WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Armed Iranian boats attempted to seize a British tanker in strategic Gulf waters on Wednesday but were driven off by a Royal Navy frigate, CNN reported. The Iranians ordered the British Heritage oil tanker, which was crossing into the Strait of Hormuz area, to change course and stop in Tehran’s nearby waters, CNN said, citing two American officials. A US aircraft shot video of the incident, which ended when the […]
Tag: Britain
Britain’s US ambassador resigns after Trump spat
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s ambassador to Washington Kim Darroch said Wednesday he was resigning after drawing Donald Trump’s ire for calling the US president “inept” in leaked confidential cables to London. Darroch said in a resignation letter to the Foreign Office that the scandal made it “impossible” for him to continue representing British interests in the United States. Trump has said his administration would no longer “deal” with Darroch. “Since the leak […]
China tells UK to ‘refrain’ from Hong Kong ‘interference’
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — China warned Britain on Wednesday that it must “refrain from further interference” in Hong Kong’s protests or risk “further damaging” its relationship with Beijing. China has appeared irked by Britain’s public rebukes over the unprecedented anti-Beijing demonstrations that have rocked Hong Kong in recent weeks. “I do hope that the British government will realize the consequences and… refrain from further interference, from further damaging the relationship,” China’s UK ambassador […]
Governments must regulate social networks, says Facebook’s head of global affairs
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Governments must regulate social networks and not the companies themselves, Facebook’s head of global affairs and a former deputy prime minister of the UK said in an interview Monday. “It’s not for private companies, however big or small, to come up with those rules. It is for democratic politicians in the democratic world to do so,” Clegg told the BBC. Clegg, the former leader of UK political party the Liberal […]
Lower trust in vaccines among people in richer countries: survey
by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — People in Europe have the lowest levels of trust in vaccines, according to a global survey of public attitudes toward health and science published Wednesday. The study found that people living in high-income countries have the lowest confidence in vaccines, a result that ties in to the rise of the anti-vaccination movement, in which people refuse to believe in the benefits of vaccinations […]
Beating Boris: Race to replace UK’s May kicks off
by Alice RITCHIE LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The contest to succeed Theresa May as Britain’s next leader heated up on Monday, with candidates lining up to define themselves against the “bluff and bluster” of Brexit-backing frontrunner Boris Johnson. Ten Conservative MPs gathered enough support to qualify by Monday’s deadline for the race to replace May, who quit as the party’s leader on Friday over her failure to take Britain out of the European Union […]
Huawei denies being bound by Chinese spy laws
by Dmitry ZAKS LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Huawei’s cybersecurity chief told the UK parliament Monday that the Chinese telecoms giant has been advised it was under no obligation to spy for Beijing if so asked by the Communist state. John Suffolk told a committee hearing that Huawei has sought guidance from its attorneys to see if a Chinese law on domestic companies’ cooperation with the government on security matters could force it to conduct […]
Britain’s Tory party set for rollercoaster leadership battle
by Robin MILLARD LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The election of a new British Conservative Party leader is a contest traditionally marked by twists, turns and political backstabbing. The nominations open and close on Monday and the new leader of the center-right governing party will almost certainly take over from Theresa May as Britain’s prime minister. Here is a guide as to what to expect in the coming weeks, where the premiership is a separate […]
Trump urges UK to be ‘very careful’ over Huawei and 5G
LONDON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump urged Britain to be “very careful” about involving Chinese tech giant Huawei in its new 5G network, in an interview published Saturday ahead of his state visit to London. Asked about reports that Britain is planning to give the firm a limited role, Trump told the Sunday Times newspaper: “Well, you have other alternatives and we have to be very careful from the standpoint of national […]
Trump calls Queen Elizabeth a ‘great, great woman’
by Robin MILLARD / Jerome CARTILLIER LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Donald Trump hailed Queen Elizabeth II as a “great, great woman” as the British monarch threw a lavish banquet for the US president on Monday to kick off his three-day state visit. The Trump dynasty sat down to a glittering dinner with the British royal family in the Buckingham Palace ballroom as the UK rolled out the red carpet. Both Trump and the 93-year-old […]
UK leadership hopefuls vow to succeed where May failed on Brexit
by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The race to become Britain’s next premier opened Saturday with an array of hopefuls promising to succeed where Theresa May failed and finally pull the divided country out of the EU. But European leaders insisted they had made their final offer during months or acrimonious negotiations that resulted in an unpopular compromise for which May ended up paying with her job. The British […]
Gardens of the future spring up at Chelsea Flower Show
by Pauline FROISSART LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Gardens of the future are being unveiled at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, where green-fingered designers have imagined innovative solutions to help combat climate change. “If we don’t have plants, we are going to be in trouble,” said designer Tom Dixon, who teamed up with Swedish furniture giant IKEA to create a “Gardening Will Save The World” exhibit. “You only have to switch on the news […]





