Pro-Palestinian group loses bid to block UK government's ban under anti-terrorism laws
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Macron to press Starmer on recognizing Palestinian state during UK visit
LONDON: Emmanuel Macron is expected to urge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to formally recognize Palestinian statehood during his upcoming state visit to the UK, it was reported on Saturday. The French president arrives in London on Tuesday for a three-day trip, which will include a summit with Starmer, an address to both Houses of Parliament, and a state banquet hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle. While the centerpiece of the visit is expected to be a new 'one-in, one-out' migrant returns deal aimed at curbing Channel crossings, sources say Macron will also raise the issue of Palestinian statehood during private talks with the UK leader. 'The French are trying to get us back on board with recognition. We're reticent,' a Whitehall insider told The Telegraph. 'You do it when you think you can achieve something from it, not for the sake of saying 'we've done it.'' Downing Street and the Elysee Palace are said to be at odds over the pace and conditions under which recognition should take place, though both governments publicly support the idea in principle at the 'right time.' Paris views recognition as a possible catalyst for a two-state solution and is pushing to relaunch a proposed UN-led process to discuss the matter to be hosted with Saudi Arabia. However, UK officials fear the move could be largely symbolic without commitments from Hamas, including disarmament and withdrawal from leadership roles. Israel has strongly opposed unilateral recognition, warning it would amount to 'rewarding' Hamas for its Oct. 7 attacks. The bilateral summit will also cover joint civil nuclear projects and coordination on a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Macron's visit will be marked by pageantry, including a carriage procession through Windsor and a tour of the Royal Collection. The French president will also be presented with Fabuleu de Maucour, a horse he gifted the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
UK re-establishing full Syria ties, Lammy says during Damascus visit
LONDON: UK will re-establish full ties with the Syrian Arab Republic, Foreign Minister David Lammy said Saturday during Damascus visit. More to follow...
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Afghans in British defense ministry data breach to get compensation
LONDON: Afghans whose personal information was exposed in a UK Ministry of Defence data breach have been told they can claim up to £4,000 ($5,400) in compensation. The breach, which happened in September 2021, saw the email addresses of 265 Afghans who had worked with British forces mistakenly shared in a group email sent by the ministry's Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy team. The message, intended to provide updates on evacuation plans, used the 'To' field instead of the blind carbon copy function, which revealed names, email addresses and in some cases thumbnail profile images. On Friday, Armed Forces Minister Lord Coaker confirmed the compensation scheme in a written statement to Parliament, saying the ministry was taking a 'proactive' approach to what he described as a historical data-handling incident, The Times reported on Saturday. 'I can confirm to members the Ministry of Defence will be directly contacting those individuals who were affected by the data incident,' he said. 'Once a response is received and the affected individual's identity confirmed, a single ex gratia payment of up to £4,000 per individual will be made.' The ministry expects the total cost to be about £1.6 million. 'Every effort will be made to ensure payments are made as quickly as reasonably practical,' Coaker said. 'I cannot undo past mistakes but I wish to assure members that in my role as minister for the armed forces I intend to drive improvement in the department's data handling training and practices.' The ministry's record on such issues 'must improve and I am determined to ensure it does,' he said. The breach was condemned at the time by then shadow defense secretary John Healey, who said: 'We told these Afghan interpreters we would keep them safe, instead this breach has needlessly put lives at risk.' In December 2023, the Information Commissioner's Office fined the ministry £350,000 over the incident. UK Information Commissioner John Edwards described it as 'a particularly egregious breach of the obligation of security owed to these people, thus warranting the financial penalty my office imposes today.' 'This deeply regrettable data breach let down those to whom our country owes so much,' he said. Following the incident, the ministry contacted those affected and asked them to delete the original email, change their contact details and inform the ARAP team using a secure form. Concerns were raised at the time that the information could have fallen into the hands of the Taliban.
