Fri, Jul 10th, 2009 | U.K. |

SHAMED British diplomat James Hudson may have been targeted for blackmail by Russian spy agencies, it was hinted last night. The podgy envoy, who quit in disgrace after being filmed having sex with two hookers, could have been the victim of ...Read More

The next chapter in devolution

Fri, Nov 20th, 2009 | U.K. |

It has probably escaped the attention of all but the most assiduous Guardian reader, but this week marked an explosion of activity on constitutional reform, which is going to continue for the next few weeks. The Queen's speech saw the UK ...Read More

Reports: Iran ex-deputy minister jailed in Israel

Sun, Nov 15th, 2009 | World |

TEHRAN, Iran—An Iranian former deputy defense minister who has been missing for nearly three years was abducted by Israeli agents and is now being held in Israel, several Iranian news Web sites reported Sunday. Ali Reza Asgari, a retired general who ...Read More

Obama Pushing Arms Control With Russians On Asia Trip

Sat, Nov 14th, 2009 | Top Stories, World |

Obama Pushing Arms Control With Russians On Asia Trip SINGAPORE — A major pact within tantalizing reach, President Barack Obama aims to nudge forward an arms-control deal in talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum brought Obama to Singapore, but he is focusing on individual ...Read More

UK to push for more Afghan troops

Fri, Nov 13th, 2009 | Top Stories, World |

UK to push for more Afghan troops Gordon Brown has pledged to send a further 500 personnel The UK government is to try to persuade some of its allies to send 5,000 more military personnel to Afghanistan. Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth is to lobby some of the International ...Read More

Five UN missions in NY get white powder letters

Tue, Nov 10th, 2009 | Top Stories, U.S. |

* Austria, France, UK, Germany, Uzbekistan targeted * Initial results show powder was harmless - diplomats (Adds British mission also getting white powder letter) UNITED NATIONS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Police are investigating letters containing white powder that were sent to five ...Read More

Five U.N. missions in NY get white powder letters

Tue, Nov 10th, 2009 | U.S. |

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Police are investigating letters containing white powder that were sent to five U.N. missions in New York City, but diplomats from the affected countries said on Tuesday that the material was harmless. The U.N. missions of Austria, ...Read More

Climate deal 'unlikely' this year

Thu, Nov 5th, 2009 | Top Stories, World |

Climate deal 'unlikely' this year Speculation has been rife that nations' deals would not be binding The UK government has admitted that a new legally-binding global treaty on climate change is highly unlikely to be agreed this year. Two years ago, the world's governments vowed to ...Read More

Who built Berlin Wall? Most Russians don't know

Thu, Nov 5th, 2009 | World |

MOSCOW (Reuters) - More than half of all Russians do not know who built the Berlin Wall, one of the most enduring symbols of the Cold War, an opinion poll showed on Thursday. Ten percent of people surveyed by pollster VTsIOM ...Read More

HEARD ON THE STREET: Lloyds And RBS Suffer Different Fates

Tue, Nov 3rd, 2009 | Business |

Who ever said life is fair? Eric Daniels drove Lloyds Banking Group into a brick wall last year but his reward is a sweet deal agreed with the UK government and European Union that gives him and his bank the ...Read More

Britain's top retail banks set for shake-up

Tue, Nov 3rd, 2009 | Business |

Britain's top retail banks set for shake-up LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is set to announce on Tuesday a long-awaited deal with its bailed-out banks, including a record rights issue for Lloyds Banking Group and hefty disposals for Royal Bank of Scotland to appease the EU competition regulator ...Read More

UPDATE 1-Britain's top retail banks set for shake-up

Mon, Nov 2nd, 2009 | Business |

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Britain is set to announce on Tuesday a long-awaited deal with its bailed-out banks, including a record rights issue for Lloyds Banking Group and hefty disposals for Royal Bank of Scotland to appease the EU ...Read More

RBS faces more forced sales in UK bank shake-up

Mon, Nov 2nd, 2009 | Business |

LONDON (Reuters) - A deal between Royal Bank of Scotland, EU regulators and the UK government could include unplanned disposals, the bank said for the first time on Monday, ahead of a radical shake-up of the UK banking sector. RBS and ...Read More

UPDATE 1-UK bank shake-up to bring in new competitors-Darling

Sun, Nov 1st, 2009 | Business |

LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The UK government will announce a banking overhaul this week which it hopes will attract new players to the market, as carve-up plans for rescued banks Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds are finalised. British finance ...Read More

Government to set up bank chains

Sat, Oct 31st, 2009 | Business |

Government to set up bank chains Royal Bank of Scotland was bailed out by the UK government last year Three new High Street banking chains are to be created by the government by 2015 as part of a major overhaul. They will be set up by breaking ...Read More

Net pirates to be 'disconnected'

Wed, Oct 28th, 2009 | SciTech |

The UK government has been laying out some of the ways it intends to pursue persistent net pirates. It comes as Lord Mandelson confirmed that he would introduce tough measures against illegal file-sharers. Initially pirates could have download caps imposed or have ...Read More

Intel Services Didn't Tell Congress About Spy Ops

Wed, Oct 28th, 2009 | U.S. |

Congress is probing what some Democratic lawmakers argue are failures by the Bush administration's intelligence services to inform Congress what they're doing. Robert Litt is chief counsel for the Director of National Intelligence. He testified before the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday ...Read More

CIA Says it Didn’t Inform Congress About Activities

Tue, Oct 27th, 2009 | Politics, U.S. |

A senior intelligence official conceded Tuesday that the spy agency has failed to fully inform Congress about some of its spying activities. Congress is probing what some Democratic lawmakers argue are failures by the Bush administration's CIA to tell Congress what ...Read More

Soldiers Wed Russians in Marriage Scam

Tue, Oct 27th, 2009 | World |

WILMINGTON, N.C. (Oct. 27) - Sgt. Jason Hawk and his bride met for the first time when he picked her up at a bus stop near his Army base a day before their wedding. Prosecutors say the speedy romance was ...Read More

Iran may withhold funds to Pakistan

Tue, Oct 20th, 2009 | World |

TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Iranian lawmakers Tuesday called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to halt the delivery of financial aid to Pakistan in response to a deadly terrorist attack. A suicide bomber set off a device in southeastern Iran, killing at ...Read More

Mottaki: Foreign spy agencies cause Iran attacks

Tue, Oct 20th, 2009 | Top Stories, World |

Mottaki: Foreign spy agencies cause Iran attacks Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said that sporadic conflicts in eastern parts of the country are caused by foreign agents. "They are resident in Pakistan but violate border [regulations] of Iran and Pakistan," said Mottaki in a press conference on ...Read More