Latest United Kingdom News

Yemen's Houthi rebels target ship in the Gulf of Aden as the Eisenhower aircraft carrier heads home

Jun. 22, 2024 21:03 PM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a commercial ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden but apparently caused no damage, authorities said Saturday, in the latest strike on the shipping lane by the group. The Houthi attack comes after the...

Emperor and Empress of Japan arrive in the UK ahead of a long-awaited state visit

Jun. 22, 2024 14:39 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) — Emperor Naruhito of Japan and his wife Empress Masako arrived in the U.K. on Saturday ahead of a long-awaited official state visit originally scheduled for 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic delayed those plans. The smiling couple, who landed late afternoon at...

Taylor Swift kicks off UK Eras shows as some fans wonder if singer is ready to say 'So long, London'

Jun. 22, 2024 13:41 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) — Taylor Swift fans enjoy parsing the singer-songwriter’s lyrics for references to her romantic life and insights into her state of mind. But the pop superstar’s fans in the U.K. didn’t have to listen closely to her latest album, “The Tortured Poets...

Investigation of Russian hack on London hospitals may take weeks amid worries over online data dump

Jun. 22, 2024 13:34 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) — An investigation into a ransomware attack earlier this month on London hospitals by the Russian group Qilin could take weeks to complete, the country's state-run National Health Service said Friday, as concerns grow over a reported data dump of patient records. ...

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, criticized for saying West provoked Putin to invade Ukraine

Jun. 22, 2024 08:35 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform U.K party, is facing wide-ranging criticism across the political spectrum over his claim that the West provoked Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine, including of being an appeaser. In a BBC television...

Newly named Washington Post editor decides not to take job after backlash, will stay in Britain

Jun. 21, 2024 21:22 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Post's new editor Robert Winnett never made it to his job, withdrawing Friday and deciding to stay in England in another upheaval at a news outlet where a reorganization plan has gone disastrously wrong. He'd been the subject of several published...

Bather, beware: British beaches and rivers have a sewage problem. It has seeped into election talk

Jun. 21, 2024 17:29 PM EDT

HENLEY-ON-THAMES, England (AP) — Endurance swimmer Joan Fennelly is undaunted by frigid water and long distances, swimming year-round in the wild. But she takes extra precautions in her own backyard. The River Thames is one of Britain's many waterways contaminated with sewage and agricultural...

What happened this week in the UK election campaign, from a betting controversy to Farage's ambition

Jun. 21, 2024 10:54 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — The U.K.'s general election campaign is less than two weeks away now, and the prevailing trends don't appear to have changed much. The left-of-center Labour Party is the clear favorite to defeat Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, with Keir Starmer looking set...

Should young kids have smartphones? These parents in Europe linked arms and said no

Jun. 21, 2024 01:15 AM EDT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Try saying “no” when a child asks for a smartphone. What comes after, parents everywhere can attest, begins with some variation of: “Everyone has one. Why can’t I?” But what if no pre-teen in sight has one — and what if having a smartphone was...

British Prime Minister Sunak says he's 'incredibly' angry over election date betting accusations

Jun. 20, 2024 19:10 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday that anyone involved in using inside information to bet on the date of Britain’s July 4 national election should be expelled from his Conservative Party. Sunak said on the BBC that he was “incredibly angry,...