Tag: British

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NEWS & LIFE

Ukraine: British foreign secretary to tell Putin to ‘desist and step back’

US

Vladimir Putin must “desist and step back” from war in Ukraine or risk being dragged into a prolonged conflict similar to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will warn.
In a message to the Russian president, the Foreign Secretary will say the UK and its allies “continue to stand with Ukraine” and will urge Putin to engage in “meaningful discussions” about the crisis
following the build-up of Russian forces near the border with Ukraine.
Her comments come after U.S. President Joe Biden said he believed Putin did not want a full-scale war and warned the Russian leader would pay a “dear price” if he launched a military incursion.
Truss predicted that an invasion could lead to Russia being drawn into a prolonged and bloody conflict.
She would use a speech in Australia on Friday to call on Putin to “desist and step back from Ukraine before he makes a massive strategic mistake.”
She would claim the “Kremlin has not learned the lessons of history” and that “invasion will only lead to a terrible quagmire and loss of life, as we know from the Soviet-Afghan war and conflict in Chechnya.”
The Soviet war in Afghanistan stretched throughout the 1980s, costing thousands of lives.
The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace have used their visit to bolster defence and diplomatic relations between Britain and Australia.
Truss will use her speech at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney to highlight the need for allies such as the UK and Australia to work together to counter the challenge posed by Russia and China on the world stage.
She would say that “global aggressors” are “emboldened in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War.”
“They seek to export dictatorship as a service around the world.
“That is why regimes like Belarus, North Korea and Myanmar find their closes allies in Moscow and Beijing.”
Truss would add that threats to “freedom, democracy and the rule of law” are global challenges, not regional issues and so require an international response from the “free world.”
“We need to work with partners like Australia, Israel, India, Japan, Indonesia, and more,” she would say.
ALSO READ:British conservatives divided over Johnson after party scandal
“By building closer ties with our friends and drawing other countries closer to the orbit of free-market democracies, will ultimately make us all safer and freer in the years to come.”
“It is time for the free world to stand its ground.”

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INTERNATIONAL

Warning over COVID-19 in British parliament after 8 test positive

British Ambassador

The British Parliament will become a “hotbed of infection” unless significant steps are taken to stop the spread of coronavirus, a union has warned.

Eight lawmakers have tested positive for Coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

Garry Graham, deputy General Secretary of the Prospect union, called on Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg to take steps to make the body more COVID-secure.

Graham called for members of Parliament to take and record daily lateral flow tests.

He also called on the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to look at how COVID-safe the Commons chamber, MPs’ offices, committee rooms and voting lobbies really are.

Fears have been raised that MPs crowding into the lobbies to vote on measures on Tuesday could have caused the case number in Parliament higher.

Extra time was allowed for the votes to try and allow MPs to keep their distance.

Graham added that more must be done when the Commons returns after Christmas.

“In just the last few hours, several MPs have announced that they have tested positive for COVID, with some blaming the lack of ability to participate in parliamentary proceedings remotely as a factor.

“The intransigence of Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg in not insisting on face masks and not allowing remote participation, may well be playing a part in Parliament becoming a hotbed of infection, just as it was at the start of the pandemic.

“Only by taking necessary steps to improve safety in the Palace of Westminster will we actually be able to keep democracy going without unnecessary risk to staff or our elected representatives.”

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BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL

France seizes British fishing boat in deepening post-Brexit row

Britain on Thursday condemned France’s “disproportionate” seizure of a British fishing boat in French waters, marking a sharp deterioration in a row over post-Brexit fishing rights that is in danger of spinning out of control.

French Seas Minister Annick Girardin said the vessel was detained during routing checks off the northern port of Le Havre overnight as it was not allowed to fish in French territorial waters. A second British boat was given a verbal warning.

The action signalled France’s determination not to back down in the dispute after setting out potential sanctions against Britain if there is no progress in talks.

They included extra customs checks on British goods and what was widely seen as a threat to reduce electricity exports to the United Kingdom or raise tariffs if talks fail.

“It’s not war, but it is a fight,” Girardin told RTL radio.

British fishing grounds are among the richest in the North-East Atlantic zone, where most of the European Union’s catch is hauled in.

France’s actions appear intended as a warning shot to put pressure on Britain to compromise at talks with the EU.

But the British government said the French reaction was “disappointing and disproportionate, and not what we would expect from a close ally and partner”.

“We are aware of reports of enforcement activity being undertaken by the French authorities and are looking into the matter urgently,” it said in a statement.

Paris says Britain has refused to grant its fishermen the full number of licences to operate inside British waters that France says is warranted, though Britain says it is issuing licences to vessels that meet its criteria.

Paris said on Wednesday it would impose extra customs checks on British goods entering France from Nov. 2.

It is also reviewing the second round of sanctions and has not excluded a review of exports of electricity to Britain.

“So now we need to speak the language of strength since that seems to be the only thing this British government understands,” European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told CNews television channel.

Girardin made clear France could not cut off electricity supplies to Britain but said it could raise tariffs, a move that would squeeze household budgets at a time when energy prices are already spiralling.

Additional customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and the rest of Europe could seriously disrupt trade flows as businesses stock up for Christmas.

Barrie Deas, head of Britain’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, said France appeared determined to escalate the licence row.
“I suppose we have to wonder why. There is a presidential election coming up in France and I think all the signs are that the rhetoric has been ramped up ahead of that on the fishing issue,” Deas told the BBC.

President Emmanuel Macron has not confirmed he will seek a second term in April’s election but is widely expected to run.

Senior French and EU officials have previously signalled they do not want the dispute to escalate.

But Macron is under pressure from the vocal fishing lobby and coastal communities for whom fishing is a lifeline even though the industry makes only a small contribution to France’s economy.

The captain of the seized trawler, now under the control of French judicial authorities, could face criminal charges, with his catch confiscated, the maritime ministry said.

A group representing English fisherman identified the seized vessel as the Cornelis Gert Jan, a scallop dredger, and suggested it had the right to fish in French waters and may have been missed off an approved list by mistake.

Negotiations between Britain and the European Commission, the EU executive, have continued this week.

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INTERNATIONAL

Fire blazes on cargo ship containers off British Columbia

A fire broke out on Saturday on containers on a cargo ship carrying mining chemicals off British Columbia.

The Canadian Coast Guard said it is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to assess the situation, including environmental hazards.

Sixteen crew members have been evacuated from the MV Zim Kingston, while five remained onboard to fight the fire, the Canadian Coast Guard said in a statement on Saturday.

“No injuries were reported,’’ Danaos Shipping Co, the company that manages the container ship, said in a statement on Sunday.

The fire “appears to have been contained,’’ and a salvage and fire extinguishing agency have been roped in to ensure the safe return of the vessel’s crew, Danaos said.

Ten containers were currently burning, the coast guard had earlier said, adding that the fire continued to spread but the ship itself was not on fire.

Meanwhile, the agency said it was working with its U.S. counterpart to track 40 containers that had fallen overboard, saying they pose a significant risk to mariners.

“Mariners are advised to stay clear of the area.

“Currently, there is no safety risk to people on shore; however, the situation will continue to be monitored,’’ the agency said.

Video obtained by Reuters showed fire cascading down from the deck of the ship into the water.

The Zim Kingston reported on Friday that it had encountered rough weather west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

“This is extremely concerning.

“The ship and containers are very close to Victoria, BC, and a big storm is forecast to hit tonight.

“We … are worried this may be yet another environmental disaster,’’ said David Boudinot, president of Surfrider Foundation Canada, an environmental organisation.

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NEWS & LIFE

British Museum dish found to be rare Chinese artefact

US

A stoneware dish on display at the British Museum that was previously thought to be Korean had been identified as the rarest of all Imperial Chineseceramics.
The plain green-glazed artifact was originally thought to be of Korean origin, but was in fact one of fewer than 100 surviving examples of Ru wares, the museum said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ru items were created between 1086 and 1125 for China’s Northern Song Imperial Court, according to the British Museum.
The dish was bought in 1928 by collector Sir Percival David in New York.
In the 1970s, scholars decided the dish was Korean, however, their assertion has now been debunked by German academic Regina Krahl, who researches Ru wares.
The museum said researchers at Cranfield University’s Forensic Institute had subsequently proven beyond reasonable doubt the origins of the dish.
British Museum director Hartwig Fisher said: “This remarkable discovery is the result of the very latest academic and scientific research.’’
“It is thanks to this collaboration that experts have shed new light on an incredibly rare Chinese ceramic, revealing its history as a highly prized piece used by the Northern Song Imperial Court.’’
Jessica Harrison-Hall, head of the China section and curator of Chinese ceramics, decorative arts and the Sir Percival David Collection at the British Museum, said: “Regina Krahl’s experienced eye alerted us to re-examine the dish which is smaller than an adult’s hand.
“When compared to other Ru wares in the collection, the cut of the foot ring, the shape of the brush washer and the ice-crackle within the glaze looked convincing.
“But the colour of the glaze was quite grey and the marks on the base much larger than the usual sesame-seed shaped ones so to be certain the scientists were called in.
“They proved that she was right and another Ru ware existed.
“These are incredibly rare, beautiful and ancient, made just 20 years after the Battle of Hastings,’’ she said.

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NEWS & LIFE

British MPs pay tribute to Amess, complain of death threats

British MPs on Monday shared fresh experiences of receiving death threats as they prepare to pay tribute to Sir David Amess in the wake of the Conservative backbencher’s murder.
Labour’s Chris Bryant said a man has been arrested over a threat on his life after the MP for Southend West was killed while meeting constituents in Essex.
While Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, spoke of having received at least three threats on life and limb in the past two years, with the latest being of an acid attack.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lead tributes in the Commons to Sir David later in the day before MPs and peers attend a service in his honour nearby at St Margaret’s Church.
The killing of the veteran parliamentarian at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea on Friday has led to fresh scrutiny over the security of MPs.
Just a day later, Bryant said he received a death threat after returning from Qatar where he had been investigating the situation faced by refugees from Afghanistan.
“I got back on Saturday and the first message in my inbox was this death threat, pretty clear, so I notified the police and they have taken action,’’ he told the PA news agency.
He said abuse in British politics has risen in recent years, particularly over Brexit and from anti-vaccine protesters who he said had targeted his Rhondda constituency office in 2020.
Raab said that his colleagues, particularly women had received “worse abuse’’ than himself but that he has been the victim of three recent threats that required intervention.
“I have had three threats to life and limb over the last two years,’’ the Deputy Prime Minister told BBC Breakfast.
He told ITV that the most recent threat was of someone threatening to throw acid over him.

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NEWS & LIFE

British Govt. plans to take Afghan refugees under criticism

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to tell members of parliament that there must be an immediate increase in aid to Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian crisis erupting in the country.

Johnson said the aid was to assist the sufferings of Afghanistans due to the crisis in the country following the Taliban’s seizure of power.

Members of Parliament would return to parliament from their summer break for an emergency sitting on Wednesday, after Afghanistan’s capital Kabul fell to the militants on Sunday.

Johnson and the government had come under increasing pressure over the handling of the downfall of the Western-backed government and the subsequent evacuation of British nationals and local allies.

On Tuesday night, Johnson announced a new settlement scheme, which would allow up to 20,000 Afghan vulnerable refugees to seek sanctuary in Britain over the coming years.

He was also expected to tell parliamentarians of the steps the international community needs to take to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan.

This included the immediate increase in humanitarian aid to the country and the surrounding region as well as a longer-term project to support refugees.

But the settlement scheme was criticised as falling short of what was needed, and Johnson can expect to come under fire from former Armed Services personnel on his own backbenches as he updates parliamentarians on the work done to mitigate the crisis so far.

Protests were also planned outside of parliament calling for support for Afghans and their families who have worked with the allies.

Speaking to U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday night, Johnson stressed the importance of work in the region and not to lose the gains of the last 20 years.

A Spokesperson for Johnson said: “the Prime Minister and President Joe Biden agreed on the need for the global community to come together to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.’’

While Home Secretary Priti Patel, writing in the Daily Telegraph, said Britain had committed to taking in 5,000 refugees.

He said these refugees were at risk of persecution by the Taliban in the first year of the new settlement scheme and up to 20,000 overall the country could not take all the strain alone.

The newspaper reported that Johnson had spoken to the French and German governments, and Patel led talks with the Five Eyes intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The U.S. would identify safe and legal routes for those who needed to leave Afghanistan.

But opposition parties said this was not enough and criticised the scope of the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, which would give priority to women and girls, as well as religious and other minorities.

Human rights groups also hit out at government plans over immigration more widely.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow home secretary, welcomed that a scheme was now in place but said there needed to be a more urgent plan of action.

“This proposal does not meet the scale of the challenge. Not only does that risk leaving people in Afghanistan in deadly danger.

“It will also undermine the leadership role Britain must play in persuading international partners to live up to their responsibilities,’’ he said.

Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood was also vocal in his criticism of the scheme, calling it woefully inadequate.

He told the Daily Mirror: “the government really needs to see the bigger picture here and grasp the scale of the crisis we created. We are capping the numbers to 5,000 for the first year when the threat is at its greatest.’’

The government said the new scheme was in addition to the 5,000 Afghans already expected to move to Britain under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which is designed to offer local allies such as interpreters’ priority relocation.

Government figures showed 2,000 have already arrived under the ARAP programme.

Since Saturday, officials said 520 British nationals, diplomats and former Afghan staff have left Afghanistan on British military flights.

A flight carrying evacuated British nationals and Afghans landed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday night.

It comes after the Ministry of Defence said the first flight of British nationals and embassy staff arrived at the base on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, claims from the Taliban that it would respect human rights and uphold the rights of women and girls within the framework of Sharia law have so far been treated with skepticism.

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INTERNATIONAL

British spy novel author, John le Carre, dies aged 89

British spy novel author, John le Carre, dies aged 89
John le Carré, who forged thrillers from equal parts of the adventure, moral courage and literary flair, has died aged 89. (Photo: Jane Bown)

British author, David Cornwell, better known by his pen name John le Carre, has died at the age of 89, his agent confirmed on Sunday night.

The writer became wildly popular for his thriller novels, which touched on his real-life experiences as a spy during the Cold War and his third novel “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” made him a bestseller across the globe.

His agent, Jonny Geller, described him as “an undisputed giant of English literature.

“He defined the Cold War era and fearlessly spoke truth to power in the decades that followed.’’

Geller said he had lost “a mentor, an inspiration and most importantly, a friend.

“We will not see his like again.’’

Cornwell died on Saturday as a result of a short bout of pneumonia.

His family thanked NHS staff who cared for him at a Cornwall hospital and said they “all deeply grieve his passing’’ in a statement.

“David is survived by his beloved wife of almost 50 years, Jane, and his sons Nicholas, Timothy, Stephen and Simon,’’ the statement read.

Cornwell was born in 1931 in Dorset, England.

His mother was an actress who left the family when he was five years old.

His father was a con artist who spent time behind bars between money-making schemes, and later on, sometimes pretended to be his famous writer son in order to impress women.

Cornwell studied in Bern, Switzerland, and Oxford, England, before serving in the British intelligence services during the Cold War.

He decided to publish his first novel “Call for the Dead” in 1961 under a pseudonym.

He later quit the service and eventually went on to write 25 novels including “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Night Manager”, some of which were adapted to film.

A central character was the disillusioned master spy George Smiley, who was betrayed by his wife and suffered from the ruthless reality of his line of work.

The fall of the iron curtain changed the writer’s perspective: his books shifted to be about arms dealing, the machinations of pharmaceutical corporations, the war on terror or the Russian mafia.

His peers were among those who paid tribute in social media posts.

“This terrible year has claimed a literary giant and a humanitarian spirit,’’ Stephen King wrote on Twitter.

Robert Harris, one of Britain’s best-known historical fiction writers, called him “one of the great post-war British novelists and an unforgettable, unique character’’.

British historian and author, Simon Sebag Montefiore, praised him as a “titan of English literature up there the greats, creator of his own world of masterpieces, studies of betrayal honour character idealism and power that were also spy thrillers’’ in a tweet.

Almost a decade ago, Cornwell reflected on turning 80 in an interview with dpa.

“I’ve had an incredibly good life, an exciting one,’’ he said in 2011.

“I find it very difficult to read my own stuff, but I look at it with satisfaction.

“So if it were over very soon, I would not feel anything except gratitude.

“To have had my life and be ungrateful for it would be a sin.’’

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INTERNATIONAL

Erdogan to host German, French, British leaders in Istanbul in 2020

Turkey sentences 300 persons over failed 2016 coup
Turkey's President Erdogan

Turkey will host the leaders of Germany, France and Britain in Istanbul in February, President Recep Erdogan said on Thursday.

Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met in London this week, on the sidelines of a NATO summit, to discuss the conflict in Syria and the fate of Syrian refugees.

Merkel made clear that any voluntary return of refugees to northern Syria should be overseen by the UN.

Erdogan said in London that the four decided to meet at least once a year, and the second summit will be held in Turkey, state news agency Anadolu reported.

Many European allies criticised Turkey for its incursion in north-eastern Syria in October, facilitated by the U.S. troop pull-out.

Turkey maintains its offensive is targeted at the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Islamic State, to secure its border with Syria and create a safe zone to send back millions of Syrian refugees.

The Western-allied Kurdish militias played a major role in defeating Islamic State.

“If you look at the speeches during the NATO summit you will see that everyone says they are against terrorism.

“But unfortunately there is no fight against this,’’ said Erdogan, who didn’t address international media when the summit ended on Wednesday.

Turkey didn’t get any concessions from its NATO allies on branding the YPG as terrorists.

Ankara considers them to be linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) waging an insurgency within the country.

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INTERNATIONAL

British police charge man with smuggling Albanian migrants on yacht

British police charge man with smuggling Albanian migrants on yacht
British police

The Police in southern England on Friday charged a 64-year-old man with smuggling eight Albanian illegal migrants into Britain on a small motor yacht.

The National Crime Agency said British citizen Charles Edward Lynch was charged with facilitating illegal entry to the UK, following the discovery of eight Albanian migrants on board the vessel in the English Channel.

He was due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on Friday, following his arrest at sea on Wednesday, the agency said.

Police found seven adults and one child on board the yacht after it was intercepted by a Border Force boat off the coast near Portsmouth, it said.

British police charge man with smuggling Albanian migrants on yacht
British police

The seizure of the yacht follows the latest crackdown on illegal migration across the English Channel by small boats from France to Britain.

The two governments agreed in mid October to double patrols on French beaches and intensify efforts to tackle criminal gangs involved in smuggling migrants.

Home Secretary Priti Patel promised to do everything in my power to stop these dangerous Channel crossings, which are putting vulnerable lives at risk.

The British government has increased its focus on illegal migration since the discovery of the bodies of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a refrigerator lorry on Oct 23.