Category: UK

Boris Johnson faces criticism for taking trip to Spain

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Boris Johnson faces criticism for taking trip to Spain

It is the Tory leader’s second getaway this summer. In August, he was forced to cut short a break in Somerset when the Taliban captured Kabul following the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan. However, he returned to his break when the last UK troops were evacuated. In August 2020, the Conservative leader, his then fiancée Carrie Symonds and their son Wilfred visited the Applecross peninsula on Scotland’s west coast. Johnson was reportedly swept out to sea and “nearly drowned” during the holiday. Shortly after winning a landslide victory in…

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Taliban will be judged by deeds, not words, says Boris Johnson ahead of G7 meet

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Taliban will be judged by deeds, not words, says Boris Johnson ahead of G7 meet

The Taliban will be judged by its deeds rather than words, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday ahead of chairing an emergency G7 virtual meet to coordinate the international response to the Afghan crisis. Downing Street said that during the meeting on Tuesday, the UK PM will call on the Group of Seven leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States to continue to stand by the Afghan people and step up support for refugees and humanitarian aid. He is expected to urge international partners to…

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PM Speaks To Joe Biden On Kabul Evacuation Efforts

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PM Speaks To Joe Biden On Kabul Evacuation Efforts

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden agreed on Monday to work together to ensure all those eligible to leave Afghanistan were able to, including after the initial evacuation phase ended, Johnson’s office said. “They discussed the ongoing efforts by the UK and US to coordinate the rapid and safe evacuation of our nationals and those who previously worked with our governments from Kabul International Airport,” a Downing Street spokesman said after the two leaders spoke by phone. “The leaders agreed to continue working together to ensure…

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UK manufacturers to get big concession on post-Brexit quality mark

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UK manufacturers to get big concession on post-Brexit quality mark

The UK government is to grant a major concession to British business by prolonging the deadline for companies to adopt a new “UKCA” safety and quality mark for their goods after Brexit. The one-year extension for UK products to continue using the EU’s “CE” safety mark came after businesses warned that they would not be ready for the planned post-Brexit shift away from EU certification at the end of 2021. The government climbdown will give vital breathing space for UK manufacturers, which had warned over risks to the British supply…

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Government bows to pressure and extends deadline for post-Brexit certification rules

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Government bows to pressure and extends deadline for post-Brexit certification rules

Industry raised concerns about capacity to test products before CE replacement introduced – and warned of ‘devastating’ consequences The government has extended the start date for the new post-Brexit certification rules for construction products by 12 months after being told that sticking with next year’s deadline would have caused chaos across the industry. The current CE markings, which have been used to certify products across an array of sectors in Europe since 1985, had been due to be replaced by the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark in just over four…

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COVID: UK records highest daily death toll since March – Cornwall tourists urged to ‘stay away’ as cases rise

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COVID: UK records highest daily death toll since March – Cornwall tourists urged to ‘stay away’ as cases rise

Britain has reported another 174 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest number of fatalities recorded in one day since 175 were recorded on March 12, according to official figures. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 131,854. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test. Another 30,838 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 6,555,200, Xinhua reported. Meanwhile, data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS)…

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UK orders 35 million more Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccines

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UK orders 35 million more Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccines

Britain has agreed to buy 35 million more doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE.N)(22UAy.DE) COVID-19 vaccine, to be delivered from the second half of next year, as part of its preparations for booster shots and any new variants that could emerge. “While we continue to build this wall of defence from COVID-19, it’s also vital we do everything we can to protect the country for the future too – whether that’s from the virus as we know it or new variants,” health minister Sajid Javid said.

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UK Government Warns Over-Charging Covid Travel Test Firms

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UK Government Warns Over-Charging Covid Travel Test Firms

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said his department conducted a “rapid review” of the pricing and service standards offered by approved testing companies of the mandatory day two and day eight test, required by all international passengers entering Britain including from India. London:  More than 80 private COVID-19 travel testing companies are being issued a two-strike warning from Monday that they could be removed from the official government-approved list for misleading prices if they fail to rectify discrepancies. UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said his department conducted a “rapid review”…

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Police in UK will use ‘rainbow colored’ patrol cars to help the LGBT community

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Police in UK will use ‘rainbow colored’ patrol cars to help the LGBT community

While speaking about the matter, Deputy Chief Constable Julie Cooke claimed, “The Rainbow cars, the hate crime cars, whatever you want to call them, they are part of our vehicle fleet. So, we are always replacing vehicles. They will get all of the police insignia put on them as normal (besides other add ons)… But they are out there as normal patrol vehicles.” In a bid to encourage the LGBTQ+ community to lodge complaints of online hate crimes, the police in the United Kingdom have decided to paint their patrol…

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UK To Urge Extension Of Kabul Evacuations At G7 Talks

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UK To Urge Extension Of Kabul Evacuations At G7 Talks

US President Joe Biden has set an August 31 deadline for the chaotic airlift organised by thousands of temporarily deployed US troops, but has left the door open to an extension if needed. Britain said Monday it would urge the United States to extend an end-of-the-month deadline for evacuations from Afghanistan, while the Taliban warned any delay would lead to “consequences”. US President Joe Biden has set an August 31 deadline for the chaotic airlift organised by thousands of temporarily deployed US troops, but has left the door open to…

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