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☆ Fujitsu admits it should compensate postal workers whose lives were ruined by its faulty software
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Japanese technology company Fujitsu has a “moral obligation” to compensate the victims of Britain’s Post Office scandal, the boss of its European arm said Tuesday. “We did have bugs and errors in the system and we did help the Post Office in their prosecutions of the sub-postmasters,” Peter Patterson, Fujitsu’s director for Europe, said Tuesday. “I think there is a moral obligation for the company to contribute,” Patterson told UK lawmakers during a public hearing. Nick Read, CEO of the Post Office, who also addressed lawmakers Tuesday, said he was “committed” to abandoning Horizon. The corporation still uses the IT system, but in a newer iteration than the one involved in the scandal.

Persons: —, “, ” Peter Patterson, ” Patterson, Patterson, ”, Rishi Sunak, Nick Read, ” Read Organizations: London CNN, Fujitsu, Britain’s Post, Office, Post, CNN, Post Office, British Locations: Britain’s, Europe, ”

☆ Crown Prince Frederik: Who is the new King of Denmark?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —He’s been known as the Crown Prince of Denmark since the age of three, but on Sunday, he will leave Copenhagen’s Christiansborg Palace as King Frederik X, sovereign of Europe’s oldest monarchy. Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik will take over from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, when she formally steps down as monarch on Sunday. His forename was chosen in line with the Danish royal custom of the heir apparent being named either Frederik or Christian. Crown Prince Frederik began his military education in 1986 in the Queen's Life Guard Regiment. “Crown Prince Frederik is a much more informal person than his mother,” said historian Lars Hovbakke Sørensen.

Persons: CNN — He’s, Prince of, King Frederik X, Queen Margrethe II, Danes, Margrethe, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Denmark’s, Prince Frederik, Hasse Nielsen, “, ” Birgitte Borup, Berlingske, “ Queen Margrethe, Borup, Frederik, ”, Frederik André Henrik Christian, Prince Henrik, Christian, Prince Joachim, Joergen Jessen, Ritzau Scanpix, Frederik Henriksen –, Frederik –, –, “ Pingo, Ida Marie Odgaard, King Charles III, Lars Hovbakke Sørensen, Trine Villemann, ” Chance, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, Mary didn’t, Mary, VII's, Queen, ’, John Donaldson, Susan Moody, Ian Waldie, Isabella, Vincent, Josephine, Queen Margrethe, Villemann, Frederik ”, Princess, Wales, she’s Organizations: CNN’s Royal, CNN, Life Guard Regiment, Getty, Aarhus University, Harvard, UN, Danish, Frogman Corps, International Olympic, Copenhagen Cathedral Locations: Prince of Denmark, Copenhagen’s, Europe’s, Danish, Copenhagen, Normandy, France, AFP, Paris, New York, Greenland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, “, Sydney, Australia

☆ Bank boss says it's not 'that difficult' to buy a home — and sparks a backlash
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The chair of one of Britain's biggest banks faced a backlash Friday after saying it is not "that difficult" to get on the property ladder. "I don't think it's that difficult at the moment," Davies said when asked when it might be easier for Britons to purchase a property. U.K mortgage rates have largely held steady at over 5% since April 2023, with some lenders only this week lowering rates in anticipation of interest rate cuts from the Bank of England. Davies acknowledged that consumers today would need to save more for their down payment due in part to new protections brought in in the wake of the financial crisis. "I totally recognize that there are people who are finding it very difficult to start the process.

Persons: Howard Davies, Davies Organizations: NatWest, Bank of England

☆ Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth: Why Denmark will give the world the first Australian-born Queen
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-02 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Brisbane, Australia CNN —The fairy tale rise of an Australian sales executive to the upper ranks of European royalty is set to be completed Sunday when Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark becomes the country’s Queen Consort. Margrethe’s eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, will become King, while his wife, Crown Princess Mary, will become the first Australian to become Queen, a development that has delighted her supporters back home. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Australian born Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth Donaldson married in May 2004. I will hand over the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik,” Margrethe said. Danish Crown Princess Mary photographed during the Copenhagen Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 18 on January 30, 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Persons: Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of, Consort, Queen Margrethe II, It’s, hasn’t, King Eric III, Margrethe’s, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, it’s, King, Mary, Prince Frederik of Denmark, Princess Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, Bjarke, Jeremy Rockliff, Princess Mary, ”, King Frederik, ” Rockliff, Prince Christian, “, –, Queen of, Prince Frederik, ” Margrethe, ” Kristian Ring, Hansen Holt, Juliet Rieden, Margrethe, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Margrethe, Reiden, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, didn’t, Rieden, Frederik, she’d, Christian Vierig, She’s, she’s, Prince Frederik’s, Genoveva Casanova, Casanova, ‘, Britain’s King Charles III, ” Reiden Organizations: Australia CNN, Crown, Royal House, Getty Images Tasmanian, CNN, Ukraine, ABC, Australian, Monarchs, Copenhagen Cathedral, Mary Foundation, Lecturas, Royal, of State, CNN’s Royal Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark, Tasmania, Denmark, Sydney, Danish, Copenhagen, Hobart, AFP, Gaza, Queen of Denmark, Scottish, British, Houston , Texas, Europe, Mexican, Spanish, Christiansborg Palace, Mary

☆ Iberdrola and Masdar to invest $16 billion in green energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Pietro Lombardi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Iberdrola SA FollowRwe Ag FollowMADRID, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Spanish renewable energy giant Iberdrola (IBE.MC) and UAE clean energy developer Masdar have formed a 15 billion euro ($16.2 billion) alliance to invest in offshore wind and green hydrogen in countries including Germany, Britain and the United States. The agreement announced on Tuesday follows a pledge by 118 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade as they seek to wean themselves off fossil fuels. "Reaching this goal will require immediate action from these governments and the private sector," said Iberdrola Executive Chairman Ignacio Galan. "With an abundance of wind resources, the UK and Europe are prime markets for Masdar," said Masdar Chief Executive Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi. Last week Masdar and Germany's RWE (RWEG.DE) said they would co-develop a 3 GW wind project off the coast of Britain.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ignacio Galan, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Germany's, Iberdrola, Pietro Lombardi, Jakub Olesiuk, Kirsten Donovan, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, East Anglia, Masdar, China, Thomson Locations: MADRID, UAE, Germany, Britain, United States, Dubai, Iberdrola's, East, Spanish, Europe, Baltic

☆ Governments take action to keep offshore wind projects on track
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Susanna Twidale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Scroby Sands offshore wind farm can be seen off of the coast at Great Yarmouth, Britain, October 24, 2018. Investors told Reuters governments have since shown willingness to pay higher prices, helping to restore confidence in the future of the industry. Britain's last auction in September failed to attract any offshore wind projects, with developers saying the guaranteed price on offer was too low. Britain's Octopus launched a dedicated fund with Japan's Tokyo Gas (9531.T) to invest 3 billion pounds ($3.7 billion) in offshore wind projects by 2030. Soeren Lassen, head of offshore wind Research at WoodMac said more than 50 GW of offshore wind tenders globally are planned for 2024.

Persons: Chris Radburn, ”, Jonathan Cole, Corio's Cole, Keith Anderson, Anderson, Marc Hedin, Nathalie Gerl, Germany's RWE, Soeren Lassen, WoodMac, Susanna Twidale, Nichola Groom, Scott DiSavino, Simon Webb, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Governments, Investors, Corio Generation, Power, New York, Energy, New York State Energy Research, Development Authority, Aurora Energy Research, Research, Ireland, Aurora, Gas, Thomson Locations: Great Yarmouth, Britain, U.S, New York State, China

☆ Cameron to Reaffirm British Support for Ukraine in US Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's foreign minister David Cameron will underline the importance of support and humanitarian funding for Ukraine during his first visit to Washington since he assumed his post last month, the UK foreign office said on Wednesday. The former prime minister will travel to the United States to reaffirm both the strength of Britain's relationship with Washington and London's continued support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion. Last month, Cameron used his first trip abroad to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv. The foreign office said that in Washington Cameron would also discuss the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and getting humanitarian aid to those affected in Israeli-besieged Gaza. Britain and the United States can work towards a long-term two-state solution which allows both Israel and the Palestinians can co-exist in peace, his office said.

Persons: David Cameron, London's, Joe Biden's, Cameron, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Washington Cameron, ” Cameron, Farouq Suleiman, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Ukraine, Russia's, U.S, Congress, Ukrainian Locations: Washington, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Britain, Russia, Gaza, China, Israel

Signage is seen for British utility company Thames Water at a repair site in London, Britain, June 28, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Thames Water, Britain's biggest water utility, is proceeding with a three-year turnaround plan, it said on Tuesday, adding it had a high level of liquidity and the support of investors, as it seeks to ease concern over its financial stability. Thames Water's environment record has also come under scrutiny. "Our shareholders support this much needed investment, underscoring their commitment to delivering Thames' turnaround." Robert Goodwill, chairman of Britain's environment, food and rural affairs committee, said that he may need to ask Thames Water bosses further questions.

Persons: Toby Melville, Cathryn Ross, Alastair Cochran, Robert Goodwill, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Thames, REUTERS, Media, Thames Water, Ontario, China Investment Corp, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Thames

☆ UK's Hunt says he hopes to reverse public investment freeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt speaks at the Resolution Foundation, in London, Britain December 4, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Monday that he hoped in future to reverse the decline in public investment which is forecast in the government's latest budget plans. "I don't think you want declining public investment. And I very much hope we'll be able to get back into a place where we don't have to do that," Hunt said at an event hosted by the Resolution Foundation think tank. In government budget forecasts published last month, British public sector net investment is forecast to fall steadily from 2.6% of gross domestic product in the current financial year to 1.8% in the 2028/29 financial year.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hollie Adams, we'll, Hunt, Keir Starmer, David Milliken, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British

REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Saudi Arabia's PIF buys into Rocco Forte hotel groupPlans to help expand luxury hotel groupItalian investor CDPE checks out of chainDec 4 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's PIF sovereign wealth fund will buy a 49% stake in luxury hotel group Rocco Forte Hotels and help to support its expansion, the owner of Britain's Balmoral hotel said on Monday. A spokesperson for Rocco Forte Hotels declined to confirm the size of PIF's stake. Rocco Forte Hotels, founded in 1996, operates across Italy, Britain, Germany, Belgium and Russia and has 20 private villas in addition to its hotels. CDPE, which owned a 23% stake in Rocco Forte Hotels, is owned by Italy's state-backed fund CDP. Rocco Forte, which was advised by Rothschild, reported revenues of around 300 million pounds last fiscal year, with a core profit of around 60 million pounds, according to a source.

Persons: Russell Cheyne, Companies Saudi Arabia's PIF, Rocco Forte, CDPE, Olga Polizzi, Forte, Rocco Forte Hotels, Al Nowaiser, PIF, Rothschild, Yadarisa, Elisa Anzolin, Keith Weir, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Saudi Arabia's, Saudi Arabia's, Rocco Forte Hotels, Financial Times, Granada, Thomson Locations: Balmoral, Scotland, Edinburgh, Britain, Saudi, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Milan, Sardinia, Italy's, SAUDI ARABIA, Saudi Arabia, Bengaluru, London

The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. 29. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesAnother political figure who died this year was former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19. Among the entertainers who left the world this year was singer Tina Turner, who died May 24. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Fred White, 67. A Hall of Fame forward who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup Final.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Kissinger, Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Silvio Berlusconi, Dianne Feinstein, James Buckley, James Abourezk, Nigel Lawson, Pervez Musharraf, Sandra Day O’Connor, Li Keqiang, Martti Ahtisaari, United Nations Bill Richardson, Gov, Sheila Oliver, Theodoros Pangalos, Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Suzanne Somers, Matthew Perry, Raquel Welch, Richard Belzer, Chaim Topol, Jacklyn Zeman, Lance Reddick, Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, David McCallum, Richard Roundtree, Tom Sizemore, Jimmy Buffett, Sinéad O’Connor, Rita Lee Jones, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Fito Olivares, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Astrud Gilberto, Coco Lee, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, Cormac McCarthy, William Friedkin, Bob Barker, Jerry Springer, Louise Glück, Jeff Beck, Mary Quant, Kaija Saariaho, Lloyd Morrisett, Fred White, Maurice, Verdine White, Ken Block, Walter Cunningham, Fay Weldon, ” Jan, Russell Pearce, Charles Simic, Lynette “ Diamond ” Hardaway, Donald Trump, Diamond, Constantine, Jan, Tatjana Patitz, George Michael’s, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley, Robbie Knievel, Evel Knievel, Ray Cordeiro, Elmo, Cookie, Gina Lollobrigida, Chris Ford, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Cindy Williams, Shirley, “ Laverne, Billy Packer, Sylvia Syms, Alex ”, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield, “ Papa, Rollin ’ Stone, Tom Verlaine, Patti Smith, Bobby Hull, Paco Rabanne, Harry Whittington, Dick Cheney, Hsing Yun, ”, San Jose ”, Carlos Saura, Spain’s, Hugh Hudson, Oscar, “ Greystroke, Hans Modrow, David Jude Jolicoeur, Huey “, ” Smith, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, “, Leiji Matsumoto, Yamato ”, Tim McCarver, Stella Stevens, Jerry Lewis’s, John Munch, Ahmed Qureia, Betty Boothroyd, Ricou Browning, Gill, Gérard Latortue, Fontaine, Barbara Everitt Bryant, Ryan ”, Kenzaburo Oe, Judy Heumann, Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Georgina Beyer, Traute Lafrenz, Rose, Peterson Zah, Tevye, Robert Blake, Jiang Yanyong, Bud Grant, Dick Fosbury, Pat Schroeder, Gloria Bosman, Jacqueline Gold, Britain’s Ann Summers, John Wick ”, John Jenrette, Juana La, Willis Reed, Darcelle, Paul O’Grady, Lily Savage, Emperor ”, Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, Margaret Thatcher, Ben Ferencz, Nuremberg, Elisabeth Kopp, Michael Lerner, Jack Lipnick, “ Barton Fink, Bugsy Calhoun, Anne Perry, Thomas Pitt, William Monk, Al Jaffee, magazine’s, Charles Stanley, Richard Riordan, Todd Haimes, Tony Awards, Barry Humphries, Tony, Dame Edna Everage, Len Goodman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, Emmett Till, LeRoy “ Lee ” Carhart, Larry “, ___ Gordon Lightfoot, Tori Bowie, Vida, Grace Bumbry, Rock ”, Ovelha, Denny Crum, Heather Armstrong, Bobbie Spencer, Rolf Harris, Kenneth Anger, Doyle Brunson, Jim Brown, Timothy Keller, Andy Rourke, Ray Stevenson, Thor ”, Ed Ames, George Maharis, Carroll Cooley, Miranda, John Beasley, Kaija, George Winston, Ipanema ”, Robert Hanssen, Richard Snyder, Simon & Schuster, Françoise Gilot, Pablo Picasso —, Pat Robertson, Theodore “ Ted ” Kaczynski, Roger Payne, Treat Williams, Glenda Jackson, Daniel Ellsberg, Richard Nixon, Big, George Frazier, Lee Sarokin, Rubin “, ” Carter, Winnie Ewing, Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock, “ Fiorello, John Goodenough, Peg Yorkin, Sue Johanson, Yan Mingfu, John Berylson, James Lewis, poisonings, Mikala Jones, André Watts, Jane Birkin, Kevin Mitnick, San Francisco ”, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Hugh “ Sonny ” Carter Jr, Jimmy, Randy Meisner, Herman, Angus Cloud, Fezco, ” O’Neill, ___, Mark Margolis, Hector Salamanca, Saul, Sixto Rodriguez, flamed, Robbie Robertson, Tom Jones, Magoo, Timbaland, Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Clarence Avant, Quincy Jones, Bill Withers, Ada Deer, Jerry Moss, Herb Alpert, Alpert, Michael Parkinson, Muhammad Ali, Miss Piggy, Jiri Cerny, Betty Tyson, Richard Nixon’s, John Warnock, Ron Cephas Jones, Howard Hubbard, Samuel “ Joe ” Wurzelbacher, Joe, Barack Obama, Gil Brandt, Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Bill Richardson, Steve Harwell, Shabtai Shavit, Jordan, Ian Wilmut, Dolly, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Roy Kidd, Eno Ichikawa, Michael McGrath, Fernando Botero, Giorgio Napolitano, Matteo Messina Denaro, Michael Gambon, Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter ”, Mankombu Sambasivan, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Hosni Mubarak, Tim Wakefield, Dick Butkus, Michael Chiarello, Michael Chiarello ”, Masters, Burt Young, Paulie, Sylvester Stallone, Hughes Van Ellis, Kevin Phillips, Louise Meriwether, Mark Goddard, Major Don West, Rudolph Isley, Isley, unblinking, Piper Laurie, Chrissy Snow, Bobby Charlton, Bishan Bedi, Richard Moll, Xi Jinping, Wu Zunyou, Chandler Bing, Ken Mattingly, Bob Knight, Frank Borman, Steve Norton, Don Walsh, Mariana Trench, Terry R, Taylor, Daisaku Ikeda, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Ussery, George “ Funky ” Brown, Joanna ”, Marty Krofft, Pufnstuf, Donny, Marie ”, Terry Venables, Tim Dorsey, Serge A, Frances Sternhagen, ” “, Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Gerald Ford, Shane MacGowan, Bernard McGhee Organizations: Wagner Group, Russian, White House, U.S, Supreme, United Nations, Greek Foreign, Republican, Hong, Boston Celtics, NBA, NBC, CBS, Television, Fame, Chicago Blackhawks, ”, New, of Fame, Louis Cardinals, “, Palestinian, Israel, South Dakota Democrat, Arab, Arab American U.S, Britain’s, Commons, . Census Bureau, Alabama ”, Zealand, Navajo, Minnesota Vikings, People, Playboy, Capitol, Juana La Cubana, New York Knicks, Guinness, World Records, Hollywood, Treasury, Southern Baptist Convention, Los Angeles, Roundabout Theatre Company, Air Force, Harlem Globetrotters, Janeiro Games, baseball’s, Germany’s Bayreuth, NCAA, Hall of Famer, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Legion, Ames, Phoenix, FBI, Simon &, Christian Broadcasting Network, Republican Party, Christian Coalition, Harvard, Feminist Majority Foundation, “ Little, Communist Party, Millwall, New York Philharmonic, San, Brigade, Wing, Eagles, HBO, of Indian Affairs, M, Police, Carpenters, Adobe Systems, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dallas Cowboys, escapist, Democratic, Zulu, Eastern, AA, Broadway, Communist, U.S . Senate, Red Sox, Yankees, Boston, Chicago Bears, Major, Isley Brothers, New York Times, Manchester United, India, Indiana, Nevada — Resorts, Atlantic City —, Navy, Associated Press, Soka Gakkai, Kentucky Derby, Kool, The, European, Barcelona, Tottenham, City Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Russian, U.S, Finnish, New Mexico, New Jersey, British, Greece, American, Hong Kong, Italian, America, New York, Spanish, catwalks, Texas, Taiwan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, San, New Orleans, Rosebud, Arab American, Haiti, “, African, Brooklyn, London, Los, Mississippi, United States, Rivers, Georgia, Savannah, Louisville, New York City, Irish, HBO’s “ Rome, Brazilian, Ipanema, Moscow, Virginia, Montana, Vietnam, Canada, Asia, Chicago, Hawaii, France, South Africa, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Czech, Eastern Kentucky, Colombian, ”, California, Tulsa, Finland, China, Nevada, Atlantic City, Florida, Berkshire

☆ Labour leader Starmer praises Thatcher in bid to woo UK Conservative voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 29, 2023. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, has praised former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a deeply unpopular figure among many Labour supporters, as he seeks to woo Conservative voters before an election expected next year. Thatcher, dubbed the "Iron Lady" by the UK press at the time, was Britain's Conservative leader from 1979 to 1990. "Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them," Starmer wrote in an article for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. After hailing Thatcher, Starmer wrote that Labour had "changed dramatically in the last three years".

Persons: Keir Starmer, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Britain's, Margaret Thatcher, Starmer, Rishi Sunak's, Thatcher, Tony Blair, Clement Attlee, Jeremy Corbyn, Victoria Atkins, Margaret Thatcher's, Michael Holden, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative, Sunday Telegraph, Sky News, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Exclusive: Google pushes for antitrust action against Microsoft in UK cloud market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In 2022, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft's Azure had a combined 70-80% share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market, Ofcom said. Such practices directly harmed customers, and were the only significant barrier to competition in Britain’s cloud computing market, the company said. "A lot of our software and cloud services interoperate, and can run on AWS or on Azure as well, so you're not restricted," he said. "If you don't fix this, eventually you will have fewer cloud providers, and then innovation will not really happen, and investments will start shrinking." Asked why Amazon, which boasts a larger share of the cloud market than Microsoft, did not pose a similarly anticompetitive risk, Zavery said AWS consumers were not facing the same restrictions.

Persons: Arnd, Amit Zavery, Microsoft’s, Zavery, ”, Martin Coulter, Jeffrey Dastin, Kenneth Li Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Reuters, European Union, CMA, Markets Authority, Ofcom, Amazon Web Services, Google, Google Cloud, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Britain, London, New York

Signage is seen outside of a Metro Bank in London, Britain, May 22, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 30 (Reuters) - Metro Bank (MTRO.L) on Thursday announced sweeping cost-cutting plans aimed at bolstering its finances, which could see the embattled British lender lay off 20% of its staff and axe some of its biggest customer perks including seven-day opening hours. The lender expects to take a lower-than-expected one-off restructuring charge of between 10 million pounds and 15 million pounds in 2023. Metro Bank did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on the precise number of roles at risk, but the lender employs around 4,000 people, according to its latest annual report. It is also reviewing its seven-day opening and extended store hours and will "selectively streamline lending" to focus on relationship banking to maximise risk-adjusted returns.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Jaime Gilinski, Daniel Frumkin, outflows, Yadarisa, Sinead Cruise, Elizabeth Howcroft, Rashmi Aich, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Metro Bank, REUTERS, Metro, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Colombian, Bengaluru

[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

☆ Fact Check: The Telegraph video on Body Worlds using Ukrainian military corpses is fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video using The Daily Telegraph’s branding, which reports a Body Worlds exhibition was cancelled in London when it was found to be using illegally acquired bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, is fake. Body Worlds exhibitions are the brainchild of German anatomists Gunther von Hagens and his wife Angelina Whalley, and they showcase real human bodies preserved through “plastination”, a preservation process invented by von Hagens in 1977. But Georgia Gomez, the director of development at Body Worlds and von Hagens Plastination, told Reuters in a Nov. 16 email that the claims made about the company were false. Body Worlds exhibitions rely exclusively on body donations to the Institute for Plastination body donation programme and they have never received any body donors from Ukraine. No Body Worlds exhibit is planned or scheduled in London or any other part of Britain and quotes in the video attributed to von Hagens are “completely bogus,” Gomez added.

Persons: anatomists Gunther von Hagens, Angelina Whalley, plastination, von Hagens, ”, Andy King, “, Georgia Gomez, Hagens Plastination, ” Gomez, Gunther von Hagens, Read Organizations: Twitter, Facebook, The Daily Telegraph, British, Heathrow Airport, Reuters, Telegraph, Institute, Ukrainian Center, Office, Border Force, Thomson Locations: London, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Britain

"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

☆ Greece PM Laments Lack of Progress With UK on Parthenon Sculptures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - Talks over a possible return of the British Museum's Parthenon Sculptures to Athens are not advancing quickly enough, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday as he prepared to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this week. Athens has long campaigned for the return of the Elgin Marbles, as they are often described. The 75 metres of Parthenon frieze, 15 metopes and 17 sculptures were removed by diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire then ruling Greece. "We have not made as much progress as I would like in the negotiations," Mitsotakis told BBC television on Sunday. The Financial Times last week reported that Starmer would not block a "mutually acceptable" loan deal for the sculptures.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi Sunak, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, we've, George Osborne, Sunak, Keir Starmer, Starmer, William Schomberg, Lefteris Papadimas, David Goodman Organizations: British, Elgin, BBC, Museum, Labour Party, Financial Locations: Athens, Ottoman Empire, Greece, British

☆ Greece PM laments lack of progress with UK on Parthenon Sculptures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] 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. Athens has long campaigned for the return of the Elgin Marbles, as they are often described. The 75 metres of Parthenon frieze, 15 metopes and 17 sculptures were removed by diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire then ruling Greece. "We have not made as much progress as I would like in the negotiations," Mitsotakis told BBC television on Sunday. The Financial Times last week reported that Starmer would not block a "mutually acceptable" loan deal for the sculptures.

Persons: Toby Melville, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi Sunak, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, we've, George Osborne, Sunak, Keir Starmer, Starmer, William Schomberg, Lefteris Papadimas, David Goodman Organizations: Elgin, British Museum, REUTERS, British, BBC, Museum, Labour Party, Financial, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Athens, Ottoman Empire, Greece, British

OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Ava Marie Ziegler performed a near-flawless free skate Saturday to win the NHK Trophy and lead a U.S. 1-2 finish on the podium. Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium was third with 194.66, a result that allowed her to secure a place in the Dec. 7-10 Grand Prix Final at Beijing. The NHK Trophy is the sixth and last event of the International Skating Union’s Grand Prix series, which leads in the Grand Prix Final. The competition concludes later Saturday with the free skate in both men’s and pairs. Japan's Yuma Kagiyama upstaged two-time world champion and compatriot Shoma Uno on Friday to finish first in the men’s short program.

Persons: — Ava Marie Ziegler, Ziegler, Lindsay Thorngren, Nina Pinzarrone, South Korea's Lee Hae, Christina Aguilera, axel, lutz, “, I’m, I’ve, ”, Thorngren, Kaori Sakamoto, Isabeau, Loena, Hana Yoshida, Rion Sumiyoshi, Lewis Gibson, Charlene Guignard, Marco Fabbri, Allison Reed, Saulius, Gibson, Guignard, Fabbri, Shoma Uno, ___ Organizations: NHK, Liberation, Britain, Yuma Locations: OSAKA, Japan, U.S, Belgium, Beijing, South, New Jersey, United States, Italy, Lithuania

☆ A century after debut, UK music store HMV makes Oxford Street return
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 363 Oxford Street address hosted the very first HMV store in 1921, opened by composer Edward Elgar, and was central to the development of British popular music and culture. "We feel really good on the future of physical stores for retail," Putman told Reuters in an interview. The store will sell 8,000 different vinyl albums, 12,000 CDs, music merchandise and a wide range of music technology. HMV says its vinyl sales are significantly ahead of UK annual market growth of 18%, and account for half its physical music sales. Councillor Geoff Barraclough of Westminster City Council, which oversees Oxford Street, said the HMV store represented what they wanted to do on Oxford Street: "an experience beyond traditional retail".

Persons: Edward Elgar, Doug Putman, Putman, John Lennon, Cher, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Brian Epstein, Epstein, George Martin, Geoff Barraclough, James Davey, Jan Harvey Organizations: Black, Oxford, HMV, Reuters, Wars, Marvel, Echo, Beatles, Westminster City Council, Oxford Street, Thomson Locations: Britain's, Dublin, Antwerp, Westminster

☆ The Crown, the Cabinet and the UK’s legacy of slavery
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

British banks backed large parts of the U.S. slavery economy, and British factories were the world’s largest customers for the cotton produced by plantations in southern U.S. states. In 1663, it was granted a monopoly by King Charles II for the British slavery trade. In 1794, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin, a machine that would transform the U.S. slavery economy. Mill owners including the Arkwrights, one of the richest families in the industry, were Smith family clients. Two British travel writers visited Farm Pen in 1837, when the land was still in Smith family hands.

Persons: ”, Nick Draper, George Smith, King Charles, Hunt, Trevor Burnard, “, ” Burnard, Smith, Edward, René Payne, Payne, John Tunno, John de Ponthieu, … ” Edward Payne, slaveholder John de Ponthieu, de Ponthieu, buryed, King Charles II, John Montagu, Edward Montagu, Montagu, ” John Montagu 11th Earl of Sandwich, Edward Montagu , 1st Earl of Sandwich, Nicholas Radburn, ” Radburn, Brookes, –, Eli Whitney, Rothschild, Geoffrey Clifton, Brown, William, James Brown, James, Clifton, Harriman, Draper, Morgan Chase, Joseph Sturge, Thomas Harvey Organizations: America, University College London, “, Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull, ”, Reuters, Company of Royal Adventurers of, Royal African Company, The Company, Royal Adventurers of, Lancaster University, Traders, Transatlantic, Brown Brothers, Brown, Harriman & Co, Planters Bank of Tennessee, Planters Bank of Mississippi, Rio, Spanish Town Locations: Britain, U.S, British, Caribbean, British Caribbean, America, English, Nottingham, London, West India, Bristol, Liverpool, United States, South Carolina, Charleston, Barbados, Africa, North, Clifton, New York, Louisiana and Mississippi, Louisiana, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish

☆ UK pension transfer boom continues as deals worth $11 bln struck
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Lawrence White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Legal & General insurance company is seen at their office in central London March 17, 2008. Legal & General (LGEN.L) said it had agreed a so-called full buy-in to the Boots Pension Scheme worth 4.8 billion pounds, in what it said was the largest such deal in Britain by premium size. The market has been running at around 30 billion pounds a year in Britain, but consultants expect 2023 to top that. Rising funding ratios for pension schemes are driving unprecedented demand, Legal & General (L&G) said, as funds scramble to protect schemes against the vagaries of market movements amid rising interest rates worldwide. L&G has written a total of 13.4 billion pounds worth of pension risk transfer deals this year globally, up from 9.5 billion pounds last year.

Persons: Alessia, Eva Mathews, Lawrence White, Sharon Singleton, Mark Potter Organizations: General, REUTERS, Legal, Co, Regulators, Bank of England's Prudential, Authority, Health, Thomson Locations: London, BRITAIN, Britain, Rothesay, Bengaluru

☆ Fact Check: Misleading antisemitic claims made about BBC University Challenge team
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An episode of Britain’s BBC game show University Challenge has been falsely suggested online to show contestants, as well as the broadcaster itself, reacting with an antisemitic trope to the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. In an episode aired in August, the team used a dinosaur mascot. “It seems to be quite straightforwardly a case of an octopus just being an octopus.”The mascot on University Challenge did not have a globe within its tentacles. The singled-out individual was not wearing the colours of the Palestinian flag, nor did the team’s octopus mascot belong to her. The octopus was one of several stuffed toy mascots the team used, according to the BBC.

Persons: ”, Church, Dave Rich, ” David Feldman, David, Read Organizations: BBC, Twitter, Facebook, University of Oxford’s Christ Church, Christ Church, Reuters, University Challenge, Community Security Trust, Birkbeck Institute, Thomson Locations: Israel

☆ World’s biggest iceberg is on the move
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

London CNN —The world’s biggest iceberg – more than twice the size of Britain’s capital city - is on the move after decades of being grounded on the seafloor in Antarctica. The huge mass of ice broke away from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in 1986, calved and grounded on the Antarctic’s Weddell Sea floor almost immediately. The iceberg, named A23a, is about 400 meters (1,312 feet) thick, and almost 4,000 square kilometers (1,544 square miles) in area. Greater London, by way of comparison, is 1,572 square kilometers (607 square miles). The iceberg, carried by ocean currents, will likely head eastward, and at its current rate is traveling five kilometers (three miles) a day.

Persons: Ella Gilbert, Oliver Marsh, A23a, Gilbert, Marsh Organizations: London CNN, Ronne, British Antarctic Survey, CNN Locations: Antarctica, Weddell, Greater London

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