Month: April 2018

Kensington Palace has announced that politicians and world leaders won’t be attending Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. But 1,200 members of the public — many involved with charities or community groups — have been invited to the grounds of Windsor Castle for the May 19 celebration. That will give them a chance to see the royals arrive at the chapel and to see the carriage procession after the wedding ceremony. Here’s a look at some of the people invited:   – Pamela Anomneze, 52, who works with 306 Collective in London, which helps people with mental health issues by teaching them …

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Four laboratories linked to the international chemical weapons watchdog have confirmed Britain’s findings that a nerve agent was used last month to poison a former Russian spy and his daughter. The confirmations were in an Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) report released Thursday. British Ambassador to the U.N. Karen Pierce said OPCW’s conclusions “agree explicitly with the U.K.’s analysis” and added the chemical used in the attack was a “military-grade nerve agent of high purity.” British Prime Minister Theresa May said former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned last month in Salisbury, England …

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The crown prince of Saudi Arabia was on an official visit Thursday to longtime commercial ally Spain, where activists are criticizing past and possible future sales of military equipment to the kingdom. Mohammed bin Salman was due to attend a banquet with Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia before meeting with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and with Defense Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal.   The 32-year-old heir to the Saudi throne and Rajoy were scheduled to preside over the signing of bilateral agreements, according to the visit’s official agenda, which provided no further details.   Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Oxfam …

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The international chemical watchdog is preparing to release its report on the nerve agent used to poison a former spy and his daughter in southwestern England as Russia continues to deny suggestions that it was behind the attack. Britain’s Foreign Office said it has asked the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to publish a summary of its findings at midday Thursday.   Britain has blamed Russia for the March 4 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, with a nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union. Russia denies any involvement, saying Britain hasn’t provided evidence to support …

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America’s allies are offering to join a possible military response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. But they’re urging Washington to avoid swift retaliation, saying that before a reprisal is launched, more evidence is needed that Syria was behind the chemical attack. In very direct terms, U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Twitter Wednesday that a military response was coming: Russian officials were quick to respond, saying if there was an American strike, then Russia would shoot down the missiles and target the positions from where they were launched. “Smart missiles …

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When the U.S. fired Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airfield a year ago after a chemical weapons attack, the Pentagon gave Moscow advance warning to get its personnel out of harm’s way. Since then, U.S.-Russian relations have soured, and the two nuclear powers have raised the ante, getting dangerously close to a potential military clash in Syria. U.S. President Donald Trump has taunted Moscow to “get ready” for “nice and new and ‘smart”‘ missiles coming to punish Syria for a purported chemical attack on Saturday that killed at least 40 people. The tweet followed Russia’s warning that it will strike …

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The daughter of poisoned former spy Sergei Skripal said Wednesday that she didn’t want help from the Russian Embassy as she recovers from the nerve agent attack that left her and her father in critical condition and created an international furor. Yulia Skripal, 33, said in a statement that she found herself with a “totally different life” than the one she had before the March 4 poisoning in southwest England. She was released from the hospital this week, while Sergei Skripal remains hospitalized. “I have been made aware of my specific contacts at the Russian Embassy who have kindly offered …

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Azerbaijan’s longtime president, Ilham Aliyev, won a fourth term Wednesday in an election boycotted by the opposition. Election officials said they expected Aliyev to finish with 86 percent of the vote. “I am grateful to my people for voting for our achievements and success,” Aliyev said late Wednesday, as supporters drove cars and honked their horns in celebration through central Baku. Election officials said they had received no complaints of fraud, although some in the opposition reported incidents of some voters casting multiple ballots. European election monitors planned to issue their report Thursday. Wednesday’s election was originally scheduled for October …

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The English hospital treating poisoned spy Sergei Skripal on Wednesday accused a Russian TV crew of “appalling behavior” for sneaking into the facility overnight. Footage posted online by British newspapers showed a reporter from the REN TV network walking along corridors at Salisbury District Hospital early Wednesday and commenting on the apparent lack of security. The hospital said in a statement that “this footage shows appalling behavior on the part of these Russian journalists — approaching staff in the middle of the night with no warning and without asking for any permission.” It said “any attempt to harass, intimidate or cause …

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