Tag: UK

UK COVID Inquiry Extends Deadline for Government to Provide Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp Messages

The UK’s official COVID-19 inquiry has extended the deadline for the government to hand over former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApp messages, diaries, and notebooks. The initial request by the inquiry to receive the data was sent on April 28. In response, the Cabinet Office said it did not “have in its possession either Mr….


UK Food Inflation Eases in May But Remains High, Says Retailers Group

Food inflation in the UK has fallen for the first time in almost two years, with experts suggesting that lower energy and commodity costs are driving food prices down. A report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen, published on Tuesday, showed a deceleration from 15.7 percent to 15.4 percent in food inflation in…


Prime Minister Backs Gender Critical Professor’s Oxford Talk Ahead of Student Protests

The Prime Minister has backed a gender critical professor whose planned appearance at Oxford University has sparked student protests. Rishi Sunak said feminist Kathleen Stock should be allowed to deliver a speech at Oxford’s prestigious debating society, adding: “A free society requires free debate.” His intervention comes after months of criticism from the university’s LBGTQ+…


Ministers to Close Loophole That Allows Free Vape Samples for Children

Ministers want to close a loophole that allows retailers to give free samples of vapes to children in England, amid concerns an increasing number are being tempted to smoke e-cigarettes. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government will crack down on vape marketing to prevent the “unacceptable” targeting of children and young people. The…


Matt Ridley: I’m Shocked by How Little the World Wants to Investigate COVID-19 Origin

It’s shocking how little the world thinks it appropriate to investigate the origin of COVID-19, said Matt Ridley, British science writer and former member of the House of Lords. Speaking to NTD‘s “British Thought Leaders” (BTL) programme, Ridley said the hunt for the origin of COVID-19 is a “really interesting example” of how “citizen science” stepped in when professional…


Seven in Court Charged With Attempted Murder of Northern Ireland Detective

Seven men—including a father and two sons—have been remanded in custody and charged with the attempted murder of a senior Northern Ireland police officer. Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot several times outside a sports complex in Omagh, Co Tyrone, in February. Caldwell had been coaching a youth football match and was with his…


UK Police to Help Crack Down on People Smugglers in North Africa

UK police officers are to be tasked with breaking up people-smuggling gangs alongside security forces in North African countries, it has been reported. The Times of London has been told National Crime Agency (NCA) officers would join nations in the region in their efforts to stop the people traffickers. According to the newspaper, the Italian…


Malaysia Arrests Chinese Ship Suspected of Plundering British Warship Wrecks

Malaysia’s maritime agency has detained a Chinese barge carrier for illegal anchoring and found it was carrying a cannon shell believed to be from British warship wrecks in the South China Sea. The agency said the ship was registered in Fuzhou, China, and it was detained at around 12:45 p.m. local time on Sunday for…


Met Police to Stop Attending Mental Health Calls

Officers from the Metropolitan Police will not attend emergency 999 calls if they are linked to mental health incidents from September to free up officer resources, the force’s commissioner has said. On Monday, Metropolitan Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said that police will no longer attend callouts after August 31 unless there is a threat to…


13,000 Albanians Breach Bail Conditions

Over 12,800 Albanians who entered the UK illegally have breached strict immigration bail conditions, Home Office data has revealed. The figures—released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI)—make up a quarter of all bail breaches by illegal migrants from January 2022 to April this year. According to government figures, a total of 44,957 people were…