Assisted suicide could be outsourced to private companies if Kim Leadbeater’s Bill is passed, Government sources have told The Times. The newspaper reports that ministers have “no in-principle objection” to private clinics helping vulnerable patients to kill themselves. Last year, Health Secretary Wes Streeting voted against MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill over the unsatisfactory state of NHS palliative care and concerns it could increase the risk of coercion. Contracted outThe newspaper was told that England and Wales “could end up with what you have in the States and Australia, where a ­cohort of doctors specialise in assisted dying”. Normalising suicideLast week a Government suicide prevention advisor warned that legalising assisted suicide undermines society’s long-standing commitment to ending all suicides.

NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Friday reacted to the recent security breach involving EAM S Jaishankar's convoy in London, acknowledging the UK's condemnation of the incident. "We have conveyed our deep concern to the UK authorities about the breach of security arrangements by UK-based separatist and extremist elements during the EAM’s visit. "We strongly condemn the incident that took place outside Chatham House yesterday during the External Affairs Minister's visit to the UK. "We have seen the footage of a breach of security during the visit of EAM to the UK. We expect the host government in such cases to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations," MEA said in a statement .

This is against the Geneva Convention and it appears that the police and the security forces failed to ensure that he was made safe. "External affairs minister was attacked while leaving an event at the Chatham House think tank in London. "The Ministry of External Affairs called upon the UK to fulfil its diplomatic responsibilities following the security breach attempt. While the UK upholds the right to peaceful protest, any attempts to intimidate, threaten, or disrupt public events are completely unacceptable. The minister departed without further incident, and no arrests were made.Jaishankar's UK and Ireland tour continues with scheduled bilateral discussions with Irish counterpart Simon Harris in Dublin.

Cross-border trade CBDC was meant to curtail India's dependence on the dollar, elevating the rupee's standing in the world currency basket. Crypto killer e-₹ was RBI's answer to the many real and imaginary threats that cryptocurrencies generated in their wake. When it comes to CBDC RBI seems to have taken Edward Hickson's 1840 moral song, 'Perseverance, Or Try Again', to heart: 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again. His response: 'The world needs a class of digital public infrastructure across countries that offers low-cost payment rails. Any cost advantage that CBDC offers - such as the fact that no bank can demand an interchange fee to transfer what is essentially digital cash - will be universally applicable to all players that allow CBDC transactions.

Sudan’s government filed a complaint at the International Court of Justice this week accusing the United Arab Emirates of being complicit in genocide by arming and funding a rebel militia in the country’s brutal civil war. The United Arab Emirates quickly called the complaint a “cynical publicity stunt” aimed at diverting attention from the “widespread atrocities” committed by the Sudanese government. The International Court of Justice is the United Nations’ highest court. In this case, the court can claim jurisdiction because both Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have adopted the 1948 Genocide Convention. Sudan is one of the poorest countries on the African continent.

"You look at every single option and you think, right, what is the best thing to do? "Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I've ever seen. "He's an unbelievably good tactician, which we've seen in Test cricket, but he's a leader of men. But there's always a way in England, I think, where you start looking at, 'what if it goes wrong?' "When you start looking at it, I believe that Test cricket and 50-over cricket are probably closer than T20s, which is the outlier now.

Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Daniel Finkelstein’s case for the Holocaust memorial deserves respect (“This is the right way to recall the Holocaust”, Mar 5). Britain, however, was not a party to the Holocaust, and the only political party sympathetic to Nazism — the British Union of Fascists — had minuscule support in the 1930s, and almost none among educated people. That said, a recent a survey by the University Jewish Chaplaincy shows that 89 per cent of Jewish students have experienced antisemitism at university, with nearly half experiencing incidents at least once a month. Perhaps the best memorial to the Holocaust would be for government and vice-chancellors to ensure that antisemitism is eliminated in our universities. Sir Vernon BogdanorProfessor of government, KCL

The Revd Dr Bernard Randall arrives at High Court before his appeal at the Employment Appeal Tribunal, on TuesdayThe Revd Dr Bernard Randall arrives at High Court before his appeal at the Employment Appeal Tribunal, on TuesdayTHE Revd Dr Bernard Randall will face a fresh employment tribunal regarding his dismissal by Trent College, after a judge ruled on Tuesday that there was an “appearance of bias” in the composition of the first tribunal. On Tuesday, at a hearing of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London, Judge James Tayler ordered that Dr Randall’s case return to the Employment Tribunal with a new panel, because of the “appearance of bias on the part of Mr Purkis”. Dr Randall was made redundant in December 2020, and argued in a subsequent employment tribunal that he had been unfairly dismissed. In late 2022, the employment tribunal, consisting of a panel led by Judge Victoria Butler and including Mr Purkis, ruled against Dr Randall’s claims of direct discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and unfair dismissal. Andrea Williams, the chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Dr Randall, also welcomed the decision.

Canon Residentiary and Sub DeanWorldwideThe Bishop of Bermuda is seeking a dedicated and visionary Canon Residentiary and Sub Dean to serve in a key leadership role at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity within the Anglican Church of Bermuda.

With Donald Trump leaving Britain and France to support Ukraine, the entente is now not just cordiale but essentielle. Nevertheless, we two old allies are even older enemies, and there’s room for mockery still. In this case, France has been laughing at our not exactly independent nuclear deterrent, which is leased from the US. At least the French are also having a laugh at Trump. Trump hates anything trans.”There was

Zhenhao Zou (AP photo)Victims found through dating appsA 28-year-old a PhD student at University College London has been convicted on Wednesday of drugging and raping 10 women.According to the UK daily The Guardian, he flew to China just days after a woman accused him of raping her in November 2023. He was arrested on his return to London in January 2024.A jury at Inner Crown Court found him guilty of raping three women in England and seven in China between 2019 and 2023.The man, identified as Zhenhao Zou , had filmed nine of the rapes and kept a collection of women's belongings as "souvenirs." Police have identified only two of his victims.Most of the victims in the footage were unconscious, allegedly drugged by Zou. The videos Zou filmed became key evidence in his conviction.Zou targeted women through dating apps, inviting them home for drinks before drugging them at his London flat or unknown locations in China.The prosecutor, Catherine Farrelly KC, described him as a "persistent sexual predator" who appeared smart and charming but exploited women for his crimes.He was also convicted of possessing extreme pornography, illegal possession of the restricted drug butanediol which he used to commit rape, and false imprisonment.Zou moved to London in 2019 to pursue a master's degree before enrolling in a PhD program in mechanical engineering.

"I was re-reading Churchill's speech to the House of Commons in 1938 after the Munich Agreement, and he turned to Chamberlain, he said, 'You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have war,'" Goff said during a Q&A session, referring to former UK Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain. "In an indirect response, Finland's foreign minister Elina Valtonen, who attended the event, noted that Churchill's were "timeless remarks. "Before his 2023 UK diplomatic appointment, Goff held various ministerial roles, including foreign affairs, and served two terms as the mayor of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city.On his part, New Zealand foreign minister Peters described Goff's dismissal as necessary but "seriously disappointing. "When you are in that position – you represent the government and the policies of the day.

Gerard Glaister, the former owner of Ged's Taxis who also used to sit on Workington Town Council, had his taxi licence revoked by Cumberland Council in August 2024. Mr Glaister applied for his taxi licence to be reinstated by Cumberland Council. The sub-committee determined that the applicant "did not meet the necessary criteria to be considered a 'fit and proper' person to hold a taxi driver’s licence". A petition has now been created asking the council to reinstate Mr Glaister's licence. The 57-year-old, who had been a taxi driver since 2001, says he believes in being ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and that he currently holds no convictions.

Despite the act of vandalism, the officers appeared unresponsive.Pro-Khalistan demonstrators gathered outside the venue, waving flags and protesting against Jaishankar’s presence. ANI (@ANI) reported that the demonstrators were vocal in their opposition, attempting to disrupt the minister’s engagements.The incident took place during Jaishankar’s official visit to the United Kingdom from March 4-9. He is set to meet Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris and engage with other officials. Similar demonstrations have taken place in other cities, raising concerns about the safety of Indian diplomats during official visits. The lack of police intervention in this case has sparked questions over the security measures in place for foreign dignitaries in the UK.

New Zealand on Thursday recalled its top diplomat in Britain after he made comments questioning President Trump’s understanding of history at a public event, in a sign of the unease and sensitivities around expressing disagreements with the Trump administration. Phil Goff, New Zealand’s high commissioner to Britain — the equivalent of an ambassador between Commonwealth countries — made the comments in London on Tuesday at an event about the war in Ukraine and peace in Europe. Mr. Goff spoke up with a question after a speech by Finland’s foreign minister, Elina Valtonen, at the Chatham House think tank, in which she spoke about the role of Europe in the face of Russian aggression and resolving the war in Ukraine. Citing Winston Churchill on the choice between dishonor and war, Mr. Goff asked: “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office, but do you think he really understands history?”