British lawmakers give initial support to assisted dying bill
London, UK Reuters Britain’s parliament backed a new bill to allow assisted dying on Friday, kicking off months of wrangling over a possible legal change that has sparked a national conversation about dignity in death and end-of-life care. In an initial approval of the bill, 330 lawmakers voted in favour with 275 against the “Terminally […]
Britain’s new government plans over 35 bills for parliament opening
London, UK Reuters Britain’s new government is preparing over 35 bills for the formal start of the parliamentary year on Wednesday and has put economic growth at the heart of its agenda, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said. Starmer, who ended 14 years of Conservative rule earlier this month with a sweeping election win for […]
UK’s Labour vows overhaul of parliament upper chamber if it wins power
Manchester, UK Reuters Britain’s opposition Labour Party, which is currently way ahead in opinion polls before an election next month, said it would reform parliament’s upper chamber to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords. The grand, centuries-old ornate red and gold chamber in the Palace of Westminster currently […]
Migrants drown in English Channel hours after UK passes Rwanda policy
Wimereux, France/Dover, UK Reuters Five migrants, including a child, died in an attempt to cross the English Channel from France to Britain in an overcrowded small boat on Tuesday, hours after Britain passed a bill to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda in a move to deter the dangerous journeys. The deaths occurred when a boat […]
British PM Sunak’s Rwanda scheme set to pass parliament but challenges await
London, UK Reuters The British parliament is set to finally approve a divisive law this week to pave the way for asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda, but further legal hurdles could yet hold up or derail one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s key policies. Sunak has invested huge political capital in the Rwanda […]
Church of England leader says a plan to send migrants to Rwanda undermines the UK’s global standing
London, UK AP The leader of the Church of England said Monday that Britain will undermine its standing in the world if it enacts a government plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said UK politicians were seeking to “outsource our moral and legal responsibility for asylum […]
Boris Johnson says “I did not lie” over lockdown parties
London, UK Reuters A combative Boris Johnson fought for his political career on Wednesday, as the former British prime minister said “hand on heart” he did not lie to parliament over COVID-19 lockdown parties at a hearing with lawmakers. Parliament’s Committee of Privileges is investigating whether Johnson, who was ousted from Downing Street in September, […]
StrangeSights: AI robot addresses UK parliamentary inquiry; scandal at Alaska’s Fat Bear Week; and, the world’s largest Tetris game…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Britain, facing economic crisis, pauses to mourn the Queen; Australia holds wreath-laying ceremony
London, UK Reuters The death of Queen Elizabeth II has stilled the business of state in Britain at a time when the government, Bank of England and companies are battling to contain inflation and mitigate a deep economic crisis. New Prime Minister Liz Truss – appointed by the queen on Tuesday, just two days before […]
UK parliament declares genocide in China’s Xinjiang; Beijing condemns move
London, UK Reuters Britain’s parliament called on Wednesday for the government to take action to end what lawmakers described as genocide in China’s Xinjiang region, stepping up pressure on ministers to go further in their criticism of Beijing. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government again steered clear of declaring genocide over what it says are […]