Author: Fatimah Idera

Britain said it could consider closing hundreds of arms-length government agencies, as it looks to reform the state to cut costs and improve productivity in what it called “a new era of global instability”. Britain has over 300 hundreds of quangos, or quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations which are taxpayer-funded but not controlled by ministers, and include public bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, Network Rail and the Migration Advisory Committee. The government said in a statement on Monday that “every quango across government will be reviewed, with a view to close, merge or bring functions back into (government) departments…

UK house prices have suffered their steepest decline in a year as the market cools after a buyer rush to beat changes to stamp duty changes in England and Northern Ireland. The average price of a property fell by 0.5% last month to £296,699, the steepest decline in value since March last year, according to Halifax. It is the second consecutive month that house prices have fallen, as Britain’s biggest mortgage lender revised February’s decline from 0.1% to 0.2%. However, prices in March this year compared with the same month last year were up by 2.8%, the same pace of…

Britain has moved the Hartlepool nuclear power station in northeast England operated by France’s EDF into enhanced regulatory attention for safety, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said on Monday. In a statement relayed the ONR said the station remained safe to operate, the decision was made after areas for improvement were identified. EDF is seeking to extend the life of the plant by a further year to March 2027. The ONR said the higher scrutiny did not relate to EDF’s decision to extend the operating lifetime, which was subject to ongoing safety standards being demonstrated. The ONR’s Superintending Inspector…

British police on Friday charged Russell Brand with rape and sexual assault following an 18-month investigation sparked when four women alleged they had been assaulted by the controversial comedian. London’s Metropolitan Police force said Brand, 50, faces one count of rape, one of indecent assault, one of oral rape and two of sexual assault. Brand denied engaging in “non-consensual” sexual activity. The alleged offenses involve four women and took place between 1999 and 2005 — one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and the other three in the Westminster area of central London. Brand, who was once one of…

Britain has completed a successful test of a new engine for hypersonic missiles in what marks a critical step for defence in Europe. The latest UK hypersonic research, which could see weapons travelling at several thousand miles per hour, has reached a landmark moment after it was established that the new engine would power a cutting-edge hypersonic cruise missile, covering greater ranges than a conventional rocket. The engine, which successfully demonstrated the performance of high-speed air-breathing – using air for combustion rather than a separate onboard oxygen device – is set to greatly advance the UK’s hypersonic weapon capabilities. The…

Russian sensors suspected of trying to spy on British nuclear submarines are reported to have been found hidden in the seas around the UK. The British military made the discovery after a number of them washed ashore and were located by the Royal Navy, minehunter ships. They are being seen as a potential threat to national security. The situation has not previously been made public but it has been reported and was looking to try and collect intelligence on the UK’s four Vanguard class submarines, which carry nuclear missiles. At least one of the submarines is at sea as part…

Ed Miliband has sunk an extra £2.7bn into Sizewell C after EDF slashed its stake in the nuclear power project. The Energy Secretary said the additional money would boost energy security, jobs and the race for net zero. But anti-Sizewell campaigners questioned the wisdom of pouring billions into a project that the Government has still not taken a final decision to build. It means UK taxpayers have so far spent a total of £8bn on the nuclear power station. The latest cash is thought to be aimed at building confidence in the project, potentially attracting other investors as EDF steps…

Hotels predominantly in London are threatening to evict hundreds of asylum seekers after failing to receive contracted payments from an accommodation company ditched by the Home Office. The hotels, largely in the London area, say that they should have received payments from Stay Belvedere Hotels (SBHL) for housing the asylum seekers last month. They claim that means they have been unable to pay their insurance premiums, leaving them in breach of their contracts and potentially without cover. “We are saying that if there is no payment, there is no option. We will have to evict the asylum seekers,” the owner…

Ed Miliband has approved a £4bn development off the Sussex coast despite hundreds of objections, the plans for a giant wind farm to be built in the English Channel with dozens of turbines as tall as the Eiffel Tower. The wind farm, called Rampion 2, received the green light from the Energy Secretary despite objections from hundreds of locals who fear it will damage ecosystems and ruin views from the coastline and South Downs National Park. Once complete, the £4bn development will stretch 50 miles along the coast from east of Brighton to west of Bognor Regis.The plans are part…

Britain’s Prince William was joined by celebrities and soccer stars to announce on Friday that he would take the annual awards ceremony for his multi-million dollar environmental prize to Brazil this year. The heir-to-the throne launched the Earthshot Prize in 2020, with the aim of making huge strides towards fixing environmental problems within a decade. A nod to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s “moonshot” project which led to the 1969 lunar landing, its goal is to find innovations to combat climate and other green issues, and awards five winners 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) each to drive their projects.…