GENEVA: The 50-week jail sentence given to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for breaching a British court's bail conditions seven years ago is "disproportionate," the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said Friday (May 3).Assange took refuge in Ecuador's London embassy in 2012 after a British judge ordered his extradition to face Swedish allegations of sexual assault and rape, which he strongly denied.He was arrested last month after Ecuador gave him up. He will now serve the nearly one-year jail sentence while fighting a separate attempt to extradite him to the United States.The UN working group noted that the Swedish allegations - the initial offence that triggered his British arrest - had been withdrawn and that the original bail terms should therefore have been nullified.It noted too that he had been given near the maximum 12-month sentence available in the UK for breaching bail conditions.The group is "deeply concerned about ... the disproportionate sentence imposed on … [Read more...] about Assange UK bail sentence ‘disproportionate’: UN experts
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Main UK parties take Brexit battering in local elections
LONDON: Britain's governing Conservatives and the Labour main opposition took a drubbing Friday (May 3) in English local elections as voters vented their frustration with the Brexit deadlock.Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives lost control of several local authorities and hundreds of seats but Labour failed to capitalise, with votes going instead to smaller parties.The results do not bode well for the two main parties ahead of the European Parliament elections, set to take place in Britain on May 23.Britain was meant to leave the European Union on Mar 29 - meaning it would never have contested the polls later this month - but now has an extension until Oct 31.Voters went to the polls Thursday in mainly rural and suburban areas of England, with more than 8,000 seats up for grabs."It looks as though the key message from the voters to the Conservatives and Labour is 'a plague on both of your houses', as both of them find themselves losing both votes and seats on an … [Read more...] about Main UK parties take Brexit battering in local elections
Charity song ‘Let Nature Sing’ debuts on the UK Singles Chart
"Let Nature Sing" comprises two and a half minutes of pure birdsong, featuring 25 of Britain's most endangered bird species. Blackbirds, robins, woodpeckers and warblers are among the song's guest vocalists -- each recorded between 2016 and January 2019. It was put together by Bill Barclay, the music director at Shakespeare's Globe, and British folk singer Sam Lee. According to the Official Charts Company, "Let Nature Sing" ranked at No. 11 of the midweek UK singles chart, which also features new music from Stormzy, Taylor Swift and Lil Nas X. The song's popularity is not entirely surprising. Data shows that birdsong is among Britons' most popular alarm tone, after the traditional beep. In a recent poll undertaken by YouGov, 82 percent of respondents said birdsong made them feel positive. The track is an initiative of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which aims at raising awareness about the ongoing extinction crisis of birds. "Since 1966, we have lost more than 44m birds … [Read more...] about Charity song ‘Let Nature Sing’ debuts on the UK Singles Chart
UK’s May fires defence secretary over Huawei leak
Business Britain's Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has been fired over the leak of information about Chinese telecoms company Huawei, Prime Minister Theresa May's office said on Wednesday. 02 May 2019 01:20AM (Updated: 02 May 2019 01:55AM) Bookmark LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May fired her defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, on Wednesday, saying an investigation suggested he was to blame for leaking discussions about Chinese telecoms company Huawei from her National Security Council.Last week it emerged that Britain would allow Huawei a restricted role in building parts of its 5G network, seeking a middle way in a bitter dispute between the United States and China over the next generation of communications technology.The NSC is a forum in which senior cabinet ministers discuss top secret national security information, and the leak, first reported in national newspapers, sparked anger in parliament.May wrote to Williamson that an investigation into the leaks … [Read more...] about UK’s May fires defence secretary over Huawei leak
Five UK tech firms to invest in Malaysia
PETALING JAYA: A total of five UK technology organisations are investing in Malaysia, according to a joint statement by the UK Department for International Trade and the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia. The ministry said this reinforces the UK’s long-term commitment to Malaysia as a key partner in trade and investment. “It also reflects Malaysia’s attractiveness as an investment destination and as a springboard to the wider Asean market.” The five companies are Ideagen, AuditXPRT, Mitra Innovation, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence and Sage. Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo (pix) said as Malaysia continues to implement technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and cyber security, the investment of more UK tech companies to Malaysia highlights their confidence that Malaysia is moving in the right direction. “The aim of collaboration in the area of technology is incredibly essential not only to aid … [Read more...] about Five UK tech firms to invest in Malaysia