LONDON: King Charles III will on Wednesday outline UK leader Keir Starmer&#39;s next legislative plans, during a pomp-filled ceremony that could have huge repercussions for the embattled prime minister&#39;s future. Starmer, fighting to face down a revolt within his ruling Labour party, has promised his government will be &quot;better&quot; and bolder to assuage disgruntled voters impatient for change. That pledge will be put to the test in Wednesday&#39;s short address in parliament, which Downing Street said will unveil an &quot;ambitious programme&quot; that will make Britain a &quot;stronger, fairer&quot; country. It is the latest crunch moment in Starmer&#39;s 22-month premiership, and comes after Labour descended into open warfare on Tuesday over the prime minister&#39;s future following the party&#39;s heavy defeats in local and regional elections. Four junior ministers resigned, and the number of MPs urging Starmer to quit passed 80, but more than 100 others signed a statement urging colleagues to back him. Several senior ministers also rallied around the Labour premier after Starmer vowed to fight on, telling them that no one had come forward to kick-start a leadership challenge. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy urged lawmakers to &quot;step back and take a breath&quot;, while a spokesman for Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood denied rumours that she was resigning. Pivotal moment&nbsp;&quot;Britain stands at a pivotal moment,&quot; Starmer, who in July 2024 became the UK&#39;s sixth prime minister in eight years, said in comments late Tuesday ahead of the King&#39;s Speech. &quot;To press ahead with a plan to build a stronger, fairer country or turn back to the chaos and instability of the past.&quot; Despite its name, the King&#39;s Speech is not written by the monarch but by the government, which uses it to detail the laws it proposes to make over the next 12 months. Downing Street said the address will include a package of more than 35 bills &quot;to bolster economic, energy, (and) national security. They will include proposals to fully nationalise British Steel and deepen Britain&#39;s relationship with the European Union. King Charles will deliver the proposals from a golden throne in the House of Lords upper chamber while wearing the diamond-studded Imperial State Crown and a long crimson robe. The day&#39;s proceedings start when royal bodyguards ritually search the basement of the Palace of Westminster for explosives -- a legacy of the failed attempt by Catholics to blow up parliament in the 1605 Gunpowder plot. Black RodThe sovereign will then travel to the Houses of Parliament by carriage from Buckingham Palace, escorted by mounted cavalry. Tradition dictates that an MP is ceremonially held &quot;hostage&quot; in the palace to ensure the king&#39;s safe return. A parliamentary official known as Black Rod will have the door of the lower chamber House of Commons slammed in their face, a tradition that symbolises parliament&#39;s independence from the monarchy. MPs will follow Black Rod to the upper chamber, where Charles, as head of state, will give the speech to assembled lords and ladies in red and ermine robes, plus invited members of the elected Commons at around 11:30 am (1030 GMT). Starmer is also due on Wednesday morning to meet Health Secretary Wes Streeting, purported to be one of his main rivals for the premiership. Streeting is popular on the right of Labour, while a would-be challenger on the left in any contest could be former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner. Another much-touted contender, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester in northwest England, is unable to stand currently as he is not an MP, but supporters want Starmer to lay out a timetable for his departure that allows Burnham to return to parliament and stand. Under party rules, any challenger would need the support of 81 Labour MPs, 20% of the party in parliament, to trigger a leadership contest. Starmer has vowed to fight any challenge.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks during a visit to the Kenton district of London on April 23, 2026. (File photo: AFP)

Europe

Keir Starmer faces growing political pressure as King Charles III prepares to outline the UK government’s legislative agenda during the traditional King’s Speech in parliament.

King Charles to unveil UK government agenda amid pressure on PM Starmer

LONDON: Britain&#39;s King Charles III and wife Queen Camilla wrapped up their diplomatically sensitive state visit to the United States on Thursday. Here are five takeaways from their four days in America. Opposites attractDespite being polar opposites in character, Charles and President Donald Trump appeared to share a genuine bonhomie. Charles laughed, albeit slightly embarrassingly, when Trump said in a speech at the White House that his Scottish-born mother had had a crush on the then-prince. The monarch was also photographed laughing in the Oval Office when Trump reached out and patted his knee. Protocol dictates that it is unconventional to touch a member of the royal family. &quot;There&#39;s a personal rapport, because I think Charles is a very skilled diplomat,&quot; royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told AFP. The jokerCharles showed off his cheeky side when he cracked a number of jokes during the state dinner, which landed well with a receptive audience. He likened Trump&#39;s demolition of the East Wing to British troops setting fire to the White House in 1814 and ahead of this summer&#39;s FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, quipped that he and Trump were &quot;joint hosts&quot;. The British monarch is also Canada&#39;s head of state, and the remark could be seen as a subtle reminder to Trump, who has soured relations with his neighbour to the north after last year threatening to make it the &quot;51st state&quot;. Charles also referenced how Trump has said if it was not for the United States, then European countries would be speaking German, adding: &quot;Dare I say that, if it wasn&#39;t for us, you&#39;d be speaking French.&quot; Points scoredDuring a separate speech to Congress, the king politely delivered several pointed messages from the UK government amid tensions with Trump over the wars in Ukraine and Iran. Charles urged the United States to stand firm with its Western allies, adding that &quot;unyielding resolve&quot; was needed to secure a &quot;just and lasting peace&quot; in Ukraine. Trump has berated European leaders in recent weeks for their failure to back his and Israel&#39;s war against Iran and has threatened to pull the United States out of NATO. Charles -- the commander-in-chief of the UK armed forces -- also spoke of his pride at Britain&#39;s Royal Navy in which he served, which was recently mocked by Trump, and stressed the importance of protecting the environment. Awkward momentsTrump set a cat among the pigeons when he claimed that Charles &quot;would have probably helped&quot; the United States in its military offensive against Iran. The president has repeatedly lambasted the UK for failing to join the initial strikes and has branded Prime Minister Keir Starmer as weak and indecisive. Trump also claimed that Charles had agreed with him on the need to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb. Conversations with the monarch are usually kept private. Before meeting in New York, the city&#39;s leftist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, called on Charles to &quot;return&quot; the prized Koh-i-Noor diamond, which the British Empire took from the Indian subcontinent in the 1800s. Rift repaired?While the Times newspaper hailed Charles&#39;s performance as a &quot;masterclass in effective diplomacy&quot;, it remains to be seen whether the trip will help repair relations between Trump and Starmer, as British officials hope. In an initial sign of improved US-UK ties, Trump announced Thursday he was removing tariffs on Scottish whisky in honour of the departing royals and the state visit. Evie Aspinall, director of the British Foreign Policy Group think-tank, told AFP the four-day trip &quot;may buy the UK some temporary reprieve from Trump&quot;. But she predicted it &quot;will not fundamentally change what remains a very fractured so-called special relationship&quot;. While the visit highlighted that &quot;Trump feels warmly towards the royals, he remains &quot;deeply frustrated at the UK government&quot;, Aspinall noted. Fitzwilliams agreed. &quot;It would have put a positive spin on matters... (but) there&#39;s so many different points of disagreement,&quot; he said.

Americas

United Kingdom

King Charles III and Queen Camilla conclude a US visit marked by warm exchanges with Donald Trump, amid underlying tensions over foreign policy and bilateral ties.

Five takeaways from King Charles III's US visit

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;King Charles III gave US President Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine at a White House state dinner on Tuesday when he joked that without the British, Americans would be speaking French. As the heads of state traded jokes during their dinner toasts, Charles referenced previous comments by Trump aimed at European allies he accuses of freeloading on defense since World War II. &quot;You recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that, if it wasn&#39;t for us, you&#39;d be speaking French,&quot; Charles quipped. The king was talking about places with British and French origins in North America, where the rival colonial powers battled for control of the continent before US independence 250 years ago. At the Davos summit in January, Trump said that without US help in World War II, &quot;you&#39;d be speaking German and a little Japanese.&quot; But the king&#39;s lighthearted remark reflected the warm tone as he and Trump bonded over the &quot;special relationship&quot; between London and Washington, despite tensions over the war in Iran. He made further jokes at Trump&#39;s expense, saying he could not help noticing the &quot;readjustments&quot; to the White House East Wing, which the former real estate tycoon has demolished to build a giant $400 million ballroom. &quot;I am sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814,&quot; he said, when British soldiers torched the building. Charles also quipped that the dinner was &quot;a very considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party,&quot; when colonists dumped shiploads of taxed British tea into the sea in 1773. Trump &mdash; an avid fan of the British royals whose mother hailed from Scotland &mdash; saved most of his humor for domestic targets. &quot;I want to congratulate Charles on having made a fantastic speech today at Congress,&quot; Trump said. &quot;He got the Democrats to stand &mdash; I&#39;ve never been able to do that.&quot; The king meanwhile came bearing a gift, part of a British charm offensive aimed at Trump after he lambasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his refusal to help against Iran. Charles presented the president with the bell from the British submarine HMS Trump, which was launched in 1944 during World War II. &quot;May it stand as a testimony to our nations&#39; shared history and shining future. And should you ever need to get hold of us, well, just give us a ring,&quot; the king said to applause.

Addressing Congress during celebrations marking 250 years since American independence from Britain, Charles stresses the historic ties between the two nations, saying their partnership was born out of dispute, but no less strong for it.'

'You'd be speaking French': King Charles tells Trump at state dinner

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;Britain&#39;s King Charles III will receive a full ceremonial welcome from Donald Trump at the White House and deliver a rare address to Congress on Tuesday as he seeks to mend a transatlantic rift over the war in Iran. On the second day of a four-day state visit, Charles is expected to call for &quot;reconciliation and renewal&quot; in his speech, with the so-called special relationship between Washington and London under strain. Much of the day will be given over to pomp and ceremony, with King Charles and Queen Camilla receiving a traditional arrival ceremony that&#39;s expected to feature a 21-gun salute and an inspection of troops. The US leader and First Lady, Melania Trump, will then host the royals in the Oval Office behind closed doors. In the evening, they will return to the White House for a grand state dinner. The first day of the trip featured a more informal welcome, with the Trumps treating Charles and Camilla to tea and cakes in the White House before showing them beehives on the famed lawn. In a symbolic moment just two days after a shooting at a gala dinner attended by Trump, the US president showed off a painting of the assassination attempt he narrowly escaped in 2024. The royals then attended a garden party at the British embassy, with cucumber sandwiches and scones on the menu. But the second day will feature perhaps the most public-facing moment, when Charles becomes the first British monarch to address Congress since his mother, queen Elizabeth, in 1991. It comes at a hugely delicate moment, with Britain trying to repair ties after Trump raged over London&#39;s refusal to help with his war in Iran. &#39;Liberty and equality&#39;&nbsp;In the 20-minute speech, Charles is expected to appeal to Trump in guarded terms, saying that defending common democratic ideals is &quot;crucial for liberty and equality&quot; in a time of international challenges. The king will also stress the importance of the long-standing US-UK alliance, in a visit which marks the 250th anniversary of US independence from its British ancestors. &quot;Time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together,&quot; he is expected to say. Charles, 77, will stress &quot;reconciliation and renewal&quot; over the past 250 years that has given rise to &quot;one of the greatest alliances in human history.&quot; Charles is also expected to give a shorter speech at the state dinner in the White House. It is expected to be held in the State Dining Room, whose small size prompted Trump to start construction on a massive and controversial $400 million ballroom. The UK government is hoping to capitalize on Trump&#39;s fascination with the royals. His mother hailed from Scotland, and Trump received a gala state visit to Britain last year. But it will have its work cut out to placate the mercurial Republican. Trump has repeatedly lambasted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his war opposition, alongside his government&#39;s immigration and energy policies. Starmer has publicly criticized the war, but defended the state visit. An early April YouGov poll found 48% of Britons supported cancelling it. The royals will visit New York on Wednesday, touring the 9/11 memorial, before departing Thursday for Bermuda.

With such tensions simmering, Charles will address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday, when he will tell US lawmakers that the long history between the two countries is one of "reconciliation and renewal," according to a released excerpt from the king's speech.

King Charles to urge Trump to 'come together' with Britain

SANDRINGHAM: Former prince Andrew hunkered down Friday at home on the king&#39;s private estate after hours of police questioning, as his stunning arrest tipped the British monarchy into an unprecedented crisis in its modern era. The disgraced royal was &quot;released under investigation&quot; late Thursday, with police believed to be continuing Friday searches of his former home on the royals&#39; Windsor estate, west of London. In a sensational development in investigations into his links to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew spent around 11 hours in custody after police arrested him on suspicion of misconduct. Officers swooped early Thursday on his home in Sandringham, eastern England, taking him into custody at a nearby police station while also raiding his former Windsor home.&nbsp;&lsquo;Law must take its course&rsquo;&nbsp;It prompted the king to swiftly issue a rare personally signed statement insisting &quot;the law must take its course&quot;, as he reiterated Buckingham Palace would support the police probe. &quot;It&#39;s a hugely significant moment for the British monarchy,&quot; royal expert Ed Owens told AFP, noting much remained unclear, including whether Andrew would be criminally charged. &quot;It&#39;s the unknown elements in this particular instance that I think pose so much concern and arguably a threat to the monarchy.&quot; &lsquo;Downfall&rsquo;&nbsp;Almost all Britain&#39;s newspapers carried on their front pages Friday a photograph of the disgraced royal, leaving the police station in a vehicle, looking haggard and wild-eyed. &quot;Downfall,&quot; screamed the Daily Mail headline. The Sun tabloid noted that, like anyone arrested, Andrew would have had a DNA&nbsp;saliva swab taken along with his fingerprints and a photograph. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;So bad&#39;&nbsp;</h2>The day of drama in Britain sent shockwaves around the world, with US President Donald Trump calling it &quot;very sad&quot;. &quot;It&#39;s so bad for the royal family,&quot; he told reporters. Andrew&#39;s arrest follows new revelations last week that the ex-prince appeared to have sent Epstein potentially confidential documents while serving as a UK trade envoy, a post he held from 2001. In a November 2010 email seen by AFP, Andrew appeared to share with the US financier reports on his visit to several Asian countries. Epstein had been convicted in the United States in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution. Official guidance is thought to stipulate that trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive commercial or political information related to their official visits. The former prince&#39;s humiliating day in custody, which coincided with his 66th birthday, was the most dramatic yet in his years-long fall from grace. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Difficult&#39;&nbsp;</h2>King Charles III last year stripped his brother of his titles and ordered him to leave his Windsor mansion -- though he does remain eighth in the line of succession. That followed one of Epstein&#39;s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, last year recounting in shocking detail in her posthumous memoirs claims that she had been trafficked three times to have sex with Andrew, twice when she was 17. Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein. He settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre while not admitting liability. Charles sought to project an air of business-as-usual Thursday, carrying out several public duties, including opening London Fashion Week. Most severe crisisBut royal commentators were in no doubt that the monarchy was facing its most severe crisis in decades. Royal historian Anna Whitelock said it was the first arrest of a member of Britain&#39;s royal family in centuries - possibly stretching back to Charles I&#39;s surrender to the Scots army in 1646. &quot;Usually there is the usual&nbsp;&#39;keep calm and carry on&#39; but it&#39;s going to be very difficult in these circumstances,&quot; she told AFP. The police probe into misconduct in a public office allegations follow the US Justice Department&#39;s release last month of millions of files from its investigation into Epstein. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. At least nine UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing claims stemming from the Epstein files, many related to Andrew.

In a sensational development in investigations into his links to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew spent around 11 hours in custody after police arrested him on suspicion of misconduct.

UK monarchy reels from Andrew's stunning arrest

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump said Sunday he felt &quot;badly&quot; for the UK royal family after King Charles III revoked his brother Andrew&#39;s title of prince over his scandalous ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.&nbsp;&quot;I feel very badly. I mean, it&#39;s a terrible thing that&#39;s happened to the family,&quot; Trump said when asked by an AFP reporter aboard Air Force One about the recent saga.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s been a tragic situation, and it&#39;s too bad. I mean, I feel badly for the family.&quot;&nbsp;Trump, 79, has faced his own political woes in recent months over his own alleged relationship with Epstein, the New York financier and who died in prison in 2019.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s comments came&nbsp;as the British government said it would move to strip the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of his honorary title of vice-admiral, his last remaining military rank.&nbsp;The US president has frequently expressed admiration for Britain&#39;s royal family, most recently when Charles hosted him for a lavish state visit in September.&nbsp;Trump received a full state dinner at Windsor Castle, military parades and a flyover during the visit.&nbsp;But the so-called Epstein files have been the focal point of a controversy engulfing the second presidency of Trump, who was a longtime friend of Epstein.&nbsp;In July, the Trump administration announced that it had discovered no new evidence justifying the release of additional documents or the opening of a new investigation into the matter.&nbsp;Epstein died while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls recruited to provide him with sexual massages.&nbsp;Conspiracy theoriesAuthorities ruled his death a suicide, but it has fueled countless conspiracy theories among Trump&#39;s voter base that he was murdered to prevent him from implicating high-profile figures.&nbsp;Republican Trump has repeatedly denied any involvement with the Epstein affair, dismissing it as a &quot;hoax&quot; by rival Democrats.&nbsp;Former prince Andrew&#39;s ties to Epstein have sparked growing anger in Britain.&nbsp;Charles on Thursday removed all his younger brother&#39;s remaining royal titles and honors and ousted him from his long-term residence on the Windsor estate.&nbsp;Defense minister John Healey told the BBC on Sunday that &quot;guided again by the king, we are working now to remove that last remaining title of vice-admiral that he has.&quot;&nbsp;Andrew was stripped of his other honorary military titles by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022 after he was sued by Virginia Giuffre, Epstein&#39;s main accuser.&nbsp;The king&#39;s younger brother was once feted for his role as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot in the 1982 Falklands War. He retired in 2001 after 22 years of service.&nbsp;Andrew has always denied that he sexually abused Giuffre, who said in her posthumous memoir published in October that she was trafficked to have sex with him on three occasions, twice when she was just 17.

Trump's comments come as the British government said it would move to strip the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of his honorary title of vice-admiral, his last remaining military rank.

Trump says feels 'badly' for UK royal family over Andrew-Epstein saga

Reuters

LONDON: The publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid on Wednesday sought to limit the scope of a lawsuit brought by Prince Harry and other high-profile figures over alleged unlawful behavior, saying it must be restricted to specific cases of wrongdoing. Harry, the younger son of King Charles, and six others including singer Elton John accuse Associated Newspapers (ANL) of serious privacy breaches dating back 30 years. ANL, which also publishes the Mail on Sunday and the MailOnline, denies any wrongdoing and says the &quot;lurid&quot; claims are preposterous. Trial due next year A trial is due to take place early next year, but on Wednesday the publisher said the claimants&#39; lawyers had failed to comply with a previous court ruling which said they should stick to specific allegations of wrongdoing by named journalists or private investigators acting for them. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/86b84beb-c4aa-4079-a2e6-86a73ad8f156-Barrister Imran Khan arrives to attend a preliminary hearing in the lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, who Britain's Prince Harry's and six others are suing over allegations of privacy breac.JPG" alt="Barrister Imran Khan arrives to attend a preliminary hearing in the lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, who Prince Harry's and six others are suing over allegations of privacy breaches dating back 30 years (Reuters)" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Barrister Imran Khan arrives to attend a preliminary hearing in the lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, who Prince Harry&#39;s and six others are suing over allegations of privacy breaches dating back 30 years (Reuters)</figcaption></figure> ANL also said specific elements of the claimants&#39; case should be thrown out, such as generic arguments which they said relied on decisions in previous litigation against other media organisations, and which the judge, Matthew Nicklin, had already ruled should not be included. ANL&#39;s lawyer Antony White told the court that lawyers for Harry and the others were either being &quot;tin-eared&quot; or openly defiant. The lawsuits should even be struck out unless the claimants provided information about when and how they became aware they might have a viable claim, White argued. &quot;ANL contends that the breaches are sufficiently flagrant and serious that unless now complied with and remedied (the) claims should face the draconian sanction of being dismissed,&quot; the publisher&#39;s lawyers said in court filings. Harry&rsquo;s lawyers say full case should continue Harry&#39;s lawyers said in court filings that such a &quot;nuclear option&quot; was unjustified. They also said the generic case was &quot;a critical and fundamental component&quot; of the lawsuit. The seven claimants - who include actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost and Elton John&#39;s husband David Furnish - accuse ANL of activities such as hacking their voicemails, burglary, and obtaining their medical records by deception. Both Frost and Furnish were in court for Wednesday&#39;s hearings. Harry was listening in remotely. The litigation is the first time ANL has been dragged into the phone-hacking scandal, which began almost 20 years ago, leading to a public inquiry into the ethics of the press, several criminal trials and an admission by some papers that they unlawfully targeted thousands of victims. Over the last six years, Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has been engaged in open warfare with British tabloids, accusing senior editors of authorising unlawful intrusions into people&#39;s public lives, destroying friendships and relationships. He also blames the press for the death of his mother Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 as her vehicle sped away from chasing paparazzi photographers. Harry has twice sued ANL for libel, winning one case and withdrawing the other, while his wife Meghan has also won a privacy lawsuit against the publisher. He has also successfully sued Mirror Group Newspapers while Rupert Murdoch&#39;s News Group Newspapers settled a claim ahead of a trial.

Britain's Prince Harry in London, Britain, September 10, 2025. (Reuters)

Entertainment

Prince Harry and six others, including Elton John, are suing the Daily Mail publisher over alleged privacy breaches. The publisher, Associated Newspapers, denies wrongdoing and seeks to limit the lawsuit to specific incidents. 

 Daily Mail publisher asks UK court to limit Prince Harry lawsuit

LONDON: US President Donald Trump&#39;s state visit to the UK has delivered pledges from US tech giants to invest tens of billions of dollars in the AI sector. The UK and US governments, meanwhile, agreed on co-operation over nuclear and space technology as part of a &quot;Tech Prosperity Deal&quot;, and British pharmaceutical group GSK pledged investment in the United States. The single biggest planned investment comes from US private equity firm Blackstone, which said it would plough &pound;90 billion ($123 billion) into UK assets over the next decade. Below is a list of the main deals, including some &pound;150 billion of inward investment from US companies. Big tech&nbsp;Microsoft&#39;s &quot;largest ever commitment to the UK&quot; comprises a $30-billion investment over four years, half of which will be spent on cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. It includes plans to build Britain&#39;s largest supercomputer. &quot;We&#39;re committed to creating new opportunities for people and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, and to ensuring America remains a trusted and reliable tech partner for the United Kingdom,&quot; said Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968034916832338396&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=cf79ef42d9fb17a3be7b88c63f48942b4be50699&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&quot;That is why we are doubling down on our investment in the UK.&quot; Google plans UK investment of &pound;5 billion over the next two years to power its AI drive, help &quot;fortify cybersecurity&quot; and create 8,250 jobs annually. Nvidia, Stargate UK&nbsp;British firm Nscale has partnered with ChatGPT maker OpenAI and chip giant Nvidia to establish a UK version of Stargate -- a large-scale AI infrastructure initiative. The government stated that the project aims to &quot;develop a platform designed to deploy OpenAI&#39;s technology on sovereign infrastructure in the UK.&quot; Working alongside UK firms, Nvidia pledged to deploy a total of 120,000 advanced GPU chips across the country, representing its biggest ever rollout in Europe.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968068880951087365&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=cf79ef42d9fb17a3be7b88c63f48942b4be50699&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 624px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>GSK&nbsp;British pharmaceutical group GSK has announced it will invest $30 billion in the United States over the next five years, as drugmakers face pressure from the Trump administration to relocate production to the country. GSK will expand its research and development investments and production capacities, the company said, including a $1.2 billion plan to build a biologics factory in Pennsylvania for the development of respiratory and cancer treatments.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968100899093369078&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=cf79ef42d9fb17a3be7b88c63f48942b4be50699&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 861px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>&quot;This week&#39;s state visit brings together two countries that have led the world in science and healthcare innovation,&quot; GSK chief Emma Walmsley said in a statement. Blackstone&nbsp;The group gave no details of the nature of its planned investments, which comes after its announcement last year to invest &pound;10 billion in an AI data centre in northern England. Bank of America, BlackRock, Citi Group, PayPal and S&amp;P Global are together investing around &pound;1.75 billion in their UK operations. Government partnerships&nbsp;Britain and the United States plan to speed up the development of new nuclear power projects. &quot;This golden age of nuclear is central to the government&#39;s mission to build more clean homegrown power to ensure energy security,&quot; the UK government said. The two countries plan to &quot;drive AI-powered healthcare solutions in areas such as precision medicine and chronic disease&quot;.The UK and U.S. plan also to partner over &quot;revolutionary quantum computers and speed up the deployment of this technology across areas like healthcare, defence and finance&quot;. NASA and the UK Space Agency intend to develop AI models to support science and exploration missions.

Business

The single biggest planned investment comes from US private equity firm Blackstone, which said it would plough £90 billion ($123 billion) into UK assets over the next decade.

US President Trump's UK visit lands AI, pharma and nuclear pledges

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: At a lavish state banquet held at Windsor Castle on Wednesday in honor of US President Donald Trump, King Charles III praised Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;personal commitment&rdquo; to pursuing peace.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our countries are working together in support of crucial diplomatic efforts, not least of which, Mr. President, is your own personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world&rsquo;s most intractable conflicts, in order to secure peace,&rdquo; the monarch told over 100 guests, AFP reported.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968399813742870567&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=2457af301a90a8f2db4876a62472cd2eee3b2393&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 631px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Addressing the gathering, King Charles also remarked on the current geopolitical tensions in Europe without directly naming Russia&rsquo;s war in Ukraine. &ldquo;As tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine to deter aggression and secure peace,&rdquo; CNN reported.&nbsp;President Trump described the UK state visit as &ldquo;one of the highest honors of my life,&rdquo; according to AFP.&nbsp;The Royal Family shared highlights of the event on their official X account, stating: &ldquo;This evening, The King and Queen welcomed President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to a State Banquet held in their honour at Windsor Castle.&rdquo;&nbsp;Despite heightened security around Windsor, thousands of protesters gathered in central London to express their opposition to Trump&rsquo;s state visit, CNN reported.&nbsp;Beating retreat ceremonyEarlier in the day, Windsor Castle hosted a traditional Beating Retreat ceremony to mark President Trump&rsquo;s state visit. The Royal Family&rsquo;s X account explained, &ldquo;The ceremony has its origins in the early years of organized warfare when the beating of drums and the parading of Post Guards heralded the closing of camp gates and the lowering of flags at the end of the day.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968387149734330404&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=2457af301a90a8f2db4876a62472cd2eee3b2393&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 923px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>In a solemn moment, President Trump and First Lady Melania laid a wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II. A Royal Family post said, &ldquo;The President and Mrs. Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.&rdquo;&nbsp;The post also recalled Trump&rsquo;s previous encounter with the late Queen during his 2019 visit and his tribute following her death in 2022:&nbsp;&ldquo;Melania and I will always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty&rsquo;s generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor. What a grand and beautiful lady she was, there was nobody like her!&rdquo;

King Charles III praised President Trump's commitment to peace during a Windsor Castle state banquet, while Trump called the visit a great honor amid London protests against the visit.

UK’s King Charles praises Trump’s ‘personal commitment’ to peace

ISLAMABAD: U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit, White House announced in a statement on Tuesday.&quot;A lot of things here warm my heart,&quot; the 79-year-old Republican told reporters after he arrived with First Lady Melania Trump. &quot;It&#39;s a very special place.&quot;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968052852708016509&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=985cdc273bab42a0e2e6d62bc4e8095c5a4116fd&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 755px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>King Charles III will host Trump at Windsor Castle for a lavish banquet and carriage ride on Wednesday, before Trump meets Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his country residence on Thursday, AFP reported.In a sign of the pomp and pageantry to come, a guard of honor greeted the Trumps as they stepped off Air Force One at Stansted Airport near London.Trump then expressed his admiration for the British monarch.&lsquo;A very big day&rsquo;&quot;He&#39;s been a friend of mine for a long time, and everyone respects him, and they love him,&quot; Trump said as he arrived by helicopter at Winfield House, the U.S. ambassador&#39;s residence in London, where he will spend the night.&quot;Tomorrow&#39;s going to be a very big day.&quot;Trump is the first U.S. president to be invited for two state visits, after previously being hosted by Queen Elizabeth II during his last term in office in 2019 -- as Britain tries to keep the so-called special relationship alive.The British government has been unapologetic about its efforts to get on the right side of Trump, whose mother was Scottish and who owns a number of golf courses in the UK.But the British public will be kept far away from Trump, with the visit taking place entirely behind closed doors and heavy security.Shadow of Epstein scandalA large anti-Trump demonstration has been called in London on Wednesday, while protesters projected images of Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto the towers of Windsor Castle late Tuesday.The shadow of the Epstein scandal has hung over Trump for weeks after his administration declined to release files on the issue.It has also embroiled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who sacked his ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson on the eve of the visit over the envoy&#39;s emails to Epstein.Starmer&#39;s government is however counting on the sheer scale of the state visit to keep Trump onside.Largest military showIn Windsor on Wednesday, Trump will get a ceremonial carriage ride and a flypast by both UK and U.S. jets in what officials call the largest military show for a state visit in living memory, AFP reported.In the evening King Charles will host Trump for a lavish state dinner where both men will give speeches.Trump may also relish the royal part of the visit as a chance to escape a turbulent period at home, where the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has caused turmoil.$30B over four yearsPolitics will take over again on Thursday when Starmer hosts Trump at his country residence Chequers for talks focusing on trade and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.The visit has been timed to line up with announcements of several investments in Britain -- the latest being a pledge by Microsoft to spend $30 billion over four years.Starmer needs the visit to go well after a miserable few days in which some in his Labour party have openly questioned whether he can remain as leader over the Mandelson resignation.Downing Street has said Trump&#39;s visit would see the &quot;unbreakable friendship&quot; between the countries &quot;reach new heights&quot;, AFP reported.Trade tops agendaStarmer will host Trump at Chequers, his country residence, on Thursday to discuss various matters, including security in Ukraine. Starmer&rsquo;s ultimate aim, however, is to ensure that Trump makes good on his promise to lower tariffs on steel and aluminum, Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday.The UK was the first country to sign a bilateral trade agreement with the Trump administration in May. Under that deal, the U.S. planned to reduce tariffs on aluminum and steel from 25% to zero, but that has not happened yet.The two countries are also expected to sign a multibillion-dollar deal to develop small nuclear projects, which could, in some cases, help to power new artificial intelligence data centres. On Monday, Starmer announced a joint U.S.-UK project to build a fleet of small modular reactors.Potential technology partnership&nbsp;A major talking point will be a new potential technology partnership, involving enhanced U.S. investment in the UK and greater British cooperation with Silicon Valley on artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, Al Jazeera reported.Nvidia, OpenAI and Google are expected to announce investment deals as part of the partnership, according to the Reuters news agency. Meanwhile, the British government recently secured 1.25 billion pounds ($1.7bn) in private investment pledges from PayPal and Bank of America.Elsewhere, private equity firm Blackstone plans to invest 100 billion pounds ($136bn) into British assets over the next decade, with a focus on physical infrastructure. The investment will be part of a previously announced $500bn package of investment into Europe.

U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived in the UK for an unprecedented second state visit, marked by royal pageantry and talks on trade and Ukraine and Gaza wars.

Articles tagged with "King Charles III"