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☆ UK petrol station group EG to buy Tesla charging units
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Tesla electric charging point stands unused in a car park, as Britain will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030, five years earlier than previously planned, in London, Britain, November 18, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - British petrol station operator EG Group will buy Tesla's (TSLA.O) ultra-fast charging units to help roll out its electric vehicle charging network across Europe, it said on Monday. The UK had just over 49,000 public electric vehicle charging devices installed as of Oct. 1, according to government figures. The "open network" Tesla chargers being bought by EG will enable all drivers to access them regardless of the brand of their vehicle, the company added. "The rapid installation of reliable, easy-to-use EV charging infrastructure is the right step towards a sustainable future," Tesla's senior director of Charging Infrastructure, Rebecca Tinucci, said.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Issa, Rebecca Tinucci, Sachin Ravikumar, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, EG, Asda, Charging, Thomson Locations: Britain, London, Europe

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex looks on outside the Rolls Building of the High Court in London, Britain June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Prince Harry, singer Elton John and five other high-profile British figures can have their lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper alleging widespread unlawful behaviour heard at trial, the High Court in London ruled on Friday. Publisher Associated Newspapers (ANL) had sought at hearings in March to have the case thrown out, saying the claims that were brought in October 2022 were outside a six-year time limit for legal action. Harry, the younger son of King Charles, along with Elton John, and the other five claimants accuse ANL, which publishes the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, of phone-hacking and other serious privacy breaches dating back 30 years. Reporting by Michael Holden and Sam Tobin; Editing by Kate Holton and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Toby Melville, Prince Harry, Elton John, Harry, King Charles, ANL, Matthew Nicklin, Nicklin, Hamlins, John, David, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost, Doreen Lawrence, Simon Hughes, David Sherborne, Murdoch, NGN, Michael Holden, Sam Tobin, Kate Holton, Alex Richardson Organizations: Court, REUTERS, Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers, Mail, Sunday, Rupert Murdoch's News Group, Group, Mirror Group, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British

☆ UK's interior minister accuses police of pro-Palestinian bias over marches
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Critics in opposing parties and her own have accused her of stoking division and undermining the police. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described Saturday's planned march as disrespectful and said he would hold Rowley to account that the remembrance events are safeguarded. Braverman, seen as a possible future Conservative party leader, often takes a harder line than her party as a whole on issues such as crime and immigration. Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Sunak was too weak to challenge her. In a separate incident, two men were arrested over damage to the Cenotaph war memorial in the northern English town of Rochdale.

Persons: Braverman, Suella Braverman, Mark Rowley, Rishi Sunak, Saturday's, Rowley, Sunak, Keir Starmer, Neil Basu, King Charles, Sarah Young, Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper, Sharon Singleton, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: The, Hamas, British, Conservative, Opposition Labour Party, British Loyalist, London, LBC Radio, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, London, The Times, Northern Ireland, Britain, British, Braverman, Rochdale

☆ M&S echoes UK peers on early Christmas demand, Ahold looks to loyalty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A logo of food and clothes' retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) is seen at a branch in London, Britain March 10, 2022. "We are definitely seeing good sales performance in our Christmas ranges," CEO Stuart Machin told reporters after M&S reported much better-than-expected first half results. BIGGER FAMILY CHRISTMASM&S's Machin said research showed about 20% of its customers wanted to stock up on Christmas food products "slightly earlier" this year, with most of those customers planning for a bigger family Christmas. Still, the retail bosses are hopeful of strong demand for food, drinks and presents from now until the end of December. Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Sarah Young, Kate Holton and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Marks, Spencer, Toby Melville, Ahold, Stuart Machin, S's Machin, I'm, Machin, James Davey, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, Major, British Retail Consortium, Marks, Tesco, Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Europe, United States

☆ M&S shares soar as first-half profit smashes forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummaryCompanies First-half profit up 75%Cautions second half won't be as strongDividend restoredShares up 10%LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Marks & Spencer (M&S) expects full-year profit to leap more than 30% after an overhaul of its food, fashion and supply chain helped the British retailer smash first-half forecasts, sending its shares soaring on Wednesday. First-half profit jumped 75%, the dividend was reinstated as promised, and the company said shoppers were already snapping up its Christmas ranges. It now expects analysts' consensus forecast for annual profit to rise to 640 million pounds ($785 million) from 575 million pounds currently, versus 482 million pounds in 2022/23. M&S reported profit of 360.2 million pounds for the six months to Sept. 30, versus analysts' average forecast of 276 million. As flagged in May, M&S restored its dividend with a 1 pence interim payout, its first since 2019/20.

Persons: Spencer, Ian Lance, Stuart Machin, Dylan Martinez, Peel Hunt, James Davey, Kate Holton, Mark Potter Organizations: S's, Reuters, REUTERS, Revenue, Peel, Thomson Locations: British, Redwheel, Marks, Spencer, Hempstead Valley, Gillingham, Britain

☆ Britain's M&S cautious on outlook after first-half profit beats expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jeans are seen for sale at Marks and Spencer, Hempstead Valley branch at the soon to be opened clothes branch of the store in Gillingham, Britain, June 1, 2020. But it cautioned the economic outlook remained uncertain and flagged the impact on the consumer from the highest interest rates in 20 years, deflation, geopolitical events, and erratic weather. "Therefore, against more challenging comparatives, we expect profit before tax and adjusting items to be weighted towards the first half, as we remain laser-focused on our long-term ambition to reshape M&S for future growth," it said. M&S reported profit before tax and adjusting items of 360.2 million pounds ($442 million) for the six months to Sept. 30, versus analysts' average forecast of 276 million pounds and 205.5 million pounds made in the same period last year. ($1 = 0.8149 pounds)Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jeans, Dylan Martinez, Spencer, MKS.L, James Davey, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Marks, Thomson Locations: Marks, Spencer, Hempstead Valley, Gillingham, Britain

[1/2] File photo: Heavy traffic as seen on the M3 motorway heading towards the English coast, near Southampton, Britain, August 7, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Britain will make the makers rather than the owners of self-driving cars legally liable for any crashes under a framework for developing autonomous vehicles (AV), the government said on Tuesday, in a move welcomed by insurers and AV startups. King Charles said the government would bring forward an Automated Vehicles Bill as he set out the government's legislative agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary session, after one promised last year did not materialise. "My ministers will introduce new legal frameworks to support the safe commercial development of emerging industries, such as self-driving vehicles," Charles said in a speech to lawmakers. The bill will establish processes to investigate incidents and improve the safety framework, and will also set the threshold for what is classified as a self-driving car.

Persons: Toby Melville, King Charles, Charles, Tara Foley, Alex Kendall, Paul Newman, Alistair Smout, Nick Carey, William James, Kate Holton, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Ireland, AXA, Companies, Microsoft, Motors, Oxford, Thomson Locations: Southampton, Britain, U.S, California

☆ Britain says self-driving car makers liable for incidents in new framework
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

File photo: Heavy traffic as seen on the M3 motorway heading towards the English coast, near Southampton, Britain, August 7, 2020. King Charles said the government would bring forward an Automated Vehicles Bill as he set out the government's legislative agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary session, after one promised last year did not materialise. "My Ministers will introduce new legal frameworks to support the safe commercial development of emerging industries, such as self-driving vehicles," Charles said in a speech to lawmakers. "The Bill gives people immunity from prosecution when a self-driving vehicle is driving itself, given it does not make sense to then hold the person sat behind the wheel responsible." The bill will establish new processes to investigate incidents and improve the safety framework, and will also set the threshold for what is classified as a self-driving car.

Persons: Toby Melville, King Charles, Charles, Alistair Smout, Nick Carey, William James, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, Motors, Thomson Locations: Southampton, Britain, AVs, U.S, California

☆ UK house prices end six-month losing streak - Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Compared with a year earlier, house prices in October were 3.2% lower versus a 4.5% annual decline in September, leaving the average house price at 281,974 pounds ($347,279), nearly 10,000 pounds lower than a year earlier. British house prices surged during the COVID-19 pandemic due to low interest rates, greater demand and temporary tax breaks. Halifax's house price index is still 18% higher than it was in February 2020, despite a 4% fall since its peak in June 2022. Halifax said it expected house prices to fall further this year, with a return to growth in 2025. "The high cost of borrowing alone is not sufficient to trigger the leg down in house prices we predicted," Capital economist Andrew Wishart said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Kim Kinnaird, Huw Pill, BoE, Kinnaird, Andrew Wishart, David Milliken, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, The Bank of England, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, Halifax, British

☆ UK house prices rise in October for first time since March: Halifax
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - British house prices ended six months of consecutive falls in October, reflecting a lack of homes being put up for sale, but prices are still lower than a year ago, mortgage lender Halifax said on Tuesday. Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), said house prices in October were 1.1% higher than the month before, the first increase since March on a seasonally adjusted basis, after a 0.3% monthly drop in September. This is likely to have strengthened prices in the short-term, rather than prices being driven by buyer demand, which remains weak overall," Kim Kinnaird, director of Halifax Mortgages, said. Compared with a year earlier, house prices in October were 3.2% lower versus a 4.5% annual decline in September, leaving the average house price at 281,974 pounds ($347,279), nearly 10,000 pounds lower than a year earlier. Halifax said it expected further falls in house prices, and a return to growth in 2025.

Persons: Toby Melville, Kim Kinnaird, Kinnaird, David Milliken, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Halifax, Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, Halifax

☆ Britain temporarily withdraws some embassy staff from Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Office said on Monday it was temporarily withdrawing some British embassy staff from Lebanon. It had already advised Britons against all travel to Lebanon due to the conflict between neighbouring Israel and Gaza, and encouraged any Britons still in the country to leave while commercial flights remain. Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kylie MacLellan, Kate Holton Organizations: Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Gaza

☆ Storm Ciaran kills six, lashes Europe with strong winds and rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A truck driver was killed when a tree fell on him in France while a second death was reported in Le Havre, according to authorities. [1/7]A surfer tries to navigate through rough sea during Storm Ciaran, in Tramore, Ireland, November 2, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Acquire Licensing RightsFrench Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters that in addition to the death of truck driver, 15 people, including seven firefighters, had been injured. Still, the storm in France showed some signs of abating with the Meteo France weather service reducing its alert for strong winds in Mache, Finistere and Cotes d'Armor from red to orange. La Pinilla, a ski resort north of Madrid, and Estaca de Bares in Galicia registered wind velocities of more than 150 kph, AEMET said.

Persons: Storm Ciaran, Storm Babet, Clodagh, Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin, AENA, AEMET, Kate Holton, Dominique Vidalon, Farouq Suleiman, Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Emma Pinedo, Charlie Devereux, Angus MacSwan, Gareth Jones, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Amsterdam PARIS, REUTERS, French, Cotes d'Armor, Dutch Airline KLM, Inti Landauro, Thomson Locations: France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Jersey, Amsterdam, BRUSSELS, Europe, Le Havre, Madrid, Belgian, Ghent, Finistere, Brittany, Storm, Northern Ireland, Britain, Tramore, Ireland, Roubaix, Brest, Cotes, Paris, Galicia, Cantabria, Bares, London

☆ Elon Musk says AI Safety Summit aims to establish 'third-party referee'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Tesla, X (formerly known as Twitter) and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk speaks with members of the media during the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Bletchley, Britain on November 1, 2023. The UK Government are hosting the AI Safety Summit bringing together international governments, leading AI... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreBLETCHLEY PARK, England, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said on Wednesday an inaugural AI Safety Summit in Britain wanted to establish a "third-party referee" that could oversee companies developing artificial intelligence and sound the alarm if they have concerns. "I don't know what necessarily the fair rules are, but you've got to start with insight before you do oversight," Musk said. "I think there's a lot of concern among people in the AI field that the government will sort of jump the gun on rules, before knowing what to do," Musk said. Reporting by William James; editing by Kate Holton and Sachin RavikumarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elon Musk, you've, Musk, Musk's, William James, Kate Holton, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: SpaceX's, Bletchley, Government, Safety Summit, European Union, Thomson Locations: Bletchley, Britain, BLETCHLEY, England

☆ US Vice President Harris to call for action on threats from AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event about the President signing an Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 30, 2023. Harris will say AI has the potential to create "cyberattacks at a scale beyond anything we have seen before to AI-formulated bioweapons that could endanger the lives of millions". Harris is in Britain to attend London's summit on artificial intelligence, where world and tech leaders will discuss the future of the technology. The new U.S. AI Safety Institute will share information and collaborate on research with peer institutions internationally, including Britain's planned AI Safety Institute. Harris will also say that 30 countries have agreed to sign a U.S.-sponsored political declaration for the use of AI by national militaries.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Leah Millis, Harris, Rishi, Joe Biden, Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, White, REUTERS, Safety Institute, Conservative Party, Security, British, AI, Safety, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, London, United States, Washington, Britain, U.S

☆ U.S. to launch its own AI Safety Institute - Raimondo
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks on Day 1 of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Bletchley, Britain on November 1, 2023. The UK Government are hosting the AI Safety Summit bringing together international governments, leading AI companies, civil society groups and experts in... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreBLETCHLEY PARK, England, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The United States will launch a U.S. AI Safety Institute to evaluate known and emerging risks of what is called "frontier" artificial intelligence models, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said on Wednesday. "I will almost certainly be calling on many of you in the audience who are in academia and industry to be part of this consortium," she said in a speech to the AI Safety Summit in Britain. Raimondo added that she would also commit for the U.S. institute to establish a formal partnership with the United Kingdom Safety Institute. Reporting by Paul Sandle; writing by Kate Holton; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Raimondo, Paul Sandle, Kate Holton, William James Our Organizations: . Commerce, AI, Bletchley, Government, AI Safety, Summit, U.S, United Kingdom Safety Institute, Thomson Locations: Bletchley, Britain, BLETCHLEY, England, United States, U.S

☆ Vodafone to sell Spanish arm to Zegona for $5.30 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Vodafone (VOD.L) will sell its struggling Spanish business to Zegona Communications (ZEG.L) for 5 billion euros ($5.30 billion), it said on Tuesday, in the British firm's second major transaction this year. Vodafone said it would receive at least 4.1 billion euros in cash. It will also provide 900 million euros in financing in the form of preference shares redeemable no later than six years after closing. Vodafone ranks third in Spanish telecoms after Telefonica and Orange. Zegona's Chairman and CEO Eamonn O'Hare said he was "very excited" about the opportunity to return to the Spanish telecomsmarket.

Persons: Margherita Della Valle, Britain's, Della Valle, Eamonn O'Hare, Yadarisa, Paul Sandle, Subhranshu Sahu, Kate Holton Organizations: Vodafone, Zegona Communications, Vodafone's, Telefonica, British, Zegona's, Thomson Locations: British, Spain, Orange, Spanish, Telecable, Bengaluru, London

☆ British tech company Oxford Nanopore outlines medium-term growth plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - British technology company Oxford Nanopore (ONT.L) said it hoped to reach break-even by the end of 2026, as it outlined plans to drive further growth in the life science research tools market and expand into new areas of healthcare. Oxford Nanopore, a spinout from the University of Oxford which floated two years ago, wants to further commercialise its sensing technology which is able to produce immediate analysis of DNA and RNA for use across scientific research, healthcare and other industries. "Today also marks an important transition for Oxford Nanopore as we introduce our medium-to-long term strategy to meet unmet needs in the clinical and applied markets," Chief Executive Gordon Sanghera said in a statement. For the first half-year of the year, Oxford Nanopore posted a 46% rise in revenues from its Life Science Research Tools unit. Shares in Oxford Nanopore, which has a market capitalisation of 1.6 billion pounds, have fallen 15% in the last six months, prior to Thursday's announcement.

Persons: Oxford Nanopore, Gordon Sanghera, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: Oxford, University of Oxford, Mayo Clinic, Thomson Locations: British, Oxford

But supporters of the Palestinians say they feel blocked from publicly expressing support or concern for people in the Hamas-controlled enclave of Gaza without risking arrest, their jobs or immigration status. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin clamped a nationwide ban on pro-Palestinian protests last week, citing the risk of public disorder. In Germany, Berlin police have approved two requests for pro-Palestine protests since the initial Hamas attacks, a police spokesperson said. Even before the Hamas attack on Israel, Germany was restricting pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with Berlin authorities banning several on public safety grounds. On Wednesday, in response to an appeal against Darmanin's instructions, a court said local authorities should ban protests on a case by case basis.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Messika Medjoub, Gerald Darmanin, Olaf Scholz, Darmanin, doesn't, Benjamin Ward, Germany we're, Saleh Said, Felix Klein, Hortense La Chance, Riham Alkousaa, Thomas Escritt, Layli, Kate Holton, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Police, Hamas, REUTERS, Paris, Palestine, EU, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Israel, Frankfurt, Germany, France, BERLIN, PARIS, Gaza, Paris, Berlin, Hungary, Austria, Europe, FRANCE, Palestine, London

[1/2] A BR700-725 jet engine is seen at the assembly line of the Rolls-Royce Germany plant, in Dahlewitz near Berlin, Germany February 28, 2023. Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over in January, is the latest chief executive to try to tackle the company's inefficiencies. On Tuesday the company said it planned to shed up to 2,500 roles out of its total staff of 42,000. "This is another step on our multi-year transformation journey to build a high performing, competitive, resilient and growing Rolls-Royce," he said. One in 2020 aimed at surviving the pandemic which slashed 9,000 jobs, and one in 2018 which made 4,600 redundancies.

Persons: Nadja Wohlleben, Grazia Vittadini, Tufan Erginbilgic, Royce, Warren East, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Emelia Organizations: Royce, REUTERS, Airbus, Boeing, General Electric, Tuesday, Warren, Thomson Locations: Royce Germany, Dahlewitz, Berlin, Germany, Britain, United States

[1/2] A BR700-725 jet engine is seen at the assembly line of the Rolls-Royce Germany plant, in Dahlewitz near Berlin, Germany February 28, 2023. Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over in January, is the latest chief executive to try to tackle the company's inefficiencies. On Tuesday the company said it planned to shed up to 2,500 roles out of its total staff of 42,000. "This is another step on our multi-year transformation journey to build a high performing, competitive, resilient and growing Rolls-Royce," he said. As part of the new streamlining plan, Rolls-Royce said it would merge its engineering technology and safety groups, and as a result chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini would leave in April 2024.

Persons: Nadja Wohlleben, Grazia Vittadini, Tufan Erginbilgic, Royce, Warren East, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: Royce, REUTERS, Airbus, Boeing, GE, Tuesday, Warren, Thomson Locations: Royce Germany, Dahlewitz, Berlin, Germany, LONDON

☆ Scotland's leader says dream of independence alive despite his party's troubles
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Scotland's First Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Humza Yousaf speaks during an interview with Reuters ahead of his party's annual conference in Aberdeen, Britain, October 16, 2023. REUTERS/Gerhard May Acquire Licensing RightsABERDEEN, Scotland, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Scotland's leader Humza Yousaf is confident his dream of independence will come true in the next decade despite his governing party haemorrhaging support over the worst crisis in its modern history. The dominant political party in Scotland for almost two decades, the pro-independence Scottish National Party has been damaged by infighting, voter fatigue and scandals, including the arrest of its charismatic former leader Nicola Sturgeon. Even with support for the SNP in decline, opinion polls show Scotland is still roughly split over independence. "Support for independence is rock solid but support for the SNP has dipped," he said.

Persons: Humza Yousaf, Gerhard, Nicola Sturgeon, Yousaf, YouGov, Scots, Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak's, isn't, Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton, Ed Osmond Organizations: Scotland's, Scottish National Party, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Labour Party won, Labour, Scotland, England, European Union, Scottish, Westminster, British, Thomson Locations: Aberdeen, Britain, Rights ABERDEEN, Scotland, Europe, European, London

☆ Scottish leader says wife's parents risk running out of food in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yousaf's parents-in-law live in Scotland but were visiting relatives in Gaza when Hamas militants poured into Israel and killed 1,300 people last weekend. "There is no doubt that collective punishment is a breach of international law," he said. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told parliament on Monday that Israel must defend itself in line with international humanitarian law. Diplomatic efforts are continuing to get aid into the enclave as food, fuel and water run short. He added that his brother-in-law, who works as a doctor, is having to make decisions about who should be treated, while the hospitals in Gaza run out of body bags.

Persons: Humza Yousaf, Yousaf's, Israel, Yousaf, Elizabeth, Maged, Nakla, Gerhard, Rishi Sunak, Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Reuters, Scottish National Party, REUTERS, London ., Thomson Locations: Gaza, ABERDEEN, Scotland, Israel, Aberdeen, Britain, British, London, London . British, Dundee, Palestinian, Scottish, Glasgow, Pakistan, Kenya

The deal was the biggest test of the CMA's global power to take on the tech giants since Britain left the European Union. "The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers," it said in a statement. Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. Activision Blizzard said: "The CMA's official approval is great news for our future with Microsoft, and we look forward to becoming part of the Xbox Team." The European Commission said the new commitments given by Microsoft to the CMA did not interfere with its EU commitments.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Cardell, Ben Barringer, Brad Smith, Activision Blizzard, Paul Sandle, Yadarisa Shabong, Aditya Soni, Foo Yun Chee, Varun H, Kate Holton, Sonali Paul, Jane Merriman, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: CMA, Microsoft, LONDON, Activision Blizzard, Sony, Activision, Competition, Markets Authority, Ubisoft Entertainment, Britain, European Union, PlayStation, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, REUTERS, British, Finance, Xbox, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Britain, Cheviot, London, Bengaluru, Foo

Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. The deal was blocked in April by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which said it could give the U.S. computing giant a stranglehold over the nascent cloud gaming market. The deal was the biggest test of the CMA's global power to take on the tech giants since Britain left the European Union. "The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers," it said in a statement. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission opposed the deal but after failing to stop it, the CMA was left standing alone.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jeremy Hunt, Sarah Cardell, Ben Barringer, Brad Smith, Activision Blizzard, Paul Sandle, Yadarisa, Foo Yun Chee, Varun H, Kate Holton, Sonali Paul, Jane Merriman Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, REUTERS, CMA, LONDON, Activision Blizzard, Competition, Markets Authority, Ubisoft Entertainment, Britain, European Union, PlayStation, Sony, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, British, Finance, Xbox, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Britain, Cheviot, London, Bengaluru, Foo

Official data showed economic output expanded by 0.2% in August from July, matching the median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. "The UK economy is holding up but remains in a precarious state," said David Bharier, head of research at the British Chambers of Commerce. The data showed Britain's huge services sector grew by a slightly stronger than expected 0.4% in August from July while manufacturing and construction shrank by 0.8% and 0.5%. Investors are putting a chance of less than one in four on the BoE resuming its rate hikes after its next scheduled meeting in November. Britain's economy stood 2.1% bigger than in February 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit, the ONS said.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Sterling, Elizabeth's, BoE, David Bharier, William Schomberg, Andy Bruce, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of England, Monetary Fund, Chambers of Commerce, European Union, ONS, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Miral

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