Britain urges tougher Syria sanctions

Britain called on Wednesday for harsher sanctions on Syria, where an Arab monitoring mission has failed to halt bloodshed in a 10-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. (more…)

Britain to send its most advanced naval ship to the Gulf

Britain is due to send Royal Navy’s HMS Daring, one of the most advanced ships in its fleet, to the Gulf on her maiden mission as Iran threatens to block the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait is one of the busiest oil routes. Last year alone, about 17 million barrels of oil passed through the strait every day.
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EU powers to circulate UN Syria draft resolution

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal soon plan to circulate a new draft U.N. resolution condemning Syria that drops calls for immediate sanctions against Damascus, diplomats said on Tuesday. (more…)

President Assad’s wife fled to Britain, report

THE wife of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has fled to London with the couple’s three children, it is claimed.

Asma Assad is believed to be in a “safe house” in the capital with part of the £40billion her husband is said to have smuggled abroad. (more…)

UK warns against travel to Syria

UK citizens are being warned against “all but essential” travel to Syria, after three weeks of unrest which have reportedly left 170 protesters dead. (more…)

Volcanic ash closes some British airports

A dense cloud of volcanic ash drifting from Iceland forced the closure of airports in northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Sunday.

All airports in Northern Ireland shut down at 1 p.m. (1200 GMT; 8 a.m. EDT), along with others in northern England — including Manchester and Liverpool — as well as Prestwick in Scotland, the National Air Traffic Service said.

Dublin’s international airport planned to close from 7 p.m. (1800 GMT, 2 p.m. EDT) until at least 9 a.m. (0800 GMT, 4 a.m. EDT) on Monday. (more…)

Cameron named the new British Prime Minister

Conservative Party leader David Cameron accepted Queen Elizabeth’s invitation to become Britain’s prime minister Tuesday night after Gordon Brown resigned following his failure to form a coalition government with another liberal party after national elections last week.

An official departure requires the prime minister to submit his resignation in person to Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, turning over the proverbial keys to the castle. The queen then takes the prime minister’s advice for his successor and determines whether to ask that individual to serve as leader of the government. (more…)

Brown resigns as UK prime minister

Gordon Brown: “Thank you and goodbye”

Labour’s Gordon Brown has resigned as UK prime minister after three years.

Mr Brown officially tendered his resignation to the Queen at Buckingham Palace, with Conservative leader David Cameron set to succeed him.

Speaking alongside his wife Sarah outside No 10 Downing Street, he said the job had been “a privilege” and wished his successor well. (more…)

British voters go to polls Thursday

British voters go to the polls Thursday to elect new members of parliament and in turn a new government. Leaders of three main parties are vying for the prime minister’s position in a race that is promising to be very tight. (more…)

Brown dissolves Parliament, calls Britain general election

Long-anticipated Britain general elections now set for May 6 kicked off today as Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived at Buckingham palace mid-morning to ask Queen Elizabeth to dissolve parliament, the final step before campaigning begins. It is the first time Her Highness has intervened since the early 1990s. (more…)