UK

UK-EU Brexit fix: What’s at stake?

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by Joe Jackson LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — An agreement between Britain and the European Union over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland appears imminent. Here are three areas at stake in the compromise: Northern Ireland Fixing the so-called Northern Ireland protocol is seen as crucial by political leaders in Belfast and London, as well as … Read more

US businesses ‘fear internet curbs in Hong Kong’

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US businesses in Hong Kong fear mainland Chinese internet curbs and want local authorities to commit to the free flow of information, the head of the city’s American Chamber of Commerce said Monday. Hong Kong has long marketed itself as an international business centre, free from China’s controls and the “Great Firewall” used to censor … Read more

China jabs deal hailed as leaders tackle COVID economic woes

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A global initiative to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries was boosted on Monday by a deal to buy more than 100 million Chinese jabs, as Asia-Pacific leaders agreed to address the COVID-induced economic slump. European countries were also facing a reckoning with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to announce further details of England’s … Read more

UK lawmakers demand action over China’s alleged Xinjiang abuses

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A group of British lawmakers urged the government to take tougher action against China on Thursday over its treatment of minority groups, including a partial Winter Olympics boycott and cotton trade ban. In a report following a months-long inquiry, parliament’s foreign affairs committee recommended exploring the feasibility of an International Criminal Court probe into the alleged … Read more

UK party urges officials to snub Beijing 2022 Games

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Britain’s main opposition Labour Party on Tuesday urged ministers and the royal family to snub the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics unless China allows the UN to probe rights abuse claims. The government in London has repeatedly condemned China and demanded the UN be allowed to examine claims that Uyghur Muslims in the western Xinjiang region … Read more

UK govt says 19 July ‘end of the line’ for virus curbs

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The British government is intent on lifting all of England’s coronavirus restrictions on 19 July, Sajid Javid said Monday in his maiden speech to parliament as health secretary. “We see no reason to go beyond 19th July,” Javid told MPs as he sought to steady the government’s pandemic response after his predecessor Matt Hancock resigned … Read more

UK man tested positive for virus for 10 straight months

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A 72-year-old British man tested positive for coronavirus for 10 months in what is thought to be the longest recorded case of continuous infection, researchers said on Thursday. Dave Smith, a retired driving instructor from Bristol in western England, said he tested positive 43 times, was hospitalised seven times and had made plans for his … Read more

‘Uyghur Tribunal’ to convene over abuses as China fumes

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A panel of UK-based lawyers and rights experts investigating the plight of Uyghurs in China will begin hearing evidence from witnesses on Friday, as Beijing branded it a “machine producing lies”. The “Uyghur Tribunal” says its nine jurors will hear first-hand testimony of alleged crimes in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang, including forced sterilisation, … Read more

UK COVID-19 restrictions eased despite variant concerns

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Most of the UK takes a major step towards normality on Monday as coronavirus restrictions are eased, despite concerns over the spread of a more transmissible variant of the disease. Across England, Wales and most of Scotland, indoor hospitality in pubs, restaurants and cafés returns and cinemas, museums and sports venues are to open their … Read more