William James News

Britain's Trident nuclear-deterrent system misfired during a test last month, sending a missile crashing into the ocean off the Florida coast near the submarine that launched it, The Sun newspaper reported on Wednesday.The Ministry of Defense confirmed that an "anomaly" had occurred during the test but said Britain's "nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective".With Defense Secretary Grant Shapps on board the HMS Vanguard to witness the test, The Sun said, the first…

Strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen have not fully diminished the group's appetite to disrupt Red Sea shipping, defence minister Grant Shapps said on Monday."These attacks have had a significant effect on degrading Houthi capabilities. But the Houthis' intent to continue disrupting the Red Sea has not been fully diminished," Shapps told parliament.(Reuters - Reporting by Muvija M, writing by William James; Editing by Kate Holton)

Britain and the United States on Thursday said they had imposed coordinated sanctions on four key Houthi figures for their roles in supporting or directing attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.Attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis have disrupted global shipping and stoked fears of global inflation. They have also deepened concern that fallout from the Israel-Hamas war could destabilize the Middle East.Those sanctioned were Houthi Defence Minister Mohamed Nasser al-Atifi…

U.S. and British strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen were a limited act of self defense and London does not immediately plan any further missions, its junior defense minister said on Friday.The two countries launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement's attacks on ships in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began in October.British Armed Forces minister James Heappey said the strikes were a proportionate response…

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is deploying two Royal Navy ships and surveillance aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel and reinforce regional stability, his Downing Street office said on Thursday.The military package, which includes P8 surveillance planes, other surveillance assets, two auxiliary ships, three Merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines, will be on standby in the region to provide "practical support to Israel ...

Britain on Monday accused Russia of targeting a civilian cargo ship at port in the Black Sea on Aug. 24 in a previously unconfirmed missile attack it said was successfully thwarted by Ukrainian defences.Ukraine has been making efforts to allow vessels stranded in Odesa port since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to sail into open waters after the collapse of the UN-backed Black Sea grains corridor.The remarks, made in Britain's parliament by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, are the first time an official has commented on a ship being targeted since those Ukrainian efforts began. Since Aug. 18, four cargo ships have sailed from Odesa."Thanks to declassified intelligence…

Almost two centuries after Charles Darwin's voyage around the world, environmentalists plan to follow in his footsteps by undertaking a two-year journey across four continents to study endemic wildlife and boost conservation.The group will set sail on board a 105-year-old schooner on Tuesday from the southern English port of Plymouth, from where British naturalist Darwin's own expedition began in 1831, leading him to develop the theory of evolution by natural selection.The 40,000 nautical mile "Darwin200" expedition hopes to anchor in 32 ports, including all the major ports visited by Darwin's

Twenty-five people were injured when a ship came off its holding and tipped on its side in a dry dock in Leith, Scotland on Wednesday, the Scottish Ambulance Service said, with 15 taken to hospital.Ten people were treated and discharged at the scene, the emergency service added in a statement.Pictures posted on Twitter showed a large ship propped up against the wall of a dry dock.

More than 560 dockworkers at the Port of Liverpool, one of Britain's largest container ports, will go on strike from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3 over pay, the Unite union said on Friday, adding to a summer of industrial unrest caused by soaring inflation."Workers across the country are sick to death of being told to take a hit on their wages and living standards," Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in a statement."MDHC needs to think again, table a reasonable offer and fulfil its previous pay promises…

Britain urged G7 and NATO nations on Tuesday to ban Russian ships from their ports, agree a timetable to phase out oil and gas imports from Russia, and further tighten sanctions on banks and key industries.Speaking in Poland ahead of a meeting of NATO and G7 countries later this week, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:"On Thursday, I will be urging our NATO and G7 partners to go further in sanctions by joining us in banning Russian ships from our ports, cracking down on more Russian banks…

Britain’s insolvency service has started formal criminal and civil investigations into P&O Ferries to look into the company’s decision to fire hundreds of workers without notice last month, business minister Kwasi Kwarteng said on Friday.The probe comes after P&O Ferries admitted to breaking the law in the manner in which it terminated about 800 staff last month to hire cheaper agency workers, a move that has since caused major backlash from politicians and workers.“I can confirm that the Insolvency Service has initiated both formal criminal and civil investigations into the circumstances surr

Britain put in place new legal powers on Wednesday to prohibit maintenance on aircraft and ships belonging to specific sanctioned Russian oligarchs or their businesses.The government is acting in concert with Western allies to try to cripple the Russian economy as punishment for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. It has targeted Russia's access to the international financial system, industries like shipping and defense, and wealthy elites close to President Vladimir Putin.Britain said…

P&O Ferries on Tuesday rejected the British government's request to rehire 800 workers it fired without notice two weeks ago, saying that doing so would cause the company to collapse.P&O Ferries, an 180-year old company now owned by Dubai-based logistics group DP World, prompted an outcry from British government ministers, lawmakers and trade unions for its shock move this month to replace staff with cheaper agency workers.Britain's coastguard agency has since detained two P&O…

Britain froze the assets of Russia's Gazprombank and Alfa Bank, and the state-run shipping firm Sovcomflot FLOT.MM, in its latest round of sanctions announced on Thursday.They were among 59 individuals and entities added to the sanctions list which has been used to target Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine.Gazprombank is one of main channels for payments for Russian oil and gas.Alfa-Bank is one of Russia's top private lenders, controlled by Mikhail Fridman, who was sanctioned by Britain earlier this month…

Trade unions protested at British ferry ports on Friday after Dubai-owned P&O Ferries abruptly sacked 800 workers via a video message, drawing widespread condemnation and raising the prospect of disruption to key tourist and goods routes.P&O, which is owned by Dubai ports firm DP World, is recovering from a difficult two years when COVID-19 prevented tourists from travelling on its routes between Britain, France, Ireland and elsewhere in northern Europe.P&O said on Thursday it had lost 100 million pounds ($131 million) in the last year and that without changes its business was not sustainable.

Britain's P&O Ferries made 800 staff redundant with immediate effect and suspended crossings for the next few days, sparking a backlash from politicians and unions over reports it would hire cheaper agency workers instead.The shock move caused delays around Britain's busiest port, Dover, and drew threats of a standoff as trade unions urged their members to defy any instructions to leave P&O ships.Owned by Dubai ports firm DP World, P&O is recovering from two years of disruption when COVID-19 prevented tourists from travelling on its routes between Britain…

Britain will phase out imports of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday, joining other nations including the United States in reducing their energy dependency on Russia.In response to President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade of Ukraine, Britain and others are seeking ways to deprive Moscow of income and cut their own use of Russian energy exports by becoming more self-sufficient."In another economic blow to the Putin regime following their illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK will move away from dependence on Russian oil throughout th

Britain's navy has rejected a plan to turn away boats illegally carrying migrants to its shores when it takes over responsibility for trying to stop people crossing the English Channel in small dinghies.The government said last month that it will hand the navy responsibility for policing small boats crossing between France to England, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.Home Secretary Priti Patel approved plans last year for border officials, who have been dealing with the crossings, to be trained to force boats away from British waters using jet skis.So far, the controversial tactic has

Britain said on Sunday it had collected evidence of multiple ships from various nationalities apparently breaching United Nations sanctions against North Korea which ban the sale of fuel to the country.British frigate HMS Richmond has been taking part in UN sanctions enforcement operations in the region."HMS Richmond’s deployment in the East China Sea identified ships acting in suspected breach of UN sanctions and tracked vessels which had previously not been flagged to the Enforcement Coordination Cell…

Russia warned Britain on Thursday that it would bomb British naval vessels in the Black Sea if there were any further provocative actions by the British navy off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea.Russia summoned the British ambassador in Moscow for a formal diplomatic scolding after the warship breached what the Kremlin says are its territorial waters but which Britain and most of the world say belong to Ukraine.Britain said Russia was giving an inaccurate account of the incident.

Russia said on Wednesday it had fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of a British warship to chase it out of waters Moscow claims in the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimea peninsula.Britain rejected Russia’s account of the incident, saying it believed any shots fired were a pre-announced Russian “gunnery exercise”, and that no bombs had been dropped. But it confirmed that its destroyer, HMS Defender, had sailed through what it described as waters belonging to Ukraine.The…

Britain is working to overcome post-Brexit difficulties complicating seafood exports and other shipments to the European Union, senior minister Michael Gove said on Thursday.“There are still some bureaucratic obstacles that we need to negotiate and navigate.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said on Friday it would be wrong to conflate large queues of lorries at British ports with the issue of Brexit, saying the congestion was mainly caused by a spike in consumer goods demand and COVID-19 disruption."It's been primarily caused by a global spike in demand for consumer goods over many months this year, as well as disruption to global shipping patterns and container capacity related to changes caused by the pandemic and subsequent commercial issues at ports," the spokesman told reporters.(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, writing by William James)