Britain

Trump welcomes King Charles at White House amid strains in US-UK ties

The long-planned event is intended to mark the 250th anniversary of US's independence from Britain, though its diplomatic mission has taken on new urgency amid Trump's recent feud with PM Keir Starmer

UK passes bill to ban cigarette sales to future generations to curb smoking

Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air as Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for future generations. "The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain - it's inevitable," Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favour of legislation approved Tuesday. Children born after December 31, 2008 will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The legislation that needs approval by King Charles III - a formality - before taking effect will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including flavours and packaging. It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to people under 18. But most youths today will continue to face a ban their entire life as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year. The passage gives the UK one of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the worl

UK inflation rises to 3.3% in March as Iran war impact begins to hit

The British central bank is expected to keep borrowing costs on hold on April 30 at the end of its next scheduled Monetary Policy Committee meeting

UK, France convene fresh summit of military planners on Hormuz reopening

Planners from more than 30 countries will participate in the talks in a two-day conference in north London, which will "advance military plans to reopen the Strait

France, UK convene allies to plan Hormuz mission after conflict ends

Macron, Starmer call for 'full' reopening of Strait; Trump says Israel won't be bombing Lebanon

Britain celebrates Queen Elizabeth II as style icon to mark her centenary

The late Queen Elizabeth II believed the monarch had to be seen to be believed. And she made sure that was true even when Britain's famously changeable weather intervened, pioneering the use of a clear plastic raincoat so that a stodgy black umbrella didn't obscure her from public view. That raincoat is one of some 300 garments and other fashion artifacts that go on display Friday at the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace in an exhibit that celebrates the late queen's life and reign as Britain prepares to mark the centenary of her birth. The most comprehensive exhibition of her style choices ever mounted, the show charts Elizabeth's story, and her impact on British fashion. "I think she had a definite sense of what suited her," exhibition curator Caroline de Guitaut said. "She absolutely knew how she wanted to appear." An Olympian moment ============== Some of the items are easily recognisable since Elizabeth was one of the most photographed people ever. But the ball gowns, twee

Britain woos Anthropic to expand after clash with Pentagon: Report

The US government blacklisted Anthropic,designating the company a national-security supply-chain risk after it refused to allow the military to use AI chatbot Claude for US surveillance

British military sees jobs crisis as opportunity to rebuild depleted forces

Military opportunities are now being actively promoted in job centres around the country, with a particular focus on regions with high youth unemployment

UK police investigate after officers left guns outside mayor's home

London police are urgently investigating how armed protection officers guarding Mayor Sadiq Khan left a bag of guns outside his home. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement late Friday that five officers had been removed from front-line duties while inquiries were being carried out. The weapons cache, which according to The Sun newspaper included an MP5 semiautomatic Heckler and Koch carbine, a Glock pistol, Taser and ammunition, were found in south London Tuesday by a couple, who then informed the Metropolitan Police. Scaffolder Jordan Griffiths told the newspaper that his girlfriend found the bag by the curbside and said that he was in "shock" after discovering what was inside. "I could not believe my eyes and took some pictures as proof of what we had found," he said. "I called the police and told them what I had found and within a few minutes they turned up to collect the guns." The police Directorate of Professional Standards is reviewing what happened and confirmed that

How Iran conflict has pushed UK to fix 'deep damages' caused by Brexit

Brexit was designed for control in a 'stable' world, but in a volatile one shaped by the Iran conflict, it is forcing the UK back towards the EU

UK to host global meet on reopening Strait of Hormuz, says Starmer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said the UK will host an international diplomatic conference this week on ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer says 35 countries have signed a statement committing to work together on restoring maritime security to the key oil transport route. He said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will lead a conference on the issue, and military planners are also working on plans for security once the Iran war ends. Starmer said "a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity" is needed to restore stability.

Microsoft faces second major UK investigation over cloud licensing

Antitrust authorities in the European Union and the United States are also investigating the cloud computing market

Russia expels UK diplomat over espionage charges, orders exit in two weeks

Russia on Monday expelled a British diplomat on charges of espionage and ordered him to leave the country within two weeks, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said. "A decision has been made to revoke Janse Van Rensburg's accreditation, and he has been ordered to leave Russia within two weeks," the FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said. On Monday, the British Charge d'Affaires in Russia, Danae Dholakia was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served a strong protest following revelations that one of the diplomatic staff at the British Embassy had "knowingly provided false information" about himself when obtaining entry into the country, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. During its counterintelligence activities, the FSB identified an undeclared UK intelligence presence under the guise of the British Embassy in Moscow, it said. "Due to the violation of Russian legislation and in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomat

India, UK discuss enhancing defence cooperation, interoperability

Navy's official spokesperson said the interaction took place on Wednesday and focused on strengthening collaboration across maritime and aerospace domains

UK court rejects Nirav Modi's petition to reopen case against extradition

The London High Court on Wednesday rejected the petition of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi to reopen his case against his extradition to India, where he is wanted in connection with the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, officials said. Modi had approached the High Court of Justice, King's Bench Division. The Crown Prosecution Service advocate, assisted by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team, strongly put forth arguments against his petition. A team of CBI officials, including investigating officers, travelled to London for the hearing. "The reopening application had been filed on the basis of the (arms dealer Sanjay) Bhandari judgment. However, with sustained and coordinated efforts of the CBI, the challenge was successfully overcome," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement here. Rejecting Modi's petition, the court observed that the petition and the circumstances surrounding it were not exceptional to make it appropriate to reopen the case, the spokesperso

UK plans ban on cryptocurrency donations to political parties: PM Starmer

British political parties will be banned from accepting donations in cryptocurrencies, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday, saying illicit finance poses a "stark" danger to the country's democracy. Starmer told lawmakers that "we will act decisively to protect our democracy" from outside meddling. "That will include a moratorium on all political donations made through cryptocurrencies," he said during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons. The move could be a financial blow to the hard-right party Reform UK. The party led by Nigel Farage is one of the few in Britain to accept cryptocurrency donations. The government also said it will put an annual cap of 100,000 pounds (USD 134,000) on donations by British voters living abroad. Reform has received 12 million pounds in the past year from Christopher Harborne, a British businessman based in Thailand, according to Electoral Commission figures. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said the ..

India, Britain are global AI superpowers, says former UK PM Rishi Sunak

He stressed that both countries share a similar philosophy toward artificial intelligence governance, favouring innovation-friendly policies over heavy regulation

What Iran's failed-to-hit strike on Diego Garcia base in Indian Ocean means

While there were no reports of damage or casualties, the significance of the episode lay less in the outcome and more in what it demonstrated

UK condemns Iran's 'reckless attacks' on Diego Garcia base in Indian Ocean

Britain has condemned "Iran's reckless attacks" after its military fired missiles at the UK-US air base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. UK officials have not given details of the attempted strike, which was unsuccessful. It's unclear how close the missiles came to the base, which is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) from Iran. The Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that Iran's "lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies." Britain has not participated in US-Israeli attacks on Iran, but has allowed American bombers to use UK bases to attack Iran's missile sites. On Friday, the British government said US bombers can also use UK bases, including Diego Garcia, in operations to prevent Iran attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran targeted the base before that UK statement.

Trump seeks allies' help in Strait of Hormuz. UK, Japan, Australia say no

US President Donald Trump has called on allies to send naval escorts to protect vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. However, key allies have declined Trump's request