British – Hoang Viet

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Jan 12 2025

Majority of public says Elon Musk having a negative impact on British politics, poll finds | Politics News

Half the public think Elon Musk is having a negative impact on British politics following his rants on X about Labour and Sir Keir Starmer, according to a new survey.

The South African-born billionaire has spent much of the past week attacking the prime minister over his opposition to another national inquiry into grooming gangs.

And he also asked his 212 million followers whether America should “liberate” the UK from its “tyrannical government”.

A poll published on Saturday suggested widespread opposition to Musk‘s involvement in British politics.

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Some 53% of people told Opinium they thought he was having a negative impact politics, compared to just 12% who thought he was having a positive one.

On his comments about grooming gangs specifically, 47% said they thought Mr Musk was being “unhelpful”, compared to 26% who thought the opposite.

Adam Drummond, head of political and social research at Opinium, said a “lack of enthusiasm about a foreign billionaire involving himself in British politics” was “one area of agreement” among the public.

In other posts he expressed support for Reform UK, but called for its leader Nigel Farage to step aside.

When asked about this, 71% of Reform UK voters said the Clacton MP was the best leader they could have now.

Earlier this week, Mr Farage insisted he could repair relations with the Tesla chief executive and incoming adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump.

But he also said Musk’s support was not “crucial” and it was more important to maintain his long-standing opposition to jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The split between Mr Farage and Musk came after the billionaire expressed strong support for Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

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Jan 12 2025

Family of missing British hiker in Italy issue statement as search continues | World News

The family of a missing British hiker in northern Italy have said they are “devastated by the tragic events of the last few days”.

Search teams have continued looking for Aziz Ziriat, 36, who has been missing in the Dolomites in northern Italy for more than a week.

The body of his friend Sam Harris, 35 and also from London, was found in the Passo di Conca area on Wednesday, rescuers said.

In a statement, Mr Ziriat’s family said: “Aziz is continuing to be loved and prayed for. We hope, with all our hearts, he will be found and brought home soon.”

Meanwhile Joe Stone, a university friend of Mr Ziriat, told the PA news agency on Saturday that while search teams were “trying everything” to find him “there is an acceptance among us that it’s not going to be good news”.

The pair’s last known location had been a mountain hut called Casina Dosson, close to the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva Del Garda on Lake Garda.

Italy’s National Alpine Cliff and Cave Rescue Corps (CNSAS) said on Saturday that the search for Mr Ziriat resumed at first light.

Around 40 rescuers had been airlifted to high altitudes to dig into the snow to search for Mr Ziriat in the area where Mr Harris’s body was found.

On Wednesday, teams tracking a “phone of one of the two mountaineers” found a body in the area of Passo di Conca “sadly deceased, buried under the snow”.

Mr Ziriat’s family praised the work of search teams, adding that “their commitment to finding Aziz has been outstanding”.

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Palace For Life, the charity run by Crystal Palace which Mr Ziriat works for, posted on X: “We are aware of reports that the body of Sam Harris has been recovered.

“We are devastated to receive this news and our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his loved ones. No further information is currently available regarding the whereabouts of Aziz.”

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Friday: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in northern Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.”

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Jan 4 2025

British woman and fiancé found dead at Vietnam villa | UK News

A British woman and her South African fiancé have been found dead at a holiday villa in Vietnam.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it is in contact with local authorities and is providing support to the family of Greta Marie Otteson, 33.

Ms Otteson and partner Arno Quinton Els, 36, are believed to have been found dead on beds in separate rooms at the Hoi An Silverbell villa in Hoi An, central Quang Nam Province, on the morning of 26 December.

An FCDO spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Vietnam and are in contact with the local authorities.”

A report by local Tuoi Tre News said initial investigations found no external signs of trauma on the couple’s bodies.

Another report by state-run Vietnam News said local police officers found several empty bottles of alcohol, which they collected for analysis.

It added the couple had registered for long-term temporary residence at the tourist villa in July 2024.

Ms Otteson ran a social media and brand marketing company called Not Sorry Social and had previously worked in a number of locations including Los Angeles, Paris and Dubai, before travelling to Vietnam with Mr Els.

Mr Els was a professional barista, musician and streamer, who also previously worked as a stand-up comedian.

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On 11 December, the couple surprised their loved ones by announcing their engagement in a video posted on Instagram by Red Eye Studios.

The post’s caption read: “Living in the romantic city of Hoi An, our good friends Greta and Arno decided to surprise their families with a beautiful video to announce their engagement.”

In November, six people, including British lawyer Simone White, died due to suspected methanol poisoning in Vietnam’s neighbouring Laos.

Ms White, 28, from Orpington, was one of a number of people taken to hospital after the incident in the popular backpacking town of Vang Vieng.

Police in Laos have detained several people in connection with the death of Ms White and five others, including two Australian teenagers, two Danish women and an American man.

Those poisoned in the incident are believed to have been served drinks contaminated with methanol, which is sometimes used by disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol but can cause severe poisoning or death.

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Dec 30 2024

Marcus Fakana: British teen sentenced over Dubai ‘holiday romance’ with 17-year-old girl surrenders to authorities | UK News

A British teenager sentenced to one year in prison in Dubai after a “holiday romance” with a 17-year-old girl has surrendered himself to authorities to begin his sentence, according to a campaign group.

Marcus Fakana, 18, was with his family in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when he met the girl, who is also from London and is now 18.

He was arrested and charged after the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures and called the Dubai police.

Campaign group Detained In Dubai previously said Fakana planned to appeal the sentence and urged UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who is the family’s MP in Tottenham, to intervene.

However, when asked about the case, the foreign secretary said people should “follow the rules” of other countries. He also said Fakana had “all the support available” from UK officials.

The head of Detained In Dubai, Rahda Stirling, said Fakana had now handed himself in to authorities and intended to serve his year-long sentence in Dubai’s al Awir prison.

She said he still hoped for a pardon from Dubai’s ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, and help from Mr Lammy and the British embassy.

She said: “I worry about the impact of Dubai prison on an 18-year-old’s life. It wasn’t easy to find the words to say to him as he surrendered his freedom.”

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Ms Stirling also shared a message from Fakana, who said: “Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my fight.

“It’s been a long fight, but nothing is hard with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ guiding me.

“I’m grateful for all the people who have helped by donating to me and my family of faith for supporting me.”

Fakana previously said the pair kept their romance secret from the girl’s family “because they were strict” and had hoped to continue seeing each other back in the UK.

However, he said police turned up at his family’s hotel and took him into custody without explanation.

Dubai is well known for its strict laws on drugs, alcohol and sex. The age of consent is 18 and strictly enforced.

In a previous statement, prosecutors said: “Under UAE law, the girl is legally classified as a minor, and in accordance with procedures recognised internationally, her mother – being the legal guardian – filed the complaint.

“Dubai’s legal system is committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring impartial judicial proceedings.”

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Dec 23 2024

‘Panic sets in’ for family of British dad John Hardy missing in Spain | UK News

The sister of a British man who has been missing in Spain for nine days has said “panic” is setting in.

Courtney George last spoke to her brother John Hardy on Saturday 14 December, around the time she believes he was due to drive from Alicante to Benidorm.

She reported him missing after he failed to get on his flight home on Wednesday 18 December.

Mr Hardy, from Belfast, has several tattoos, including half a sleeve on his right arm and a panther on his torso.

Police in Northern Ireland have confirmed a 37-year-old is believed to be missing.

Ms George said her brother, who has two sons, would “never” go so long without contacting her.

“Another day waking up hoping what is going on is a nightmare, but realising this is real life. The panic sets in,” she wrote on Facebook yesterday.

“Another day, no contact from John – never ever would this happen… What’s Christmas without family? My big brother hasn’t just vanished! That doesn’t happen!”

She added today his sons “need to know” where their dad is.

She continued: “There will be no Christmas for my family. The only thing we are focused on is getting our loved one back.”

The distressed Ms George is offering a reward for anyone with “any helpful information to find John”.

She has also launched a fundraising page on GoFundMe to pay for family members to travel to Spain to hunt for her missing brother.

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The Police Service in Northern Ireland said the force had “received a report on Wednesday, 18th December that a 37-year-old man from Belfast, holidaying in Spain, was believed to be missing”.

It added: “Enquiries are ongoing in conjunction with our international policing partners.”

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Dec 18 2024

Counter-terror police on high alert for jihadi attacks from potential British ISIS supporters returning from Syria | UK News

Counter-terrorism police fear that uncertainty over the future of Syria could fuel jihadi attacks in the UK.

Border officials are on high alert for potential British ISIS supporters freed from jail who may try to return to Britain.

Vicki Evans, national counter-terrorism coordinator, said the current terror threat was “smouldering” and had never been more complex with the danger posed by Islamic extremists, state-sponsored plots and planned attacks from individuals with no obvious ideology.

“Events in Syria are certainly something that are a focus and something that all of us need to think about with our partners,” she said.

“It’s that stark reminder that we need to focus on old enemies of peace and security as well as the new.

“History tells us that, unfortunately, any instability creates space for extremism, for violence and acts of terror.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Evans said although the British government had engaged diplomatically with the de facto new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, his victorious rebel group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) remains a banned terror group under UK law and anyone demonstrating support for it could be charged with a terror crime.

She said no such suspects had been arrested, but would not confirm or deny if any were under investigation.

DAC Evans also revealed that counter-terrorism police were increasingly finding images of extreme violence, pornography, misogyny and gore that sometimes fuelled terror plans in the online viewing history of suspects as young as 10.

She said: “It’s a pick-and-mix of horror. These sorts of grotesque fascinations with violence and harmful views that we’re seeing are increasingly common.

“We most definitely need to think differently about how we stop that conveyor belt of young people who are seeing and being exposed to this type of material and, unfortunately, sometimes then going on to commit horrific acts.”

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She added that police had disrupted 43 plots – three in the past year – that were close to being carried out, all with potential mass casualties, since 2017, a year of multiple UK terror attacks.

Plots backed by hostile states had quadrupled in the past few years, with 20 detected since 2022 that were sponsored by Iran, she said.

She urged the public to be vigilant and appealed to businesses to beware of their vulnerability to hostile state attacks.

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Dec 4 2024

‘Haven’t played a note yet’: British band Sports Team robbed at gunpoint on first day of US tour | Ents & Arts News

A British band were robbed at gunpoint on the first day of their US tour.

Frontman of the band Sports Team, Alex Rice, told Sky News they had stopped in their tour bus at a Starbucks in Vallejo, California, on Tuesday – the morning after landing in San Francisco.

While he and his bandmates were ordering breakfast, they heard someone say “has anyone got a white sprinter van outside? It’s being robbed”.

“Natural reaction, you sprint towards it and try to stop it, and immediately [one of the robbers] pulls a gun,” he said.

“He pulls a gun, he sort of points it at our tour manager Lauren, there’s another guy loading stuff out and a third guy in a getaway car.

“We all sprint back into the Starbucks. They’ve taken a huge amount of personal stuff and musical equipment from the middle of our van.

“So, haven’t played a note yet, one minute in, we’ve got our stuff taken.”

Rice added that the “really shocking bit… is we called the police straight away” but found “their reaction to an ‘as it’s happening live gunpoint event’ was ‘okay, if you could just file the report online’.”

He added: “People say ‘get down’ as if the rain’s just started coming down outside, as if the weather’s changed so people should go inside.

“That’s been the saddest bit to see, the level of resignation, the fact that people take this in their stride now.”

Laptops, in-ear monitors, cameras, and other personal items were taken in the robbery, but the band’s instruments were safe “because the back of the van is fortified”.

“The most immediate concern for us is passports, to be honest,” Rice told Sky News. “Three of us had our passports taken.

“It’s a ‘try to get to the consulate and get that sorted for Christmas’ sort of situation.”

The band are promoting their forthcoming third album, Boys These Days, and will continue their US tour despite the incident.

“We’re really lucky in that we’re able to do that,” Rice said. “We’ve got a lot of friends in San Francisco. People have been incredibly supportive.

“It’s a terrible thing to have happened but we’re lucky not to have had our actual instruments taken – which has happened to us in the past.”

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Sports Team were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2020 for their debut album Deep Down Happy, which went to number two on the UK Albums Chart.

Their 2022 follow-up Gulp! marked their second top 10 record, reaching number three in the charts.

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Nov 22 2024

Parents of British lawyer killed by methanol poisoning in Laos pay tribute to ‘loving daughter’ | UK News

The parents of a British lawyer who died after being poisoned with methanol in Laos have described her as a “beautiful, kind and loving daughter”.

Simone White, 28, was one of six people who are believed to have died as a result of drinking methanol-laced vodka from a bar in Vang Vieng, a resort popular with backpackers in the southeast Asian country.

In a statement issued by Ms White’s employers, law firm Squire Patton Boggs, her parents said: “We are devastated by the loss of our beautiful, kind and loving daughter Simone.

“Simone was one of a kind and had the most wonderful energy and spark for life. She was a soul who gave so much to so many and was loved by her family, friends and colleagues.

“Simone has been taken from us too soon, she will be sorely missed by her brother, grandmother and entire family.

“Our hearts go out to all other families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy.”

The London law firm called Ms White, who was from Orpington in Kent, a “talented colleague with a bright future ahead of her”, adding that she will be “sincerely missed”.

It comes after two Australian teenagers have also died, as well as two Danish women in their 20s and a 56-year-old US citizen.

Best friends Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, fell ill on 13 November following a night out drinking with a group, according to Australian authorities.

Thai authorities confirmed Ms Jones died because of a “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system”.

Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks as a cheaper alternative to alcohol but can cause severe poisoning or death.

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Police in Laos have detained the manager and owner of the Nana Backpacker Hostel in connection with the death of Ms White and five others.

No charges have been filed but staff at the hostel, which is still operating but not accepting new guests, confirmed the manager and owner were among those taken in for questioning.

The UK Foreign Office said it was in contact with the local authorities regarding the British nationals affected.

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Nov 18 2024

British Airways flights delayed after ‘technical issue’ | UK News

A “technical issue” at British Airways has delayed flights, reportedly for thousands of passengers.

Travel journalist Simon Calder said on X: “British Airways IT system failure is causing delays of 1-2 hours on many BA flights this evening… As delays build up I fear there will be cancellations tonight/tomorrow.”

In a statement, British Airways said flights were “currently operating, but are experiencing delays” and that its teams were working to “resolve a technical issue affecting some of our systems”.

Earlier media reports suggested dozens of flights were grounded and that communications systems were affected.

One X user pictured people queueing on the tarmac in Verona, Italy. “What has happened to the nations airline? Not fit for purpose,” they said.

A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said: “We are aware of a technical issue that British Airways are investigating, and we will be working with them to provide updates to passengers as soon as they are available. Heathrow systems are operating as normal.”

In June many British Airways (BA) flights in Heathrow were delayed by several hours by a “technical fault” with baggage handling.

BA said there had been a “temporary technical fault” which had disrupted its baggage system at the airport and had apologised for the problems it caused.

In January “intermittent issues” with the airline’s app and website meant customers could not access them.

BA’s customer score for long-haul flights was the joint third lowest out of 17 carriers analysed by Which? in February.

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Nov 11 2024

Minute’s silence cut short as Celtic fans sing through tribute in protest over British establishment ‘hypocrisy’ | UK News

A minute’s silence for Remembrance Sunday was cut short by the referee at a Celtic match as the club’s fans chanted in protest at Britain’s “hypocrisy”.

Celtic fans held up banners ahead of the tribute at Kilmarnock reading: “From Balfour to Starmer, the crimes of the empire live on, Britain is committing genocide in Gaza.”

When referee Nick Walsh blew his whistle to start the silence, Celtic fans sang about the death of Aidan McAnespie, who was shot by a British soldier in County Tyrone in 1988.

Walsh whistled to halt the tribute as the chanting continued.

A Celtic fans group – who were situated where the banners were unfurled – later explained their reasons for the protest.

A statement from North Curve Celtic said: “Today, on Armistice Day, we highlight the hypocrisy and shame of the British establishment and others who selectively mourn the loss of life and fail to support an armistice to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”

Speaking after the game, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said the tribute should have been completed.

“I think if it’s a minute silence, it should be a minute,” he said. “You guys know the script up here at this time of the year. It’s always a challenge.

“But if it’s a minute silence, it’s a minute silence. I think we all want to respect that. And we understand that some don’t. So it can be a divisive one.

“Like I say, I understand but really, my chat is for the football and that’s something else that sits outside of that, sadly.”

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes said he thought it was “awful”.

“Awful. Why? I’m not going into it, I’m not a politician or anything but it’s our ground, it’s our minute’s silence,” he said.

“I don’t get why we shouldn’t have the wherewithal just to stand and show a bit of respect for one minute.”

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