Byline Times

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK -A U.S. judge on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit accusing Britain's Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was underage, as Britain's finance ministry confirmed that no public funds were used in their settlement. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan federal court dismissed the case following a request from Andrew and Giuffre. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)...
By Paul Sandle LONDON -Boris Johnson will set out a plan to "level up" Britain on Wednesday as he tries to move on from the scandal of lockdown events in his Downing Street residence by turning to one of the big policy pledges that made him prime minister in 2019. His government said it had identified 12 missions to shift focus and resources to Britain's "forgotten" communities by 2030, including what it said was the biggest shift of power from London to local leaders in modern times. Other targets include bringing local public transport closer to London's standard, extending 5G and fibre broadband across the country and working to eliminate illiteracy and innumeracy among primary school leavers, it said. "From day one, the defining mission of this government has been to level up this country, to break the link between geography and destiny so that no matter where you live you have access to the same opportunities," Johnson said. He is outlining the policy as he fights to shore up his...
MANCHESTER (Bywire News) - On Saturday, Marcus Rashford, the forward player for Manchester United expressed his disappointment in media reports that challenge the players' loyalty to the team manager Ralf Rangnick.  Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford said on Saturday he was disappointed with media reports questioning the players' commitment to manager Ralf Rangnick following a difficult start to the German's reign at Old Trafford. After a tough start at Old Trafford, many players are supposedly discontent with Ragnick's methods. Rangnick expressed on Friday that he was aware many players were eager to see him leave Man United later this month. In a statement published to Twitter, "We've all been disappointed with recent performances and we've been as disappointed with the news coverage questioning our commitment to not only the manager and the coaching staff but the club," "I have endless respect for both and I'm looking forward to bettering my game under the staff... I'm not s...
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 3, 2022 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford during the warm up REUTERS/Phil Noble
- Facebook Inc's independent oversight board demanded more transparency from the social media giant on Thursday, following a series of media reports that exposed loopholes at the company. The board said it would publish a transparency report as soon as possible after each quarter ends and annual reports to provide qualitative assessment on whether its recommendations were implemented.   (Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)...
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host a dinner with world business leaders, including Bill Gates and JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon, The Telegraph reported on Friday. Around 20 executives are expected to attend the dinner in a bid to establish "Global Britain," on Oct. 18 at 10 Downing Street, the report added.   (Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)...
On Monday the European Union announced that getting rid of the bloc's court oversight from the post-Brexit deal in relation to Ireland would remove ultimately remove Northern Ireland from the European market.  During a news conference, a commission spokesman said, "Our focus should be on those issues that matter the most to the people of Northern Ireland and not on requests such as removing the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ)," He added, "Doing this would effectively mean cutting Northern Ireland off from the EU's single market and related opportunities." David Frost, the Brexit negotiator for Britain on Saturday published bits of the speak, set to publish later this week, reinforcing London's demand to scrap any position of power of the ECJ from the EU-UK agreement used to regulate the post-Brexit deal. The commission stated that this week it would reveal its proposals to ease control over the trade coming from Northern Ireland to Ireland, but that they would not fundamen...
FILE PHOTO: Loyalists protest against the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol at Belfast Harbour Estate, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, July 3, 2021. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
LONDON (Bywire News) - On Sunday, the gasoline and diesel crisis continued throughout London and the south-east of England. According to the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) only 60% of all forecourts had both types of fuel available and 22% were completely empty. While in other parts of the country, the shortage was "virtually at an end", with only 6% of stations out of fuel, as stated by the PRA. PRA chairman, Brian Madderson, was quoted to have said, "The fuel is still not going to the pumps that need it most in London and the south east." From Monday, the government plans to deploy the military in tankers to help deliver fuel to gas stations. The move comes in an attempt to help support the currently under pressure industry, following days of panic-buyinh, fights for fuel and drivers hoarding petrol in whatever they could find. (Reporting by Paul Sandle, Editing by Kylie MacLellan and Klaudia Fior)...
FILE PHOTO: Members of the military speak to a worker at Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead, Britain, October 2, 2021. REUTERS/Paul Childs/File Photo
LONDON - Christmas 2021 will be disappointing for millions of British households unless the government extends a new visa scheme to allow foreign truck drivers into the country, the retail industry's lobby group said on Tuesday. “Christmas is about more than just food, so to avoid disappointment for millions of households during the festive season we urge the government to rapidly extend this programme, both in size and scope, to HGV drivers in all sectors of the retail industry," said Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the British Retail Consortium. He warned it would take many months before there are enough new British drivers to cover the shortfall.   (Reporting by James Davey and Guy Faulconbridge, Editing by Alistair Smout)...
LONDON - A closely watched gauge of financial markets' medium-term expectations for British inflation rose to its highest in more than a decade, potentially raising concerns at the Bank of England that inflation expectations are rising too quickly. Five-year five-year forward inflation expectations rose to 3.9054% on Tuesday, up 3 basis points from Monday's close. The expectations are based on the RPI measure of inflation used for British government bonds, not the lower CPI measure targeted by the BoE. BoE monthly historic data shows that the gauge previously had an end-of-month peak of 3.8689% in June 2008 and last averaged above its current level in February 2000.   (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by William Schomberg)...
By Michael Holden LONDON - Britain’s decision to issue temporary visas for 5,000 foreign truck drivers is a short-term fix that will not solve an acute labour shortage that risks major disruption for retailers in the run-up to Christmas, business leaders have warned. Long lines of vehicles formed at petrol stations for a second day on Saturday as motorists waited in line, some for hours, to fill up with fuel after oil firms reported a lack of drivers was causing transport problems from refineries to forecourts, leading some operators to ration supplies and others to close gas stations. [L1N2QR05A] The fuel supply issues come on the back of warnings from the retail industry that unless the driver shortage was sorted out there would be major problems ahead of the busy festive shopping period. "After a very difficult 18 months, I know how important this Christmas is for all of us and that's why we're taking these steps at the earliest opportunity to ensure preparations remain on track,"...
By Clare Jim, Anshuman Daga and Tom Westbrook HONG KONG/SINGAPORE -China Evergrande Group will make it a top priority to help retail investors redeem their investment products sold by the indebted property giant, its chairman said, as uncertainty looms over interest payment due for a dollar bond on Thursday. Hui Ka Yan's statement came after the developer said on Wednesday it had "resolved" a coupon payment on an onshore bond, pushing the company's stock price to its biggest single-day percentage rise since its listing in 2009. Global investors have been on tenterhooks in recent weeks as debt payment obligations of Evergrande, labouring under a $305 billion mountain of debt, triggered fears its malaise could pose systemic risks to China's financial system. The company faces $83.5 million in dollar-bond interest payments due on Thursday on a $2 billion offshore bond. And more payments are coming due next week, with a $47.5 million dollar-bond interest payment due. Without mentioning th...
LONDON - Britain on Tuesday apologised for a data breach revealing details of people in Afghanistan seeking relocation to Britain after the Taliban retook control of the country when foreign troops withdrew earlier this year. Britain, the United States and other NATO members scrambled to evacuate their own nationals and others who had worked for them after the Taliban wrongfooted the West and seized control of Kabul much sooner than expected. Wallace said an email from Britain's Afghan Relocations Assistance Policy - the scheme used to help interpreters and others who had worked for Britain - had compromised more than 250 recipients by copying, rather than blind-copying their email addresses. Wallace said he was sorry and launched an investigation. "I apologise to those Afghans affected by this data breach and with whom we are now working ... to provide security advice," defence minister Ben Wallace told parliament. Lawmakers responded to Wallace by saying the breach had put the lives...
By Paul Sandle LONDON -Piers Morgan, the outspoken British journalist and broadcaster, has joined Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Fox News Media in a global deal that includes a new TV show in early 2022, newspaper columns and a book contract. Murdoch said in a statement on Thursday Morgan was "the broadcaster every channel wants but is too afraid to hire". "Piers is a brilliant presenter, a talented journalist and says what people are thinking and feeling," he said. The 56-year-old's TV show will air on weeknights on FOX News Media's streaming service FOX Nation in the United States, Sky News Australia and on talkTV, a new British channel that will launch early next year. TalkTV will debut less than a year after GB News launched in June, aimed at challenging what it cast as the London-centred consensus of the British media. It has since struggled to secure large audiences, and its chairman and lead presenter Andrew Neil announced his resignation on Monday. Murdoch's new channel, which...
LONDON (Bywire News) - On Thursday, the CEO of supermarket group the Co-operative said that the government must intervene to help resolve Britain's truck driver crisis.  The Chief Executive Steve Murrells said, "This won't be solved in isolation, this is a global issue where the supply chain has completely broken down,"  "You can't solve (a shortage of) 90,000 HGV drivers in isolation, it needs a structural change," he added. When the announcement on Wednesday came that Michael Gove would be taking the lead on the government's response to the dire situation, Murrells welcomed it and encouraged HGV drivers to be included on the shortage occupation list, which would allow foreign workers to fill up the gap. Under Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle, Gove who was formerly the cabinet officer minister is now the housing, communities and local government minister. (Reporting by Kate Holton, editing by Klaudia Fior)...
Lorries are seen at an HGV parking, at Cobham services on the M25 motorway, Cobham, Britain, August 31, 2021. Picture taken August 31, 2021. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/Files
LONDON (Bywire News) - On Tuesday, the financial services minister, John Glen said, the government will make "judicious" reforms to the financial rules post-Brexit, in order to help the nation compete with New York and Singapore. However, it will ensure the sector's global reputation is not damaged and does not become a "Wild West". Glen said during a Bloomberg event, that despite the UK formally leaving the European Union last year December, but a decision from Brussels on whether or not it will give market access for UK's financial sector is yet to be made.  He stated, "In the meantime, we will continue to look at these opportunities and make judicious and well-founded changes." Glen added that any new reforms, will "not mean we are becoming the Wild West." Glen said, "We know our reputation globally rests on us having high standards, but that does not mean we can't do things differently,"  "We are certainly not complacent." (Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Andy Bruce and Klaudia...
FILE PHOTO: View of Canary Wharf business district at dusk in London, Britain March 9, 2021. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/File photo
LONDON - Britain said on Tuesday it was delaying the implementation of some post-Brexit border controls which had been due to come into force at the start of October. "The government has decided to delay further some elements of the new controls, especially those relating to Sanitary and Phytosanitary goods," British minister Penny Mordaunt said in a written statement to parliament.   (Reporting by William James; Editing by Kate Holton)...
LONDON -Britain's economy barely grew in July, as the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 took hold following the easing of lockdown restrictions, official data showed on Friday. Economic output rose just 0.1% in July, the Office for National Statistics said, the smallest monthly increase since January when Britain went into a new national lockdown Economists polled by had mostly expected month-on-month growth of 0.6% in gross domestic product. Only two of the 26 analysts had expected such a weak reading. Finance minister Rishi Sunak said the recovery was well underway but the weak growth is likely bolster the case of Bank of England policymakers who think it is premature to start talking about raising interest rates - despite signs that inflation is set to rise sharply. "Stalling GDP and rising inflation will leave a whiff of stagflation in the air," said Paul Dales, chief UK economist at the Capital Economics consultancy. Britain saw a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in July as...
LONDON - British new car registrations in August fell 22% year on year, preliminary industry data showed on Monday, with the sector still battling pandemic-related supply difficulties.     Over the first eight months of the year the market is up about 20% from 2020, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said, though numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels as the sector contends with semiconductor chip shortages caused by the coronavirus crisis. Demand is normally quiet in August because many buyers wait until the licence plate series is updated in September, one of the two annual updates.     The SMMT will publish final August figures at 0800 GMT on Monday.   (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by David Goodman)...
- The benchmark price in the British carbon market on Tuesday hit its highest level since the market launched in May, a day after the European equivalent it replaced also hit a record high. The benchmark December 2021 UK Allowance (UKA) contract rose to 52.00 pounds per tonne, up 1.25 pounds. Britain launched its own emissions trading scheme (ETS) on May 19 to replace the European Union's ETS after it left the bloc. The ETS is a method of charging power plants and other industrial entities for each tonne of carbon dioxide they emit. The European ETS benchmark contract hit an all-time high of 61.01 euros per tonne on Monday, buoyed by lower auction volumes this week and rising prices in the gas market.   (Reporting by Nora Buli in Oslo, Editing by Louise Heavens)...
By Mai Nguyen and Tom Daly - London aluminium jumped on Tuesday to a more than 10-year high and was on track for its seventh straight monthly gain as output curbs in top producer China stoked concerns of tight supply. Aluminium prices have been supported by production curbs in key Chinese smelting regions often aimed at easing the strain on the power grid. A meeting in southern China's Guangxi region, an aluminium and alumina production hub, called on Monday for tougher controls on energy consumption, according to a statement on the regional government's website, sparking fears of more output cuts. Three-month aluminium on the London Metal Exchange advanced as much as 2.9% to $2,726.50 a tonne, its highest since May 2011. The most-traded October aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange increased 1.2% to 21,390 yuan ($3,311.09) a tonne by 0636 GMT, hovering near its highest since August 2008 of 21,550 yuan a tonne hit in the previous session. "The impact of power and product...