United Kingdom

LONDON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May issued a message to the European Union on Friday saying its action will have a big impact on a crucial vote in the House of Commons next week.

May used a visit to a factory in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, to stress the importance of the part Brussels should play in seeking a deal on a future relationship after Britain leaves the EU later this month.

May will urge the more than 640 MPs on Tuesday to support her Brexit deal in a meaningful vote.

London, Mar 9 (PTI) Fugitive billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi, accused in the USD 2 billion PNB fraud case, is living openly in a swanky 8-million pound apartment in London's West End and is now involved in a new diamond business, a British daily reported on Saturday.

Modi, 48, is currently living in a three-bedroom flat occupying half of a floor of the landmark Centre Point tower block, where rent is estimated to cost 17,000 pounds a month, The Telegraph reported.

LONDON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The UK won't be ready to go cashless within the next 15 years as a sizable cash-dependent population risks being left behind, a report said on Wednesday.

Currently, cash is used to make three in ten transactions, down from six in ten a decade ago. But it could fall as low as one in ten in the coming 15 years, the latest report by the Access to Cash Review predicted.

LONDON, March 6 (Xinhua) -- As Britain is set to leave the European Union (EU) on March 29, UK Finance firms have been preparing for a "no-deal" scenario that they believe would be "catastrophic" for the nation's economy.

In a recent statement, a spokesperson for UK Finance, which represents more than 250 firms in the UK's finance and banking industry, said that members were looking to put in place a plan to reduce the effects of a no-deal scenario.

LONDON (AP) — British air accident authorities are investigating the aborted takeoff of a Laudamotion flight from London’s Stansted Airport to Vienna that left eight people injured.

Passengers reported hearing a bang on the side of the aircraft Friday evening before it skidded to a stop. Images posted on social media showed evacuation slides deployed.

The airline tweeted that the crew “decided to abort the take off due to engine issues and to disembark the passengers on the runway as a precautionary measure.”

27 Feb 2019; DW: Facebook has taken harsh measures against British far-right personality Tommy Robinson, banning him from its platforms and closing his Facebook page and Instagram profile.

Robinson is said to have violated Facebook's "community standards" by promoting "organized hate" and other prohibited behavior.

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a revolt from members of her own government as lawmakers try to prevent her from taking Britain out of the European Union in a month’s time without a divorce deal.

Three junior government ministers write in Tuesday’s Daily Mail that they will vote with lawmakers from all parties to stop a no-deal departure unless May agrees to delay Brexit and guarantee “we are not swept over the precipice on March 29.”

26 Feb 2019; DW: On Monday evening, the Labour Party said it would back a public vote if parliament rejected the party's alternative plan for leaving the bloc. 

"This week Labour will put its alternative plan for a vote in the House of Commons," Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said on Twitter. "If Parliament rejects our plan, then Labour will deliver on the promise we made at our annual conference and support a public vote."

LONDON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The British and United States authorities announced an agreement Monday on the continuity of derivatives trading and clearing after Brexit.

The deal was struck between, on the one hand, the UK's main financial markets regulators the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England's (BoE) Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and on the other hand the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

LONDON, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A 33-year-old man was arrested in the Yorkshire city of Leeds Sunday by Counter Terrorism Police investigating suspected Extreme Right Wing activity.

Police said the man, who they have not named, was arrested under the Terrorism Act on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorist acts.

He has been taken to a police station in West Yorkshire for questioning.