Protesters urge Wimbledon to cut ties with Barclays over Israel business deals
About two dozen protesters from Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstrated by the main entrance of the All England Club as thousands of fans arrived for Day 1 of the tournament.
'They're the bank for the arms companies that are obviously supplying weapons to Israel,' protester Khalid Zalmay told The Associated Press. 'We should not be arming Israel, we should not be allowing anybody to facilitate arming them, and I think ties should be cut with Israel, the same way that ties were cut with Russia.'
One protester held a sign that said Barclays is a 'sponsor of Wimbledon and genocide.'
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war.
Israel's military response has led to the death of 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children.
Wimbledon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Barclays said it is 'proud of our partnership with Wimbledon' and defended its business practices.
'We provide a range of financial services and products to companies supplying defense products to the UK, NATO and its allies,' the company statement said. 'As NATO, the EU and UK seek to increase their defense capabilities in response to increasing geopolitical threats, the provision of financial products and services to the defense sector is becoming increasingly important.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Major lender cuts mortgage rates to best buys days after Halifax, Barclays and HSBC offer better deals
One of Britain's biggest mortgage lenders has announced it will cut rates on its home loans to best buy levels. From tomorrow, Nationwide Building Society will lower mortgage rates by up to 0.2 percentage points across its fixed rate deals. It follows hot on the heels of Barclays, HSBC, and Halifax, which also announced rate cuts in recent days. Nationwide's lowest two-year fixed rate will stand at a market leading 3.81 per cent. The deal, which is available to both new and existing customers buying with at least a 40 per cent deposit and comes with a £1,499 fee. On a £200,000 mortgage being repaid over 25 years that would work out as paying £1,035 a month. Those moving home with smaller deposits will also benefit from Nationwide's changes. Someone with a 10 per cent deposit will be able to secure a market leading 4.34 per cent five-year fix with a £1,499 fee from tomorrow. There is good news for first-time buyers as well. A first-time buyer with a 10 per cent deposit will be able to secure a five-year fixed rate of 4.39 per cent with a £999 fee from Nationwide. Meanwhile, a first-time buyers with a 25 per cent deposit will be able to bag a 4.2 per cent three-year fix, also with a £999 fee. With hundreds of thousands of households still to remortgage this year, Nationwide's is also lowering rates in this area. Its lowest two-year fix for households with at least 40 per cent equity in their home will be 3.89 per cent from tomorrow - albeit with a £1,499 fee. Nationwide's changes lookm like a direct response to Halifax and Barclays, which both announced rate reductions last week. Halifax has just launched a 3.84 per cent two-year fix targeting borrowers buying a home and Barclays has a 3.92 per cent five-year fix for those needing to remortgage. For those prepared to do something different than locking in for the standard two or five years, MPowered Mortgages has a three-year fix at 3.88 per cent for those buying with at least a 40 per cent deposit. 'Nationwide is the latest big lender to lower its rates and undercut its competitors,' said Aaron Strutt of Trinity Financial. 'Its new rates are cheap enough to top the best buy tables especially if you have a large deposit. 'It has acted quickly to lower rates and undercut Halifax by launching a 3.81 per cent two-year fix and a 3.92 per cent five-year fix for mortgages between £300,000 and £5 million. 'These are property purchase products.' Strutt expects more lenders to cut mortgage rates over the coming weeks due to competition ramping up. 'Five of the big six biggest lenders have lowered their rates and no doubt other lenders will follow their lead,' he said. 'If you are offered a sub-4 per cent rate at the moment you are doing pretty well. You just need to decide how long you want to fix for and that really comes down to your attitude to rise. 'Lots of people are still taking two-year fixes as they think rates will come down more. 'With £147bn worth of mortgages coming up for renewal between now and December this latest round of rate cuts which come as welcome news for homeowners needing to remortgage.' How to find a new mortgage Borrowers who need a mortgage because their current fixed rate deal is ending, or they are buying a home, should explore their options as soon as possible. Buy-to-let landlords should also act as soon as they can. Quick mortgage finder links with This is Money's partner L&C > Mortgage rates calculator > Find the right mortgage for you What if I need to remortgage? Borrowers should compare rates, speak to a mortgage broker and be prepared to act. Homeowners can lock in to a new deal six to nine months in advance, often with no obligation to take it. Most mortgage deals allow fees to be added to the loan and only be charged when it is taken out. This means borrowers can secure a rate without paying expensive arrangement fees. Keep in mind that by doing this and not clearing the fee on completion, interest will be paid on the fee amount over the entire term of the loan, so this may not be the best option for everyone. What if I am buying a home? Those with home purchases agreed should also aim to secure rates as soon as possible, so they know exactly what their monthly payments will be. Buyers should avoid overstretching and be aware that house prices may fall, as higher mortgage rates limit people's borrowing ability and buying power. What about buy-to-let landlords Buy-to-let landlords with interest-only mortgages will see a greater jump in monthly costs than homeowners on residential mortgages. This makes remortgaging in plenty of time essential and our partner L&C can help with buy-to-let mortgages too. How to compare mortgage costs The best way to compare mortgage costs and find the right deal for you is to speak to a broker. This is Money has a long-standing partnership with fee-free broker L&C, to provide you with fee-free expert mortgage advice. Interested in seeing today's best mortgage rates? Use This is Money and L&Cs best mortgage rates calculator to show deals matching your home value, mortgage size, term and fixed rate needs. If you're ready to find your next mortgage, why not use L&C's online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000's of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you. > Find your best mortgage deal with This is Money and L&C Be aware that rates can change quickly, however, and so if you need a mortgage or want to compare rates, speak to L&C as soon as possible, so they can help you find the right mortgage for you.
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova survives scare in Wimbledon opener
The defending champion losing in the first round of Wimbledon is vanishingly rare. Until Marketa Vondrousova crumbled in her opener last year, earning an unwanted place in the history books, it hadn't been done – on the women's side – since Steffi Graf had a campaign to forget in 1994. But a day after Carlos Alcaraz required four-and-a-half hours and five sets to see off Italian journeyman Fabio Fognini, the 'potential upset' alarm bells rang once more as women's defending champion Barbora Krejcikova found herself wilting in the south London heat against an inspired Alexandra Eala. Having already made history and broken records for the Philippines, Eala, on her debut at Wimbledon, fancied writing another chapter, before ultimately succumbing 6-3, 2-6, 1-6. Tennis crowds – and Wimbledon in particular – love a plucky underdog. The irony here is that 56th-ranked Eala wasn't really an underdog, having shot up the rankings and proven herself equal to the big stage. The 20-year-old is no stranger to a giant-killing: she beat three top-10 players en route to a maiden WTA 1000 semi-final, in Miami earlier this year, including that instantly memorable, superb victory over Iga Swiatek. In fact, Wimbledon's win predictor gave her a narrow edge over Krejcikova. What should have been a huge gulf between an exciting youngster and an established player, the defending champion, was instead a much more level battlefield. Krejcikova has played just six matches this year after a back injury derailed the early part of her season, and no sooner was she back, reaching the quarter-finals at Eastbourne, than a thigh injury forced her to pull out. She came into Wimbledon with a huge question mark hanging over her. Seeing Eala's name in the draw on Friday was probably not what she was after. It was Krejcikova who struck first in an error-strewn first set, sealing a break with an inch-perfect lob over the youngster's head that just kissed the baseline. But it was Eala, on her Wimbledon debut, who ultimately pulled ahead, scrapping back each time she fell down a break under the blazing sunshine on Centre Court. The arena, the occasion: neither seemed to faze her as she took advantage of poor serving from the defending champion, who hit five double faults in the opening set and struggled to control her forehand. At 3-2 Krejcikova followed an ace with a double fault and as her game broke down, Eala upped the intensity, firing down two winners to break, and pull away with the first set. Krejcikova earned an immediate chance to break back, but a succession of errors saw it slip away. Centre Court didn't seem to mind the scrappiness of the encounter, cheering on Eala as she earned a set point on Krejcikova's serve, with the Czech seventh seed eventually finding her first serve to cling onto the hold. But the volume kicks up another notch as Eala sent a forehand fizzing cross-court for set point on her own serve, and sealed it with a rare ace. It looked like the Filipino might run away with a stunning upset, but Krejcikova – a largely muted presence on court – looked undaunted. She wrestled back momentum and quietened the crowd with a hold to love to start the second set, and having rediscovered both her serve and her forehand, the second set was one-way traffic. She broke to 15 and came back from 15-40 down to hold, securing a double break with a winner down the line. Suddenly painting the lines and covering every inch of the court, the Czech was in the ascendancy. Things went haywire as Eala, swinging with greater freedom, broke as Krejcikova served for the set, but the youngster continued to leak errors and a shot blasted wide handed over the set. The stakes heightened in the one-set shootout, both players cut more animated figures, willing themselves onto the finish line. Krejcikova roared with relief as she held after a difficult first service game, and that set the tone. Eala skewed a sitter of a volley wide to hand over the crucial break for 2-0, and Krejcikova began to move through the gears, forcing yet more errors from her young opponent. Ultimately experience and guile – this is Krejcikova's ninth Wimbledon – triumphed over youthful enthusiasm. Eala never lost her belief, with nearly every game going to deuce, but couldn't find a way through the Czech's superior hitting. A backhand winner down the line and an accompany roar sealed the victory for the defending champion – and staved off an unwanted footnote in history. Early on Court 2 – the 'graveyard of champions' – Jessica Pegula set the tone for a day of upsets, as the third seed lost to a sublime Elisabeth Cocciaretto 6-2, 6-3 in just 58 minutes. The American won the warm-up tournament in Bad Homberg last week, defeating Iga Swiatek for a maiden grass-court title, and may have had something of a hangover from playing so close to the start of Wimbledon. Her first-round exit continues an indifferent record in SW19, having only made the second week once in six attempts, when she reached the quarter-finals in 2023. Fifth seed Zheng Qinwen suffered a similar fate later on Court 3, falling in straight sets to Olympic mixed doubles champion Katerina Siniakova, marking her third first-round exit in a row at Wimbledon.
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
M&S still working to put cyber attack ‘behind us'
Marks & Spencer suffered a "damaging" cyber attack in April, which forced the suspension of its online operations and resulted in the theft of personal customer data. The breach, attributed to "human error," is expected to cost the high street giant approximately £300 million. CEO Stuart Machin anticipates that M&S's online operations will be fully restored within the next four weeks, with the majority of the attack's impact resolved by August. While online sales for certain fashion and home ranges have partially resumed, services like click and collect and next-day delivery are still being reinstated. Chairman Archie Norman stated that executive pay deals, including CEO Machin's recent 39 per cent increase to £7.1 million, could be impacted by any financial performance drop caused by the cyber attack.
