by James PHEBY Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “probably safe” for now despite a scathing report into government lockdown parties, but his long-term future is “very much out of his hands” as police probe the claims, analysts said on Tuesday. Johnson on Monday apologised after his government was criticised for “failures of leadership and judgment” in allowing parties at his offices during lockdown. His position […]
Tag: Britain
Bentley says first luxury electric car due 2025
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – German-owned luxury car brand Bentley said Wednesday that its first all-electric vehicle will be ready by 2025, as it unveiled major investment on becoming a fully carbon zero company. Its first battery-powered electric vehicle will be developed and built at its factory in Crewe, northwest England, Bentley said in a statement. The carmaker, owned by Volkswagen, added it was investing £2.5 billion ($3.4 billion, 3.0 billion euros) “in sustainability over […]
Winter Olympics threatened by climate change, says report
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Climate change is threatening the future of the Winter Olympics, reducing the number of suitable venues for the event around the globe, a report warned ahead of the Beijing Games. The Olympics in China, which start on February 4, will be the first Winter Games to rely almost 100 percent on artificial snow, according to the study. “Slippery Slopes: How Climate Change is Threatening the Winter Olympics”, was produced by […]
Rio Tinto begins underground work at vast Mongolia copper mine: state media
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AFP) – Underground operations have finally begun at a copper mine in Mongolia, official media has reported, ending years of delays for Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto. The massive Oyu Tolgoi gold-copper mine has been mired in controversy for years and disrupted by protests from locals worried about environmental damage and foreign influence. While it started production from an open-pit mine several years after Mongolian authorities inked a deal in 2009, Rio Tinto secured […]
Virtuoso keeps Afghan music alive despite Taliban ban
by Anna MALPAS Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Homayoun Sakhi closes his eyes and runs his fingers along the long neck of his wooden instrument encrusted with mother-of-pearl. “I feel like I have my Afghanistan in my hand,” says Sakhi, one of the world’s most renowned performers on the country’s national instrument, the rubab. He is jet-lagged after flying in from California to perform at London’s Barbican concert hall to raise funds for […]
UK accuses Moscow of trying to install pro-Russia leader in Ukraine
by James PHEBY Britain on Saturday alleged that it had information that Moscow was “looking to install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv” as fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine grow. Tensions have soared in recent weeks as tens of thousands of Russian troops mass on Ukraine’s border, along with an arsenal of tanks, fighting vehicles, artillery and missiles. London said it had seen evidence that several former Ukrainian politicians had maintained links with Russian […]
US artist, KAWS and London gallery launch first exhibition on Fortnite
by Charlotte DURAND Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – On a frosty morning in London’s Hyde Park, onlookers aim their mobile phones at the top of the Serpentine Gallery. The large sculpture of a blue man sitting on the roof is invisible to the naked eye but it is there — in augmented reality. The sculpture is part of an installation by the American artist Kaws at the gallery, reproduced for the hundreds of […]
Scotland moves ahead with vast wind power projects
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Scotland, fresh from hosting the COP26 climate summit, on Monday awarded offshore wind project concessions for almost £700 million ($960 million, 840 million euros). Crown Estate Scotland announced in a statement that it has granted 17 concessions via an auction process to energy companies including BP, Royal Dutch Shell and SSE, as well as Spain’s Iberdrola and France’s TotalEnergies. The final awards received a total of 74 bids, totalled £699.2 […]
Unilever still eyes GSK-Pfizer unit after £50 bn bid rebuffed
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Consumer goods giant Unilever on Monday revealed ongoing interest in a consumer health care unit jointly owned with pharmaceutical groups GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer after a bid of £50 billion ($68 billion) was refused. “GSK Consumer Healthcare would be a strong strategic fit,” Unilever said in a statement as it unveiled a strategy update in the wake of the weekend’s takeover news. Unilever said it was “committed to accelerating the company’s […]
UK’s Johnson faces fresh scandal over lockdown party breach
by Joe JACKSON LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was embroiled Tuesday in another scandal over his government’s alleged lockdown breaches as police said they were investigating a Downing Street gathering attended by dozens of top officials. In the latest in a string of such allegations, Johnson and others allegedly held a drinks gathering in the garden of his official residence in May 2020 when any in-person socialising was outlawed. An […]
PM mourns ‘terrible toll’ as UK tops 150,000 virus deaths
More than 150,000 people have died after catching coronavirus in the United Kingdom, the government said Saturday, in a tragic milestone for one of the worst affected countries in Europe. Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted a message on Twitter saying: “Coronavirus has taken a terrible toll on our country and today the number of deaths recorded has reached 150,000.” The government reported that deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test had reached 150,057 […]
Britain faces hospital crisis as Covid cases top 200,000
by Jitendra JOSHI / James PHEBY LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British hospitals have switched to a “war footing” due to staff shortages caused by a wave of Omicron infections, the government said Tuesday, as the country’s daily Covid caseload breached 200,000 for the first time. The 24-hour tally, after chalking up multiple records in the run-up to New Year, hit 218,724 and another 48 deaths were reported in the latest government data. Hospital admissions […]





