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☆ 'Bohemian Rhapsody' piano, other Freddie Mercury belongings to be auctioned
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Sarah Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Freddie Mercury's signature crown and cape are displayed during Sotheby's 'Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own' press preview in London, Britain August 3, 2023. "We've conceived our gallery spaces to give it a sense of what it was like living with Freddie at home," said David MacDonald, head of single owner sales at Sotheby's London said. At the heart of the auction is Mercury's treasured, black Yamaha piano, estimated at 2-3 million pounds ($2.5-$3.8 million), on which he composed the 1975 Queen epic "Bohemian Rhapsody". "It was an extension of himself, his vehicle of creativity," Austin said of the baby grand piano. "He would never smoke at the piano or rest a glass on top of it and would ensure nobody else did either.

Persons: Freddie Mercury's, Sotheby's, Freddie Mercury, Susannah Ireland, Queen, Mary Austin, We've, Freddie, David MacDonald, he'd, MacDonald, Austin, Sachin Ravikumar, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Susannah, Tiffany, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A partial pardon by Myanmar's ruling military of jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi means "absolutely nothing", her younger son said on Wednesday, calling on Western governments to do more to step up pressure on the junta. Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021, when the military overthrew Suu Kyi's elected government and cracked down on opponents of military rule, with thousands jailed or killed. Suu Kyi had won a 2015 election, held as part of tentative military reforms, and her party won again in 2020, before the military complained of election fraud. Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, poses for a portrait at the Reuters office in London, Britain, August 2, 2023. "But I do not see that this will actually result in any dialogue," he said of Suu Kyi's partial pardon.

Persons: Myanmar's, Aung San Suu, Kim Aris, Suu Kyi's, Suu Kyi, Michael Aris, Myanmar’s, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi, Dylan Martinez, I've, Aung, Suu, Sachin Ravikumar, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Aris, REUTERS, National Unity Government, Thomson Locations: British, London, Myanmar, Aung San Suu, Britain, Aung San, U.S

☆ Britain to grant over 100 new North Sea oil and gas licences
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) - Britain will grant more than 100 new oil and gas licences in the North Sea as part of efforts to tap domestic supplies and become more energy independent, the government said on Monday. Sunak said the new licences would support domestic supply, reduce reliance on hostile states, boost jobs in the sector and reduce the carbon footprint when compared with an alternative option of importing liquified natural gas. The oil and gas industry regulator expects the first of the new licences, which will continue to face climate compatibility tests, to be awarded in the autumn, the government said. It also said the new licences could be offered close to already licensed areas to unlock oil and gas reserves faster thanks to existing infrastructure and previous assessments. It has pledged to stop new oil and gas exploration licences in the North Sea.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Sachin Ravikumar, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: Sunak's Conservatives, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Britain, Scotland, England, North

European travellers are already on high alert over worries about air traffic control problems arising from both the reduced air space available due to the Ukraine war, plus staffing issues and industrial action at some locations. "Given the scale of the industrial action, disruption, delays and cancellations are inevitable across the airport," Unite said in its statement. Concerns over air traffic control delays already prompted easyJet to axe 2% of its summer flight schedule, mostly from Gatwick, on Monday. On the strike-affected days, 4,410 flights are due to depart from Gatwick, equating to over 840,000 potential passengers, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Britain's busiest hub, Heathrow Airport, agreed a pay deal with security workers in June, avoiding multiple days of walk-outs throughout the summer which had been planned by Unite.

Persons: EasyJet, easyJet, William James, Sarah Young, Sachin, Mark Potter Organizations: Gatwick, Menzies Aviation, DHL Services, Gatwick's, British Airways, DHL, Airlines, Financial Times, Heathrow Airport, Unite, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, London, TUI, Gatwick, Europe

☆ UK wage growth matches record high, keeping BoE under pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The labour market became less tight in May and there are some signs of momentum in wage growth slowing a bit," Ashley Webb, an economist with Capital Economics, said. "But with wage growth still well above the levels consistent with the 2% inflation target, this won't ease the Bank of England's inflation fears significantly." The BoE is monitoring pay growth closely as it assesses how much inflationary pressure remains in Britain's economy even after its 13 back-to-back interest rate increases. "But it always has taken a little time for changes in labour market slack to influence wage growth and some leading indicators remain encouraging." Annual pay growth including bonuses sped up to 6.9%, the fastest on record excluding the coronavirus pandemic period when government job subsidies distorted the data, the ONS said.

Persons: Sterling, Ashley Webb, BoE, Andrew Bailey, Samuel Tombs, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar, Kate Holton, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, of England, Sterling, Bank of England, National Statistics, Capital Economics, of, Pantheon, MPC, Thomson

☆ UK mortgage rates surge to 15-year high after surpassing 'mini-budget' peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The average two-year fixed residential mortgage rate climbed to 6.66%, narrowly exceeding the 6.65% touched on Oct. 20 and the highest since August 2008 when it stood at 6.94%, according to data provider Moneyfacts. Governor Andrew Bailey said last month there were signs of more persistent underlying inflation pressures after the BoE unexpectedly raised its Bank Rate to 5% in an effort to tame the highest inflation rate among the world's big rich economies. Swap rates, a key measure lenders use to determine the cost of mortgage borrowing, have also soared. The surge has prompted major mortgage lenders to repeatedly reprice home loan offerings. British homebuyers typically take out mortgages with an interest rate that is fixed for two or five years, and then remortgage on to a new fixed rate or accept a variable rate.

Persons: Liz Truss, Andrew Bailey, BoE, reprice, Andrew Asaam, Suban Adbulla, Sachin Ravikumar, William Schomberg, Kate Holton, Andy Bruce Organizations: Bank of England, Nationwide, Lloyds Bank, Santander, Tuesday, Treasury, Lloyds Banking Group, Thomson Locations: Britain's, British, Halifax

SummaryCompanies BT boss who spearheaded fibre roll-out to step downJansen simplified former monopoly, retreated from sportsShares nearly halved under his tenureLONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - BT (BT.L) Chief Executive Philip Jansen will step down within the next year, having set plans in motion for Britain's biggest telecoms provider to cut jobs, become leaner and complete the roll-out of a national fibre network. Jansen had informed BT's board of directors that he plans to leave at "an appropriate moment" within the next 12 months, BT said on Monday. Since early 2019, Jansen has steered BT through a crucial period in its 177-year-history, secured funding for a national fibre network for 25 million homes and businesses and handled the arrival of billionaire investor Patrick Drahi on the shareholder register. "We suspect investors will find this transition a little premature given the fruits of BT's fibre investments have still yet to be proven out," analysts at J.P.Morgan wrote in a client note. Analysts named BT's consumer brands boss Marc Allera and Allison Kirkby, a BT board member and chief executive of Sweden's Telia, as possible successors.

Persons: Jansen, Philip Jansen, BT's, Patrick Drahi, J.P.Morgan, Adam Crozier, Marc Allera, Allison Kirkby, Sweden's, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Sharon Singleton Organizations: BT, Britain's, Discovery, Deutsche Telekom, Ofcom, Thomson Locations: France, United States, Portugal, Israel

☆ BT CEO Jansen plans to step down over the next 12 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Britain's BT (BT.L) said on Monday it had started the hunt for a new chief executive after Philip Jansen told the board he planned to step down at "an appropriate moment" within the next year. He also recently set out his longer-term vision for BT, saying it could cut potentially over 40% of its workforce once it has completed the fibre rollout and adapted to new technologies such as artificial intelligence. "This is creating a much stronger BT Group which is starting to drive growth for both investors and the UK." Jansen, a former boss of Worldpay, took over at the top of BT in February 2019. "The succession process to replace Philip is something that the board was well prepared for," Chairman Adam Crozier said.

Persons: Philip Jansen, Jansen, Patrick Drahi, " Jansen, Worldpay, Philip, Adam Crozier, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: BT, Thomson

☆ Scotland proposes making all drug possession legal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - Scotland outlined proposals on Friday to decriminalise the possession of all drugs for personal use saying it would help it tackle the worst drug death rate in Europe. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ruled out any change, saying: "There are no plans to alter our tough stance on drugs." The governing Scottish National Party, which wants Scotland to be an independent country, has also clashed with the British government over a proposed gender recognition reform law. With 327 deaths per million population, Scotland had Europe's highest drug death rate in 2020, dwarfing the next highest rate of 85 in Norway, official statistics showed. While narcotics are illegal in much of the world, some countries have decriminalised various forms of drug possession, with health experts arguing it would allow compulsive drug users to be treated as patients rather than criminals.

Persons: Elena Whitham, Rishi Sunak, dwarfing, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Drugs, British, Scottish National Party, Thomson Locations: Scotland, Europe, Edinburgh, British, London, Westminster, Norway

If Mayor Sadiq Khan's plan goes ahead, London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will become one of the world's largest to tackle air pollution, encompassing 5 million extra people in the capital's leafier and less-connected outer boroughs. London's transport authority says only one in 10 cars in outer London are not ULEZ-compliant. But Khan, who was diagnosed with asthma and wrote a book this year on air pollution and climate change, says he is determined to face down his critics. "But the further away from the city centre you go, the less you can improve air quality," Verbeek added. "It's absolutely critical that even in a cost-of-living crisis we do not kick the can of air pollution down the road and let more children grow up unhealthy and unwell," she said.

Persons: Toby Melville, Sadiq Khan's, Carl Cristina, Cristina, Khan, Thomas Verbeek, Verbeek, Jemima Hartshorn, Teresa O'Neill, I've, Gavin Jones, William James, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Delft University of Technology, Thomson Locations: Marble, London, Britain, Europe, Rome, Netherlands

☆ Britain tightens planned tech law to stop children viewing porn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Britain said on Friday it had tightened protections in its Online Safety Bill that will prevent children from viewing pornography in an update to long-delayed legislation that is being closely watched by the tech industry. Britain, like the European Union and other countries, has been grappling over how to protect social media users, and in particular children, from harmful content without damaging free speech. "To prevent any further tragedy and build a better future for our children, we are acting robustly and with urgency to make the Online Safety Bill the global standard for protecting our children." The tech industry including firms like Apple (AAPL.O) have criticised sections of the Online Safety Bill, particularly provisions that could be used to make messaging services break end-to-end encryption in order scan for child abuse material. Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Alison Williams;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Paul Scully, Sachin Ravikumar, Alison Williams Organizations: European Union, Apple, Thomson Locations: Britain

☆ UK mortgage rates rise again, turning screw on homeowners and buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - Major British lenders on Thursday announced another increase in mortgage rates offered via brokers, pushing many products above the 6% mark in painful news for many homeowners and potential buyers. Barclays (BARC.L), NatWest (NWG.L) and Virgin Money (VMUK.L) informed brokers that rates on many mortgage offerings will rise again on Friday, according to emails seen by Reuters. "As mortgage rates continue to rise, the property market is being pushed further towards a cliff edge and there's no real help in sight," mortgage broker Lewis Shaw of Shaw Financial Services said. Two-year swap rates - a key determinant of mortgage borrowing costs - have soared by 0.83 percentage points over the course of June. Mortgage rates of 6% represent the same financial burden from repayments as they did in the late 1980s, even though mortgage rates were around 13% then, according to housing market analyst Neal Hudson, founder of consultancy BuiltPlace.

Persons: Lewis Shaw, Andrew Goodwin, Liz Truss, Neal Hudson, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: Bank of England, Barclays, NatWest, Virgin, Reuters, Nationwide Building Society, Shaw Financial Services, Oxford, Oxford Economics, Thomson

The cost of certain goods is retreating in some places, but that doesn't include live music. Concert tickets have surged in price, to the point where economists are noticing. While ticket prices have increased, he said, mid-year figures haven't shown an appreciable rise since May 2022, when U.S. inflation was 8.6%. In India, fans are happy to pay a premium for quality entertainment, according to Owen Roncon, chief of business for Live Entertainment at BookMyShow. In Britain, about 150,000 music fans paid 340 pounds ($431)for a ticket to June's Glastonbury festival to see Elton John and hundreds of other acts.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, haven't, Mario Ihieme, Paul Donovan, Harry Styles, Joel Barrios, Carolina Candelas, Andy Gensler, Pollstar, TD Cowen, Stephen Glagola, Elton John, Jason Cairnduff, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Fairuz Zahari, Ed Sheeran, Owen Roncon, Eventbrite, Michael Rapino, Beth Cook, Dawn Chmielewski, Danielle Broadway, Sachin Ravikumar, David Milliken, Sharon Kimathi, Rozanna, Radhika Anilkumar, David Gaffen, Catherine Evans Organizations: LOS ANGELES, National Statistics, UBS Global Wealth Management, Stubhub, Ticketmaster, REUTERS, U.S . Labor Department, Backstreet, Live Entertainment, Backstreet Boys, Entertainment, Thomson Locations: Asia, U.S, GLASTONBURY, England, London, Seattle, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Europe, Barcelona, Glastonbury, Somerset, Britain, Malaysia, Australia, India, Leeds, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore

The cost of certain goods is retreating in some places, but that doesn't include live music. Concert tickets have surged in price, to the point where economists are noticing. Event prices in UK inflation data are based on when shows take place, not when tickets are bought. While ticket prices have increased, he said, mid-year figures haven't shown an appreciable rise since May 2022, when U.S. inflation was 8.6%. The U.S. Labor Department does not specifically measure inflation for concert prices, but the inflation rate for live performing admission events is currently 2.6 percentage points more than U.S. headline inflation.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, haven't, Mario Ihieme, Paul Donovan, Harry Styles, Joel Barrios, Carolina Candelas, Andy Gensler, Pollstar, TD Cowen, Stephen Glagola, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Fairuz Zahari, Ed Sheeran, Owen Roncon, Eventbrite, Michael Rapino, Elton John, Beth Cook, Dawn Chmielewski, Danielle Broadway, Sachin Ravikumar, David Milliken, Sharon Kimathi, Rozanna, Radhika Anilkumar, David Gaffen, Catherine Evans Organizations: LOS ANGELES, National Statistics, UBS Global Wealth Management, Stubhub, Ticketmaster, U.S . Labor Department, Backstreet, Live Entertainment, Backstreet Boys, Entertainment, Thomson Locations: Asia, U.S, GLASTONBURY, England, London, Seattle, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Europe, Barcelona, Malaysia, Australia, India, Britain, Leeds, Glastonbury, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore

☆ Boris Johnson's rules breach over newspaper job shows need for reform - UK ethics body
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) - Former British prime minister Boris Johnson committed a "clear and unambiguous" breach of rules when he took up a job as a newspaper columnist this month, an ethics body said, calling for reform of a system it said was outdated and ineffective. The committee had already said Johnson had breached the rules by failing to give it proper notice. It went further on Tuesday, calling the breach "unambiguous" and saying it showed the need for reform because current rules only offer guidance and lack clarity in areas such as sanctions. It is up to the government to decide what sanctions, if any, Johnson would face for the breach. In his broader criticism of the existing system, Pickles also said new areas of corruption were not monitored because they weren't envisaged when the rules were created.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Johnson, Eric Pickles, Rishi Sunak's, Lord Pickles, COVID, Pickles, Sachin Ravikumar, Elizabeth Piper, William James Our Organizations: Daily Mail, Business, Thomson Locations: British

☆ Elton John's Glastonbury triumph attracts 7.3 million TV viewers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GLASTONBURY, England, June 26 (Reuters) - Elton John's masterclass in big-stage entertainment at Glastonbury on Sunday pulled in 7.3 million television viewers for a show packed with hits like "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man" and "Your Song" in his swansong performance in Britain. As well as the 100,000-plus crowd at Worthy Farm, 7.3 million people watched John's show on the BBC, dwarfing the 2.5 million viewers who tuned in for Paul McCartney's headline set last year, which was broadcast with a delay. "It's a very special and emotional night for me because it may be my last show ever in England and Great Britain." "Glastonbury certainly brought out the best in Elton John," said the Times. John has only a handful of shows left, with dates in France, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden over the last weeks of his farewell tour.

Persons: Elton John's, Paul McCartney's, I'd, John, Glastonbury, Elton John, Sachin Ravikumar, Sarah Young, Ed Osmond Organizations: Glastonbury, Sunday, BBC, Times, Guardian, Thomson Locations: GLASTONBURY, England, Britain, Britain's, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden

☆ Elton John to thrill sun-drenched Glastonbury in final UK show
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GLASTONBURY, England, June 25 (Reuters) - Elton John is set to close Glastonbury's Pyramid stage on Sunday night with a "completely unique" set for his last ever UK show that will also feature four surprise guests. "What's brilliant about Elton is it is like something for everyone, all ages," the 43-year-old who works in marketing said. "I've got a sparkly jacket in my bag ready to go, so I'll be busting that out for Elton." Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, whose father Michael started the festival on Worthy Farm in 1970, said the show would be an amazing send-off for John. "He's been carving out a set that's going to be completely unique to Glastonbury," Eavis told the festival's Glastonbury Free Press paper.

Persons: Elton John, Lewis Capaldi, David, Britney Spears, Yusuf, Cat Stevens, Blondie, Lil Nas X, John, Fan Emily Brett, London, Elton, I've, Glastonbury, Emily Eavis, Michael, Eavis, Sachin Ravikumar, Jane Merriman Organizations: Foo Fighters, Sky News, Glastonbury, Dua, Glastonbury Free Press, Thomson Locations: GLASTONBURY, England, British, Glastonbury

☆ Elton John enthralls Glastonbury in final UK show
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GLASTONBURY, England, June 25 (Reuters) - Elton John enthralled a massive Glastonbury crowd on Sunday night in possibly his last show in Britain, delighting loyal fans but disappointing others who had hoped for star guest appearances. I never thought I'd ever play Glastonbury. And here I am," John, who wore a glittery golden jacket and rose-tinted glasses, said during the start of his first appearance at Worthy Farm. John, 76, is nearing the end of his final tour, of which Glastonbury was the last British show. Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Jane Merriman and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elton John, delighting, Lewis Capaldi, I'd, John, Jacob Lusk, Stephen Sanchez, Rina Sawayama, Brandon Flowers, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, Elton, Bex Whiting, you've, It's, I've, Sachin Ravikumar, Jane Merriman, Stephen Coates Organizations: Glastonbury, Foo Fighters, Thomson Locations: GLASTONBURY, England, Britain, British, Great Britain, Glastonbury

☆ At Glastonbury, a giant spider powered by renewable energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GLASTONBURY, England, June 24 (Reuters) - A giant spider breathes fire into the cloudy night sky over Glastonbury's Arcadia stage as thumping beats from electronic music duo the Chemical Brothers excite hundreds of fans. The colossal metal arachnid, made from recycled military hardware, has been a fixture at England's world-famous music festival for years, but this time Arcadia and all the other stages at Glastonbury are being powered entirely by renewable energy sources, organisers say. This year, all its generators, including those that power its main Pyramid stage will run on hydrotreated vegetable oil, a renewable substitute for diesel made from waste cooking oil, organisers said. But for their part, organisers are trying to mitigate the overall impact as much as possible. This year, a temporary, 20-metre wind turbine - another source of renewable power - towers over a section of Worthy Farm, powering food stalls with enough energy to run 300 fridges a day.

Persons: Bertie Cole, It's, Glastonbury, imploring, revellers, Sachin Ravikumar, Giles Elgood Organizations: Arcadia, Thomson Locations: GLASTONBURY, England, Arcadia, Glastonbury, Worthy

☆ Moroccan trance collective kick off music at Glastonbury
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] The Master Musicians of Joujouka perform at the Glastonbury Festival site in Somerset, Britain, June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Jason CairnduffGLASTONBURY, England, June 23 (Reuters) - Glastonbury Festival's main Pyramid Stage opened on Friday to the sounds of The Master Musicians of Joujouka, a trance music collective from Morocco, as tens of thousands of fans kicked off three days of music and merrymaking under a blazing English sun. Fellow headliners Arctic Monkeys' Friday evening performance will go ahead, organisers confirmed, following doubts after frontman Alex Turner contracted laryngitis. They're on," organiser Emily Eavis, whose father Michael started Glastonbury Festival on his farm 53 years ago, told BBC Radio. Asked about the opening performance from the Moroccan collective, she replied with a chuckle: "It was different.

Persons: Joujouka, Jason Cairnduff GLASTONBURY, Elton John, Alex Turner, laryngitis, Emily Eavis, Michael, Brian Jones, Leslie Mills, Coke, Sachin Ravikumar, William James Our Organizations: REUTERS, Joujouka, Glastonbury Festival, BBC Radio, Glastonbury, Fighters, Thomson Locations: Glastonbury, Somerset, Britain, England, Morocco, British, Moroccan

☆ U.S. to provide $1.3 billion of additional aid to Ukraine, says Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 21 (Reuters) - The United States will send $1.3 billion more in aid to Ukraine to help the conflict-hit country overhaul its energy grid and modernise its ports, railways and other infrastructure, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. "Recovery is about laying the foundation for Ukraine to thrive as a secure, independent country, fully intergrated with Europe, connected to markets around the world," Blinken told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. "With the support of the U.S. Congress, we will provide more than $1.3 billion in additional aid to help Ukraine toward that goal." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the Ukraine Recovery Conference at the Intercontinental O2 Hotel in London, Britain, June 21, 2023. The new aid comes on top of more than $20 billion in economic and development assistance the United States has provided to Ukraine, Blinken said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Leah Millis, William James, Sarah Young, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: Conference, U.S . Congress, Intercontinental O2 Hotel, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: United States, Ukraine, Europe, London, Britain, States

GLASTONBURY, England, June 21 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of music fans streamed into Worthy Farm in southwest England on Wednesday at the start of Glastonbury, the beloved music festival that will feature Elton John, Guns N' Roses and the Arctic Monkeys this weekend. Elated fans wore sun hats and lugged camping gear to the site of the world's biggest open-air arts and music festival, primed to witness hundreds of acts over five days culminating in British singer Elton John's last ever UK show on Sunday night. Heavy showers fell over the 900-acre grassy expanse of Glastonbury on Wednesday, although fans, many equipped with Wellington boots to wade through muddy fields, appeared undeterred. Glastonbury, founded by Michael Eavis 53 years ago, typically sells out before any headliners have been announced, given the strength of previous line-ups. "I've done a festival before but I've never managed to get my tickets here," said Glastonbury first-timer Hemmings.

Persons: Elton John, Elton John's, Yusuf, Cat Stevens, Blondie, Lizzo, Lil Nas, Lana Del Ray, Rick Astley, we've, Tom Hemmings, It's Elton John's, Alex Turner's laryngitis, Michael Eavis, I've, Glastonbury, Hemmings, Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, Jason Cairnduff, Sachin Ravikumar, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Glastonbury, Foo Fighters, Sheffield, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: GLASTONBURY, England, British, Glastonbury, Wellington, Bristol, Worthy, Ireland

☆ UK lawmakers set to back report that Boris Johnson misled them over 'partygate'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - British lawmakers are expected to back a report on Monday that said former Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament over rule-breaking parties at the heart of government during coronavirus lockdowns. "Obviously, this is a matter for the House (of Commons), not for the government," Sunak told ITV when asked how he would vote. "This committee was established under the former prime minister ... Labour leader Keir Starmer challenged Sunak to show up for the vote, saying he has to "show leadership". "What his predecessor got up to was unacceptable," Starmer told the BBC.

Persons: Boris Johnson, coronavirus, Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Sachin Ravikumar, Kylie MacLellan, Ed Osmond Organizations: Conservative Party, Times, ITV, Labour, BBC, Thomson Locations: London

☆ Heavens above! Church of England clergy demand pay rise for first time in history
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Even the clergy are not immune from Britain's cost-of-living crisis, which has now forced Church of England vicars to make a formal pay claim for the first time in their nearly 500-year history. A Church of England spokesperson said it was aware that its clergy were dealing with a cost-of-living crisis. The Church last year set aside 3 million pounds for dioceses to make grants to help clergy struggling with the rising energy bills. Unite proposed the clergy's national minimum stipend rise to 29,340 pounds ($37,600) and the national stipend benchmark be increased to 31,335 pounds, it said. "Last year many clergy had to turn to charitable aid because they couldn't make ends meet," said Sam Maginnis, a member of the clergy and Unite.

Persons: Sharon Graham, Sam Maginnis, Sachin Ravikumar, Angus MacSwan Organizations: of, of England, Archbishop's Council, Thomson Locations: of England

☆ UK's Nationwide readies another increase in fixed mortgage rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - Nationwide Building Society (NBS.L), one of Britain's largest mortgage lenders, will raise fixed rates on mortgages offered via brokers by up to 0.7 percentage points on Friday, it said in an email to intermediaries. "This includes rates across our New Business, Switcher, Additional Borrowing and Existing Customer Moving Home ranges," the email said. The quoted rate offered by Nationwide on a 2-year fix for new borrowers, available for a 999-pound ($1,267) fee, will rise on Friday to 5.69% across most loan-to-value ratios, from 5.24% currently. Earlier this week, HSBC (HSBA.L) also announced a shake-up in its mortgage line, with higher rates taking hold on Thursday. ($1 = 0.7885 pounds)Reporting by Andy Bruce; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar and Kylie MacLellanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andy Bruce, Sachin Ravikumar, Kylie MacLellan Organizations: Building Society, New, Nationwide, Bank of England, HSBC, Thomson

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