United Kingdom

LONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives suffered steep losses in Friday's local election result, undermining his attempts to revive their fortunes and emboldening the opposition Labour Party before a national vote expected next year.

Sunak came to power in October following a year of political scandals, surging inflation and stagnant economic growth. In office he has faced a cost-of-living crisis, mounting concern about healthcare and widespread industrial action.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Conservative Party endured big losses Friday in results from local elections being viewed as a test of support for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ’s government as a national election approaches.

The left-of-center main opposition Labour Party made gains that raised its hopes of winning a national election that is due by the end of 2024. Labour leader Keir Starmer said “we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election.”

The Conservatives acknowledged it had been “disappointing” election for the party.

LONDON, May 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are braced for heavy losses in their first major electoral test since he became the UK’s third leader in the space of a few chaotic weeks last year.

In the depths of the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, the local council elections across England on Thursday will shed light on the main parties’ standing ahead of a UK-wide general election expected next year.

LONDON (AP) — The coronation of King Charles III involves one of the most important and complex security operations in U.K. history, Britain’s security minister said Wednesday, after police arrested a man and blew up a suspicious bag outside Buckingham Palace.

A suspect was being questioned by police over Tuesday’s incident, which happened four days before scores of foreign royals, dignitaries and heads of state are expected to attend the coronation of King Charles III.

LONDON (AP) — The crown has been resized. The troops are prepared for the biggest military procession in 70 years. The Gold State Coach is ready to roll.

Now it’s time for the show.

King Charles III will be crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey in an event full of all the pageantry Britain can muster.

02 May 2023; MEMO: A former Iranian official and dual British-Iranian citizen who was hanged in Tehran in January was a spy for the UK's Foreign Intelligence Service, intelligence officials have revealed.

London, Apr 29 (PTI) An Indian-origin crime gang boss is serving an eight-year-10-month prison sentence after admitting to drug smuggling and money laundering charges in a British court.

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) said its officers proved that Raj Singh, 45, from Surrey in south-east England ran an organised crime group and regularly worked together with Waqas Iqbal, 41, to buy and sell Class A drugs and firearms.

29 Apr 2023; AA: The UK and Poland on Friday agreed to a significant £1.9 billion ($2.3 billion) missile export deal that will see a British air defense system implemented in Poland.

The deal will be completed by MBDA, a UK firm, and will provide advanced ground-based air-defense capabilities to protect Poland for many years to come.

The UK will provide 22 Polish air defense batteries with UK Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMMs) and launchers.

LONDON/STOCKHOLM, April 28 (Reuters) - (This April 28 story has been refiled to remove repeated word in paragraph 1)

As recently as February, generative AI did not feature prominently in EU lawmakers' plans for regulating artificial intelligence technologies such as ChatGPT.

The bloc's 108-page proposal for the AI Act, published two years earlier, included only one mention of the word "chatbot." References to AI-generated content largely referred to deepfakes: images or audio designed to impersonate human beings.

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III lives in a palace, travels in a chauffeur-driven Bentley and is one of Britain’s richest men, but he’s similar to many of his subjects in one very basic way: His family life is complicated — very complicated.

There’s a second wife, an embarrassing brother, and an angry son and daughter-in-law, all with allies who aren’t shy about whispering family secrets in the ears of friendly reporters.