Author: Henry

.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Iran’s parliament speaker has warned that the Strait of Hormuz “will not remain open” unless the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, undermining efforts by both Washington and Tehran to present progress towards ending the conflict.The warning from Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf came hours after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, declared the strait “completely open” to commercial shipping for the remainder of the ceasefire. The contradictory signals from Tehran, combined with President Donald Trump’s insistence that the blockade would stay in place until a comprehensive deal was struck, left the status of the world’s most critical oil…

The homelessness charity Centrepoint has moved to sever its relationship with Sharon Osbourne after the television personality publicly expressed her intention to attend a far-right rally organised by Tommy Robinson.Osbourne’s official Instagram account left a comment on a post promoting Robinson’s “unite the kingdom” march, planned for 16 May in London, saying: “See you at the march.” The charity, of which the Prince of Wales is patron, said the event “does not align with our values”.Why the charity acted quicklyCentrepoint had recently worked with Osbourne as an ambassador for an Omaze fundraising campaign, which sold entries for a sweepstakes-style draw…

The Prime Minister said on Friday it was “unforgivable” that he had not been told his former ambassador to Washington failed security vetting before taking up the post — a revelation that has handed his opponents fresh ammunition and triggered renewed calls for his resignation barely three weeks before what is expected to be a bruising set of local and regional elections. Keir Starmer, speaking to reporters in France where he was holding talks on the Iran crisis, said he would return to parliament on Monday to “set out the relevant facts”. A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed the Prime Minister…

Daniel Kinahan, the Irish national long suspected of leading one of Europe’s most prominent organised crime networks, has been arrested in Dubai following the issue of an Irish warrant and an extradition agreement between the two countries. Dubai Police confirmed that Kinahan, described as an “Irish fugitive”, was taken into custody on Wednesday 15 April over his alleged involvement in an international organised crime network. Irish police — An Garda Síochána — said on Friday that a man in his 40s had been detained under the terms of a bilateral extradition treaty between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. What…

A man suspected of involvement in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on French soil in the 1980s has been taken into custody in France, more than four decades after the killings took place. Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra — also known as Hicham Harb — was arrested following his transfer to a French military airbase, where Palestinian authorities had handed him over to French officials. France’s anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office confirmed the detention on Thursday. A Neighbourhood Scarred by Violence The attack he is alleged to have been connected to took place in August 1982, when gunmen opened fire on Jo…

Washington has quietly informed several European governments that previously agreed weapons shipments are likely to be pushed back, as the ongoing military campaign against Iran continues to consume American munitions at a rate that is straining supply, according to three sources familiar with the communications. Which countries face delays The affected nations include countries in the Baltic region and Scandinavia, the sources said, speaking anonymously because the discussions have not been made public. The delayed hardware was purchased through the US Foreign Military Sales programme but has not yet been physically delivered — and those handovers are now expected to…

Google is in negotiations with the US Department of Defense over a deal that would see its Gemini artificial intelligence models deployed in classified military environments, according to a report by the Information citing two people with direct knowledge of the discussions. What is on the table The proposed agreement would permit the Pentagon to use Google’s AI technology for all lawful purposes, according to the report. However, Google has sought to include additional contractual language during negotiations that would bar its models from being used for domestic mass surveillance or for autonomous weapons systems operating without meaningful human oversight.…

The latest round of Transport for London fare rises has reignited a familiar question for anyone who relies on the capital’s trains: why does getting to work cost so much more in London than in comparable European cities? With single Tube fares climbing by as much as 6 per cent on 1 March 2026, the gulf between what Londoners and Berliners pay has rarely looked starker — or harder to justify on grounds of wage parity. What changed on the network in March TfL’s revision averaged 3.2 per cent across the network, but the headline figure conceals an uneven picture.…

The Home Secretary has pledged sweeping action against lawyers and immigration advisers alleged to be coaching migrants into posing as gay in order to remain in Britain, after an undercover BBC investigation exposed a trade in fabricated asylum claims. Shabana Mahmood said anyone caught manipulating protections designed for those fleeing persecution on grounds of sexuality or gender was “beyond contempt”, and warned that advisers found to be facilitating fraudulent applications would “face the full force of the law”. Her intervention has reignited a cross-party row over the integrity of the asylum route and how readily it can be gamed. What…

Sterling has retraced the ground it lost at the outbreak of the Iran conflict, buoyed on Tuesday by cautious optimism that a diplomatic settlement may be within reach and by a softer tone in the US dollar. Yet currency strategists warn that the reprieve owes more to distraction than to any genuine improvement in Britain’s economic position. What moved the market The pound climbed 0.33 per cent against the dollar to $1.3548, a level it last touched shortly before hostilities erupted in late February. Against the euro it was broadly flat at 87 pence. The dollar itself, which had drawn…