United Kingdom

UK to Lower Voting Age to 16 in General Elections

The British government said Thursday it plans to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in general elections, a landmark change giving the UK one of the lowest voting ages worldwide. It follows a pledge from the ruling Labour Party to make the shift ahead of winning power last year, and is among several planned changes to the democratic system, which ...

World-First IVF Trial Reduces Risk of Babies Inheriting Diseases

Eight healthy babies have been born in the UK using a new IVF technique that successfully reduced their risk of inheriting genetic diseases from their mothers, the results of a world-first trial said Wednesday. The findings were hailed as a breakthrough which raises hopes that women with mutations in their mitochondrial DNA could one day have ...

Trump's State Visit to Britain Set for September 17 to 19

US President Donald Trump's second state visit to the United Kingdom will be between September 17 to 19, Buckingham Palace announced Monday. Trump and his wife Melania will be welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor castle. Trump was invited by a personal letter from Charles, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer handed to him last ...

Will Lebanon Install Observation Towers Along Its Border with Israel?

A renewed proposal to build surveillance towers along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel is back on the table—ambitious in scope, but hindered by political and security complications. Originally floated by the British government in 2024, the plan was presented twice to Lebanese authorities amid intense negotiations around the ceasefire ...

Macron Urges Joint UK-French Recognition of Palestinian State

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged joint UK-France recognition of a Palestinian state, calling such moves "the only hope for peace" in the conflict-ridden region. Flanking UK leader Keir Starmer at a news conference as he wrapped up a three-day state visit to Britain, Macron said he wanted to "initiate this political dynamic" of ...

Macron and Starmer Seal Defense Pact 'Reboot' at UK Summit

French President Emmanuel Macron wraps up a three-day state visit to Britain on Thursday with a summit aiming to "reboot" defense ties with a focus on joint missile development and nuclear co-operation. Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are also expected to discuss maintaining support for Ukraine and curbing undocumented cross-Channel ...

Immigration Dominates London–Paris Talks

It was the issue that hovered over the visit, that was present in every conversation, though absent from the red carpet. On Wednesday, July 9, illegal immigration across the English Channel took center stage as French President Emmanuel Macron met with the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. So far this year, more than 20,000 ...

Macron Turns to Politics on Second Day of UK State Visit

French President Emmanuel Macron held talks Wednesday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as the issue of small-boat crossings of the Channel dominated the second day of his UK state visit. It was all smiles as Starmer welcomed Macron to his Downing Street residence and office. The UK leader said, "we think alike; we work together," as he described ...

Macron Urges New Era of Anglo-French Unity in Address to UK Parliament

President Emmanuel Macron argued Tuesday that France and Britain must work together to defend the post-World War II "international order," as he addressed parliament on the first day of his UK state visit. The first such visit by an EU head of state since Brexit, Macron said in a wide-ranging speech that the two countries must renew their ...

France's Macron Kicks Off Pomp-Filled UK State Visit

French President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day state visit to Britain on Tuesday which will see him address parliament and try to rekindle a purportedly warm relationship with King Charles III. Macron and his wife Brigitte were greeted off the presidential plane at an air base northwest of London by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his ...

Victims of London 7/7 Attacks Remembered as King Hails 'Spirit of Unity'

Fifty-two thousand petals fell in St. Paul's Cathedral on Monday to mark the 52 victims of London's July 7 bombings, as King Charles III paid tribute to the spirit of unity shown after the atrocity. To mark the moment the first bomb went off 20 years ago, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan laid wreaths at the July 7 ...