The UK’s terrible Eurovision experience just got worse. Michael Rice’s song, Bigger Than Us, has had its score lowered by five points after organisers found that an error had been made in calculating the totals.
The European Broadcasting Union said that Rice garnered 11 points in Saturday’s finale, not 16 as originally stated. The song finished in last place at the contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The error came about because an incorrect calculation was used to create a substitute score after the Belarusian jury was dismissed, the EBU said. It said that the mistake was a result of human error and that it deeply regretted the blunder.
Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands remained winner of the contest. His song, Arcade, gained six points under…
The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.
Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.
Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.
In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.
The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.
It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".
UK warns of setting precedent
Analysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York
The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.
The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.
Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.
UK ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.
Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.
US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.
"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.
Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.
However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.
Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.
The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.
Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.
The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.
Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.
Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.
In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.
The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.
It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".
UK warns of setting precedent
Analysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York
The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.
The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.
Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.
UK ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.
Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.
US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.
"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.
Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.
However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.
Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.
The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.
Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.
The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.
Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.
Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.
In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.
The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.
It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".
UK warns of setting precedent
Analysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York
The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.
The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.
Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.
UK ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.
Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.
US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.
"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.
Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.
However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.
Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.
The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.
Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.
The peril to Huawei Technologies Co.’s global business is growing as foreign partners back away from the Chinese maker of networking equipment and smartphones in the face of U.S. restrictions.
U.K.-based chip design company Arm Holdings PLC is suspending its business with Huawei following Washington’s blacklisting of the Chinese technology giant, according to a person familiar with the matter. Meanwhile, mobile-phone carriers in Japan and the U.K. have suspended launches of Huawei smartphone models over concerns that U.S....
The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.
Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.
Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.
In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.
The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.
It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".
UK warns of setting precedent
Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York
The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.
The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.
Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.
UK Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.
Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.
US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.
"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.
Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.
However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.
Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.
The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.
Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.
British Steel is on the verge of administration as it continues to lobby for government backing, sources say.
The UK's second-biggest steel maker had been trying to secure £75m in financial support to help it to address "Brexit-related issues".
If the firm does not get the cash it would put 5,000 jobs at risk and endanger 20,000 in the supply chain.
Company sources said that the direction of talks with the government would become clearer in the coming hours.
British Steel's main plant is at Scunthorpe, but it also has a site in Teesside.
The request for emergency financial support from the government is understood to have been reduced from £75m to about £30m.
The report said British Steel shareholder Greybull Capital and lenders had agreed to pump new money into the firm.
Unless a deal is reached by Tuesday afternoon, the firm could go into administration within 48 hours. EY would be expected to be appointed as administrators on Wednesday.
If a company goes into administration, then the insolvency practitioners appointed to run the business will try to rescue it by selling it, or parts of it, as a going concern.
But if that is not possible it will be liquidated, meaning that it will be closed down and its saleable assets will be sold.
In a statement, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said: "As the business department, we are in regular conversation with a wide range of companies."
In April, British Steel borrowed £100m from the government to enable it to pay an EU carbon bill, so it could avoid a steep fine.
Tough decision for the government
Sources close to Greybull Capital say its lenders have told them that unless they can secure a £30m lifeline they will pull the plug on British Steel tomorrow.
The timing of this could hardly be worse for the government coming as it does right before the European elections.
Cynics might suggest that Greybull is not unhappy with the timescale of the plea.
The question may be whether the government can put this down to Brexit mitigation and tap the same source of contingency funds Chris Grayling disastrously used to procure emergency ferry capacity.
At least there would be an immediate dividend - to stave off the collapse of a firm that employs 4,500 people directly and has 20,000 more at risk in the supply chain.
However, having already lent £100m to cover a genuinely Brexit-related carbon emissions bill - further assistance to a private company struggling in a deeply challenged industry may be a precedent they would rather not set.
Slump in orders
Last Thursday, British Steel said it had the backing of shareholders and lenders and that operations continued as usual while it sought a "permanent solution" from the government to its financial troubles.
It is understood that along with administration, nationalisation or a management buyout are being discussed as fall-back options for the company.
British Steel's troubles have been linked to a slump in orders from European customers due to uncertainty over the Brexit process.
The firm has also been struggling with the weakness of the pound since the EU referendum in June 2016 and the escalating trade US-China trade war.
One of its biggest customers is Network Rail, 95% of whose rails are supplied by British Steel's Scunthorpe plant.
The recent history of the UK steel market goes back to 2007 when India's Tata conglomerate entered the market after acquiring the Anglo Dutch group, Corus. In 2010 it was renamed Tata Steel Europe.
After a difficult few years and restructuring attempts, Tata pulled out of the UK steel market, selling the Scunthorpe long products division to private equity firm Greybull Capital for a nominal £1.
Greybull's rescue came during the depths of the steel crisis in 2016 and saved more than 4,000 jobs.
It then rebranded the company as British Steel and recently returned it to profit.
On Monday, the government, trade unions and employers signed a UK Steel Charter in Parliament. The charter calls on the government and large companies to buy British to boost UK industry.
The GMB union said it had written to British Steel on Tuesday demanding that the firm works with the government to save the Scunthorpe steelworks.
GMB national officer Ross Murdoch said: "Given this latest speculation, these are understandably extremely difficult times for our members."
"Yesterday the government, alongside trade unions and employers, signed a UK Steel Charter at Westminster. They must now put their money where their mouth is.
"GMB calls on the government and Greybull to redouble efforts to save this proud steelworks and the highly skilled jobs."
The shadow minister for steel, Gill Furniss, called on the government to intervene, saying the UK steel industry was critical to the UK's manufacturing base and strategically important to UK industry.
"Administration would be devastating for the thousands of workers and their families who rely on this key industry in a part of the country which has not had enough support and investment from government over decades," she said.
