United Kingdom

After Frenchman's Release, Who Are the Westerners Still Held in Iran?

At least 10 Western passport holders are still being held in Iran, which has released French banking consultant Louis Arnaud after nearly two years in detention. Arnaud was arrested in September 2022 and accused of joining anti-government demonstrations. Rights groups say those being held were taken prisoner to be used by Iran as bargaining ...

Houthis Arrest Aid Workers Accused of Being 'US-Israeli' Spies

Yemen's Houthis on Monday said they had arrested a "spy network" operating under the cover of humanitarian organizations, after aid workers, including 11 UN staff, were held last week. The Iran-backed group claimed the network was linked to the CIA and had been carrying out "espionage" activities in Yemen for years, initially through the United ...

Biden Warns Democracy 'At Risk' on D-Day Commemoration

United States President Joe Biden warned, on the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, that democracy around the world was at risk, as leaders marked the 1944 landings in occupied France that helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II. Biden, Britain's King Charles III, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron ...

IAEA Board Passes Resolution Criticizing Iran

The International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors has passed a resolution criticizing Iran's lack of cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, three diplomats told AFP on Wednesday. The motion brought by Britain, France and Germany – but opposed by China and Russia – is the first of its kind since November 2022 and comes ...

UK General Elections: Risky Move or Strategic Masterstroke?

It’s a bombshell! British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised everyone by announcing that UK general elections will be held on July 4, moving them up several months from the original deadline of January 2025. This unexpected decision has sent shockwaves through government and parliamentary circles, where it was widely believed that Sunak ...

British PM Sunak Sets General Elections for July 4

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set a general election date for July 4, ending months of speculation but not the doom-laden forecasts about the size of the government's expected defeat. The poll will be the first time Sunak, 44, faces the public while in charge, after he was appointed leader of the largest party in parliament by ...

Jordan Launches Multinational ‘Eager Lion’ War Games

The Jordanian military announced Sunday the launch of the "Eager Lion" military exercise, with ground, naval and air forces from 33 countries including the United States, France and Britain. The drills, set to end on May 23, include anti-terrorism and air defense training, army spokesman Colonel Mustafa al-Hiyari told a news conference. He said ...

UK's Ministry of Defense Targeted in Large-scale Cyberattack

Britain's defense ministry has been the target of a large-scale cyberattack involving the names and banking details of members of the armed forces, a government minister confirmed on Tuesday. Former minister Tobias Ellwood said a third-party payroll system used by the defense ministry had been targeted and bore the hallmarks of a Chinese ...

Russia Threatens UK Military in Ukraine 'and Beyond'

Moscow said on Monday that it could launch strikes at British military targets inside Ukraine and elsewhere if Kyiv's forces used British-supplied long-range missiles to strike Russia. The statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry came after British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said during a visit to Ukraine that Kyiv "absolutely has ...

King Charles to Resume Some Public Duties During Treatment

British head of state King Charles III will make a limited return to public duties next week, after doctors said they were "very encouraged" by the progress of his treatment for cancer. His first engagement with Queen Camilla would be to a cancer treatment center on Tuesday. The couple will also host Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan ...

New Round of Western Sanctions Against Iran

US sanctions against Iran were tightened again on Thursday, targeting the country's military drone industry, alongside similar sanctions by Canada and the UK, almost two weeks after Tehran's attack on Israel. The UK on Thursday joined the United States and Canada in announcing a fresh set of sanctions against Iran's drone and missile industries ...

Princess Kate Reveals She Has Been Diagnosed with Cancer

Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Friday announced that she has cancer and is in the early stages of chemotherapy, asking for "time, space and privacy" as she completes her treatment. Kate, as she is widely known, said the discovery of cancer, after successful abdominal surgery in January, was "a huge shock" but she was "well and getting stronger ...