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☆ Prince Harry set to give evidence in phone hacking trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN —Prince Harry will take to the witness stand Tuesday as his years-long battle against Britain’s tabloid media reaches its most dramatic stage so far. Another story discussed touched on the relationship between Harry and Prince William in 2003. Documents published in April as part of Harry’s lawsuit against NGN allege that the publisher privately reached an undisclosed settlement with Prince William over historical phone hacking claims. Officials at Kensington Palace, which represents Prince William, told CNN it does not comment on legal proceedings. Prince Harry states that his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was aware of settlement talks.

Persons: London CNN — Prince Harry, Harry, It’s, Duke, Sussex, MGN, David Sherborne, ” Harry, ” Sherborne, Sherborne, –, wouldn’t, Diana, Princess Diana, Prince William, Meghan, Hannah McKay, Rupert, Princess Anne, Edward VII, NGN, Prince Harry, Buckingham, Queen Elizabeth II Organizations: London CNN, Sunday People, MGN, PA Media, Court, British, Rupert Murdoch’s News Group, Reuters, NGN, Sun, Associated Newspapers Limited, CNN Locations: London, British, Windsor, Kensington

☆ Prince Harry is set to give evidence as he takes on UK newspaper publisher in court. Here’s what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The latest hearing in the Duke of Sussex’s case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) began Monday at the High Court. The appearance of a British royal in a witness box will be an exceptionally rare event. In court documents published last month, the publisher did apologize for one instance of unlawful information gathering nearly 20 years ago. And while this is Harry’s first appearance in a court case against the British media, it may not be his last. Prince Harry states that his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was aware of settlement talks.

Persons: London CNN — Prince Harry’s, Duke, Harry, It’s, Sussex, MGN, David Sherborne, ” Harry, ” Sherborne, Sherborne, Meghan, Hannah McKay, Rupert, Princess Anne, Edward VII, Prince William, NGN, Prince Harry, Buckingham, Queen Elizabeth II Organizations: London CNN —, Mirror Group, Sunday People, MGN, PA Media, Court, British, Rupert Murdoch’s News Group, Reuters, NGN, Sun, Associated Newspapers Limited, CNN Locations: London, British, Windsor, Kensington

They accuse the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, of widespread phone-hacking and unlawful information gathering between 1991 and 2011. Green began by personally apologising to Harry on MGN's behalf over one instance in which it admitted unlawful information gathering. In his written witness statement, Harry denounced the treatment he had experienced at the hands of the press. [1/6] Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walks outside the Rolls Building of the High Court in London, Britain June 6, 2023. The publisher also argues that some of the personal information involved had come from senior royal aides, including from one of his father's former top officials.

Persons: Harry, Prince Harry, King Charles, Andrew Green, Green, MGN, Chelsy Davy, Duke of Sussex, Hannah McKay, David Sherborne, Harry's, Princess Diana, Piers Morgan, earwigging, Morgan, Rupert, I've, Michael Holden, Alex Richardson, Kate Holton, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Mirror Group, Daily, Sunday People, Court, REUTERS, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Reach, Thomson Locations: LONDON, London, Britain, British

☆ Prince Harry set for London court appearance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 5 (Reuters) - Prince Harry is expected to appear at London's High Court on Monday as he prepares to give evidence in his lawsuit against the publisher of British tabloid the Daily Mirror. Harry, King Charles' younger son, will this week become the first senior British royal to give evidence in court for 130 years, which is likely to take place on Monday or Tuesday. The trial began last month, as lawyers representing Harry and three other test claimants attempted to prove that unlawful information gathering was carried out with the knowledge and approval of senior editors and executives. Harry, the fifth-in-line to the throne, has barely been out of the headlines in the last six months. The prince has also accused his family and their aides in his memoir and Netflix documentary series of colluding with tabloids.

Persons: Prince Harry, Harry, King Charles, Elton John, Rupert Murdoch's, Sam Tobin, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Group, Daily, Sunday, Reach, Sunday People, High, Sunday Mail, Netflix, Thomson Locations: British, Buckingham, Rupert Murdoch's British

☆ Harry to become first British royal in 130 years to give evidence in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SummarySummary Companies Prince, celebrities accuse tabloids of phone-hackingHarry to appear in witness box in London's High CourtRoyal aides likely to feature in cross-examinationHarry first senior British royal to testify since 1890sLONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - Prince Harry will become the first senior British royal to give evidence in court for 130 years when he testifies next week in his lawsuit against a newspaper group he accuses of unlawful behaviour. More than 100 people are suing MGN, with Harry and three others selected as test cases. MGN is contesting the allegations and says senior figures denied knowing anything about hacking and had any wrongdoing concealed from them. Instead, Buckingham Palace is likely to feature prominently in Harry's cross-examination, with MGN arguing that some information had come from royal aides. Harry has said that his family and their aides had been complicit in leaking negative stories to protect or enhance their own reputations.

Persons: Harry, Prince Harry, King Charles, Edward VII, David Yelland, Rupert Murdoch's Sun, MGN, David Sherborne, Piers Morgan, Meghan, Morgan, Yelland, Elton John, Michael Holden, Kate Holton, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Royal, Mirror Group, Daily, Sunday, Netflix, Reach, Sunday People, High Court, Sunday Mail, Thomson Locations: British, Buckingham, London

☆ Hong Kong court rejects challenge by jailed media tycoon Lai over British lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, May 19 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong court on Friday dismissed an attempt by jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai to challenge a decision by security officials to effectively bar his British lawyer from representing him in a landmark national security trial. Lai's legal team filed a judicial review after Hong Kong's National Security Committee (NSC), headed by senior Hong Kong and Chinese officials, ruled that the admission of senior British barrister Timothy Owen could harm national security and advised Hong Kong authorities to reject his visa. Chief High Court judge Jeremy Poon, in dismissing Lai's challenge, said Hong Kong courts essentially had no authority over the National Security Committee. "You cannot have a body which can simply say magic words (on) national security, and be able to be free from any challenge," Pang said. Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of anti-government protests.

☆ Eurovision: The coronation may have passed off peacefully. But song contest could be a bigger headache
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

London CNN —Britain’s security services are quietly relieved that the coronation of King Charles III passed without major incident – save for some accusations of heavy-handed policing. On the face of it, the stakes associated with the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest would not appear to be particularly high. For that reason, British security officials are more exercised than they might otherwise have been about a kitschy musical competition. “On one hand you have thousands of people enjoying the nightlife, which means potential of physical targets and organized crime. This year’s event is, at its heart, a partnership between the UK and Ukraine, two major thorns in the Kremlin’s side.

☆ British investment minister visits Hong Kong, first official visit in 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, May 9 (Reuters) - Britain's Minister for Investment Dominic Johnson said he held a series of meetings with government officials and executives in Hong Kong on Monday, the first official visit from a senior British official to the city in five years. Johnson's visit comes after relations between Britain and Hong Kong have been increasingly strained since 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law in the former colony. Johnson said he was in Hong Kong to promote the United Kingdom as a leading destination for investment and trade. "Hong Kong is one of the world's leading international financial centres and we have shared interests from financial services to infrastructure to sustainability," he wrote on Twitter. He is due to leave Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Britain's National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC), part of its GCHQ eavesdropping spy agency, said in a report published on Wednesday that the mercenary hacking market was offering products that were on par with government hacking groups. On Tuesday, Canadian internet watchdog group Citizen Lab published a report which said that NSO had been caught using newly-discovered hacking tools to break into iPhones belonging to Mexican human rights defenders in 2022. At least some in the spyware industry see regulation coming down the pipe and are taking steps to try to shape it. NSO has long touted its human rights policy despite repeated allegations that its software has been used abusively, including to spy on victims of human rights violations. NSO did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the Citizen Lab report or its communications with the American Bar Association.

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

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

☆ UK to review security at Indian High Commission in London after protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 22 (Reuters) - British foreign minister James Cleverly on Wednesday said the country will review security at the Indian High Commission in London following "unacceptable acts of violence" towards the mission's staff. According to the BBC, crowds had gathered outside the high commission's building on Sunday and windows were broken, after which India demanded an explanation for the "complete absence of the British security" around the premises. On Wednesday, Indian daily The Hindu reported that at least a hundred police officers were standing guard on both sides of the road outside the High Commission in London on Wednesday. Cleverly said that police investigation was ongoing after the acts of violence and that the country will make the necessary changes to ensure the safety of the Indian mission's staff as it did for demonstrations on Wednesday. Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK and EU reach post-Brexit customs deal for N.Ireland-The Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A 'no entry' sign is seen near the Stormont Parliament Buildings in Belfast, Northern Ireland June 13, 2022. The EU has accepted a plan that would avoid the need for routine checks on products going into Northern Ireland, the newspaper reported on Tuesday. Both sides were also hammering out details of a veterinary checks deal, The Times said. A UK government spokesperson said its priority is to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and to preserve political stability in Northern Ireland and the UK internal market. After months of tensions between London, Brussels, Belfast and Dublin, progress has recently been made in the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

☆ UK parliament committee chair says she talked defence cooperation on Taiwan trip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen poses for a photo with Alicia Kearns a British lawmaker at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Taiwan, December 2, 2022. Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERS. "And we talked about how we as an international community work together to prevent, and therefore the importance of deterrence diplomacy. And, yes, defence cooperation was discussed as part of that because it should be part of a whole conversation that takes place." Tsai, meeting Kearns and her delegation at the presidential office, expressed thanks for Britain's support of Taiwan, especially calls to uphold peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

But Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal (CFA) on Monday gave a final ruling on the matter, rejecting the government's application to impose a "blanket ban" on foreign lawyers working on national security cases, bar exceptional circumstances. Lai is one of the most prominent Hong Kong critics of China's Communist Party leadership including Xi Jinping, and Hong Kong's Department of Justice made repeated attempts to block Owen from representing him. SWEEPING NATIONAL SECURITY LAWLee also said there was no means of ensuring a foreign lawyer would not divulge state secrets that might emerge during a national security trial. Beijing imposed the sweeping national security law on Hong Kong in June 2020 after sometimes-violent protests rocked the city for months the year before. Beijing's power of ultimate legal interpretation is outlined in the Basic Law, the mini-constitution that grants extensive Hong Kong autonomy and freedoms.

Russia had said last week its troops would occupy positions that were easier to defend on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River. Russia had artillery still capable of striking Kherson from those new positions, but "we also have something to answer with", she said. [1/10] Local residents gather near their residential building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 15, 2022. There were no confirmed reports that Ukrainian troops had crossed the river to pursue the Russians. Russia is a member and Ukraine is not, but Russian President Vladimir Putin stayed home.

"Whatever (the Ukrainians) do, it will be carefully planned, kept secret and will likely be extremely well executed," Ingram added. Some residents in Kherson, meanwhile, are concerned about the risk of Russian shelling of the city once its forces regroup further east. "This Kherson fire support base becomes the anchor to support further manoeuvre by the left flank as it fights its way ... towards Mariupol, Berdyansk, and Melitopol." White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday that the United States would continue to support Ukraine militarily "to put Ukraine in the best possible position on the battlefield" and would not seek to tell it what to do. They still control large parts of Ukraine ... What we should do is strengthen Ukraine's hand," Stoltenberg added.

☆ Ukrainian forces brace for bloody fight for Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed administration in Kherson region, said on Thursday that he hoped Russian forces would put up a fight. With control of the Dnipro's west bank, military experts said, Ukrainian forces would have a springboard from which to seize a bridgehead on the east side for an advance on Crimea. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appeared the Russians already had begun "an organized, phased withdrawal" from the Dnipro's west bank. But Ukrainian troops could also face serious obstacles that could stall their takeover of Kherson, including booby traps and concentrated Russian artillery and rocket fire from the east bank, Hodges said. The unit, with six armoured personnel carriers, took its positions in September after Ukrainian forces drove Russian troops back to Kherson's border with Mykolaiv province.

☆ PM 'not under a desk': Jeer's over Truss' absence
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsPM 'not under a desk': Jeer's over Truss' absencePostedSenior British government minister Penny Mordaunt said on Monday (October 17) that the prime minister was "not under a desk" as she responded to a barrage of questions as to why Prime Minister Liz Truss had failed to attend parliament.

☆ Opinion: The British Empire: A legacy of violence?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

A related question is also surfacing now: What is the legacy of the British Empire writ large? Bergen: This reassessment of British Empire: You are leading the charge. Bergen: So, are the British in high school as they learn about British history being told a bunch of fairy tales? Are there similarities between the 1619 Project and what you and other colleagues are doing in your reassessment of the British Empire? And I think that’s what we’re seeing in different kinds of ways with the history of the British Empire.

☆ Factbox: Outspoken British billionaire Mike Ashley
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 20 (Reuters) - Mike Ashley, one of Britain's most outspoken business leaders, will step down as a director at sportswear and fashion retail group Frasers (FRAS.L) in October, months after handing over the CEO role to his daughter's partner. read moreAshley, 57, has been frank and outspoken about rivals and politicians. His love of casinos and stories of settling banker fees by playing bar games, as well as clips on YouTube showing him sinking a pint of beer in a few seconds, have fed an image of a maverick far removed from the typical British business chiefHere are some facts on the British billionaire:Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register* At 18, Ashley started his first sports and ski shop in 1982 on a high street in the southern English town of Maidenhead, with the help of a 10,000 pound loan from his parents* By the late 1990s, he had opened 100 stores across the UK, rebranding his chain as Sports Soccer* He then took the company public under the name Sports Direct in 2007; The company is now worth 3.75 billion pounds ($4.29 billion) and Ashley is worth 4.02 billion pounds as of June 2022, according to Forbes* In 2007, Ashley also bought British Premier League soccer club Newcastle United, which in 2021 was bought out by a Saudi-Arabian backed consortium after a long-running takeover saga* Known for his acquisition of fellow retailers, Ashley bought a stake in House of Fraser in 2014, and over the years, has taken positions in Debenhams, MySale (MYSL.L), Tesco (TSCO.L), Adidas (ADSGn.DE) and Hugo Boss (BOSSn.DE)* He was heavily criticised by senior British politicians and unions after an investigation in 2015 revealed some workers at Sports Direct received less than the minimum wage* Calls for him to step down as Sports Direct chairman were rejected by the company and Ashley was made CEO* Sports Direct purchased House of Fraser out of administration in 2018 and in 2019 after the merger, he rebranded the Sports Direct empire as Frasers* Ashley stepped down as Frasers CEO early this year, handing over the baton to his daughter's partner Michael Murray, who married his daughter in May; Ashley has three children(Sources: Company website, Reuters reports and UK government website)(1 British pound = $1.1442)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Inside the abbey, lines of scripture were set to music that has been used at every state funeral since the early 18th century. Those who had camped out in nearby streets were watching the service on smartphones, while hush descended along the Mall, one of London's grand ceremonial boulevards, as the funeral service was relayed live through loudspeakers. 1/35 The funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey. The 40th sovereign in a line that traces its lineage back to 1066, Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952, Britain's first post-imperial monarch. "Queen Elizabeth II was without any shadow of a doubt the best known figure in the world, the most photographed person in history, the most recognisable person," historian Anthony Seldon told Reuters.

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