UK's tax reassurance to Dyson warranted by COVID emergency

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's text to tech boss James Dyson saying he would "fix" tax issues for Dyson workers developing ventilators was warranted by the emergency facing the country in the pandemic, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said.

The BBC reported that Dyson had asked the finance ministry for no change in tax status for his staff coming to Britain to work on the emergency project. He also contacted Johnson directly, who replied: "I will fix it", the BBC said.

"We were in the middle of a national emergency and the prime minister was doing this not for his own gain, James Dyson wasn't doing this for his own gain, we were doing it in order to ensure that we got these ventilators rapidly in order to ensure that we dealt with a national emergency and it was a temporary measure," Dowden told BBC TV on Wednesday. "This measure went before parliament in the proper transparent way."

UK warships to sail for Black Sea in May as Ukraine-Russia tensions rise

British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May amid rising tensions between

Ukraine and Russia, the Sunday Times newspaper reported, citing senior naval sources. The deployment is aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine and Britain's NATO allies, the newspaper reported.

One Type 45 destroyer armed with anti-aircraft missiles and an anti-submarine Type 23 frigate will leave the Royal Navy's carrier task group in the Mediterranean and head through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, according to the report. RAF F-35B Lightning stealth jets and Merlin submarine-hunting helicopters will stand ready on the task group's flag ship.