Tag: Theresa May

Man charged with plot to kill British PM

LONDON, United States (AFP) — A 20-year-old man appeared in court on Wednesday charged with plotting to assassinate British Prime Minister Theresa May in a bomb and knife attack. Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman is accused of planning an explosion outside May’s Downing Street office then trying to enter the building with a suicide vest and a knife in a bid to kill her. State prosecutor Mark Carroll said Rahman planned to detonate an improvised explosive device […]

British PM presses Saudi to avert Yemen ‘catastrophe’

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May has implored Saudi leaders to ease a blockade on Yemen to “avert a humanitarian catastrophe,” her office said on Thursday, echoing urgent appeals from the United Nations. May met both King Salman and powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on a brief visit to Riyadh late on Wednesday, with a worsening crisis in Yemen topping her agenda. May had promised to raise concerns over Yemen where […]

Britain’s May in Riyadh after surprise Baghdad visit

by Anuj Chopra Agence France Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May landed in Riyadh Wednesday for talks with the Saudi king and crown prince, with Yemen’s brewing humanitarian crisis and the kingdom’s sweeping reforms topping her agenda. May flew in to the Saudi capital on the second leg of her Middle East tour, following a surprise visit to Baghdad where she met her Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi and hailed recent […]

Trump attacks British PM for criticism over anti-Muslim videos

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump lunged headlong into a row with British Prime Minister Theresa May late Wednesday, publicly rebutting her criticism of anti-Muslim propaganda. “Theresa @theresamay, don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!” Trump tweeted, hours after using the social media platform to retweet Islamophobic videos from a British far right leader. © […]

British PM May embarks on visit to Saudi Arabia, Jordan

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May left London late Tuesday for a three-day visit to the Middle East, where she will meet Saudi and Jordanian leaders in a bid to bolster regional ties. The British leader will hold talks on issues including Qatar and Yemen with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, before heading to Jordan for meetings with King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Hani Mulki. “This visit demonstrates that […]

British PM in crunch Brexit deal talks with EU chief

by Danny Kemp Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May holds a crunch meeting with European Union President Donald Tusk on Friday as hopes mount that she will offer compromises to secure a Brexit deal in December. The talks, on the sidelines of a summit with ex-Soviet states in Brussels, come a week after Tusk gave May until the start of December to make “much more progress” on divorce terms […]

Russia says May’s criticism an attempt to distract Britons

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday dismissed Prime Minister Theresa May’s biting criticism, saying she was vilifying Moscow in an attempt to distract the British public from domestic problems. “British society is not going through the best of times due to the process of the country’s departure from the European Union and an internal schism,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement published on the ministry’s website. “It is quite clear that […]

Pound down in Asia as May’s future uncertain, equities struggle

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — The pound sank against its major peers on Monday as British Prime Minister Theresa May’s future looks increasingly uncertain, while Asian equities traders moved cautiously after a recent rally to multi-year highs. Markets have surged in recent weeks — with Wall Street hitting several records and Tokyo touching 26-year highs — on optimism about the global economy and following a string of strong corporate earnings. But investors have started to […]

Britain and EU clash over who takes next Brexit step

  by Danny Kemp Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The EU and Britain clashed Monday after British Prime Minister Theresa May said the ball was in the EU’s court as Brexit negotiations entered a critical fifth round. Officials from both sides are meeting in Brussels, but chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier and British counterpart David Davis are not attending the start, underscoring low expectations for the talks. This round of divorce discussions is […]

May says ball is in EU’s court as Brexit talks resume

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May will tell the European Union on Monday that “the ball is in their court” as her divided government resumes Brexit negotiations in Brussels. She will use a speech in the House of Commons to urge both sides to show “flexibility” in seeking a deal on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, her Downing Street office said. “A new, deep and special partnership between a sovereign United […]

British PM meets Japanese Emperor on final day of visit

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — British Prime Minister Theresa May met with Japanese emperor Akihito at the imperial palace on Friday (September 1) on the last day of her three-day visit to Japan. Akihito is expected to abdicate at the end of 2018 after he said last August he feared age would make it hard to fulfill his duties. May, on her first official visit to Japan as prime minster held bilateral talks with her counterpart […]

UK, Japan to hike pace of sanctions against N. Korea: May

by Kyoko Hasegawa TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Britain and Japan will step up the pace of sanctions against nuclear-armed North Korea after its “outrageous” firing of a missile over Japan, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday. “We condemn North Korea in the strongest words possible for a reckless act which was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions,” May told a press briefing during an official visit to Japan. “In response to […]