Bid to up UK-Turkey ties:
Britain
British Prime Minister Theresa May will try to foster good ties with Turkey before Brexit at talks with President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday in spite of human rights protests which threatened to cast a shadow over their meeting.
Erdogan’s visit is part of May’s charm offensive to shore up relations with countries outside the European Union as Britain leaves the bloc and secure at least the promise of future trade deals to bolster her all but stalled Brexit plans.
But rights campaigners say May is turning a blind eye to abuses, in Turkey’s case to the jailing tens of thousands of people after a failed coup in July. Erdogan’s government has said its actions are necessary to combat the threat it faces.
May’s spokesman said Britain would raise human rights with Erdogan at the meeting. “Our close relationship with Turkey allows us to have frank discussions and you can expect the prime minister to discuss human rights when they speak later today,” the spokesman told reporters. (RTRS)
Whirlpool fridge model safe:
A model of Whirlpool fridge freezer has been declared safe after technical investigations ordered by the British authorities because last year’s deadly Grenfell Tower fire was initially thought to have started in one of the appliances.
Seventy-one people died in the blaze which engulfed Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey social housing block, in the middle of the night last June.
In the days after the disaster, police said the blaze had started in a Hotpoint FF175BP fridge freezer, prompting the government to order detailed tests of the model, of which some 64,000 units were manufactured between 2006 and 2009. Britain’s business ministry and Whirlpool both said on Tuesday that the tests had established the model was safe and no recall was necessary.
“We wish to reassure consumers that these models are safe and that people may continue to use them as normal,” Whirlpool spokesman Jeff Noel said in a statement. (RTRS)
Markle’s dad ‘pulls out’:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding this weekend was in turmoil Tuesday following reports her father may not attend after a paparazzi scandal, rocking the royal family’s meticulous planning for the landmark occasion.
Kensington Palace pleaded in a statement for “understanding and respect” during a “difficult situation” as US media reported Thomas Markle had suffered a heart attack brought on by the fallout from allegedly staging paparazzi photos of himself.
According to celebrity news website TMZ, he had decided against travelling from his home in Mexico to accompany his daughter down the aisle at Windsor Castle due to his health — and to spare her further embarrassment. (AFP)