Britain

The BBC reports: A tourist held in the US for 19 days was removed in chains like Hannibal Lecter, according to her parents. Becky Burke, 28, arrived home in Wales on Tuesday from her ordeal which began half way through a backpacking trip across North America. Parents Paul and Andrea Burke, of Portskewett, Monmouthshire, said their daughter was “traumatised” after …

The Associated Press reports: Pro-Palestinian activists said Saturday they have vandalized one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s golf resorts in Scotland in response to his proposal to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population. Activists targeted Trump’s Turnberry golf course and hotel in southwest Scotland overnight, painting “Gaza Is Not For Sale” in giant letters on the lawn and …

The BBC reports: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK and France will work with Ukraine “on a plan to stop the fighting” with Russia – and will then “discuss that plan with the United States”. He also dismissed calls by SNP first minister John Swinney to cancel the invite for a second state visit to the UK …

Reuters reports: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his priority in talks with King Charles on Monday will be protecting his country’s sovereignty after U.S. President Donald Trump recently suggested making Canada the 51st U.S. state. Trudeau said nothing is more important to his citizens than “standing up for our sovereignty and our independence”, ahead of the meeting with Charles, …

The Associated Press reports: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday he does not see the U.S. as an unreliable ally, but Europe must continue to provide funding for Ukraine to put it in a stronger position if peace is negotiated. Wrapping up a security summit in London with other European and world leaders, Starmer said that nobody wanted to …

NPR reports: Britain, France and Ukraine have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday as he prepared to host a summit of European leaders to discuss ending the war. The summit has been overshadowed by the extraordinary scolding by U.S. President Donald Trump of Ukrainian President Volodymyr …

The Independent reports: Sir Keir Starmer has expressed his “unwavering support for Ukraine” after speaking with both Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky following their heated exchange in the White House, Downing Street said. Following the clash, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister has tonight spoken to both President Trump and President Zelensky. “He retains unwavering support for Ukraine, …

The Daily Beast reports: President Donald Trump has been invited to the U.K. by King Charles for a second state visit. A handwritten letter extending the invitation was in an envelope handed personally to Trump by U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is visiting the White House Thursday. The invitation was accepted by Trump, who opened the letter on …

“When are we Europeans going to stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war? Of course Ukraine didn’t start the war. You might as well say that America attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor. “Of course a country undergoing a violent invasion should not be staging elections. There was no general election in the UK from …

Politico Europe reports: “It is simply wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelenskyy’s democratic legitimacy,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday night. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Zelenskyy on Wednesday night and, according to a readout released by Downing Street, told the Ukrainian president that he supports him “as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader and said that it was …

The BBC reports: Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “ready and willing” to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a peace deal. The UK prime minister said securing a lasting peace in Ukraine was “essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future”. Ahead of …

Yahoo News reports: Boris Johnson joked before a conference Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate would be a “fantastic place” to resettle the Palestinians he has threatened to evict from their homeland. The former prime minister of the United Kingdom then used the comparison to shoot down Trump’s proposal to seize and take over Gaza and force its population …

The Guardian reports: Marianne Faithfull, whose six-decade career marked her out as one of the UK’s most versatile and characterful singer-songwriters, has died aged 78. A spokesperson said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. …

The Associated Press reports: Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids made a rare apology to Prince Harry in settling his privacy invasion lawsuit and will pay him a substantial sum, his lawyer announced Wednesday. News Group Newspapers offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private …

Politico Europe reports: Elon Musk has agreed to pay legal fees racked up by jailed British far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, Robinson’s representatives have claimed. In a message posted to supporters on Telegram Monday, Robinson’s team said it was “grateful to Elon Musk and his team at X for agreeing to provide support to Tommy Robinson for two specific legal cases.” …

Ars Technica reports: A British judge ruled against a man who wants to excavate a landfill where he says a hard drive with access to thousands of bitcoins was mistakenly dumped over 11 years ago. Since 2013, James Howells has been hoping to recover a laptop hard drive that he says contains the private key for cryptocurrency which he says …

The BBC reports: UK officials are monitoring social media posts by Elon Musk and others as a possible security risk. The monitoring is being carried out by a team in the Home Office’s Homeland Security group, which is responsible for reducing national security risks and, according to a government website, “focuses on the highest harm risks to the homeland”. They …

CNBC reports: Elon Musk has questioned whether the United States should “liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government” after hitting out at top U.K. lawmakers. In recent days, he has taken to social media to air his grievances with the British government, resulting in a war of words between the Tesla boss and a U.K. government official. Musk …

Bloomberg reports: Senior politicians on the UK right have privately contacted Donald Trump’s allies, urging the US President-elect’s team not to endorse British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, after billionaire Tesla boss Elon Musk called for him to be released from prison. Several prominent Brexit-supporting politicians with links to Trump spent Thursday warning their Republican counterparts against following Musk’s endorsement of …

Axios reports: Elon Musk hijacked British politics this week with a stream of at least 60 X posts since Tuesday attacking Prime Minister Keir Starmer, defending an anti-Islam campaigner and endorsing the far-right Reform Party. The right-hand man to America’s next president has gone after the leaders of several of its closest allies in recent months. But his fight with …