Mexico headed for travel red list but India turns amber as hotel quarantine rises to £3,700 per couple August 5, 2021 Any couples travelling in Mexico will now see their holiday get whole lot more expensive: The tourist hotspot will move to the UK’s travel red list from 4am Sunday, meaning any Brits arriving back in England must pay for a 10-day hotel quarantine which will rise to £3,700 per couple. The UK Government announced the [...]
Sadiq Khan wants to make not wearing a mask on Tube a criminal offence August 5, 2021 Refusing to wear a face mask on the Tube should be made into a criminal offence, Sadiq Khan has said. The mayor of London wants the government to introduce a new bye-law that would enshrine face mask wearing on Transport for London (TfL) in law. Wearing a face mask in enclosed spaces is no longer [...]
Take ‘golden share’ in British defence firms to block foreign takeovers, urge MPs August 4, 2021 MPs on the influential defence select committee have urged the government to acquire “golden shares” in firms integral to upholding UK national security. The move would enable the UK government to prevent British businesses critical to maintaining national security from falling into the hands of foreign purchasers, committee members said. Read more: Meggitt shares keep [...]
Johnson meets with Lukashenko’s opposition after disputed election August 3, 2021 Prime minister Boris Johnson met with the leader of the Belarusian opposition party today as tension between the country, its people and the rest of Europe swells. Meeting at Downing Street earlier today, Johnson condemned current leader Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and persecution of opposition voices like Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and her husband. Tikhanovskaya ran as the [...]
Heavy fighting as Taliban seek to secure new areas after Western forces leave Afghanistan August 3, 2021 Fighting has escalated across Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops emboldened Taliban militants to close in on major cities.
China sets ‘buy Chinese’ targets for state companies against US trade deal August 3, 2021 The Chinese government has issued new procurement guidelines for state-owned companies and organisations that require up to 100 per cent local content on over 300 items, setting new obstacles for foreign suppliers. Document 551, titled “Auditing guidelines for government procurement of imported products”, was issued in May by the Chinese Ministry of Finance and the [...]
Rishi Sunak renews call for City workers to get back to the office August 2, 2021 Rishi Sunak has renewed calls for young City workers to get back to the office now the government’s work from home order has been dropped. The chancellor recalled how his career as a young investment banker was helped by making relationships in the office with older colleagues. Speaking about a recent visit to Scotland where [...]
Belarus athlete granted Polish visa after refusing to return home August 2, 2021 Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who refused her team’s orders to board a flight home from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has been granted a humanitarian visa by the Polish government. The sprinter, 24, entered the Polish embassy in Tokyo earlier today after spending a night in secure accommodation at Haneda airport under Japanese police protection. Tsimanouskaya [...]
Westminster election results three times more ‘disproportionate’ than for London Assembly, says study August 2, 2021 Results for Westminster elections are three times more “disproportionate” than results for the London Assembly election results, according to a new study from a pro-electoral reform group. The Electoral Reform Society claims that across the past seven UK elections that the largest party has won 66 per cent of London seats on the basis of [...]
Boris Johnson tells Iran to ‘face up to consequences’ of its drone attack August 2, 2021 Boris Johnson has called for Iran to “face up to the consequences” of its drone attack on an oil tanker that killed two people. It comes after Iran’s ambassador to the UK was today summoned to the Foreign Office in the wake of the attack, which saw a British national killed. The UK has said [...]