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Starmer Says UK to Host Multi-nation Meeting on Hormuz Shipping

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference to update on the latest situation in the Middle East and how the government is supporting families at home at 10 Downing Street in London, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by Frank Augstein / POOL / AFP)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference to update on the latest situation in the Middle East and how the government is supporting families at home at 10 Downing Street in London, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by Frank Augstein / POOL / AFP)
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Starmer Says UK to Host Multi-nation Meeting on Hormuz Shipping

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference to update on the latest situation in the Middle East and how the government is supporting families at home at 10 Downing Street in London, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by Frank Augstein / POOL / AFP)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference to update on the latest situation in the Middle East and how the government is supporting families at home at 10 Downing Street in London, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by Frank Augstein / POOL / AFP)

Britain will this week hold a meeting of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz which has been crippled by the Middle East war, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will host the discussions, Starmer told reporters during a Downing Street press conference, without specifying the day of the talks.

The meeting will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities", Starmer said.

"Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped," he added.

The discussions will include countries who recently signed a statement saying they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz", Starmer said.

Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands are among those to have signed it.

Iran has virtually closed the vital strait since the US-Israeli strikes that started the war on February 28, causing global oil and gas prices to soar.

A fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the strait in peacetime.

"I do have to level with people on this. This (reopening) will not be easy," Starmer said.

The UK leader also backed NATO following renewed criticism of the eight-decade-old alliance by US President Donald Trump.

"NATO is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen, and it has kept us safe for many decades, and we are fully committed to NATO," Starmer said.

Trump told Britain's Telegraph newspaper in an article published Wednesday that NATO was a "paper tiger".

Asked whether he would reconsider US membership, he replied: "Oh yes, I would say (it's) beyond reconsideration," the paper reported.

Last month, Trump told the Financial Times that it would be "very bad for the future of NATO" if members fail to help reopen the vital waterway.

On Tuesday, he said that countries which have not joined the war but are struggling with fuel shortages should "go get your own oil" in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the US would not help them.

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World

UK Summons Iranian Ambassador Over Embassy’s ‘Unacceptable’ Comments on Social Media

Police officers stand guard outside the Iranian embassy as demonstrators continue protesting outside during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London, Britain, January 13, 2026. (Reuters)
Police officers stand guard outside the Iranian embassy as demonstrators continue protesting outside during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London, Britain, January 13, 2026. (Reuters)
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UK Summons Iranian Ambassador Over Embassy’s ‘Unacceptable’ Comments on Social Media

Police officers stand guard outside the Iranian embassy as demonstrators continue protesting outside during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London, Britain, January 13, 2026. (Reuters)
Police officers stand guard outside the Iranian embassy as demonstrators continue protesting outside during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London, Britain, January 13, 2026. (Reuters)

Britain said on Tuesday the Iranian ambassador to London had been summoned over what the government described as the Iranian embassy's "unacceptable and inflammatory" comments on social media.

Britain's minister for the Middle East, ‌Hamish Falconer, made ‌clear that the embassy "must ‌cease ⁠any form of communications ⁠that could be interpreted as encouraging violence in the UK or internationally", the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Iranian officials in Tehran could not be immediately reached for ⁠comment on Britain's move.

A ‌statement posted ‌by the Iranian embassy on its Telegram channel ‌earlier this month called on ‌Iranians in Britain to volunteer for a campaign to declare their willingness to sacrifice their lives in a war ‌in defense of their country.

The British government did not ⁠specify ⁠which of the embassy's social media comments it was referring to.

British lawmakers have warned of significant and wide-ranging threats posed by Iran to Britain.

The government also summoned the Iranian ambassador last month after an Iranian national and a British-Iranian dual national were charged on suspicion of helping Iran's intelligence services.

World

Trump and Charles Greet Each Other Warmly as the King Begins a Day of Diplomacy in Washington

US President Donald Trump speaks with Britain's King Charles III during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2026. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks with Britain's King Charles III during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2026. (AFP)
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Trump and Charles Greet Each Other Warmly as the King Begins a Day of Diplomacy in Washington

US President Donald Trump speaks with Britain's King Charles III during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2026. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks with Britain's King Charles III during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2026. (AFP)

President Donald Trump and King Charles III greeted each other warmly on Tuesday as the monarch began a day of diplomacy in Washington designed to emphasize a bond between the United Kingdom and the United States that is so strong it can withstand the political turmoil of the moment.

Trump welcomed Charles and Queen Camilla to the White House in a ceremony on the South Lawn. The king shook hands with members of Trump's Cabinet before joining the president for a rendition of the national anthem.

The leaders will huddle later in the Oval Office for a meeting that’s closed to the public, reducing the potential for the freewheeling, sometimes controversial meetings with foreign officials that have become routine during Trump’s second term.

Charles will later become the first British monarch to address the US Congress since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991. Her speech highlighted the shared history of both countries and the importance of their democratic values, themes Charles will likely reinforce on Tuesday.

Such addresses are an opportunity afforded to only the most prominent world leaders, including Pope Francis, Václav Havel and Winston Churchill. It will likely mark the most extensive public remarks Charles will deliver during a four-day visit to the US that's intended to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary of independence from Britain.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., became the first sitting leader of his chamber to address the UK Parliament earlier this year. He attended a garden party with the king in Washington on Monday and said he told him he would be “well received” in Congress.

The visit comes at a challenging moment for US-UK relations. Trump’s up-and-down relationship with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken a particularly sour turn over the past several months as the Republican president has sought to rally international support for the war in Iran. Trump criticized Starmer, who has largely resisted his overtures, by saying “this is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with.”

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump stand on stage with Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP)

Trump has also imposed tariffs on the UK and warned of additional levies despite a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that has made such unilateral moves more challenging. Trump threatened just last week to slap a “big tariff” on the UK if it doesn't scrap a digital services tax on US technology companies.

Trump has more broadly challenged the traditional trans-Atlantic alliance with efforts to annex Greenland and threats to walk away from NATO. He has repeatedly imposed tariffs on and taunted Canada, a member of the British Commonwealth.

Meanwhile, Charles has faced some calls on Capitol Hill to meet with victims of Jeffrey Epstein while he is in the US. There's no indication that he will do so even as the scandal involving the convicted sex offender has ensnared his brother, who was arrested in February over misconduct allegations, which he denies.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., urged the king over the weekend to at least address the issue during his congressional speech.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York blamed Republican policies on Monday for straining the US-UK relationship.

“Hopefully, the king's visit is going to go a long way toward repairing the damage that this administration has done to one of our most important allies in the world,” Jeffries said.

Charles and Camilla arrived at the nation's capital on Monday and held a tea with the president and first lady Melania Trump. The royal couple will continue their US trip later this week with stops in New York City and Virginia.

World

Ukraine Says It Shot Down 33,000 Russian Drones in March, a Monthly Record

Police officers inspect fragments of a Russian drone after an air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP)
Police officers inspect fragments of a Russian drone after an air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP)
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Ukraine Says It Shot Down 33,000 Russian Drones in March, a Monthly Record

Police officers inspect fragments of a Russian drone after an air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP)
Police officers inspect fragments of a Russian drone after an air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (AP)

Ukraine used interceptor systems to shoot down more than 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, a record monthly figure since Moscow launched its all-out invasion more than four years ago, Ukraine’s defense minister claimed.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s domestically developed long-range attack drones struck a Russian oil refinery and terminal on the Black Sea for the third time in less than two weeks, prompting the evacuation of local people as a precautionary measure.

Ukraine has developed cutting-edge and battle-tested drone technology that has proved essential in holding back Russia’s bigger army and has drawn military interest from around the world.

Ukraine is scaling up supplies of interceptor drones to thwart Russian aerial attacks, and its military has introduced a new command within the air force to boost the country’s capabilities, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in a post on Telegram late Monday.

Ukraine’s offensive capabilities have also improved, with the Defense Ministry saying Tuesday that the country’s forces have more than doubled the range of their deep-strike capabilities since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

At that time, Ukrainian forces were able to hit military targets about 630 kilometers (400 miles) away, it said. They are now striking targets as far as roughly 1,750 kilometers (1,100 miles) behind enemy lines, the ministry said in a statement.

That improvement has allowed Ukraine to hit Russian oil installations that provide crucial revenue for Moscow’s war effort. It has also targeted manufacturing plants that supply Russia’s armed forces.

Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery at the Black Sea port of Tuapse for the third time this month in a coordinated operation involving multiple branches of the country’s defense and security services, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said Tuesday

The two strikes earlier this month destroyed 24 oil storage tanks and damaged four others, it said. Independent verification of the claims was not possible.

Video from Tuapse released Tuesday by Krasnodar regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev showed a massive plume of black smoke rising from the refinery and black, steaming puddles on an adjacent street. An emergency official reported to the governor that boiling oil products had spilled onto the street from one of the oil tanks, damaging several cars.

People who live near the Tuapse refinery were being evacuated, Kondratyev said. He didn’t provide any details about how many people were being evacuated or for how long.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday its air defenses overnight intercepted 186 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the annexed Crimea and the Black and the Azov seas.

In the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine, three people were killed and three more were wounded in a drone attack, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, meanwhile, killed three civilians and wounded five others, Ukrainian authorities said.

Two people were killed in the city of Chuhuiv in the northeastern Kharkiv region, according to the head of the regional military administration Oleh Syniehubov.

A 40-year-old man died and five other men sustained injuries in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A rare daytime drone attack on Kyiv on Tuesday wounded two people, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Another Russian attack on Konotop, in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, knocked out the city’s power and water supply.