United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — Multinational companies including Amazon, Marriott and Hilton pledged Monday to hire more than 13,000 refugees, including Ukrainian women who have fled the war with Russia, over the next three years in Europe.

Just ahead of World Refugee Day on Tuesday, more than 40 corporations say they will hire, connect to work or train a total of 250,000 refugees, with 13,680 of them getting jobs directly in those companies.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s House of Commons is likely to endorse on Monday a report that found Boris Johnson lied to lawmakers about lockdown-flouting parties in his office, a humiliating censure that would strip the former prime minister of his lifetime access to Parliament.

Lawmakers debated the report by the Privileges Committee that found Johnson in contempt of Parliament, and were expected to approve its findings. It was unclear whether there would be a formal vote or whether the report would be approved by acclamation.

London, Jun 18 (PTI) A 20-year-old Indian-origin student has been sentenced to more than six years imprisonment for raping an "intoxicated" woman while she was on a night out with friends last year in Wales.

CCTV Footage showed Preet Vikal carrying the "intoxicated" woman in his arms and across his shoulders through Cardiff city centre.

Vikal admitted rape and was sentenced to six years and nine months in a young offenders' institution, a release by South Wales police said on Friday.

London, Jun 18 (PTI) A 50-year-old Indian-origin man, who was accused of using the lure of jobs at his massage parlour to rape young women across London, has been sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment following a Scotland Yard investigation.

Raghu Singamaneni was unanimously found guilty by the jury of the rape and sexual assault involving four women and sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday.

LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - Teachers in England will strike on July 5 and July 7, the National Education Union (NEU) said on Saturday, staging further industrial action over a pay and funding dispute with the government.

The new dates announced by Britain's largest education union come on top of at least six days of walk-outs by teachers in England from February to May.

Teachers rejected a government pay offer for an average rise of 4.5% plus a 1,000 pound one-off payment in April. The union is now holding another ballot on more strikes for this Autumn.

(AP) --- The production company founded by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, is splitting ways with Spotify less than a year after the debut of their podcast “ Archetypes.”

It is unclear why the podcast, hosted by Meghan, is leaving the platform but Spotify and Archewell Audio said in a joint statement that the decision was mutual.

Archewell landed a multiyear partnership with Spotify in 2020 to create podcasts and shows that would tell stories through diverse voices and perspectives.

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - Boris Johnson deliberately misled the British parliament in an unprecedented way over rule-breaking parties at his office during COVID-19 lockdowns, a committee said on Thursday in a damning verdict that further tarnished the former prime minister

Almost a year ago, Johnson was talking about remaining prime minister into the 2030s. But the privileges committee - the main disciplinary body for lawmakers - said on Thursday he should now be stripped of having automatic access to parliament.

LONDON (AP) — Lawmakers in Europe signed off Wednesday on the world’s first set of comprehensive rules for artificial intelligence, clearing a key hurdle as authorities across the globe race to rein in AI.

The European Parliament vote is one of the last steps before the rules become law, which could act as a model for other places working on similar regulations.

A yearslong effort by Brussels to draw up guardrails for AI has taken on more urgency as rapid advances in chatbots like ChatGPT show the benefits the emerging technology can bring — and the new perils it poses.

14 June 2023; MEMO: Israeli occupation forces carried out "disproportionate air strikes," killing and injuring Palestinian civilians in Gaza last month, Amnesty concluded in a report published yesterday

NOTTINGHAM, June 13 (Reuters) - British police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of murder after three people were found dead on the street in the central English city of Nottingham on Tuesday and three were injured after an attempt to run them over with a van.

Detectives said they had an open mind about the motive for the linked incidents, which began just after 4 a.m. (0300 GMT), and added that counter-terrorism officers were working on the investigation, although they said this was normal.