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Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts
7/8/23
Britain - US relations; The long awaited British-US trade deal has still not materialized
It was meant to be the jewel in the Brexit crown, but the United Kingdom has, so far, failed to sign a free trade agreement with the United States.
6/12/23
EU-UK relations; UK plans to revoke EU laws could be extremely harmful to the UK
Plans by the British government to revoke or amend hundreds of European Union laws on its statute book could have a "negative impact on trade", Brussels has warned.
Speaking at the EU-UK Forum's annual conference on Monday, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said Brussels is following the evolution of the Retained EU Law through the British parliamentary process "extremely, extremely closely."
"I understand that (a) big part of the audience who is following this conference would like to see more seamless trade, less friction, less complication but it's very difficult to achieve that if the decision is to just simply go for more divergence or if, let's say, the law which we've been building together for many, many decades and underpins some of the fundamentals of the Withdrawal Agreement and TCA [The EU-Uk Trade and Cooperation Agreement] would be thrown into the shredders."
Read more at:https://www.euronews.com
2/27/23
EU and Britain: a new beginning ?
Brussels and London on Monday said they were beginning "a new chapter" in their relationship after striking a deal on the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol.
The new agreement, called the Windsor Framework, was announced by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after a meeting in the south-eastern English city.
"The United Kingdom and European Union may have had our differences in the past, but we are allies, trading partners and friends, something that we've seen clearly in the past year as we joined with others to support Ukraine. This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship," Sunak said during a joint press conference.
Von der Leyen meanwhile said that "the new Windsor Framework respects and protects our respective markets and our respective legitimate interests, and most importantly, it protects the very hard-earned peace gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement for the people of Northern Ireland and across the island of Ireland."
Read more at: https ://www.eu-digest.com
12/3/22
British-Russian Relations: Britain arrest wealthy Russian for money laundering in London
Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Saturday it had arrested a "wealthy Russian businessman" on suspicion of money laundering as the UK attempts to disrupt potential criminal activity by oligarchs linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The unidentified 58-year-old was one of three men detained on Thursday.
The Russian businessman was arrested at a "multi-million-pound residence" in London, according to the NCA.
What do we know so far?
As well as suspicion of money laundering, he was also arrested on conspiracy of defrauding the UK's Interior Ministry and conspiracy to commit perjury, the NCA said.
Read more at:https://www.dw.com
11/3/22
Britain: major and long recession expected
The Bank of England warned Thursday that the U.K. is facing its longest recession since records began, with the economic downturn expected to extend well into 2024.
The central bank described the outlook for Britain’s economy as “very challenging,” noting that unemployment would likely double to 6.5% during the country’s two-year slump.
Read more at: https;//www.cnbc.com
10/24/22
Britain: Rishi Sunak to be Britain’s new prime minister as rivals quit race
Rishi Sunak will be named the U.K.‘s new prime minister, following a fast-tracked Conservative Party leadership race initiated to fill the void left by Liz Truss’ resignation.
Sunak — who will be the country’s first prime minister of color — won the role of Conservative Party leader after his sole competitor, Penny Mordaunt, dropped out of the race moments before votes from members of Parliament (MPs) were due to be announced Monday afternoon.
Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com
10/16/22
Britain-US relations: President Biden critical of Britain's economic policies
The US president said he disagreed with Liz Truss' now-abandoned plan to fight inflation with tax cuts. The embattled UK leader is now scrambling to present a new budget with the help of her new finance minister.
Read more at: https://www.dw.com
9/28/22
Carbon Bombs: UK and US banks among biggest backers of Russian ‘carbon bombs’, data shows
US and UK financial institutions have been among the leading investors in Russian “carbon bomb” fossil fuel projects, according to a new database of holdings from recent years.
Campaigners in Ukraine said these institutions must immediately end such investments, to limit the funding of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to avoid climate breakdown.
Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/international
8/27/22
Britain: Why Does The Commonwealth Still Exist?
It exists to foster international co-operation and trade links between people all over the world. After 70 years of its existence, the Commonwealth is a remarkable organisation which remains a major force for change in the world today.
Read more at:Why Does The Commonwealth Still Exist? - CLJ
7/25/22
EU-British Relations: Are the French really to blame for Dover travel chaos?
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss laid the blame squarely on Paris as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays trying to reach Europe via the English Channel port of Dover, but unions, port officials and the French authorities blamed Brexit.
Truss told her French counterpart Catherine Colonna that "the French authorities have not put enough people on the border."
The situation has added to the bad blood between London and Paris in the wake of Brexit, scotching hopes of a reset after Boris Johnson said earlier this month he was stepping down as premier.
"We need to see action from them (the French) to resolve the terrible situation which travellers, including families, are facing," said Truss, who is currently fighting to succeed Johnson as prime minister.
But Paris has rejected claims that the gridlock was caused by under-staffing and Colonna in her tweet took a more sanguine view of their conversation, describing the talks as "good" and welcoming the "cooperation" to reduce the delays.
Read more at :The Local
The situation has added to the bad blood between London and Paris in the wake of Brexit, scotching hopes of a reset after Boris Johnson said earlier this month he was stepping down as premier.
"We need to see action from them (the French) to resolve the terrible situation which travellers, including families, are facing," said Truss, who is currently fighting to succeed Johnson as prime minister.
But Paris has rejected claims that the gridlock was caused by under-staffing and Colonna in her tweet took a more sanguine view of their conversation, describing the talks as "good" and welcoming the "cooperation" to reduce the delays.
Read more at :The Local
7/8/22
Britain: Rishi Sunak launches bid to be new Conservative leader
British former finance minister Rishi Sunak has announced he is running to replace Boris Johnson, three days after helping to launch the cascade of resignations that brought the prime minister down.
Johnson’s imminent departure has added political uncertainty to an already difficult mix of soaring inflation, slowing growth and industrial unrest, set against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and the United Kingdom’s continuing struggle to adapt to life after Brexit.
Read more at: UK: Rishi Sunak launches bid to be new Conservative leader | News | Al Jazeera
Johnson’s imminent departure has added political uncertainty to an already difficult mix of soaring inflation, slowing growth and industrial unrest, set against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and the United Kingdom’s continuing struggle to adapt to life after Brexit.
Read more at: UK: Rishi Sunak launches bid to be new Conservative leader | News | Al Jazeera
7/7/22
Britain: Boris Johnson’s resignation: what is going on in UK politics? - by Ben Quinn
Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, announced on Thursday that he would be stepping down as leader of the ruling Conservatives in the face of a torrent of resignations by ministers and mounting pressure from within the party.
For now he is still prime minister, but his resignation triggers a contest to replace him as head of his party. The winner will become both party leader and prime minister, without the need for a national election.
Johnson had faced growing calls to go, after claims that he lied about the circumstances in which he gave a key role to an ally who was forced to quit last month over accusations that he had groped men.
Johnson’s premiership has been embroiled in months of turmoil – last month he survived a vote of confidence among Conservative MPs – but the prime minister’s undoing was ultimately prompted by the scandal surrounding one of their number.
Read more at: Boris Johnson’s resignation: what is going on in UK politics? | Boris Johnson | The Guardian
For now he is still prime minister, but his resignation triggers a contest to replace him as head of his party. The winner will become both party leader and prime minister, without the need for a national election.
Johnson had faced growing calls to go, after claims that he lied about the circumstances in which he gave a key role to an ally who was forced to quit last month over accusations that he had groped men.
Johnson’s premiership has been embroiled in months of turmoil – last month he survived a vote of confidence among Conservative MPs – but the prime minister’s undoing was ultimately prompted by the scandal surrounding one of their number.
Read more at: Boris Johnson’s resignation: what is going on in UK politics? | Boris Johnson | The Guardian
6/21/22
Britain: UK's biggest rail strike in 30 years disrupts travel, PM Johnson vows to stay firm
Tens of thousands of workers walked out on the first day of Britain's biggest rail strike in 30 years on Tuesday, with millions of passengers facing days of chaos as both the unions and government vowed to stick to their guns in a row over pay.
The strike by more than 40,000 rail staff, which is due to be replicated on Thursday and Saturday, caused major disruption across the network, bringing most services to a standstill and leaving major stations deserted. The London Underground metro was also mostly closed due to a separate strike.
Read more at: UK's biggest rail strike in 30 years disrupts travel, PM Johnson vows to stay firm | Reuters
The strike by more than 40,000 rail staff, which is due to be replicated on Thursday and Saturday, caused major disruption across the network, bringing most services to a standstill and leaving major stations deserted. The London Underground metro was also mostly closed due to a separate strike.
Read more at: UK's biggest rail strike in 30 years disrupts travel, PM Johnson vows to stay firm | Reuters
6/9/22
Britain: Bad news, People: Staff at Heathrow Could Go on Strike This Summer
Between the hundreds of cancelled flights and hours-long delays at security, passport control and baggage reclaim, UK airports are currently a bit of a shitshow. And it could be about to get even worse: hundreds of staff at the country’s busiest airport could go on strike this summer.
British Airways’ check-in and ground staff at Heathrow airport begin voting on whether to take strike action today (June 7), with any disruption likely to hit the airport over the summer holiday period. The GMB union says that BA staff suffered a 10 percent pay cut during the pandemic, which, while being reinstated for the airline’s bosses, has not been restored to check-in and ground staff at Heathrow.
Read more Bad news, People: Staff at Heathrow Could Go on Strike This Summer
British Airways’ check-in and ground staff at Heathrow airport begin voting on whether to take strike action today (June 7), with any disruption likely to hit the airport over the summer holiday period. The GMB union says that BA staff suffered a 10 percent pay cut during the pandemic, which, while being reinstated for the airline’s bosses, has not been restored to check-in and ground staff at Heathrow.
Read more Bad news, People: Staff at Heathrow Could Go on Strike This Summer
3/29/22
Britain: 'Partygate': Renewed calls for Johnson to quit as police recommend 20 COVID rule breach fines
Johnson’s government was shaken by public anger over revelations that his staff held “bring your own booze” office parties, birthday celebrations and “wine time Fridays” in 2020 and 2021 while millions in Britain were barred from meeting with friends and family because of his government’s COVID-19 restrictions. Thousands of people were fined by police for rule-breaking social gatherings.
Johnson has denied any wrongdoing, but he is alleged to have been at several of the dozen events in his 10 Downing St. office and other government buildings that are being investigated by the police. He has acknowledged attending a “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden in May 2020 during the first lockdown, but insisted he believed it would be a work event.
In January, civil servant Sue Gray published a report into some of the gatherings, the ones not under criminal investigation. She said “failures of leadership and judgment” in Johnson's government allowed events to occur that should not have happened.
Read more at: 'Partygate': Renewed calls for Johnson to quit as police recommend 20 COVID rule breach fines | Euronews
Johnson has denied any wrongdoing, but he is alleged to have been at several of the dozen events in his 10 Downing St. office and other government buildings that are being investigated by the police. He has acknowledged attending a “bring your own booze” party in the Downing Street garden in May 2020 during the first lockdown, but insisted he believed it would be a work event.
In January, civil servant Sue Gray published a report into some of the gatherings, the ones not under criminal investigation. She said “failures of leadership and judgment” in Johnson's government allowed events to occur that should not have happened.
Read more at: 'Partygate': Renewed calls for Johnson to quit as police recommend 20 COVID rule breach fines | Euronews
2/18/22
Storm: Britain - Netherlands hit by powerful storm: Storm Eunice Slams Northern Europe With Dangerously High Winds - by Derrick Bryson Taylor and Amanda Holpuch
Strong winds battered parts of Britain and Northern Europe on Friday, as a severe storm led to the deaths of at least seven people in the region, damaged buildings and severely disrupted travel by air, land and sea,
Netherlands Meteorological Institute warned of “significant damage and very dangerous situations” expected from falling trees and flying objects.
Read more at: Storm Eunice Slams Northern Europe With Dangerously High Winds - The New York Times
Netherlands Meteorological Institute warned of “significant damage and very dangerous situations” expected from falling trees and flying objects.
Read more at: Storm Eunice Slams Northern Europe With Dangerously High Winds - The New York Times
1/24/22
Munich - some things never change: The Edge of War is Netflix posh-washing for an elite that’s still in charge today
With the country apoplectic at the entitled behaviour in Downing Street, does the world need the reputation of another Tory flop, Neville Chamberlain, redeemed? As Robert Harris’s historical thriller hits Netflix this week.
A naughty party on a lawn. Drunk posh people swanning about while oozing entitlement. Everyone acting like the normal rules don’t apply to them. Men urinating openly. Though the booze has run out, someone’s got a cheeky plan to obtain some more… No, this isn’t Downing Street during the pandemic, this is the opening scene of Munich: The Edge of War – an intriguingly pointless film adapted from the book of the same name by historical fiction colossus Robert Harris.
It would be churlish to damn a film for the unfortunate timing of its release, but as it drops on Netflix this week, it’s hard to take Munich seriously amid the howls of national indignation at the recent antics in No 10. For while the film is an attempt to repair the reputation of pre-war PM Neville Chamberlain (witness David Davis quoting what was said to a disgraced Chamberlain in 1940: “In the name of God, go”), it’s mainly a film about powerful yet inept people from privileged elites making a mess of things. I mean, tell me: what’s not to hate right now?
Harris’s promotion for the film has centred around this slightly renegade desire to redeem Chamberlain (prime minister 1937-1940), who at the Munich Conference of 1938 took Hitler at his word that he didn’t want to enter into war – only for Hitler to confound his policy of appeasement by being a bastard and not a gentleman. Every world leader ever since, including in recent years Cameron and Obama, is at some point said to be acting like Chamberlain. It’s become an accepted synonym for being weak, overly trusting or unable to grasp a situation. But where the world has been happy to designate Chamberlain as a totemic figure of embarrassing Tory failure, Harris regards Chamberlain’s failure as “noble… not squalid”.
Read more at: Munich: The Edge of War is Netflix posh-washing for an elite that’s still in charge today | The Independent
A naughty party on a lawn. Drunk posh people swanning about while oozing entitlement. Everyone acting like the normal rules don’t apply to them. Men urinating openly. Though the booze has run out, someone’s got a cheeky plan to obtain some more… No, this isn’t Downing Street during the pandemic, this is the opening scene of Munich: The Edge of War – an intriguingly pointless film adapted from the book of the same name by historical fiction colossus Robert Harris.
It would be churlish to damn a film for the unfortunate timing of its release, but as it drops on Netflix this week, it’s hard to take Munich seriously amid the howls of national indignation at the recent antics in No 10. For while the film is an attempt to repair the reputation of pre-war PM Neville Chamberlain (witness David Davis quoting what was said to a disgraced Chamberlain in 1940: “In the name of God, go”), it’s mainly a film about powerful yet inept people from privileged elites making a mess of things. I mean, tell me: what’s not to hate right now?
Harris’s promotion for the film has centred around this slightly renegade desire to redeem Chamberlain (prime minister 1937-1940), who at the Munich Conference of 1938 took Hitler at his word that he didn’t want to enter into war – only for Hitler to confound his policy of appeasement by being a bastard and not a gentleman. Every world leader ever since, including in recent years Cameron and Obama, is at some point said to be acting like Chamberlain. It’s become an accepted synonym for being weak, overly trusting or unable to grasp a situation. But where the world has been happy to designate Chamberlain as a totemic figure of embarrassing Tory failure, Harris regards Chamberlain’s failure as “noble… not squalid”.
Read more at: Munich: The Edge of War is Netflix posh-washing for an elite that’s still in charge today | The Independent
1/22/22
Schengen: Austria Removes UK, the Netherlands, Denmark & Norway From List of Virus Variant Countries
The Austrian authorities have decided to abolish the list of virus variant countries, for travellers from which special stricter restrictions have applied so far.
Thus, starting from Monday, January 24, 2022, travellers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, which countries are currently classified as virus variant countries, will be subject to facilitated entry rules when travelling to Austria.
Read more Austria Removes UK, the Netherlands, Denmark & Norway From List of Virus Variant Countries - SchengenVisaInfo.com
Thus, starting from Monday, January 24, 2022, travellers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, which countries are currently classified as virus variant countries, will be subject to facilitated entry rules when travelling to Austria.
Read more Austria Removes UK, the Netherlands, Denmark & Norway From List of Virus Variant Countries - SchengenVisaInfo.com
1/14/22
Britain: Boris Johnson: UK PM told to resign after admitting he attended party during lockdown - Alasdair Sandford
Boris Johnson has apologised over a party held at Downing Street during the first coronavirus lockdown, as he faced MPs at Prime Minister's Questions.
In a heated session in parliament on Wednesday, opposition Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on Johnson to resign.
Some Tory MPs, including Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, have also agreed that the prime minister needs to step down.
Read more at: Boris Johnson: UK PM told to resign after admitting he attended party during lockdown | Euronews
In a heated session in parliament on Wednesday, opposition Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on Johnson to resign.
Some Tory MPs, including Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, have also agreed that the prime minister needs to step down.
Read more at: Boris Johnson: UK PM told to resign after admitting he attended party during lockdown | Euronews
11/18/21
Nazism: Nazis based their elite schools on top British private schools - by Mark Brown
The historian Helen Roche has written the first comprehensive history of Nazi elite schools, known as Napolas. Drawing on research undertaken in 80 archives in six countries as well as testimonies from more than 100 former pupils, Roche discovered just how keen the Nazis were to learn from the “character-forming” example of the British system.
Between 1934 and 1939 there was a blizzard of reciprocal exchanges between British and German schools, with boys from Britain’s most prestigious private schools spending extended periods at the Napolas.
Roche, an associate professor at Durham University, said the Napola authorities wanted to learn from the British system, ultimately hoping to create a superior model for their own schools.
Read more at Nazis based their elite schools on top British private schools | Nazism | The Guardian
Between 1934 and 1939 there was a blizzard of reciprocal exchanges between British and German schools, with boys from Britain’s most prestigious private schools spending extended periods at the Napolas.
Roche, an associate professor at Durham University, said the Napola authorities wanted to learn from the British system, ultimately hoping to create a superior model for their own schools.
Read more at Nazis based their elite schools on top British private schools | Nazism | The Guardian
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