UK

UPDATED: London’s BT Tower to become hotel

By Paul Sandle LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - London's iconic BT Tower is set to become a luxury hotel after the owner BT Group agreed to sell the 177-metre building…

Read More Here

Lockbit cybercrime gang faces global takedown with indictments and arrests

An international law enforcement operation led by Britain's National Crime Agency and the FBI has arrested and indicted members of the Lockbit ransomware gang, in an unprecedented police operation that…

Read More Here

UK’s Cameron vows to protect Falkland Islands

British foreign minister David Cameron vowed to help protect the Falkland Islands as long as they wanted to remain under British control despite attempts by Argentina's new leader to reopen…

Read More Here

UK nears agreement on cooperation with EU border force

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government will announce in the coming days an agreement for cooperation with the European Union's border protection agency, Frontex, in a further sign of thawing…

Read More Here

Lioness and Windrush names added to London’s iconic Tube map

By Sachin Ravikumar London's famous Tube travel map will feature new names including "Lioness", "Windrush" and "Suffragette" in a multi-million pound rebranding of the Overground train network intended to make…

Read More Here

Britain lets Ukrainian refugees stay for another 18 months

LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Britain will give an additional 18-month extension for Ukrainian visa holders who are eligible to stay in the United Kingdom, the Home Office said on…

Read More Here

Britain’s Labour Party deals double blow to PM Sunak’s Conservatives

Double defeat piles pressure on Sunak Sunak says Britain needs to stick to his plan Starmer says Labour is winning over Conservatives By Elizabeth Piper LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) -…

Read More Here

UK economy falls into recession, adding to Sunak’s election challenge

By Suban Abdulla and Andy Bruce LONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Britain's economy fell into a recession in the second half of 2023, a tough backdrop for Prime Minister Rishi…

Read More Here

UK Labour Party’s lead falls to lowest since June 2023

Labour's lead over Britain's Conservatives has fallen 7 percentage points to its lowest since June 2023, a Savanta poll showed on Wednesday, after the opposition party scrapped a green spending…

Read More Here

How Sinn Féin reinvented itself from IRA associations to realistic leftwing alternative

Addressing the newly restored Northern Ireland Assembly, Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill assured everyone that she would be working equally for “Catholics, Protestants and dissenters”. This iconic quote from…

Read More Here

London’s mayor urges government to prevent Eurostar travel ‘chaos’

LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - London Mayor Sadiq Khan called on Britain's government to take steps to prevent "chaos" on the Eurostar rail link with France when the European Union…

Read More Here

UK PM Sunak paid more than 500,000 pounds in tax last year

By Andrew Macaskill and Sachin Ravikumar LONDON, (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid 508,000 pounds ($641,000) in tax in the last financial year after income from his investments…

Read More Here

Prince Harry accepts substantial damages to settle Mirror Group case

Prince Harry has settled the remainder of his lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers over phone-hacking and other unlawful acts after the publisher agreed to pay substantial damages and his legal…

Read More Here

Church of England: ‘Profound disagreement’ remains on homosexuality

The Church of England's governing body will debate adopting fresh commitments on homosexuality and same-sex couples when it meets later this month, it said on Friday, acknowledging that there remained…

Read More Here

Barclays to adopt fresh curbs on oil and gas financing

Barclays, Britain's biggest lender to the oil and gas industry, told Reuters it will stop direct financing of new oil and gas fields and restrict lending more broadly to energy…

Read More Here

Prince William back to work after Kate’s surgery and King Charles’ cancer

By Michael Holden LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William returns to public duty on Wednesday following his wife Kate's surgery and the revelation King Charles had cancer, with…

Read More Here

King Charles seen in public and Harry flies in to see him after cancer diagnosis

By Michael Holden and Sarah Young King Charles smiled and waved to passers-by on Tuesday as he was seen in public for the first time since it was revealed he…

Read More Here

New Northern Ireland government calls for more money from London

Northern Ireland's new power-sharing executive called on Britain on Monday to boost its offer to ease the region's strained budget beyond the 3.3 billion pounds included in a deal to…

Read More Here

King Charles diagnosed with cancer

Britain's King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and the 75-year-old will postpone his public duties while he undergoes treatment, Buckingham Palace said on Monday. Charles, who became king in September 2022…

Read More Here

UK, Italy seek ‘innovative partnerships’ to deal with illegal migration

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed to keep working together to deal with illegal migration by developing "innovative partnerships" along migration routes, Sunak's office…

Read More Here

Northern Ireland appoints Irish nationalist as First Minister in historic shift

By Amanda Ferguson and Natalie Thomas Northern Ireland's parliament appointed an Irish nationalist as First Minister for the first time on Saturday, a historic milestone in a state established a…

Read More Here

British submarine to test fire nuclear missile in the Atlantic

Britain will in the coming days test fire a nuclear missile for the first time in eight years. A warning was issued to shipping that a test would be carried…

Read More Here

Northern Ireland to restore government after UK parliament approves deal

By Andrew Macaskill and Amanda Ferguson House of Commons backs deal without formal vote DUP requests sitting of Northern Ireland parliament Local government set to be elected on Saturday Region…

Read More Here

Second malaria vaccine highly protective, trial results show

By Jennifer Rigby LONDON, (Reuters) - A malaria vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India prevented around three-quarters of symptomatic malaria cases in young…

Read More Here

UK minister quits politics over death threats for pro-Israel views

LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - British lawmaker Mike Freer, who represents an area in London with a large Jewish population, said he would be giving up his parliamentary seat at…

Read More Here

XL Bully: England bans unregistered dogs after attacks

By Farouq Suleiman and Hannah Ellison LONDON, (Reuters) - Owning an unregistered 'XL Bully' dog will become a criminal offence in England and Wales from Thursday under government plans to…

Read More Here

UK says no post-Brexit checks on EU fruit, vegetables until Oct at earliest

By James Davey UK's new post-Brexit border rules start Jan. 31 Last week Defra reclassified some fruit and vegetables to 'medium risk' 'Easement' means reclassified items still treated as 'low…

Read More Here

Britain faces more rail strikes

By Sachin Ravikumar Britain faced another week of disrupted travel from rail strikes from Tuesday, in a failure for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's new strikes law that was intended to…

Read More Here

Immigration to add 6.1 million to UK population by 2036 – ONS

Immigration is expected to add 6.1 million people to the UK population by mid-2036, official projections that will add to pressure on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reduce it…

Read More Here

King Charles leaves hospital after prostate treatment

Britain's King Charles and his daughter-in-law Kate, the Princess of Wales, both returned home from hospital on Monday after undergoing planned treatments. Charles, 75, who had spent three nights in…

Read More Here

Kate, Princess of Wales, back home after surgery

LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Kate, the Princess of Wales, has returned home from hospital after a two-week stay following abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace said on Monday. Kate, 42, the…

Read More Here

UK government to ban disposable vapes to prevent use by children

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce plans on Monday to ban the sale of disposable vapes to prevent their use by children, and reiterate the government's intention to introduce…

Read More Here

US to station nuclear weapons in UK to counter threat from Russia

The United States is planning to station nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years as the threat from Russia increases, Pentagon documents seen by The…

Read More Here

What do we know about when the UK election will be?

LONDON, (Reuters) - Britain's next national election is expected this year, although its timing is uncertain. Here is what is known about when to expect the vote, and the process…

Read More Here

King Charles doing well in hospital after prostate treatment

By Michael Holden itain's King Charles is doing well after having planned treatment to address an enlarged prostate on Friday, a royal source said after he was admitted to the…

Read More Here

King Charles ‘delighted’ that prostate diagnosis is raising pulbic awareness

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles is delighted that news of his treatment for an enlarged prostate is raising public awareness of the health issue, Buckingham Palace said…

Read More Here

‘Zombie knives’ to be banned in England and Wales from September

So-called "zombie knives" and machetes will be banned in England and Wales from September, the British government said on Wednesday, making it illegal to possess, sell, manufacture or transport them…

Read More Here

Senior UK Conservative tells party ditch Sunak or face ‘annihilation’

Senior British Conservative lawmaker Simon Clarke called on Tuesday for a change of prime minister, saying Rishi Sunak was leading the governing party into an election later this year "where…

Read More Here

Britain to retain substantial number of EU laws until at least 2026

Britain will retain thousands of European Union laws for at least the next two years, the government said on Thursday, setting out new targets for the heavily delayed process of…

Read More Here

Biden, UK PM Sunak discuss Middle East and Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday about the Red Sea, Gaza, and Ukraine, White House spokesman John Kirby said. "They talked about what's…

Read More Here

Price of owning a dog in the UK has gone up by 9%

Dog owners are increasingly switching to cheaper foods, or even considering giving up their pet, as "dogflation" continues to significantly outstrip the CPI rate. Last week the ONS revealed inflation for…

Read More Here

UK parcel firm disables AI after poetic bot goes rogue

A parcel delivery firm in Britain has disabled the artificial intelligence (AI) function in its online chat systems after a frustrated user coaxed the system into composing a poem about…

Read More Here

Storm Isha batters UK

Thousands of people across Wales, Northern Ireland and north-west England have spent the night without power, after Storm Isha battered the UK with strong winds and heavy rain. Gusts of…

Read More Here

Boris Johnson claims the world would be ‘more stable’ under Donald Trump

Boris Johnson has endorsed Donald Trump for the US presidency, claiming he will surprise his critics and back Ukraine, making "the West stronger" and "the world more stable". The former…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Sarah Ferguson, UK’s Duchess of York, says in shock after new cancer diagnosis

By Michael Holden LONDON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, said on Monday she was in shock after being diagnosed with a malignant form of skin…

Read More Here

UK police to counter hostile state threats with new unit

By Michael Holden British police said they had set up a new unit to counter threats posed by China, Russia and Iran, saying they were very concerned about risks ahead…

Read More Here

What is Britain’s Post Office scandal?

By Sachin Ravikumar One of Britain's biggest miscarriages of justice, the wrongful conviction of hundreds of Post Office workers due to faulty software, has exploded into the public domain following…

Read More Here

What is the Rwanda bill? UK’s migrant plan explained

By Michael Holden Britain's parliament is set to vote on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's bill to allow the government to send asylum seekers who arrive without permission in Britain to…

Read More Here

Britain brushes off Russian plan to ban its fishing fleet

Russia says move is payback for UK measures UK group unaware of British vessels that fish in Russian sector LONDON, (Reuters) - Britain brushed off a Russian plan to ban…

Read More Here

Home Office U-turns on rights of EU citizens who were in UK pre-Brexit

The Home Office has made a significant U-turn on the rights of EU citizens who were in the UK before Brexit. It is going to reverse a rule it made…

Read More Here

London transport fares frozen to ease cost-of-living pressures

LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Most public transport fares in London will remain the same this year, in a move aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures and boosting the retail and…

Read More Here

Northern Ireland grinds to a halt over public pay dispute

BELFAST, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A strike by the majority of public sector workers in Northern Ireland shut schools, halted transport services and left icy roads ungritted on Thursday, with…

Read More Here

Weakened UK PM Sunak survives Conservative asylum law rebellion

By Andrew Macaskill and Elizabeth Piper British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defeated a Conservative rebellion on Wednesday over his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, winning a costly victory…

Read More Here

Kate, UK’s Princess of Wales, has surgery, Charles in hospital next week

LONDON, (Reuters) - Kate, Britain's Princess of Wales, has undergone successful planned abdominal surgery and will be in hospital for up to two weeks, while King Charles will also undergo…

Read More Here

17

Jan