The United Kingdom government has announced a further £450m of military support to Kyiv, as the country and Germany prepare to host a meeting of 50 nations in Brussels. Defence officials are convening to pile pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and force him to end his invasion of Ukraine, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said. “We must step up to deter Russian aggression by continuing to bolster Ukraine’s defences,”…

Tesla launched operations in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a sign that Chief Executive Elon Musk has patched up relations with the kingdom and that the oil capital was moving forward with an ambitious electric-vehicle policy. A Tesla Cybertruck and a redesigned Model Y sedan dominated a plaza dotted with palm trees, as the EV maker officially opened for business. A small crowd tried out the vehicles as a massive outdoor…

Military chiefs at Nato have been warned of global internet blackouts following a string of suspected Russian attacks on subsea cables. Telecom companies including Vodafone, O2 owner Telefonica and Orange have written to UK, EU and Nato officials warning that a rise in sabotage incidents was putting critical services at risk. In an open letter, they wrote: “The repercussions of damage to subsea cables extend far beyond Europe, potentially affecting…

Buckingham Palace and the Vatican said Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla had an unannounced meeting with Pope Francis during their state visit to Italy. Recall that Charles and Camilla had been due to make a formal state visit to the Vatican, but postponed their plans after doctors prescribed Francis two months of rest following the pontiff experienced a serious bout of double pneumonia. In a statement by the Vatican,…

UK markets have begun to rebound after Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause in his sweeping tariffs, though ministers insisted they would remain cautious in the face of instability. The FTSE 100 rose by more than 6% after stock markets opened in London on Thursday. Following a significant rally for markets in the US and Asia, after President Trump said he would be delaying tariffs on most nations for 90…

On his third day of a state visit to Italy, King Charles hailed Rome’s steadfastness in supporting Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion. The state visit has been seen as part of an ongoing effort by London to strengthen ties with its European allies amid global turbulence and rising instability. “Our countries have both stood by Ukraine in her hour of need and welcomed many thousands of Ukrainians requiring shelter,” he told…

Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto said on Wednesday that his country is ready to temporarily shelter Palestinians hit by the war in Gaza, estimating there could be 1,000 in the first wave. Prabowo said he has instructed his foreign minister to quickly discuss with the Palestinian side and other parties about how to evacuate impacted Palestinians to Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country. “We are ready to evacuate the wounded, the traumatised, the…

The British retail tycoon Philip Green on Tuesday lost a legal case against the United Kingdom over the use of parliamentary privilege by facing allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations. The case, which was said to be a test of the concept of parliamentary privilege, was launched after Lord Hain announced in the House of Lords in 2018 that Green had used the courts to obtain an interim injunction…

A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with multiple sex offences including rape. Pc Dion Arnold was charged with four counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault following an investigation by Surrey Police. The charges relate to a report made earlier this year and to offences that allegedly happened while Arnold, who is attached to South West Command Unit, was…

UK-based kitchen and joinery supplier Howden Joinery said on Tuesday that Jackie Callaway will succeed Paul Hayes as the company’s new chief financial officer. Callaway, currently serving as the CFO of British thread manufacturer Coats Group is also set to join Howden as its board director on June 2. Hayes, who took on the role of Howden’s finance chief in late December 2020, will step down from both his position…

On Tuesday, April 8, the Duke of Sussex, 40, was seen arriving at the Royals Courts of Justice in central London for a two-day hearing as he appeals a High Court ruling regarding his security arrangements in the U.K. — a long-running legal battle that has contributed to ongoing tensions with his father, King Charles. Prince Harry, King Charles’ younger son, arrived at the Court of Appeal around an hour…

In a historic medical breakthrough, a baby girl named Amy has become the first child in the UK to be born from a womb transplant, after her mother received a donated uterus from her sister. Amy was delivered on February 27 at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London, two years after her mother, Grace Davidson, underwent a successful womb transplant. The life-changing procedure was made possible through the selfless…