The World Briefly

April 24, 2024

Obstacle Course

United Kingdom

The British government’s long-debated policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing was passed by parliament Tuesday, following years of legal battles, political hurdles and criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups, the Wall Street Journal reported. So far, the United Kingdom has...

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The World Briefly

April 18, 2024

Stamping It Out

United Kingdom

British lawmakers voted in favor of a pioneering bill that would prevent individuals born after 2009 from purchasing cigarettes, a piece of legislation that observers have described as one of strictest in the world, the BBC reported. On Tuesday, the bill, proposed by Conservative Prime Minister...

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The World Briefly

April 16, 2024

Punishing Failure

United Kingdom

Hundreds of people who were injured or lost relatives in a 2017 bombing at a concert hall in Manchester launched legal action against British intelligence on Sunday after an inquiry found the attack could have been prevented, the Guardian reported. Observers said it was the first...

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The World Briefly

February 28, 2024

Less Is More

United Kingdom

A majority of the companies in the United Kingdom that participated in the world’s largest four-day working week trial have retained the policy, according to a study published this month, highlighting the model’s long-term benefits, the Guardian reported. Sixty-one companies took part in the pilot from...

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The World Briefly

January 24, 2024

Row Your Boat

United Kingdom

The British parliament’s upper house voted this week to delay a controversial treaty to send people seeking asylum in the United Kingdom to Rwanda, a symbolic setback to the government’s flagship – but lingering – plan to deter asylum seekers, the New York Times reported. Prime...

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The World Briefly

January 12, 2024

The Stamp of Shame

United Kingdom

After a huge public uproar, British police last week launched an investigation into the Post Office’s handling of an IT glitch that led to the prosecution of hundreds of employees for allegedly stealing money, some of whom later committed suicide, the Associated Press reported. Between 1999...

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The World Briefly

December 08, 2023

Willful Ignorance

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick resigned this week over disagreements related to the government’s bill that some say is an end run around a recent Supreme Court ruling that deemed the Rwanda asylum transfer scheme illegal, dealing another blow to the ruling Conservative...

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The World Briefly

November 16, 2023

No Outsourcing

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing was unlawful, a verdict that deals a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s policy to curb the number of migrants entering the country, CBS News reported. The...

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The World Briefly

November 14, 2023

Whack-A-Mole Politics

United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed David Cameron as the country’s new foreign secretary Monday, in a shock comeback for the former prime minister remembered for introducing the 2016 referendum that led to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, Politico reported. Cameron’s appointment is...

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The World Briefly

November 09, 2023

A Little Finger-Wagging

United Kingdom

The British government rejected criticism from the United Nations’ official in charge of poverty and human rights, Olivier de Schutter, who accused the country of violating international law over its poverty levels, according to the Guardian. De Schutter’s comments as he is preparing to visit the...

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The World Briefly

October 23, 2023

Pain and Gain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Labour Party dealt a crushing blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives, winning two previously safe parliamentary seats in upsets analysts say foreshadow electoral pain in upcoming national elections, Reuters reported. The double defeat last Thursday underscored a steep decrease in support for...

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The World Briefly

October 20, 2023

Law & Disorder

United Kingdom

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and at least two dozen other protesters demonstrating at an energy conference in London were charged by British police Wednesday for violating public order, under a controversial law many say violates civil liberties, the Washington Post reported. The 20-year-old Swedish climate...

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The World Briefly

September 19, 2023

Actual Responsibility

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom plans to ban American Bully XL dogs in the country, following a series of incidents involving the dog breed that prompted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to label them as “a danger to our communities,” CBS News reported. Last week, Sunak announced his intention...

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Need to Know

August 21, 2023

Bregret

United Kingdom

Seven years ago, a majority of British voters opted to remove their country from the European Union. Now many are having second thoughts – or “Bregret,” as the New Statesman termed it. The United Kingdom’s exit from the EU is estimated to have shaved four percent...

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The World Briefly

June 30, 2023

The Waiting Room

RwandaUnited Kingdom

Britain’s Court of Appeals ruled against a controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, a decision that marks another setback for the ruling Conservative government as it seeks to tackle the number of migrant boats entering the country via the English Channel, the New...

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The World Briefly

June 16, 2023

BoJo’s Farewell

United Kingdom

A British parliamentary inquiry found that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament over gatherings held in his Downing Street office and residence during the country’s strict Covid-19 lockdowns, USA Today reported Thursday. In a 30,000-word report, the lower house’s Privileges Committee – which probes...

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The World Briefly

May 05, 2023

Long Live the King

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is finalizing the preparations for the coronation of King Charles III Saturday, a major event marked with pomp, tradition, and religiosity that comes amid questions about the future of the centuries-old British monarchy, the Associated Press reported Thursday. Charles automatically ascended to the...

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The World Briefly

March 09, 2023

The Legal Walls

United Kingdom

The British government on Wednesday defended a new bill aimed at stopping asylum seekers from illegally entering the country. against fierce criticism from human rights campaigners and the United Nations’ refugee agency that it violates both British and international law, Politico reported Wednesday. “We are confident...

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The World Briefly

February 27, 2023

Less for More

United Kingdom

The trial of a four-day workweek in Britain found that employees working shorter hours were more productive and less stressed, while a company’s revenue remained largely unchanged, the Associated Press reported this week. Billed as the largest experiment of its kind in the world, the pilot...

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The World Briefly

February 23, 2023

Scrubbing the Past

United Kingdom

Critics and authors are accusing a British publisher of Roald Dahl’s children’s books of censorship after it removed colorful language and phrases from some of the author’s classic works to make them more acceptable to modern young readers, the Associated Press reported. New editions of Dahl’s...

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