The United Kingdom

[phkrause]

A London court will rule on whether WikiLeaks founder Assange can challenge extradition to the US

LONDON (AP) — A London court is scheduled Tuesday to rule whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets one final appeal in England to challenge extradition to the United States on espionage charges.

https://apnews.com/article/wikileaks-assange-us-extradition-london-court-ruling-b5f6ccbd41adbbbb4207e2008864db5d?

[phkrause]

The British Museum is suing a former curator it says stole 1,800 items and tried to sell them

LONDON (AP) — The British Museum went to court Tuesday against a former curator alleged to have stolen hundreds of artifacts from its collections and offered them for sale online.

https://apnews.com/article/british-museum-stolen-artifacts-ae178b225ecf2378766d22209194ecb7?

[phkrause]

UK lawmakers back landmark bill to gradually phase out smoking for good

LONDON (AP) — The British government’s plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.

https://apnews.com/article/britain-smoking-ban-0780fd4fc9afcdc002a0544252ef907a?

ps:Seriously?? They think this is going to work??

[phkrause]

Hugh Grant says he took ‘enormous sum’ to settle suit alleging illegal snooping by The Sun tabloid

LONDON (AP) — Hugh Grant accepted “an enormous sum of money” to settle a lawsuit accusing The Sun tabloid of unlawfully tapping his phone, bugging his car and breaking into his home to snoop on him, the actor said Wednesday after the agreement was announced in court.

https://apnews.com/article/hugh-grant-sun-tabloid-phone-hacking-settlement-81619c529179a3d07bb86c2aa3843752?

[phkrause]

Britain’s Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a US resident

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.

https://apnews.com/article/prince-harry-us-resident-meghan-5bad226e20fede037b5ce836cb1e6a60?

[phkrause]

British national spying for Russia hired hitmen to burn down two buildings in London'

A British man, accused of spying for Russia, allegedly hired two Kremlin assassins to torch a pair of buildings in London . The 20 year old is facing charges of conducting hostile activities in the UK to benefit Russia, with four others also charged in relation to the investigation, as revealed by the Crown Prosecution Service after reporting restrictions were lifted on Friday.

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3416689520854-british-national-spying-for-russia-hired-hitmen-to-burn-down-two-buildings-in-london?

ps:What a piece of work Putin is and we have a party within the republican party that bow down and worship this guy!!

[phkrause]

Britain’s King Charles III will resume public duties next week after cancer treatment, palace says

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III is back.

https://apnews.com/article/britain-king-charles-resuming-public-duties-5c3a58df63a6670c17295bff05819a0e?

[phkrause]

Scotland’s leader resigns after conflicts over climate change, gender identity weakened government

LONDON (AP) — Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, resigned on Monday, triggering a leadership contest as the governing Scottish National Party seeks to heal internal divisions and strengthen its position ahead of U.K.-wide parliamentary elections expected later this year.

https://apnews.com/article/scotland-politics-hamza-yousaf-confidence-vote-aff1c1ea48252c038564b19855501609?

[phkrause]

What is at stake in UK local voting ahead of a looming general election

LONDON (AP) — Millions of voters in England and Wales cast ballots Thursday in an array of local elections amounting to the last big test before a U.K. general election that all indicators suggest will see the Conservative Party ousted from power after 14 years.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-local-elections-mayor-london-sunak-starmer-6c08c449c84199520338fd104de6e837?

[phkrause]

The UK’s Conservatives suffer historic losses in local elections as Labour edges closer to power

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s governing Conservative Party suffered heavy losses in local election results Friday, further cementing expectations that the Labour Party will return to power after 14 years in a U.K. general election that will take place in the coming months.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-election-conservatives-labour-sunak-starmer-71b0348dc6057513bb73f32385039df4?

[phkrause]

Defendants unmasked in court face cost of damage for allegedly felling famous 150-year-old tree

LONDON (AP) — Two men accused of cutting down the majestic Sycamore Gap tree concealed their faces from cameras as they arrived at court Wednesday but inside the courtroom they couldn’t hide from the cost of the damage they allegedly caused.

https://apnews.com/article/sycamore-gap-tree-hadrians-wall-britain-vandalism-cfd4e6d5bec32f5b89fc40b459b89cb1?

[phkrause]

King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.

https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-britain-portrait-jonathan-yeo-a588c5548bb8b902bd2e3539334991a6?

[phkrause]

What happened in the UK’s infected blood scandal from the 1970s to ‘90s?

LONDON (AP) — The final report of the U.K.'s infected blood inquiry was published on Monday, nearly six years after it began looking into how tens of thousands of people contracted HIV or hepatitis from transfusions of tainted blood and blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-infected-blood-inquiry-report-compensation-a01ca275febabf5b7d1d183b92857dbc?

Britain slammed in inquiry for infecting thousands with tainted blood and covering up the scandal

LONDON (AP) — British authorities and the country’s public health service knowingly exposed tens of thousands of patients to deadly infections through contaminated blood and blood products, and hid the truth about the disaster for decades, an inquiry into the U.K.’s infected blood scandal found Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-infected-blood-inquiry-report-cc37acdc60798c7af82131efce63b6f1?

[phkrause]

U.K. Conservatives face potential wipeout as Sunak announces July 4 election

The U.K. will hold a general election on July 4, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Wednesday, paving the way for the potential end to Conservative Party rule for the first time in 14 years.

https://www.axios.com/2024/05/22/uk-general-election-july-4-date-rishi-sunak?

A UK election has been called for July 4. Here’s what to know

LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom’s first election in five years is shaping up as a battle for the country’s soul, with some saying it poses an existential threat to the governing Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-britain-election-sunak-starmer-conservatives-labour-0daef4ea348f58adcb889874692fa0d9?

[phkrause]

Sunak’s plan to make 18-year-olds do national service grabs attention on UK election trail

LONDON (AP) — All 18-year-olds in Britain will have to perform a year of mandatory military or civilian national service if the governing Conservative Party wins the July 4 national election, the party said Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-election-national-service-rishi-sunak-fdaf7e38793434e4f060c11735fef71e?

[phkrause]

Populist campaigner Nigel Farage makes an about-face and says he will run in the UK election

LONDON (AP) — Pro-Brexit, anti-immigration campaigner Nigel Farage stepped back into front-line British politics on Monday, announcing he will take the helm of the right-wing party Reform U.K. and run for Parliament in the July 4 election.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-election-labour-starmer-nuclear-defense-7d8c7cdcd66b3ce4b7de67c6731a2431?

[phkrause]

Princess of Wales says she’s making ‘good progress’ in cancer treatment, will attend a public event

LONDON (AP) — The Princess of Wales said Friday she is “making good progress” in her cancer treatment and will attend King Charles III ‘s ceremonial birthday parade on Saturday, Kate’s first public appearance since her diagnosis.

https://apnews.com/article/britain-royals-kate-health-255a3da40725ba9fc702a9a4ccce470f?

UK royals unite on palace balcony, with Kate back at her first public event since cancer diagnosis

LONDON (AP) — Britain put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III, a military parade that marked the Princess of Wales ’ first appearance at a public event since her cancer diagnosis early this year.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-trooping-color-charles-kate-cancer-2b3598b61e05207cb35c4df69365eec2?

[phkrause]

Britain's most famous prehistoric structure, Stonehenge, was vandalized by environmental protestors on Wednesday. A video shows two climate activists from the Just Stop Oil group spraying the landmark with orange paint. The protestors "demanded the incoming government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030," the group said on social media. The two protestors — a 21-year-old student from Oxford and a 73-year-old man from Birmingham — were arrested "on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument," police said. This comes as climate activists have been staging increasingly high-profile protests, many of which have involved attacking high-value artworks including the Mona Lisa and Van Gogh's "Sunflowers."

[phkrause]

The UK will hold its first election in almost 5 years Britain’s upcoming general election on July 4 is widely expected to lead to a change of government for the first time in 14 years. Many analysts believe it will be one of the country’s most consequential elections since the end of World War II. Read more.

What to know: People throughout the United Kingdom will elect all 650 members of the House of Commons, one for each local constituency. The party that commands a majority in the Commons, either alone or with the support of another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.   After 14 years of Conservative-led governments, many voters blame the party for the litany of problems facing Britain, from the cost-of-living crisis, long waiting lists for health care, the dislocations caused by Britain’s departure from the European Union, and a series of scandals, including lockdown-busting parties in government offices during one of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks in western Europe.   If Labour wins the election, Keir Starmer will become the first Labour prime minister since 2010. Some on Labour’s left have grumbled at Starmer’s centrist approach and what they see as unambitious, watered-down policies. But the party has surged in the polls under his leadership.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ From red wall to King’s Speech, UK elections have a vocabulary all their own. Here’s what to know   American and British voters share deep roots. In 2024, they distrust their own leaders, too   Who is Keir Starmer, the Labour leader favored to win Britain’s July 4 election?

[phkrause]

After 14 years, the UK is looking at a new leading party British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the British people have “delivered a sobering verdict” as he conceded that the  center-left Labour Party has won the election. With more than two-thirds of votes counted, Labour has secured enough seats to form a majority government. Read more.

Why this matters: After more than a decade in power under five different prime ministers, Sunak’s Conservatives are set to have their seats in the 650-seat House of Commons cut down to around 130. That would be the Tories’ worst result in the party’s two-century history and one that would leave the party in disarray.   Labour leader Keir Starmer will face a jaded electorate impatient for change against a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions and a fraying social fabric. In a sign of the volatile public mood and anger at the system, some smaller parties appeared to have done well, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.   The results so far suggest Britain will buck recent rightward electoral shifts in Europe, including in France and Italy, but many of those same populist undercurrents still flow in the country.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ The UK election winner only becomes prime minister when King Charles III says so   He’s derided as dull, but Keir Starmer becomes UK prime minister with a sensational victory   WATCH: Sunak says 'Labour has won this election'

[phkrause]

🇬🇧 Starmergeddon: Britain sees red

Labour Leader Keir Starmer celebrates in London early today. Photo: Ricky Vigil/Getty Images U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat to the center-left Labour Party, which won a landslide in yesterday's general election — delivering a huge blow to the ruling Conservative Party after 14 years in power, Axios' Dave Lawler and Zachary Basu write. Why it matters: Incumbents are on a losing streak around the world — particularly in Europe, where inflation has fueled voter discontent. In Britain, the Conservatives' defeat was largely of their own making. Labour leader Keir Starmer, 61, will officially become prime minister today. In the merciless choreography of British politics, Starmer will move into 10 Downing St. within hours, as Sunak is hustled out. Sunak said as he confirmed he'll step down as Tory leader: "I have heard your anger." Late edition of today's Financial Times. Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, was among several prominent Conservative Party lawmakers to lose their seats. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps lost his seat. The bottom line: Five years ago, Conservatives were flush with confidence and Labour was lost in the political wilderness. On July 4, the roles officially reversed. Get the latest.

[phkrause]

What we learned from the UK’s general election that will shape politics over the coming years

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has its first change in government in 14 years after the Labour Party won a landslide victory early Friday in a general election that saw the Conservative Party suffer its biggest defeat ever.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-elections-things-to-know-starmer-sunak-takeaways-56c9a786256f34497fec4b31dffacf93?

[phkrause]

Man suspected of killing the family of a BBC radio commentator has been found, British police say

LONDON (AP) — British police said they found Wednesday the man suspected of killing three women, the wife and daughters of a well-known BBC radio commentator, near London in a brutal crossbow attack.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-three-women-killed-2b87c445df143d2bca2d6c12fe54dedc?

[phkrause]

Violence against women at ‘epidemic’ levels and is a threat on par with terrorism, UK police warn

LONDON (AP) — Violence against women and girls has reached epidemic levels and police are treating it as a threat on the same scale as terrorism, Britain’s police chiefs said Tuesday.

https://apnews.com/article/uk-police-violence-against-women-girls-585c695c32fb1961fd6d7bff3be5e6da?

[phkrause]

'We're watching you,' far-right protesters warned

A Home Office minister has warned those planning far-right protests this weekend that police are watching them.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1343eedzm6o.amp