DUBAI (Reuters) – The United States and Iran swapped prisoners – a Chinese-American detained for three years on spying charges and an imprisoned Iranian – on Saturday in a rare act of cooperation between two longtime foes whose ties have worsened since President Donald Trump took office. FILE PHOTO: Xiyue Wang, a naturalized American citizen

The Conservatives are pledging to invest £550m in grassroots football as part of plans to back a UK and Ireland bid to host the 2030 World Cup if they form the next government. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the investment would “transform lives with a legacy to match the 2012 Olympics”. It would boost existing

ALGIERS (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Algerians took to the streets on Friday, making a show of strength of their last weekly protest before a presidential election that they have rejected as meaningless. Demonstrators take part in a protest to demand for the presidential election scheduled for next week to be cancelled, in Algiers,

Media playback is unsupported on your device London Fire Brigade’s commissioner is to step down four months early in the wake of criticism over the service’s response to the Grenfell fire. Dany Cotton, 50, previously announced she was standing down from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) in April 2020. She was facing calls to resign

NSW Rural Fire Service crews protect properties on Waratah Road and Kelyknack Road as the Three Mile fire approaches Mangrove Mountain, Australia, December 5, 2019. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts/via REUTERS SYDNEY (Reuters) – Firefighters battled to contain nearly 150 fires burning in New South Wales state on Friday as strong winds fanned the flames and again

Media playback is unsupported on your device France’s largest nationwide strike in years has severely disrupted schools and transport. Workers are angry about planned pension reforms that would see them retiring later or facing reduced payouts. More than 800,000 workers from a wide range of professions demonstrated against the changes. Some cities saw clashes between

KIEV (Reuters) – An independent Ukrainian lawmaker said on Thursday he had met U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer in Kiev to discuss the alleged misuse of U.S. taxpayer money by Ukrainian state bodies. Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani in Kiev, Ukraine in this

A British cave expert has testified that he was left feeling “humiliated, ashamed” and “dirtied” after Elon Musk labelled him “pedo guy” online. Vernon Unsworth is suing the Tesla founder for defamation. The diver, who helped rescue 12 boys trapped in a Thai cave last year, told a Los Angeles court that comments Mr Musk

France’s President Emmanuel Macron gestures during a bilateral meeting with Belgium’s Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes at the end of the NATO summit in Watford, Britain, December 4, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/Pool WATFORD, England (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday demanded West African leaders dismiss growing anti-French sentiment across the region if they wanted France’s military

Media playback is unsupported on your device Nato leaders are meeting near London, as tensions between members threaten to overshadow a summit marking the military alliance’s 70th birthday. The three-hour talks are expected to cover issues such as cyber-attacks and the strategic challenge posed by China. In opening remarks, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reminded

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a meeting in Jerusalem, Friday, October 18, 2019. Sebastian Scheiner/Pool via REUTERS WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday in Lisbon, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.

The family of London Bridge attacker Usman Khan have said they are “saddened and shocked” by what happened and “totally condemn his actions”. In a statement, they expressed their condolences to the victims’ families Khan, who was convicted of a terrorism offence in 2012, killed Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, at a prisoner

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne resigned on Tuesday after the Center Party, a member of the governing five-party coalition, said it had lost confidence in the Social Democrat leader in the wake of a crippling postal strike. Prime Minister of Finland Antti Rinne (R) hands his resignation to President Sauli Niinistö at

Second Test, Seddon Park, Hamilton (day five of five): New Zealand 375 (Latham 105) & 241-2 (Williamson 104*, Taylor 105*) England 476 (Root 226, Burns 101; Wagner 5-124) Match drawn; New Zealand won series 1-0 Scorecard New Zealand sealed a 1-0 series win over England as Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor centuries helped secure a

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an annual VTB Capital “Russia Calling” Investment Forum in Moscow, Russia, November 20, 2019. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo/File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed legislation allowing individuals to be labeled foreign agents, drawing criticism from rights groups that say the move

Vigils for the victims of the London Bridge attack have been held in London and Cambridge. Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were commemorated in a service at Guildhall Yard in the City of London. They were stabbed to death by convicted terrorist Usman Khan, 28, at a prisoner rehabilitation conference on Friday. Mr

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they pose on the West Wing colonnade in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has announced on national TV that he will step down in the new year, amid a crisis over a murdered journalist. He said he would ask the ruling Labour Party to begin the process to choose his successor in January. Demonstrators have demanded his immediate resignation over the inquiry into

VALETTA (Reuters) – Lawmakers from Malta’s ruling Labour Party met on Sunday to decide the future of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat amid a crisis sparked by the investigation into a murdered journalist. FILE PHOTO: Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat addresses a press conference after an urgent Cabinet meeting at the Auberge de Castille in Valletta,

Media playback is unsupported on your device An urgent review of the licence conditions of terrorists freed from prison has been launched by the Ministry of Justice following Friday’s London Bridge attack. Two people were killed and three were injured by Usman Khan, 28, a convicted terrorist who served half of his time. PM Boris