United Kingdom

Chinese airline launches new direct air route linking London, Beijing

LONDON, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China Southern Airlines on Wednesday inaugurated a new direct flight service linking London and Beijing.

The newly opened route operates one flight daily, departing from Heathrow Airport at 10:30 p.m. local time and landing at the Beijing Daxing International Airport after approximately 10 hours of flying.

Upon arrival at the Daxing airport, passengers can connect with flights to various cities in China, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Chongqing and Changsha, as well as international destinations like Tokyo, Osaka, Tashkent and more.

UK announces major visa change for Gulf countries to boost weak economy

07 June 2023; MEMO: The UK government has announced major changes to visa requirements for the six countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Jordan. Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, UAE and Jordan will be offered an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) lasting two years for just £10 ($12), according to a report in Arabian Business.

UK: Prince Harry tells London court 'vile' press has blood on its hands

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Prince Harry launched a fierce attack on the "vile" press on Tuesday, blaming tabloids for destroying his adolescence and later relationships, as he gave evidence for almost five hours in his lawsuit against a tabloid publisher.

As he became the first senior British royal to appear in a witness box in more than a century, Harry also said the thought of people unlawfully intruding into the private life of his late mother Princess Diana made him "feel physically sick".

Is it real or made by AI? Europe wants a label for that as it fights disinformation

LONDON (AP) — The European Union is pushing online platforms like Google and Meta to step up the fight against false information by adding labels to text, photos and other content generated by artificial intelligence, a top official said Monday.

EU Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said the ability of a new generation of AI chatbots to create complex content and visuals in seconds raises “fresh challenges for the fight against disinformation.”

Singer Dua Lipa slams UK officials' 'small-minded' stance on migrants

04 June 2023; MEMO: Famous singer Dua Lipa criticized British government officials' comments on migrants, slamming them as "shortsighted and small-minded," Anadolu reports.

Lipa, a Grammy-winning performer who was born to Kosovar-Albanian parents, expressed the personal "hurt" caused by the way the government has discussed Albanians and called for a greater sense of empathy.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Lipa warned such rhetoric has a negative impact.

US, Europe working on voluntary AI code of conduct as calls grow for regulation

LONDON (AP) — The United States and Europe are drawing up a voluntary code of conduct for artificial intelligence, a top European Union official said Wednesday, as the developing technology triggers warnings about the risks it poses to humanity and growing calls for regulation.

Dollar, European stocks steady with U.S. debt deal in focus

LONDON/SYDNEY, May 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar steadied after climbing to a two-month high and European stocks flattened on Tuesday as relief that a possible default by the U.S. government had been averted gave way to concern that the deal could face a rocky path through Congress.

The U.S. dollar index and longer-dated U.S. Treasuries rallied as traders welcomed the deal to suspend Washington's borrowing limit until January 2025 in exchange for caps on spending and cuts in government programmes.

EU official says Twitter abandons bloc’s voluntary pact against disinformation

LONDON (AP) — Twitter has dropped out of a voluntary European Union agreement to combat online disinformation, a top EU official said Friday.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted that Twitter had pulled out of the EU’s disinformation “code of practice” that other major social media platforms have pledged to support. But he added that Twitter’s “obligation” remained, referring to the EU’s tough new digital rules taking effect in August.

“You can run but you can’t hide,” Breton said.

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