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LONDON, June 16 (Reuters) - The pound was set for its biggest weekly rise in six months on Friday after days of economic data and central bank rate decisions, and ahead of the Bank of England's monetary policy meeting next week. It was up 1.72% since Monday, the biggest weekly increase since early December. "Tuesday's labour market data led Bank rate expectations to spend much of that evening flirting with a terminal (peak) rate closer to 6%," said Nicholas Rees, FX market analyst at Monex Europe. Reuters GraphicsHe said U.S. economic data released on Thursday, which showed weekly jobless claims were higher than expected last week, also helped boost sterling by weighing on the dollar. Sterling rose to its highest level against the yen in eight years following the BoJ's announcement, at 180.83 yen to the pound.

Persons: Nicholas Rees, Rees, Sterling, BoE, they're, Ben Laidler, Farouq Suleiman, Harry Robertson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Bank, Analysts, Bank of England, FX, Monex, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, ECB, U.S . Federal, Nationwide Building Society, Thomson Locations: Monex Europe, lockstep, Britain

REUTERS/John Sibley/File PhotoLONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - Odey Asset Management is in advanced talks to move funds and staff to other asset managers as it grapples with the fallout of sexual misconduct allegations against its founder Crispin Odey. A spokesperson for the hedge fund declined further comment on Thursday. Hedge funds such as OAM rely on leverage from prime brokerage service providers to make their market bets. Without a prime broker, a hedge fund which needs to borrow stocks cannot function. A spokesperson for OAM also declined to comment on whether the moves signalled that the hedge fund would close.

Persons: Crispin Odey, John Sibley, Odey, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, James Hanbury, Harriett Baldwin, Nell Mackenzie, Sinead Cruise, Dhara Ranasignhe, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Odey, Management, Financial Times, Tortoise Media, Reuters, UBS, Authority, Asset Management, FCA, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Westminster, London, Britain

☆ Shares get a tech boost; dollar dithers ahead of inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, June 9, 2023. REUTERS/StaffLONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Global shares rose on Tuesday, taking their lead from an upbeat session on Wall Street ahead of key U.S. inflation data that could shape the outlook for Federal Reserve monetary policy. Money markets show traders now anticipate a peak in UK rates at around 5.6% by February, up from a terminal rate of 4.85% by November a month ago. In currencies, the dollar index , which measures the performance of the U.S. currency against six others, fell 0.2% to 103.32. Sterling rose 0.4% against the dollar to $1.2567 after the UK wage data , while the euro rose 0.4% to $1.0796.

Persons: Michael Hewson, it’s, BoE, we've, Fiona Cincotta, Farouq Suleiman, Julie Zhu, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed, Simon Cameron, Moore, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Staff LONDON, Federal Reserve, Nvidia, Nikkei, Nasdaq, Amazon, Apple, Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank of Canada, Fed, ECB, Bank of England, European Central Bank, Bank of, Sterling, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Europe, Swedish, Bank of Japan, London, Hong Kong

Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, June 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday his plan to stop migrants arriving in small boats had reduced crossings by 20%, an update he hopes will ease criticism from his party and in the country over immigration policy. "In the five months since I launched the plan, crossings are now down 20% compared to last year," Sunak told a news conference in southern England. "The plan is working," he said, adding his government was not complacent and would work hard to make sure parliament passed a new law. Sunak urged parliament to pass his new Illegal Migration Bill, which will allow for the swift detention and deportation of people arriving on small boats back to their homeland or to so-called safe third countries such as Rwanda. Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Farouq Suleiman and Elizabeth Piper; editing by Kate Holton and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Yui Mok, Sunak, Sarah Young, Farouq Suleiman, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton, Nick Macfie Organizations: Western Jet, REUTERS LONDON, British, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Dover, Britain, England, Albania, London, Rwanda

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Novelist Salman Rushdie has warned that countries in the West face the most severe threats to freedom of expression and freedom to publish in his lifetime, speaking nine months after a man repeatedly stabbed him onstage in New York. Rushdie, 75, was awarded the 'Freedom to Publish' award by The British Book Awards on Monday. "We live in a moment, I think, at which freedom of expression, freedom to publish has not in my lifetime been under such threat in the countries of the West,” Rushdie said in a video message from New York broadcast to the award ceremony. "The freedom to publish, of course, is also the freedom to read and the freedom to write, the ability to write what you want ... to be able to choose what you want to read and not have it decided for you externally." “In the countries in the West, until recently, there was a fair measure of freedom in the area of publishing.

[1/6] Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, leaves Westminster Abbey following the coronation ceremony of Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla, in London, Britain May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/PoolLONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Prince Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, attended his father's coronation in Westminster Abbey on Saturday although he sat in the third row and did not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the pinnacle of the celebration. It had been unclear until early April whether Harry, who now lives in California, would attend the historic occasion following a very public falling out with his family. In his book "Spare", published in January, Harry criticized his father, his stepmother Queen Camilla, and his brother Prince William, and accused the institution of treating he and his wife without compassion. His eldest son Archie was celebrating his fourth birthday on Saturday and Harry was thought to be keen to return as soon as possible.

[1/4] People wait to watch Britain's King Charles' procession to his coronation ceremony from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, at The Mall in London, Britain May 6, 2023. From the early hours, people dressed in red, white and blue and clutching union flags lined the streets to watch the crowning of King Charles, the first coronation in Britain for 70 years that will be marked by a vast display of pomp and pageantry. But polls show the public generally approves of Charles as king and a majority still support the monarchy, even if younger people are far less interested. By 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) crowds on the grand Mall boulevard leading up to Buckingham Palace were 20-deep in places, with many wearing paper crowns and waving flags. "I think regardless of his age the king will reach out to younger people, I think he'll be more connected to the youth than the queen," he said.

[1/4] People wait to watch Britain's King Charles' procession to his coronation ceremony from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, at The Mall in London, Britain May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie LecocqLONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people of all ages, from Britain and across the globe, braved the rain for a glimpse of the newly crowned King Charles in the streets of London and on Buckingham Palace's famous balcony on Saturday. "It was amazing to see them all there in real life, just like you’d see on a postcard." Charles, 74, ascended to the throne in September after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth. But polls show the public generally approves of Charles as king and a majority still support the monarchy, even if younger people are far less interested.

During a historic and solemn two-hour service, which dates back to the time of King William the Conqueror in 1066, Charles' second wife Camilla was also crowned queen. Charles, 74, automatically succeeded his mother as king on her death last September. GREAT AND GOOD[1/20] Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla wave on the Buckingham Palace balcony following their coronation ceremony in London, Britain May 6, 2023. Much of the ceremony featured elements that Charles' forebears right back to King Edgar in 973 would recognise, officials said. Not everyone who came to watch was there to cheer Charles, with hundreds of republicans booing and waving banners reading "Not My King".

[1/5] Britain's King Charles speaks to guests during a reception for overseas guests attending his coronation at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 5, 2023. It will be the largest show of its kind in Britain since the coronation of Charles' mother. Once at the abbey, much of the ceremony will feature elements that Charles' forebears right back to King Edgar in 973 would recognise, officials said. Handel’s coronation anthem "Zadok The Priest" will be sung as it has at every coronation since 1727. After returning to Buckingham Palace, the royals will make a traditional appearance on the balcony, with a fly-past by military aircraft.

☆ UK PM Sunak: Election results show people want us to deliver for them
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said local elections results so far showed that people wanted his ruling party to deliver on their priorities, but that it was still too early in the process of announcing results to draw firm conclusions. "The message I am hearing from people tonight is that they want us to focus on their priorities and they want us to deliver for them," he told reporters. "In terms of the results, it's still early, we've just had a quarter of the results in, but what I am going to carry on doing is delivering on the people's priorities." Reporting by William James and Farouq Suleiman,Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Royal fans wait on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation of Britain's King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, in London, Britain, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Maja SmiejkowskaLONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - Heavy bursts of rain could dampen King Charles' coronation celebrations in London on Saturday, according to Britain's Met Office forecaster. Charles is due to leave Buckingham Palace and travel along a mile-long ceremonial procession through the capital before the coronation ceremony at 1000 GMT. If it does rain on his parade, Charles will not be alone: the last two monarchs endured wet weather on their big day according to Met Office data. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth in June 1953 saw "light rain throughout the day" while 8.2 millimetres (0.32 inches) of rain fell during George VI's 1937 crowning.

☆ William and Kate visit London pub ahead of King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jamie Lorriman/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, May 4 (Reuters) - Prince William and his wife Kate took a trip by Tube to a London pub on Thursday and told locals that preparations are still being nailed down for his father King Charles III's coronation, the most significant royal event in a generation. King Charles will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday in a grand ceremony dating back some 1,000 years. "I hope all goes well, fingers crossed," said William, who pulled a pint of "Kingmaker" beer himself inside the 19th Century hostelry. Asked about the upcoming celebrations, Kate, who sipped a pint of beer as she chatted to the guests, said: “It’s going to be a busy time. On Saturday, William, the heir, and Kate will follow King Charles' golden coach in a carriage procession through central London.

[1/4] Security forces stand guard after British police arrested a man outside Buckingham Palace for throwing what they believe were shotgun cartridges, in London, Britain May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, May 2 (Reuters) - Police arrested a man outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday for throwing what they believe were shotgun cartridges and officers also carried out a controlled explosion in the area, days before King Charles' coronation ceremony. Police said the man had approached Buckingham Palace gates and thrown items, suspected to be shotgun cartridges, into the palace grounds before being detained by officers at around 1800 GMT. Buckingham Palace said neither the king nor his wife Camilla were at the palace at the time of Tuesday's incident. In 2016, an unarmed man was arrested in the grounds of Buckingham Palace after scaling a perimeter wall.

☆ Missile maker MBDA signs 1.9 billion pound deal with Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) - The UK arm of European missile maker MBDA on Friday agreed a 1.9 billion pound ($2.37 billion) deal with Poland to provide it with a British-designed air defence system, the British government said. "I am delighted that the UK and Poland’s deep and historic defence ties take another step forward with the signing of the largest ever UK defence export deal with Poland," British defence minister Ben Wallace said in a statement. The missile deal will see Britain deliver 22 Polish air defence batteries with British Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMMs) and launchers. The government said the contract would support more than 500 jobs at MBDA UK. The government said the British-designed CAMMs developed by MBDA UK are already deployed to Poland with the British Army to protect its airspace following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

GMB's backing means the offer has been accepted by four unions representing National Health Service (NHS) workers whose members include midwives, physiotherapists and ambulance workers. The NHS Staff Council, which includes representatives from NHS employers and trade unions, is due to meet on May 2 to vote on whether to accept the offer. The GMB's leadership said it would now vote in favour of the pay offer, after 56% of its members who voted in a ballot accepted the deal. "This new pay offer would not have happened without the strike action taken by ambulance and other GMB health workers," said Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary. "Our members recognise that progress has been made - from the government originally offering nothing, health workers will be thousands of pounds better off."

☆ UK train drivers target FA Cup final, Eurovision with fresh strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ASLEF said the strikes would take place on May 12, May 31 and June 3. As well as the FA Cup final, the action will likely impact those travelling to the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, taking place between May 9 and 13. "Consequently, we have today announced three more days of strike action." "More strike action is totally unnecessary and will only heap more pressure on an industry already facing an acute financial crisis," an RDG spokesperson said. "We urge the ASLEF leadership to re-join us at the negotiating table and work with us to find a solution."

☆ London police failed to learn from serial killer case, review finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - London's police force has failed to learn enough from its failures in a 2016 serial killer case to stop similar crimes happening again, a police watchdog said on Thursday in a damning report. The review of the case of serial killer Stephen Port, who was jailed for life for the murder of four men he met on dating websites between 2014 and 2015, said the force had failed to recognise the deaths were connected until too late, despite obvious similarities. "The Met has still not learned enough from the calamitous litany of failures in that (Port) case," Inspector of the Constabulary Matt Parr said. However, the Met’s problems with competence and professionalism run even deeper: too often, they don’t get the basics right. The report said despite some improvements made since the case, police officers at the Met acknowledged they still rely on luck to identify links between deaths at a local level.

☆ Jerry Springer, raucous talk show host, dead at 79
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Television personality Jerry Springer at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File PhotoLONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Television personality Jerry Springer, known for a long-running talk show that featured raucous audiences, controversial topics and fist-fighting guests and who briefly served as Cincinnati mayor, died at age 79 on Thursday, his family said. Springer was born in London on Feb. 13, 1944, and immigrated to New York City when he was 4 years old. In 1991, Springer landed his own television program, a syndicated talk show broadcast across the United States until 2018. The daytime program, known as "The Jerry Springer Show," was initially a politically oriented show but later featured everyday people discussing sensationalistic topics, often related to unconventional sexuality.

☆ Britain's King Charles unveils Eurovision competition stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles and his wife Camilla unveiled the stage for next month's 2023 Eurovision Song Contest during a visit to the venue in the northern English city of Liverpool on Wednesday, saying he would be watching. Liverpool is set to host the competition, on behalf of last year's winner Ukraine after it was unable to stage the competition because of the Russian invasion. REUTERS/Phil Noble/Pool 1 2 3Following a countdown by onlookers, Charles and Camilla unveiled the competition stage by pressing a large pink button which initiated a series of colourful dancing stage lights and a pulsating beat. In February, Britain's government said it would make 3,000 tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest available to displaced Ukrainians and provide 10 million pounds ($12.47 million) of funding to help host the competition. The song contest will be hosted between May 9 and 13.

☆ UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab resigns after bullying probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - British Deputy Prime Minister and justice minister Dominic Raab resigned on Friday, following an independent investigation into formal complaints of bullying. In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak published on Twitter, Raab said the inquiry had set a dangerous precedent, but that he would remain supportive of the government. "I called for the inquiry and undertook to resign, if it made any finding of bullying whatsoever. However, he added: "In setting the threshold for bullying so low, this inquiry has set a dangerous precedent. Raab's resignation means a third senior minister has departed over their personal conduct since Sunak entered Downing Street in October promising a government of integrity.

☆ 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.

☆ Swinging Sixties fashion designer Mary Quant dies aged 93
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Farouq Suleiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - Fashion designer Mary Quant, often credited with popularising the miniskirt that helped define Britain's "Swinging Sixties" era, has died aged 93. Born and brought up in Blackheath, south east London, Quant helped pioneer bold new styles during the 1960s - a decade in which fashion, music and art subculture challenged and forever changed Britain's post-war national identity. "It’s impossible to overstate Quant's contribution to fashion," the Victoria and Albert Museum, which held a 2019 exhibition focused on her work, said in a statement. "She represented the joyful freedom of 1960s fashion, and provided a new role model for young women. A self-taught designer, Quant opened a west London boutique called Bazaar in the 1950s alongside her fashion entrepreneur husband Alexander Plunket Greene and their business partner.

☆ Northern Ireland police recover suspected pipe bombs ahead of Biden visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 11 (Reuters) - Police in Northern Ireland said on Tuesday they had recovered four suspected pipe bombs from a cemetery near the city of Londonderry following a public safety operation. The discovery comes hours before U.S. President Joe Biden is due to arrive in Belfast, about 110 kilometers (70 miles) southeast of Londonderry. Biden arrives in Belfast late on Tuesday at a delicate political time in Northern Ireland as he helps mark the 25-year anniversary of a peace deal that largely ended 30 years of bloodshed there. Pipe bombs are crude improvised explosive devices used in the past by militants in Northern Ireland and are often around the size of a hand grenade. In March, Britain's MI5 intelligence agency increased the threat level in Northern Ireland from domestic terrorism to "severe" - meaning an attack is highly likely - though the move was not thought to be linked to the anniversary.

☆ London's police force steps up crackdown on rogue officers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Last month, an independent review found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic, and unable to police itself. The review called for urgent reform of Britain's biggest force known as the Met. The Met's new chief Mark Rowley, who took over last September, has vowed to rid the force of unsuitable individuals among its more than 43,000 officers and staff. Further reviews are ongoing to assess the vetting of serving officers and all staff are being checked against the Police National Computer (PNC), which records convictions. Reporting by Farouq Suleiman and Sachin Ravikumar Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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