UK News
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UK lawmaker Rosie Duffield resigns from Labour in protest against PM StarmerBritish lawmaker Rosie Duffield resigned from the Labour Party on Saturday, citing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s stance on child poverty and his acceptance of donations for personal benefits,Read More...
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Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reveals plan to raid Dutch factory for COVID vaccinesFormer British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed that in March 2021, he ordered military leaders to plan a raid on a Dutch factory to secure 5 million COVID-19Read More...
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King Charles marks 25th anniversary of Scottish Parliament with climate callKing Charles has emphasized that more efforts are needed to address climate change as he celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament.Read More...
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Britain's racist immigration laws led to wrongful deportations of black people, report revealsBritain's wrongful detention and deportation of Caribbean migrants, known as the Windrush scandal, was the result of decades of racist immigration policies aimed atRead More...
Culture
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Honiara: London Fashion Week show Blo Iumi returns bigger and better in 2024The British High Commission in Honiara hosted its second edition of the popular London Fashion Week Show Blo Iumi on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, featuringRead More...
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Wiener Holocaust Library reopens after major renovations with exhibition on Jewish émigré sculptor Fred KormisThe world’s oldest Holocaust studies library and research center, the Wiener Holocaust Library, is set to reopen its doors on September 20th following extensiveRead More...
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Van Gogh's 'Les Canots Amarrés' expected to fetch $50 million at Hong Kong auctionA painting by Vincent van Gogh, titled "Les canots amarrés" (The Anchored Boats), is set to be auctioned at Christie's 20th and 21st Century Evening Auction inRead More...
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Silk Roads at the British Museum: a first glimpse at a route of vast historical importanceThe upcoming "Silk Roads" exhibition at the British Museum promises to be an expansive exploration of one of history's most significant trade networks.Read More...
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Library closures are a 'decimation,' says former Children's LaureateFormer Children's Laureate Michael Rosen has strongly condemned the closure of libraries across the UK, describing it as a "decimation." Rosen, who grew up in Harrow,Read More...
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Historic painting once owned by Britain's first Prime Minister faces export riskA temporary export bar has been placed on Le Rêve de L’Artiste, a painting by the influential 18th-century French artist Jean-Antoine Watteau, to allow time for a UK galleryRead More...
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National Gallery enlists social media influencers to attract Gen Z and shed 'stuffy' imageIn an effort to draw in Gen Z visitors and refresh its image, the National Gallery has teamed up with social media influencers to promote its art and engage with aRead More...
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Liverpool library rises from the ashes: community defies UK riotsAmid a wave of community support, a library in Liverpool is rebuilding after being set on fire during a series of racist riots that swept across England last week.Read More...
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Banksy's latest artwork in London stolen just hours after unveilingAnother of Banksy's animal-themed artworks was stolen in London only hours after it was unveiled. The piece, which featured a stencil of a wolf howling towards the sky, was painted on whatRead More...
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UK museums introduce child-friendly hours for summer visitorsSeveral museums and galleries across London and the UK are introducing designated child-friendly hours this summer to make parents feel more comfortable bringingRead More...
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Cineworld to close six UK cinemas in major restructuring effortCineworld has announced its decision to close six cinemas across the UK as part of a comprehensive restructuring plan. The closures come as the world'sRead More...
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Unseen letters from Diana, Princess of Wales, to be auctionedPreviously unseen letters from Diana, Princess of Wales, are set to be auctioned this weekend, offering a rare glimpse into her personal correspondence withRead More...
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JSO activists face jail time for soup attack on Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'Two activists from Just Stop Oil (JSO), Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, both 22, have been found guilty of criminal damage after throwing tomato soup overRead More...
British Queen celebrates
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World News
The Queen’s thank you note attains “Dresden’s first distillery for specialties Augustus Rex“
Georg W. Schenk, manager of Augustus Rex, got to welcome and open royal mail for a change. Queen Elisabeth II sent an official thank you note to the Saxon company to express her delight about the birthday present from Dresden’s first distillery for specialties. A bottle of the exquisite Dresden Gin, which is developed and distilled at Augustus Rex, was duly able to enrich the queen’s table for presents after a troublesome journey to England.
“We were very happy when we received the verification, that our Gin safely made it to the Buckingham Palace. The work was definitely worth the trouble. We are very confident, that the Queen will enjoy our quality product,” says Georg W. Schenk. Until the royal family enjoys a first drop the Gin from Dresden will be stored at Windsor Castle, one of the three main residencies of the British royal family.
A Chinese court has ordered Apple to pay 1.03 million yuan (£102,500) to eight Chinese writers and two companies who say unlicensed copies of their work were distributed through Apple's online store.
The Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court ruled that Apple violated the writers' copyrights by allowing applications containing their work to be distributed through its App Store, according to an official.
The award was less than the 12 million yuan (£1.2 million) sought by the authors. The case grouped together eight lawsuits filed by them and their publishers.
An Apple spokeswoman, Carolyn Wu, said the company's managers "take copyright infringement complaints very seriously". She declined to say whether the company would appeal.
Unlicensed copying of books, music, software and other products is widespread in China despite repeated government promises to stamp out violations.
Apple's agreement with application developers requires them to confirm they have obtained rights to material distributed through the company's App Store.
"We're always updating our service to better assist content owners in protecting their rights," Ms Wu said.
The Chinese writers said they saw applications containing unlicensed versions of their books last year.
Lisa Peterson went straight to the dogs -- therapy dogs, that is -- when she returned home to Newtown from a business trip to Florida upon learning of the Sandy Hook school massacre.
"I saw them and I just had to come over and hug them," Peterson said Tuesday as she stroked Abbie Einstein and Smartie Jones, two gentle, purebred golden retrievers whose mission in life is to make people feel better.
"There's something about that unconditional love (from dogs) that is just so nurturing," she said. "It takes you in to the moment with the dog -- and everything else horrific just melts away."
Nearly 25,000 dogs, and their volunteer owners and handlers, are registered with Therapy Dogs International, a non-profit based in Flanders, New Jersey that sets standards for canines that "bring joy and comfort to those in need."
Several dogs turned up in Newtown to help residents cope with their grief after Friday's brutal killing of 20 first graders and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Police say Adam Lanza, 20, shot and killed his mother before he went to the school, sprayed bullets in two classrooms with a semi-automatic assault rifle, then turned a pistol on himself.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas pledged Sunday to resume efforts at reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions as he returned from a successful bid for upgraded UN status.
The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly to recognise a Palestinian state, a long-sought victory for the Palestinians but an embarrassing diplomatic defeat for the United States.
The resolution upgrading the Palestinians' status to a nonmember observer state at the United Nations was approved by a more than two-thirds majority of the 193-member world body - a vote of 138-9, with 41 abstentions.
A Palestinian flag was quickly unfurled on the floor of the General Assembly, behind the Palestinian delegation.
Real independence, however, remains an elusive dream until the Palestinians negotiate a peace deal with the Israelis, who warned that the General Assembly action will only delay a lasting solution.
Israel still controls the West Bank, east Jerusalem and access to Gaza, and it accused the Palestinians of bypassing negotiations with the campaign to upgrade their UN status.
The United States immediately criticised the historic vote. "Today's unfortunate and counterproductive resolution places further obstacles in the path peace," UN Ambassador Susan Rice said.
The Taliban has threatened revenge unless India returns the body of a Pakistani man executed for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
Mohammed Ajmal Kasab's body must be given back to his family or handed over to the Taliban, it said.
"If his body is not given to us or his family, we will, God willing, carry on his mission," Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan Ahsan told The Associated Press news agency by telephone. "We will take revenge for his murder."
India secretly hanged Mohammed Ajmal Kasab on Wednesday and buried his body at the jail in the city of Pune where he was executed.
Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said the government would consider any request from the Pakistani government or Kasab's family to hand over his body, but no such request had been received.
Israel and the Hamas militant group are edging closer to a ceasefire to end the week-long Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, but a deal remains elusive after a day of furious diplomatic efforts.
Israeli tanks and gunboats pummelled targets in Gaza in what appeared to be a last-minute burst of fire on Tuesday, while at least 200 rockets were fired into Israel.
As talks dragged on near midnight, Israeli and Hamas officials, communicating through Egyptian mediators, expressed hope that a deal would soon be reached, but warned that it was far from certain.
"If there is a possibility of achieving a long-term solution to this problem by diplomatic means, we prefer that. But if not, then I am sure you will understand that Israel will have to take whatever actions are necessary to defend its people," Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a late-night meeting with visiting US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Mrs Clinton was hastily dispatched to the region by President Barack Obama to join a group of world leaders working to halt the violence. "In the days ahead, the United States will work with our partners here in Israel and across the region toward an outcome that bolsters security for the people of Israel, improves conditions for the people of Gaza and moves toward a comprehensive peace for all people of the region," she said.
She expressed sorrow for the heavy loss of life on both sides, but called for Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel to end and stressed that the American commitment to Israel's security was "rock solid". "The goal must be a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security and legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians alike," she said.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Mrs Clinton met Mr Netanyahu and other Israeli officials for two hours. "They discussed efforts to de-escalate the situation and bring about a sustainable outcome that protects Israel's security and improves the lives of civilians in Gaza," Ms Nuland said. "They also consulted on her impending stops in Ramallah and Cairo, including Egyptian efforts to advance de-escalation."
Baghdad cancelled a $4.2 billion (3.3 billion euro) weapons package with Russia on Saturday citing graft concerns, torpedoing a deal that would have made Moscow Iraq's biggest arms supplier after the US.
Cancellation of the deal, which had been announced when Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki led a delegation to Russia last month, is a setback for Moscow's attempts to firm up its slipping foothold in the Middle East and also throws into doubt efforts by Iraq to equip its armed forces.
"The deal was cancelled," Maliki's spokesman Ali Mussawi said.
"When Maliki returned from his trip to Russia, he had some suspicions of corruption, so he decided to review the whole deal... There is an investigation going on, on this."
Mussawi declined to say who specifically was being investigated, or if Iraq would begin new negotiations with Moscow.
He also did not say exactly when the final decision was made to stop the deal.
The Russian embassy in Baghdad was not available for comment.
Had the deal been finalised and implemented, it would have made Russia Baghdad's second-biggest arms supplier, after the United States.
America has moved from the bitter election campaign that gave President Barack Obama a second White House term towards a test of whether Republicans and Democrats are now ready to set aside their deep partisan divisions and legislative gridlock.
Meanwhile US stocks suffered their worst one-day loss of the year as investors looked past the election and focused on big problems ahead in Washington and Europe.
The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 313 points to end at 12,933, its worst day of 2012, the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 34 points to 1,395 and the Nasdaq composite index gave up 75 points to 2,937.
The challenge is to overcome the self-imposed "fiscal cliff", dramatic and automatic tax increases and spending cuts that could drag the nation back into recession.
But in day-after-election remarks Republicans signalled no readiness to give up on their ideological opposition to raising taxes on high-income Americans, but instead were continuing to push for lower rates across the board.
That Reagan era theory, known as trickle-down economics, holds that cutting taxes will vastly increase the size of the income and profit pie, thereby producing more revenue even at lower tax rates.
Speaker of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, John Boehner, laid down that position yet again as the condition for working for any increase in government revenue in return for Mr Obama's stated - but undefined - willingness to cut spending on crucial social programmes.
David Cameron has sent his congratulations to Barack Obama, saying: "I think he's a very successful US president and I look forward to working with him in the future."
Speaking during a tour of the Middle East, the Prime Minister said: "I would like to congratulate Barack Obama on his re-election.
"I have really enjoyed working with him over the last few years and I look forward to working with him again over the next four years.
"There are so many things that we need to do: we need to kick start the world economy and I want to see an EU-US trade deal.