London, United Kingdom | AFP | Hundreds of demonstrators wearing yellow vests took to the streets of London on Saturday, in the largest protest yet in Britain copying the “yellow vest” protests rocking France. Protesters opposed to the government’s austerity programme and demanding a general election marched through the centre …
Read More »Trump campaign firm pleads guilty in Facebook data case
London, United Kingdom | AFP | A UK consultancy working on Donald Trump’s US election campaign pleaded guilty and was fined by a London court Wednesday over its refusal to release personal data it secretly hoovered off Facebook. The social media giant has admitted that Cambridge Analytica — a political …
Read More »UK police get extra powers to control drones
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Drone exclusion zones around British airports will be extended and operators made to register under new rules announced after drone sightings wrought havoc at London’s Gatwick in the run-up to Christmas. Police will also be allowed to fine users up to £100 (112 euros, …
Read More »Putin says still ‘open to dialogue’ with US
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin has reassured his US counterpart Donald Trump that Moscow remains “open to dialogue” despite the year ending without the hoped-for warming of relations, the Kremlin said on Sunday. “Russian-US relations remain an important factor in order to guarantee strategic stability and …
Read More »Historic UK music retailer HMV collapses for second time
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British music retailer HMV, which was launched by English composer Edward Elgar in 1921, has collapsed into administration after weak Christmas sales and amid a declining market for CDs and DVDs, its owner said on Friday. His Master’s Voice (HMV), which is known worldwide …
Read More »Queen warns of ‘tribalism’ in Christmas address
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Queen Elizabeth II warned of religious “tribalism” in a Christmas message on Tuesday delivered against a backdrop of Britain bickering over its impending exit from the EU. The 92-year-old monarch’s tone reflected a sombre mood sweeping the island nation as it ponders the perils …
Read More »Two arrests over Gatwick-London airport drone chaos as flights resume
Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom | AFP | Two people were arrested in connection with the “criminal use of drones” at London Gatwick Airport, police said Saturday, after three days of disruption affected tens of thousands of passengers during the pre-Christmas getaway. Drones were first sighted hovering around Britain’s second-busiest air …
Read More »London tries to treat knife crime surge as public health epidemic
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Faced with spiralling youth violence and knife crime, authorities in London have decided to treat the issues as a public health problem, deploying similar tactics from the fight against disease epidemics. The strategy follows pioneering projects credited with bringing down murder rates in Chicago …
Read More »London airport reopens after drones sow chaos
London, United Kingdom | AFP | London’s Gatwick Airport reopened on Friday for a limited number of flights, after mysterious drone sightings caused chaos that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded over the past three days. Police said they were still hunting for the drone operator or operators and …
Read More »UK opposition launches parliamentary confidence manoeuvre against May
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday tabled a non-binding no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Theresa May after she told MPs they will only get a delayed vote on her Brexit deal in the new year. May said a vote on the deal — …
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