delta has exited 17, and United has departed 38. American, Delta, and United have all cut routes in recent years, citing poor performance and the pilot shortage as contributing factors.

[1/3] Prime Minister Tony Blair (R) embraces Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern after all parties reached a historic peace agreement April 10, 1998. The peace has utterly transformed the region, largely ending three decades of bitter violence that killed 3,600. "Nothing's ever irresolvable" said Blair, summing up the stubborn optimism many developed working in Northern Ireland at the turn of the millennium. Nationalists, who are mostly Catholic, say Northern Ireland was wrenched from the EU in a UK-wide vote even though its smallest region voted 56% to 44% to remain. "There is an exhaustion and frustration," at the DUP's repeated objections, said Ahern, Irish prime minister from 1997-2008.

☆ Northern Ireland's Orange Order says new Brexit deal needs improvement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

However, it does not resolve the fundamental concerns," the Orange Order said in a statement on Tuesday. The Windsor Framework continues to treat Northern Ireland as a place apart within the United Kingdom and equal citizenship has not been restored." The statement said the Orange Order would not endorse the deal without "substantial and tangible progress which resolves these fundamental issues". As part of Brexit, Northern Ireland effectively remained in the bloc's single market to avoid a hard border with EU-member Ireland. Business groups have overwhelmingly supported the Windsor Framework, seeing it as removing damaging uncertainties over trading relationships.

Sunak has tried to end years of wrangling over Brexit by revisiting one of the trickiest parts of the negotiations - to ensure smooth trade to Northern Ireland without creating a hard border with Britain or with European Union-member Ireland. "I welcome parliament voting today to support the Windsor Framework," Britain's Northern Ireland minister Chris Heaton-Harris said on Twitter. "This measure lies at the very heart of the Windsor Framework which offers the best deal for Northern Ireland, safeguarding its place in the Union and addressing the democratic deficit." Sunak hailed securing the deal last month as a "decisive breakthrough" but by alienating the DUP he has failed in restoring the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson told parliament his party could not return to Northern Ireland's power-sharing government "at this stage".

☆ At what cost? UK PM Sunak to win post-Brexit trade vote in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sunak has sought to end years of wrangling over Brexit by revisiting one of the trickiest parts of the negotiations - to ensure smooth trade to Northern Ireland without creating a so-called hard border with Britain or the European Union. He agreed with the EU to introduce the "Stormont brake", aimed at offering Northern Ireland more control over whether to accept any new EU laws, as part of the so-called Windsor Framework of measures to soothe post-Brexit tensions. But in Wednesday's vote in the lower house of parliament, those he most wanted to win over - Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and some Conservative eurosceptics in the European Research Group (ERG) - are set to rebel. The brake enables Britain to prevent new EU laws applying to goods in Northern Ireland if asked to do so by a third of lawmakers in the province's devolved legislature. The DUP has for a year boycotted Northern Ireland's power-sharing government over its opposition to the post-Brexit trade rules, which effectively leaves the province in the EU's single market for goods and means it has to follow some of the bloc's rules.

☆ Despite opposition, UK's Sunak wins post-Brexit trade vote in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak won the backing of parliament on Wednesday for a key element of a reworked post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland. Despite the opposition, Sunak won the vote by 515 to 29, suggesting that several in his Conservative Party had abstained on the vote. "The Stormont brake is at the heart of the (Windsor) Framework," Northern Ireland minister Chris Heaton-Harris told parliament ahead of the vote. "It restores practical sovereignty for the United Kingdom as a whole and the people of northern Ireland in particular." Johnson, the face of the campaign to leave the EU, and his successor, Truss, both said they would vote against the brake.

☆ Northern Ireland Impasse to Persist After Unionist Party Rejects Brexit Compromise
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON—Efforts by the British government to end political paralysis in Northern Ireland suffered a blow on Monday after the Democratic Unionist Party said it would reject a compromise agreement recently hammered out by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the European Union over the region’s trading status. The so-called Windsor Framework is aimed at appeasing the DUP and other unionist communities in Northern Ireland who felt cut off from the rest of Britain after the country agreed as part of its 2019 Brexit divorce deal to place a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K., rather than a border between the province and Ireland, which remains an EU member.

☆ Northern Ireland's DUP hardens position against new Brexit deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Amanda Ferguson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A key test of the deal reached by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with Brussels last month is its ability to convince the DUP to end a year-long boycott of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government over the original post-Brexit trade rules. As well as leaving Northern Ireland without a functioning executive, failure to win over the DUP could trigger a rebellion within Sunak's Conservative Party and dash his hopes of presenting the deal as a major diplomatic success. U.S. President Joe Biden has accepted an invitation to visit Northern Ireland to mark the anniversary in April. Clear protection "in UK law" was also needed to protect Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom's internal market, he said. Sunak's government has not set out in detail how it intends to implement the deal, known as the Windsor Framework, in law.

SummarySummary Companies Move comes shortly after Scout plant announcementPlant in Canada can also qualify for IRA subsidiesBASF also picked Canada for EV battery materials plantWOLFSBURG, Germany, March 13 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) chose Canada to build its first battery cell plant outside Europe, granting its cars access to both Canadian and U.S. subsidies as it works to localise electric vehicle production chain in the region. Canada, home to a large mining sector for minerals including lithium, nickel and cobalt, is trying to woo companies involved in all levels of the EV supply chain via a multi-billion-dollar green technology fund as the world seeks to cut carbon emissions. The Canadian federal innovation minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, called the VW battery plant a "home run for Canada" and said it was "the largest single investment in the auto sector in the history of Canada", without giving details. "I think all the big manufacturers understand that if you need to green the supply chain, Canada is the place to do that," said Champagne. Chemicals giant BASF (BASFn.DE) a year ago also secured land in Canada for a planned battery materials facility to better serve electric vehicle markets in the U.S. and Mexico.

☆ Only 16% of DUP voters back British PM's Northern Ireland deal - poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBLIN, March 11 (Reuters) - Only 16% of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party voters would back British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's recent deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules if a referendum were held, a poll showed on Saturday. The survey by polling company LucidTalk for the Belfast Telegraph newspaper found that just 38% of the region's wider unionist electorate would vote in favour of the Windsor Framework agreement if a referendum were held. While 73% of DUP voters and 50% of unionist voters would oppose the deal, 67% of all voters in the region were in favour thanks to strong support among nationalists, the poll showed. Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom, while nationalists favour a united Ireland. Reporting by Conor Humphries and Amanda Ferguson Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Ties which have often been rocky since Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016 have been fortified by the countries' support for Ukraine since Russia's invasion. "The partnership the UK and France share runs deep," Sunak said on Twitter. "From tackling illegal migration to driving growth in our economies to defending our common security, when we work together we all benefit. The Times newspaper said he would announce Britain was providing funding to France to invest in police, security and intelligence. The payments were expected to exceed 200 million pounds over three years, the report said, citing unnamed sources.

☆ EU restarts work on EU-UK regulatory forum after Northern Ireland deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 8 (Reuters) - The European Union's executive body said on Wednesday it will finalise a long-delayed discussion forum for EU and UK financial regulators, once the deal on Northern Ireland has been implemented by Britain. The forum, similar to what the EU already has with the United States, was due to have been created by March 2021, but was put on ice because of disagreements over trading relations with Northern Ireland. Those disagreements have been ironed out in last month's agreement, or Windsor Framework, which has yet to be formally implemented by Britain. "We are ready to start work on the finalisation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on financial services regulatory cooperation," a spokesman for the European Commission's financial services unit said on Wednesday. The forum has no mandate to decide on EU financial market access, but financial industry officials say it could improve strained cross-Channel relations in the sector, and help ease tension in areas, such as derivatives clearing.

☆ Prince Harry contacted about coronation, but his attendance remains unclear
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reacts as she, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Queen Camilla and King Charles attend the state funeral and burial of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, September 19, 2022. King Charles III's office has been in touch with Prince Harry about the new monarch's coronation, raising the possibility the prince will attend the historic ceremony despite tensions within the royal family. A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, confirmed Sunday that Harry had received "email correspondence'' from the king's office about the coronation. Camilla was once reviled for her long-term affair with Charles, which contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to the late Prince Diana, Harry and William's mother. Harry, meanwhile, continues to share his personal experiences and critique of the royal family as he promotes his book.

☆ ExxonMobil sued after a Black employee allegedly discovered a noose at work. It was the fifth at the same facility
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The EEOC alleges that in January 2020, a Black employee at Exxon (XOM)Mobil’s Baton Rouge chemical plant found a noose at his worksite and reported it to the company. The company failed to investigate each event and didn’t do enough to prevent further incidents, the EEOC alleges. Todd Spitler, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil, said in a statement that the company disagrees with the EEOC’s findings. “ExxonMobil promptly performed a thorough investigation of this claim, and there was no evidence to support allegations of discrimination,” he said. “The symbols of hate are unacceptable, offensive, and in violation of our corporate policies.”In 2021, multiple nooses were discovered at the construction site of an Amazon fulfillment center in Windsor, Connecticut.

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