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British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and US President Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office of the White House on January 27, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP) The British government says an invitation for US President Donald Trump's state visit is still in place, despite an outpouring of public and political protest. More than 1.8 million Britons have signed an online  petition  urging the government to withdraw the invitation that Prime Minister Theresa May extended to Trump while she was visiting Washington last month. The petition, which is expected to be put to debate in Parliament, called for Trump to be allowed to enter the UK but not be granted an official state visit because of fears it would cause embarrassment to Queen Elizabeth. In a statement sent to petition signatories, the Foreign Office said the government "recognized the strong views ... but does not support this petition." It also said that the US president should be granted the “full courte...

A new report reveals that British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had urged the UK government to continue arms sales to Saudi Arabia even after Riyadh bombed a funeral in Yemen last October that killed over 140 people and sparked global condemnation. In a letter dated one month after the Saudi bombing, Johnson pressed Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox to continue sending weapons to Saudi Arabia, according to The Guardian newspaper. "I am aware you have deferred a decision on four export license applications to supply the Royal Saudi Air Force with equipment which could be used in the conflict in Yemen," Johnson wrote. "The issue is extremely finely balanced, but I judge at present the Saudis appear committed both to improving processes and to taking action to address failures/individual incidents," the foreign secretary wrote. Fox delayed signing off on further weapons exports to the Saudi air force following the strike but agreed to continue a...

British Prime Minister Theresa May (Photo by AFP) The government of British Prime Minister Theresa May says Scotland should not launch a new independence referendum, arguing that the Scottish people have already voiced their opposition to secede from the UK over Brexit. "We don't believe that there should be a second referendum. There has been a referendum, it was clear, decisive, it was legal, and both sides agreed to abide by the results of that referendum," May's spokesman told journalists on Wednesday, referring to the country’s previous attempt to become independent. Scotland held its first referendum in 2014, when over 55 percent of the people voted against independence. However, talks of a new referendum gained momentum following a spat between Britain and Scotland over the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU). Although nearly 52 percent of Britons opted to leave the bloc during the EU referendum in June last year, some 62 percent of the Scottish ...

A London museum is surveying five centuries of robotic developments to learn about the societies they come from. London’s Science Museum is exhibiting some 100 robot models, ranging from a 15th century automaton to cutting-edge humanoids that are capable of expressing emotions. Organizers of the show called “Robots” consider it a chance to both depict and tackle misconceptions and fears of robots while studying their evolution through time. The robots are either borrowed, purchased or donated from personal collections and only 16 of them are fully functional. But curators expect something beyond operational machines from their show. “Robots” will go on until September the 3rd. However, more sensitive items such as a 244 year-old working swan will be featured for a limited time to maintain their upkeep.

The speaker of the UK House of Commons says he is "opposed" to a speech by US President Donald Trump in Westminster Hall, particularly after his order for imposition of a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries. John Bercow made the remarks during a speech to the House of Commons on Monday after a point of order by a fellow Labour MP, Stephen Doughty. Bercow noted that his opposition to a Trump speech intensified after the new president‘s executive order. “Before the imposition of the migrant ban I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall. After the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall,” said the speaker. Bercow’s stance complicates the situation for the government of Prime Minister Theresa May, who has been promoting a boost in the UK-US “special relationship” after Trump’s grip on ...

More than half of Britain’s major businesses are already experiencing the implications of leaving the EU, a survey shows. Over half of Britain’s major companies have experienced the negative impacts of the country’s pending withdrawal from the European Union (EU), shows a new survey of British business leaders. About 58 percent of bosses from Britain’s largest 500 firms think their businesses are already facing the implications of last year’s public vote to leave the EU, according to an Ipsos Mori poll published on Monday. This is while, only 11 percent of the respondents thought the outlook of the divorce has worked to the benefit of their businesses. In June last year, nearly 52 percent of Britons voted to end the country’s decades-long membership in the EU. The decision meant that while the UK would free itself from the EU regulations and have more control over its borders, it would lose access to the Single Market, a scary prospect for busi...

Chinese Ambassador to Syria Qi Qianjin (R) shakes hands with Imad Sabuni, the head of the Syrian Planning and International Cooperation Commission, after signing two agreements in the Syrian capital Damascus, February 5, 2017. (Photo by Xinhua) China is set to provide Syria with some 16 million dollars worth of humanitarian aid under cooperation agreements with the Damascus government. On Sunday, the Chinese Embassy and the Syrian Planning and International Cooperation Commission (ICC) signed two agreements, under which Beijing will send two batches of humanitarian aid worth 16 million dollars to the Arab country. China’s envoy to Syria Qi Qianjin said the aid delivery will begin soon, adding that his country has been committed to providing crisis-hit Syria with aid over the past years. “We sympathize with the Syrian people for what has befallen their country, and we are signing this agreement with the aim of bolstering friendship between the Chinese and Syrian peoples an...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, January 15, 2017. (Photo by AFP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on British Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump to take a tougher stance against Iran. "New admin in US, new gov in Britain, new diplomatic opportunities for Israel. I have meetings in London tomorrow and in Washington next week," Netanyhahu said in a tweet on Sunday. Earlier in the day, he told his cabinet that forming a united front against Iran was one of the main topics that he was going to raise with May and Trump during his upcoming visits. “In the diplomatic sphere, I intend to emphasize the need for a common front against Iran’s defiant aggression, which has raised its head in recent days. This must be done on an ongoing basis, but especially in light of Iran’s defiance against the international order,” Netanyhahu said. Tel Aviv’s renewed focus on Iran c...

The British government’s extensive arms deals with Saudi Arabia are part of a Zionist plan to wage a major war against Muslim countries in the Middle East, says an academic in London. Professor Rodney Shakespeare made the remarks while discussing a new poll that shows a majority of Britons oppose London’s weapons sales to Riyadh. Conducted by Opinium on behalf of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), the survey showed that almost 62 percent of British people think selling arms to Saudi Arabia, the UK’s largest arms customer, was “unacceptable.” The UK government has been under immense pressure by human rights groups to end arms shipments to the Saudis. The UK government has sold over £3.3 billion worth of arms – including fighter jets, bombs and missiles – to the Saudi regime since it attacked Yemen in March 2015. The war has killed at least 11,400 people in Yemen, according to local sources. “There is an issue bigger than...

Glass construction, water resistance, and latest Samsung UI arrive in new 4.7 and 5.2-inch handsets. Samsung has unleashed the latest devices in its mid-priced A series on the UK, with the arrival of the 2017 variants of the Galaxy A3 and A5. As in previous years, Samsung has brought a smattering of high-end features to a more affordable price point through the pint-sized 4.7-inch A3, and the larger 5.2-inch A5. Both phones share a similar glass and metal construction, much like Samsung's higher-end offerings, along with the IP68-rated water and dust resistance that comes as standard with the Galaxy S7. In fact, aside from a few differences in port and button placement, the A5 is the spitting image of its more expensive sibling. (In fact, it one-ups the GS7 in one small but notable area, shipping with a more up-to-date USB-C port.) So the external hardware matches the quality we've come to expect from Samsung's flagships, with a subtle curve to the back panel, and clean ...