DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Britain's Rwanda Asylum Plan Raises Deep Concerns: UN Rights Chief
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - Britain's revived plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would drastically strip back courts' ability to scrutinise decisions and risks dealing a "serious blow to human rights", the United Nations rights chief said on Monday. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is pushing legislation through parliament that would declare Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers despite misgivings from some lawmakers, who have attacked the plan as unethical and unworkable. Under the proposals, asylum seekers who arrive on England's southern coast in small, inflatable boats would be sent to Rwanda to live. More than 1,300 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats so far this year. (Reporting by Emma Farge; Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill in London; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Persons: Britain's, Rishi Sunak, Volker Turk, Turk, Sunak, Emma Farge, Andrew MacAskill, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations, Conservative Party Locations: GENEVA, Rwanda, Britain, London

☆ King Charles Attends Church in First Public Outing Since Cancer Diagnosis Announced
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SANDRINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles attended church on Sunday in his first public outing since announcing last week he had been diagnosed with cancer and would postpone some engagements to undergo treatment. Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that Charles, 75, had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer. The king has been on the throne for less than 18 months following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth. Charles, who is spending time at his rural Sandringham estate, issued a message on Saturday expressing gratitude to well-wishers following his diagnosis. Beyond confirming it was not prostate cancer, the palace has not given any further details.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, Camilla, Mary Magdalene, Buckingham, Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Chris Radburn, Andrew MacAskill, Frances Kerry Locations: SANDRINGHAM, England, Mary, Sandringham

☆ UK PM Sunak Paid More Than 500,000 Pounds in Tax Last Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Andrew MacAskill and Sachin RavikumarLONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid 508,000 pounds ($641,000) in tax in the last financial year after income from his investments dwarfed his official salary, a report by his accountants showed on Friday. The three-page published summary is the second time that Sunak has published details of his tax affairs since he became prime minister in 2022. The figures show that Sunak made 139,000 pounds from his salary as a member of parliament, finance minister and prime minister between April 2022 and March 2023, and 2.1 million pounds from investments. Of his income from investments, 1.8 million pounds came from capital gains, up from 1.6 million pounds a year earlier. About 70% of the total tax paid by Sunak was due to capital gains tax on the profit made from sales of investments such as stocks.

Persons: Andrew MacAskill, Sachin Ravikumar, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Evelyn, Piers Morgan, David Milliken Organizations: Sachin Ravikumar LONDON, British, Indian IT, Infosys, Evelyn Partners Locations: Indian, Rwanda

☆ London Police Launch Manhunt After Chemical Attack Leaves Several Injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - British police have launched a manhunt for a suspect who injured several people by throwing a corrosive chemical on them, with political attention focusing on his status as someone who had been granted asylum after a conviction for sexual assault. Three other women and one man who came to their aid suffered minor burns injuries and five police officers who responded were also injured. "Wednesday's attack on a mother and her two children in Clapham was appalling," Britain's interior minister James Cleverly said in a statement on Friday. A source familiar with the case told Reuters that Ezedi had been granted asylum in Britain and had a previous conviction for sexual assault. Police said it was reported that Ezedi had thrown a child to the ground and that the chemical used in the attack was alkaline.

Persons: Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, James, Ezedi, Rishi Sunak, David Johnston, Robert Jenrick, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew MacAskill, Gareth Jones Organizations: British, London's Metropolitan Police, Reuters, Police, BBC, Sunak's Conservative Party Locations: Clapham, London, Britain, Afghanistan, Rwanda

☆ UK Must Comply With Human Rights' Court Orders, President Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - The president of Europe's human rights court said on Thursday there was a legal obligation on states to comply with its injunctions in response to Britain's threat to ignore such orders over its plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda. In order to enact this plan, a bill is going through the British parliament which the government admits might not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and would give ministers the power to decide whether to comply with injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights. "There is a clear legal obligation under the convention for states to comply with Rule 39 measures," Siofra O’Leary, the President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), told reporters. Last June, the ECtHR issued an injunction - known as interim measures under Rule 39 - to prevent the first deportations of asylum seekers to the east African nation. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak remains determined to put the policy into operation amid pressure from right-wing lawmakers in his Conservative Party and voter concern about thousands of asylum seekers arriving without permission across the Channel in small boats.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Rwanda Bill, Michael Holden, Andrew MacAskill Organizations: European, Human Rights, of Human, of Human Rights, Conservative Party, Commons Locations: Rwanda, British, Britain

☆ Former PM Boris Johnson to Defend Record and Conduct at UK COVID Inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Andrew MacAskillLONDON (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a much-anticipated appearance before an inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday with his personal reputation and that of the Conservative government at stake. He was said to have asked at one point if blowing a hair-dryer up his nose could kill the virus. The inquiry is assessing decision-making through written and oral evidence from former and current ministers and officials. It has also been given access to private messages they exchanged in the run-up to, and at the height of, the crisis. In private messages seen by the inquiry, Simon Case, Britain's most senior civil servant, claimed in private messages that his boss changed "strategic direction every day" and he was unable to lead.

Persons: Andrew MacAskill, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Patrick Vallance, –, Dominic Cummings, Eddie Lister, Lee Cain, Simon Case, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Andrew MacAskill LONDON, British, Conservative, Britain, Conservatives, Labour Party Locations: COVID, Britain, Downing

REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - British Home Secretary James Cleverly will arrive in Rwanda on Tuesday to sign a new treaty to send asylum seekers to the African nation after the UK's top court declared the deportation scheme unlawful. But the United Kingdom's Supreme Court last month ruled the flights would violate international human rights laws enshrined in domestic legislation. Since that ruling, Britain has been seeking to renegotiate its agreement with Rwanda to include a binding treaty that it would not expel asylum seekers sent there by Britain - one of the court's major concerns. The court said the plan breached international undertakings - including the European Convention on Human Rights, the United Nations' Refugee Convention and Convention against Torture. The Rwanda policy was originally announced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year, but no asylum seekers have been sent to the country yet.

Persons: James, Hannah McKay, Vincent Biruta, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Boris Johnson, Andrew MacAskill, Michael Holden, Rishabh Jaiswal, Richard Chang, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, European, Human, United Nations, Refugee Convention, Torture, Conservative Party, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Rwanda, Rwanda's, Kigali, Europe

☆ Britain to announce measures aimed at bringing down net migration
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A sign is seen at the arrivals passport control area of Terminal 5, at Heathrow Airport, London, Britain, March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/files Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Britain will announce changes to its legal migration system on Monday after a record number of arrivals in 2022 piled pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to act ahead of an election expected next year. Sunak's spokesperson said he believes net migration needs to be reduced "significantly". Interior minister James Cleverly will give a statement to parliament later on Monday detailing more measures to reduce legal migration and to "stop abuse of the system," the spokesperson said. Annual net migration to the United Kingdom hit a record of 745,000 last year and has stayed at high levels since, data showed last month.

Persons: Toby Melville, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Sunak's, James, aren't, Alistair Smout, William Schomberg, Andrew MacAskill, Sarah Young Organizations: Heathrow Airport, REUTERS, Conservative Party, Union, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Rwanda, United Kingdom

[1/2] Former UK finance minister (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Alistair Darling, poses for a photograph in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, Aug 31, 2018. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Former British finance minister Alistair Darling, who steered the country's economy and banking system through the shock of the global financial crisis in 2007-08, has died aged 70 after undergoing treatment for cancer, his family said on Thursday. Darling was named chancellor of the exchequer by former prime minister Gordon Brown in June 2007, just as the crisis was brewing at leading financial institutions. "I never met anyone who didn't like him," Brown's predecessor as prime minister, Tony Blair, said. "Darling's passing is a huge loss to us all," said Britain's present prime minister Rishi Sunak, from the centre-right Conservative party.

Persons: Alistair Darling, Russell Cheyne, Darling, Gordon Brown, Brown, Margaret, Calum, Anna, Tony Blair, Lehman, Rishi Sunak, Muvija, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB, Labour Party, Treasury, Western General Hospital, Loretto School, Aberdeen University, The Guardian, Lehman Brothers, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, British, United Kingdom

"I feel really alone and if somebody with the status of an elected official can’t be protected then how must others feel?” said Omar. Official data shows a significant, smaller increase in anti-Muslim incidents in Britain and is patchy for the other two countries. "The vast majority of Muslims do not file a complaint when they are victims of such acts. A spokesperson for France's national police acknowledged data on anti-Muslim incidents was "incomplete", and relied on victims filing a complaint. For some Muslims in Germany, which has welcomed about a million Syrians and just under 400,000 Afghans in recent years, rising hostility came as a surprise.

Persons: Jian Omar, Lisi Niesner, ”, Omar, Zara Mohammed, Geert Wilders, Ben Badis, Rachid Abdouni, Khalil Raboun, Tell Mama, Mama, Abdallah Zekri, Zekri, Rima Hanano, Gerald Darmanin, Reza Zia, Emmanuel Macron, Zia, Ebrahimi, fomented, Aiman, Germany's, Reem Alabali, Radovan, Ghalia Zaghal, Zaghal, Layli Foroudi, Thomas Escritt, Sarah Marsh, Andrew MacAskill, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Reuters, Muslim Council of, Ministers, Local, French Muslim Council, HISTORY, Kings College London, Amnesty, German Muslim Council, Thomson Locations: German, Kurdish, Israel, Palestinian, Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, LONDON, Europe, Gaza, London, France, Britain, Muslim Council of Britain, British, Dutch, Netherlands, United States, Nanterre, Paris, French, Moroccan, Western, Syria

[1/4] An employee views examples of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS/LONDON Nov 28 (Reuters) - Greece's government on Tuesday accused Britain of showing "a lack of respect" by abruptly cancelling a meeting between their leaders at short notice in a dispute over ancient Greek sculptures brought to Britain in the early 19th century. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a planned wide-ranging meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the latter raised the decades-old demand for the return of the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum. "It shows a lack of respect to the prime minister but also to the country he represents." "I don't think the prime minister needed really to intervene in this way and it hasn't particularly helped our relationships with Greece."

Persons: Toby Melville, Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Pavlos Marinakis, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, Mona Lisa, Marinakis, Ed Vaizey, Vaizey, Alistair Smout, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Elgin, British Museum, REUTERS, British, BBC, Conservative, Sky News, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Greece, Ottoman, Athens, Gaza, Ukraine, British

REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS/LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused his British counterpart Rishi Sunak of cancelling a scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday in a diplomatic row over the status of the Parthenon Sculptures. "I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place," Mitsotakis said in a statement. "Greece's positions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet Mitsotakis to discuss these issues instead, Sunak's office said. A law prevents the British museum from removing objects from the collection apart from in certain circumstances, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.

Persons: Louisa Gouliamaki, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, George Osborne, Mona Lisa, Sunak, Oliver Dowden, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Renee Maltezou, Angus MacSwan, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, British Museum, British, BBC, Financial, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, LONDON, London, Ottoman Empire, Mitsotakis

More than 10 intelligence and police officials in five European countries including Britain, Germany and France told Reuters they are increasing surveillance of Islamist militants. A British security official said the war in Gaza was likely to become the biggest recruiter for Islamist militants since the Iraq war in 2003, and that calls for attacks on Jewish and Western targets had risen in Europe. Two Islamist militant attacks in France and Belgium last month killed three people, and these two countries, Austria, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have raised their terrorism threat alert levels. LONE WOLVESSecurity officials say the main danger for Europe is probably from attacks by "lone wolves" — assailants who are radicalised, often online, but have no formal links to more established groups. Although a truce has come into effect in Gaza, both sides have said the war is far from over.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, radicalised, Mark Rowley, al, Jochen Kopelke, It's, Kopelke, Israel, Peter Knoope, Knoope, Iman Atta, Germany's Kopelke, influencers, Europol, Thomas Renard, Juliette Jabkhiro, Angelo Amante, Johan Ahlander, Phil Blenkinsop, Timothy Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, London, British, Islamic State, Islamic, WOLVES Security, Hamas, Dutch National, International Centre for, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, BERLIN, Israel, Britain, Germany, Russia, China, Iran, Gaza, Iraq, Europe, Belgium, Austria, Slovenia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Italy, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Qaeda, Afghanistan, Syria, United States, British, al, West

[1/5] Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement, in London, Britain, November 22, 2023. "After a global pandemic and energy crisis, we have taken difficult decisions to put our economy back on track," Hunt told parliament on Wednesday in his Autumn Statement fiscal update. Hunt pointed to OBR forecasts showing the government would meet its targets for the public finances, leaving open the possibility of further pre-election giveaways to voters in his full budget statement expected in early 2024. Sunak this week promised "responsible" tax cuts, mindful of last year's "mini-budget" turmoil in financial markets triggered by his predecessor Liz Truss's plans for much bigger tax cuts. This time last year, the newly installed Sunak and Hunt raised taxes sharply to quell the bond market mayhem.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Stefan Rousseau, Hunt, Rishi Sunak's, Paul Johnson, we've, giveaways, Johnson, BoE, Philip Shaw, Liz Truss's, Muvija M, Paul Sandle, Sarah Young, William James, Elizabeth Piper, Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, James Davey, Suban Abdulla, Farouq Suleiman, Kate Holton, Sumanta Sen, William Schomberg, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Labour, Labour Party, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Gross, Reuters Graphics, Bank of England, Graphics, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British

☆ UK PM Sunak reportedly said 'just let people die', COVID inquiry hears
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak visits the pathology labs at Leeds General Infirmary, to show how yesterday's budget is supporting those affected by coronavirus (COVID-19), in Leeds, Britain March 12, 2020. Danny Lawson/Pool via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was quoted as saying the government should "just let people die" during the COVID-19 pandemic rather than impose a second national lockdown, the inquiry into how Britain handled the crisis heard on Monday. Patrick Vallance, who was the government's chief scientific adviser during COVID, made a note in his diary on Oct. 25, 2020, about a meeting involving then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Sunak, who was finance minister. Vallance quoted Cummings in his diary as saying: "Rishi thinks just let people die and that's okay. A spokesman for Sunak said the prime minister would set out his position when he gives evidence to the inquiry "rather than respond to each one in piecemeal".

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Danny Lawson, Patrick Vallance, Boris Johnson, Sunak, Dominic Cummings, Johnson's, Vallance, Cummings, Rishi, Johnson, Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper, Christina Fincher Organizations: Britain's, Leeds General Infirmary, Thomson Locations: Leeds, Britain

Sunak said he was working on a new treaty with Rwanda that would address the points made by the court, would pass an emergency law to designate Rwanda a safe country, and was "prepared to do what is necessary" to stop any foreign court blocking deportation flights. 10 Downing Street ahead of Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, November 15, 2023. The Bar Council, which represents barristers, said it had "grave concern" about the prospect of parliament passing legislation intended to deem Rwanda a safe country and therefore upend the Supreme Court's finding. That meant Sunak needed to go further and faster, right-wing critics in his party said. However, another Conservative politician in the moderate wing of the faction-ridden party was pessimistic about the plan's future.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Neil O'Brien, James, Gavin Phillipson, Alan Greene, Peter Nicholls, Nick Vineall, Phillipson, Sam Tobin, Sachin Ravikumar, Alex Richardson Organizations: LONDON, British, Sunak's Conservative Party, University of Bristol, Constitutional, Rights, Birmingham Law School, Britain's, REUTERS, of Human Rights, Bar Council, Conservative Party, Labour Party, New Conservatives, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, Britain, London, Downing

"David Cameron was a disastrous PM. Britain's former Prime Minister and newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron walks outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain November 13, 2023. "David Cameron was at the heart of the biggest lobbying scandal of recent times," said the Liberal Democrat party's foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran. "I understand there's a lot of baggage that comes with David Cameron," Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood told Times Radio. Theresa May, who replaced Cameron as prime minister before being ousted herself amid a party rebellion over Brexit three years later, said his experience would be invaluable.

Persons: David Cameron, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Cameron, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Steve Tsang, David Lammy, Suzanne Plunkett, Layla Moran, Akshata Murthy, Tobias Ellwood, Dehenna Davidson, Theresa May, Martin Pollard, Alex Richardson Organizations: Downing, European Union, Conservative Party, China Institute, SOAS University of London, Reuters, Labour Party, REUTERS, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Eton College, Times Radio, Thomson Locations: European, Britain, China, Beijing, London, Downing

☆ Cameron returns to UK government as foreign secretary, Braverman sacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It was the latest reset for a prime minister whose party is badly lagging the Labour Party before an election expected next year. The return of Cameron suggested Sunak wanted to bring in a more centrist, experienced hand rather than appease the right of his party which supported Braverman. It also reawakens divisive debate over Brexit: Cameron held the referendum on European Union membership in 2016 and was hated by many on the right of the party after he campaigned to remain. BREXIT RETURNS[1/5]Britain's former Prime Minister and newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron walks outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain November 13, 2023. Now, opposition lawmakers said his decision to appoint Cameron was an act of desperation.

Persons: Braverman, Rishi Sunak, David Cameron, Suella Braverman, Cameron, Sunak, BREXIT, Suzanne Plunkett, Theresa May, James, Pat McFadden, Elizabeth Piper, Andrew MacAskill, Alistair Smout, Sachin Ravikumar, Kylie MacLellan, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: London, British, Labour Party, European Union, Britain, Conservative Party, REUTERS, Conservative, Conservatives, Labour, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, England, Labour's

Out of the 29 cabinet roles, at least 16 backed remaining in the EU, compared with 10 who supported leaving. Sunak's party still languishes around 20 points behind the opposition Labour Party before an election that must happen by January 2025. But as he was talking, he asked a former cabinet minister to the right of the party for her thoughts. With few Conservatives believing they can win the next election, others might follow her in preparing for a new job. For the Conservatives to stand a chance, they need to change that perception, and it's hard to imagine how bringing David Cameron back does that," he said.

Persons: David Cameron's, Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman, Sunak, Liz Truss's, Braverman, Cameron, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Dehenna Davison, Keiran, David Cameron, Kylie MacLellan, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton, Alex Richardson Organizations: British, European Union, EU, Conservative, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Labour, Conservatives, Thomson Locations: England

☆ UK PM Sunak under pressure to sack interior minister over police criticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Home Secretary Suella Braverman with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he hosts a policing roundtable at 10 Downing Street, London, Britain October 12, 2023. Braverman, the home secretary responsible for policing and national security, has a long history of making controversial statements that have alienated her more moderate colleagues. Some Conservative Party politicians called for her to be moved or distanced themselves from her comments on Friday. Since the article was published, Braverman has not apologised. Britain's finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, was the most senior member of the government to distance himself from Braverman's comments on Friday.

Persons: Suella Braverman, Rishi Sunak, James Manning, Braverman, Geoffrey Clifton, Brown, Sunak, Downing, Keir Starmer, Jeremy Hunt, Andrew MacAskill, Jan Harvey Organizations: Downing, British, Conservative Party, BBC, Labour Party, Times, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Braverman, Israel

☆ 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

☆ The laws British PM Sunak wants to pass before the next election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The King's Speech - given by the monarch but written by government ministers - opens the new session of parliament. This is likely to be the last one before the election, which must be held by January 2025, and many policies were aimed at appealing to voters. CIGARETTES AND VAPESThe Tobacco and Vapes Bill will deliver on Sunak's promise made last month to phase out all tobacco sales in England. SOCCER REGULATORThe government plans to set up an independent football regulator, who will be responsible for scrutinising club owners and their financial resources. The new legislation will require owners to ensure fans are consulted on changes to club's badges, names and shirt colours.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Hannah McKay, King Charles, Bill, Andrew MacAskill, Alistair Smout, Elizabeth Piper, Alex Richardson, Barbara Lewis Organizations: British, Labour Party, REUTERS, Conservatives, Petroleum, Markets, Competition, Consumers, SOCCER, Super League, Trans, Pacific, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, England, North, Freehold, Wales, Pacific, Australia, Japan

People look towards Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, where Britain's King Charles III will set out the government's forthcoming legislative plans in a speech on Tuesday, in London, Britain, November 6, 2023. "I want everyone across the country to have the pride and peace of mind that comes with knowing your community ... is safe. That is my vision of what a better Britain looks like," Sunak said in a statement before the speech. In the most despicable cases, these evil criminals must never be free on our streets again. Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Big Ben, King Charles III, Toby Melville, Sunak Sunak, Labour King's, King Charles, Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Bill, Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth Piper, Andrew MacAskill, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Labour, LONDON, British, Conservatives, Labour Party, Reading, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Buckingham Palace, Westminster

☆ 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

☆ How the surge in antisemitism is affecting countries around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel, October 31. BRAZILJewish leaders have noticed a rise in antisemitic discourse online, and incidents such as graffiti defacing a synagogue in Rio de Janeiro. BRITAINLondon's police force said there had been a 14-fold increase in incidents of antisemitism since the Oct. 7 attack. GERMANYA survey by a civil society observatory, the RIAS, found a 240% year-on-year increase in antisemitic incidents in the period of Oct. 7-15. CHINANo figures are available on antisemitic incidents.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Karen Bass, Justin Trudeau, Ricardo Berkiensztat, Hitler, Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin, Eddo, David Saks, we'll, Rabbi Alexander Boroda, Andrew MacAskill, Layli Foroudi, Julia Harte, Chen Lin, Eliana, Maytaal Angel, Andrew Osborn, Carien du Plessis, Steven Grattan, Wa Lone, Thomas Escritt, Stephanie Van Den Berg, Estelle Shirbon Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, UNITED STATES, Defamation League, White, CANADA, Argentine, Local, BRAZIL Jewish, Jewish Federation of, State of, Community Security Trust, FRANCE Interior, Hamas, SOUTH, South African Jewish Board, Deputies, Russia's Federation of Jewish, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Los Angeles, Canada, Toronto, ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires, Argentine, BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro, State, State of Sao Paulo, BRITAIN, Britain, FRANCE, GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, SOUTH AFRICA, RUSSIA, Dagestan, Tel Aviv, CHINA, Beijing, Nazi, Wa

Search resuls for: "Andrew Macaskill"

25 mentions found