United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s plan to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda is legal, two High Court judges ruled Monday in a victory for the government’s controversial policy.

But the judges also said the government failed to consider the individual circumstances of the people it has tried to deport, signaling further legal battles ahead before anyone is put on a plane to East Africa.

A court hearing in the case is set for next month, and appeals are likely.

LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Monday accused Facebook parent Meta of breaching antitrust rules by distorting competition in the online classified ads business, the bloc’s latest maneuver to curb the power of Big Tech companies.

In its complaint following an investigation launched last year, the EU’s executive commission took issue with the tech company tying its online classified ad business, Facebook Marketplace, to Facebook. It’s also concerned that Meta imposes unfair trading conditions on rivals “for its own benefit.”

Meta disputed the allegations.

LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The British government is "resolute" it will not budge on nurses' pay, senior minister Oliver Dowden said on Sunday, ahead of a planned second nationwide walkout by the profession over an average pay offer of 4% while inflation runs at more than 10%.

An estimated 10,000 nurses in the state-funded National Health Service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland plan to walk out again on Tuesday after staging strikes on Thursday in protest over the pay increase they have been offered.

LONDON (AP) — Leo Varadkar returned for a second term as Ireland’s prime minister on Saturday as part of a job-sharing deal made by the country’s centrist coalition government.

Lawmakers voted to approve Varadkar’s nomination to replace Micheál Martin during a special session of the Dail, the lower house of Ireland’s parliament. His appointment was confirmed when he received the seal of office from President Michael D. Higgins, Ireland’s head of state.

LONDON, December 16. /TASS/: Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state and national security adviser, has said the world could be at a turning point in the conflict in Ukraine and called for talks to achieve peace.

He laid out his thoughts in a guest essay published by the Spectator, a UK weekly, on its website on Friday.

LONDON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Retail sales volume in Britain is estimated to have fallen by 0.4 percent in November despite Black Friday shopping events, as non-store retailing sales volumes fell by 2.8 percent, statistics showed on Friday.

Retail sales fell overall in November, driven by a notable drop for online retailers, with Black Friday offers failing to provide their usual lift in this sector, said Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

LONDON (AP) — Four people were hospitalized in critical condition on Friday after hundreds of people forced their way into a London concert venue during a performance by Nigerian Afrobeats star Asake.

Police said eight people were taken to hospitals after being caught in a crowd of people trying to get into the O2 Brixton Academy. Two other injured people were treated at the scene.

LONDON/BELFAST, Dec 15 (Reuters) - National Health Service nurses in Britain staged a strike on Thursday, their first ever national walkout, as a bitter dispute with the government over pay ramps up pressure on already-stretched hospitals at one of the busiest times of year.

An estimated 100,000 nurses are striking at 76 hospitals and health centres, cancelling an estimated 70,000 appointments, procedures and surgeries in Britain's state-funded NHS.

LONDON (AP) — British news agency Press Association reports that German tennis legend Boris Becker has been freed from prison after serving eight months of his sentence and now faces deportation from the U.K.

The 55-year-old German, who has lived in Britain since 2012, was released on Thursday morning ahead of his deportation, PA reported, without citing sources.

Becker, the three-time Wimbledon champion, ​​had been sentenced to 30 months in prison in April for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt.

LONDON (AP) — Self-proclaimed free speech warrior Elon Musk’s more unfettered version of Twitter could collide with new rules in Europe, where officials warn that the social media company will have to comply with some of the world’s toughest laws targeting toxic content.