United Kingdom

Glastonbury 2025 Tickets Sell Out in Record 35 Minutes

Tickets for next year’s Glastonbury Festival sold out in an astonishing 35 minutes on Sunday morning, marking yet another rapid sell-out for the globally celebrated event. More than 200,000 attendees are expected to descend upon Worthy Farm, the festival’s iconic site in rural southwest England, from June 25 to 29, 2025.  Sales began at 9:00 ...

Iran Hopes for Nuclear Talks 'Without Pressure' Under Trump

Iran said Monday it hoped talks on its nuclear program would be conducted "away from political pressure and considerations" ahead of a UN nuclear agency board meeting this week. "All our efforts and our emphasis in our talks were to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to do its technical work away from the destructive and evil ...

Mojtaba Khamenei: The Shadow Prince of the Islamic Republic

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was chosen as his father's successor in September at a secret meeting of the Assembly of Experts, according to Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronot. The Assembly of Experts, whose members are 88 clerics elected by direct universal suffrage, is responsible for electing the next ...

British Museum Receives Record £1bn Chinese Ceramics Donation

The British Museum has received a historic £1 billion ($1.27 billion) donation of Chinese ceramics, the largest for any UK institution. This 1,700-piece private collection was gifted by The Trustees of The Sir Percival David Foundation, with the announcement made late Wednesday. Sir Percival David, a British businessman and passionate Sinophile ...

Princess Catherine Resumes Royal Duties After Cancer Treatment at Remembrance Service

King Charles III led Britain in two minutes of silence on Sunday to honor the country's war dead at a remembrance service also attended by Catherine, Princess of Wales, as she returns to royal duties after cancer treatment. The king, who was also diagnosed with cancer this year, was among dignitaries to lay wreaths at the Cenotaph memorial in ...

UK Sanctions Russia-Backed Mercenary Groups in Africa

The UK government announced sanctions on Thursday against three private mercenary groups with links to the Kremlin, including Wagner group successor Africa Corps. "These sanctions will bear down on Russian malign activity in Libya, Mali, and CAR (Central African Republic), exposing and combatting Russia's illicit activity in Africa," a ...

Kemi Badenoch Elected as Head of UK's Tories

The UK's battle-scarred Conservatives on Saturday elected “anti-woke” candidate Kemi Badenoch as its new head, making her the first black leader of a major UK party. The combative former equalities minister replaces Rishi Sunak and now faces the daunting task of reuniting a divided and weakened party emphatically ousted from power ...

International Outcry as Israel Bans UNRWA

Israel's parliament on Monday approved a bill banning the main UN aid agency for the war-devastated Gaza Strip, sparking international outcry. Despite objections from the United States and warnings from the UN Security Council, Israeli lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the bill banning the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, ...

Women Revitalize and Redefine Traditional English Morris Dancing

Rain might be falling outside on the promenade in the English seaside resort of Blackpool but the inside of the Tower Ballroom - billed as "the UK's most spectacular" - is bathed in light, sequins, pompoms and music. Dozens of women and girls are warming up before the end-of-season Carnival Morris dancing championships, which combines traditional ...

UK and Germany Sign 'Milestone' Defense Deal

London and Berlin on Wednesday hailed a "milestone" in military cooperation, as they signed a new defense pact that would see German submarine-hunting planes operate from British bases and counter threats from Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Europe's two biggest defense spenders said the Trinity House Agreement, signed by defense ...

UK Announces New Sanctions against Israeli Settlers

The United Kingdom on Tuesday announced new sanctions against three "illegal settler outposts" and four groups accused of committing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that Israeli government "inaction... has allowed an environment of impunity to flourish where settler violence has been ...

Zelensky on European Tour Ahead of US Election

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit Britain, France and Italy on Thursday, as part of a whirlwind tour of European leaders aimed at securing aid ahead of pivotal US elections next month. Kyiv could be facing its toughest winter yet this year, as Russia launches fresh waves of strikes on the country's power grid and advances ...