The British government hailed a £344 million (410 million euro, $450 million) investment to expand London City Airport on Wednesday as evidence Britain was "open for business" despite its Brexit vote.

Finance minister Philip Hammond was at the airport to cheer the announcement by the Canadian-Kuwaiti consortium which owns the airport, a business travel hub located close to Britain's financial centre.

The "ambitious growth plans will boost international connections, strengthening the City of London's links to destinations across the world, and send a clear signal that Britain is open for business," he said.

Published: 29 July 2016

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A haunting picture of a forest and photographs of Guantanamo Bay - eerie locations where extraordinary rendition took place lift the veil in art form on government methods to counter terror.

“Extraordinary rendition involved very ordinary places,” said artist Edmund Clark, pointing at the forest picture, which is part of the new exhibition “War of Terror” that opens in London on Thursday.

The exhibition’s loose sequence starts with the theme of extraordinary rendition, followed by photographs of the Guantanamo Bay prison, and ends with the experience of a man subject to a form of house arrest for suspected jihadists in Britain.

Award-winning British photographer Clark uses multimedia installations to portray “the unseen processes, sights, and forms of control and incarceration” used by governments in the name of counterterrorism.

Extraordinary rendition, whereby suspects were transferred covertly to a third country or to U.S.-run detention centers, became controversial immediately after it began following the Sept.11, 2001 attacks.

According to the Open Society foundation, there have been more than 100 individuals rendered by the CIA.

Published: 28 July 2016

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Burnley striker Andre Gray has condemned two of his own club’s fans as living in the stone age after an incident of alleged racist abuse during the Premier League club’s friendly win at Bradford.

One of the Burnley supporters was ejected from Saturday’s clash at Valley Parade and the Clarets on Sunday confirmed a Bradford player reported the individual to the match officials, claiming he had been repeatedly racially abused.

The supporter has denied the allegations but other witnesses have backed up the complaints of the player.

Gray, who scored twice in Burnley’s 4-1 win, was incensed by the incident and took to Twitter to express his displeasure.

“Well done to the two racist Burnley fans. Still live in the stone ages I see. Ignorant prats,” he wrote.

Published: 27 July 2016

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Sainsbury’s Nine Elms Point donated water, drinks, food and tableware for The Big Lunch Event, which took place on Saturday 25 June 2016 at Ascalon Street, Battersea, which was hosted by the Rose Community Centre.

Last year 100 people came to the Big Lunch family fun day and this year it was even bigger with over 100 people there. As well as offering guests the chance to make new friends with people of all ages, The Big Lunch is also being used as a launch pad for the area’s contribution to a nationwide-drive to get more people dancing.

“Our new store will be at the heart of the local community and it is important that we do as much as we can to support it. Glenn and the team he works with were extremly pleased with the food and drink we donated for the local community event”, said Sainsbury’s Nine Elms Point Store Manager Andy Robins

Published: 27 July 2016

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Spain said Thursday it had asked London for "urgent" explanations after a British nuclear submarine collided with a vessel off the coast of Gibraltar, forcing it to dock in the disputed territory.

The incident sparked environmental fears as well as concerns it could lead to yet another diplomatic row between London and Madrid, which wants Gibraltar back centuries after it was ceded to Britain in 1713.

The HMS Ambush submarine was submerged and carrying out a training exercise when it collided with an unspecified merchant vessel on Wednesday afternoon, damaging the front of its conning tower and forcing it to dock for checks in the overseas British territory on Spain's southern tip known as "the Rock".

"The ministry has asked the British embassy in Madrid for urgent explanations over the extent of the breakdown and all relevant information regarding the circumstances of this incident," Spain's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Published: 21 July 2016

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British Prime Minister Theresa May is heading to Berlin on Wednesday (July 20) and Paris on Thursday to start thrashing out the roadmap for Britain's departure from the European Union.

In her first foreign visits, a week since taking over as Britain's premier, Mrs May will plunge straight into laying out the Brexit groundwork in talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

Mrs May's Downing Street office said she would try to establish a personal relationship and explain how her government needed time to consult before sculpting its objectives for Britain's divorce from Brussels.

"I am determined that Britain will make a success of leaving the European Union and that's why I have decided to visit Berlin and Paris so soon after taking office," she said in a statement.

"I do not underestimate the challenge of negotiating our exit from the EU and I firmly believe that being able to talk frankly and openly about the issues we face will be an important part of a successful negotiation.

Published: 20 July 2016

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Friday he was reassessing security levels in the British capital in the wake of the Bastille Day attack in Nice.

Offering his sympathies to the people of Nice over the "unspeakable act of terror on a day of celebration", Khan said: "Today we will be reviewing our own safety measures in light of this attack."

Speaking during a visit to Gatwick Airport he added: "Londoners today stand united with Nice and all of France in our grief.

"They will not win. Not in France, not in London, not anywhere.

Published: 15 July 2016

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European planemaker Airbus and US rival Boeing went head to head at the Farnborough air show, which opened Monday facing Brexit headwinds and shut early due to heavy rain.

Airbus, which traditionally fights US rival Boeing for blockbuster order announcements at Farnborough, southwest of London, revealed a $4.4-billion (3.9-billion-euro) firm order from Virgin Atlantic for twelve wide-bodied Airbus A350-1000 jets.

The carrier has agreed to buy eight of the aircraft for deliveries starting in 2019, and four new aircraft from Air Lease Corporation (ALC).

Airbus added that Vietnam's Jetstar Pacific Airlines has indicated its intention to purchase 10 single-aisle A320ceo aircraft worth $980 million.

It added that ALC had also placed a firm order for three long-haul A350-900s jets and one medium-haul A321.

Published: 12 July 2016

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