British Justice Minister Jack Straw confirmed Sunday that he had tried — and failed — to keep the Lockerbie bomber out of an agreement to send Libyan convicts back to the north African nation to serve their sentences there.
Tag Archives: foreign-office
Pregnant drug trafficker returns to Britain
A pregnant British woman, who was jailed in Laos on drug charges, arrived in London Friday after being handed over to British authorities to serve her sentence at home. Lao authorities had agreed to release Samantha Orobator and John Watson, another Briton jailed on drug charges, after signing a deal with British authorities last week
Deal paves way for pregnant British inmate’s Laos transfer
Britain and Laos have signed a deal to fast-track the return of two Britons jailed in Laos — including a heavily pregnant woman, a Foreign Office spokesman said Tuesday.
UK minister: Helmand troops need more helicopters
A UK government minister on Wednesday reopened the dispute over support for troops in Afghanistan by insisting they had insufficient helicopters. Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown, who is resigning from the government later this week, said: “We definitely don’t have enough helicopters,” adding that “mobility” was vital for operations in southern Afghanistan, where British troops are battling a resurgent Taliban. Malloch-Brown also questioned Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s claim that the war was being fought to prevent Afghan terrorists carrying out attacks on Britain
UK school group leaves swine flu quarantine in China
A group of British children and teachers quarantined for nearly a week in China because of swine flu fears were allowed to leave their hotel Tuesday, Britain’s Foreign Office said.
Manchester United snub Indonesian request
Manchester United have scheduled a second match in Malaysia after rejecting a request from the Indonesian government to fulfil a fixture canceled as a result of bomb attacks in Jakarta. The English Premier League champions will play a second game against a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, having defeated the same team 3-2 in Saturday’s opening match of the club’s pre-season Asian tour
Second person dies after Madonna stage collapse
A second person has died during construction for Madonna’s upcoming concerts in Marseilles, France, authorities said Friday.
Iran frees British embassy worker, leaving 1 jailed
Iran has released a British embassy staffer, leaving one of the embassy’s local staff in jail, the Foreign Office in London said Monday. “We are confirming that one of our staff remains in detention,” a Foreign Office representative told CNN, declining to be named, in line with British government policy. “It remains our top priority to get all our staff freed.” A leading Iranian cleric said Friday that the remaining British embassy staffer could be tried for inciting unrest in the wake of Iran’s disputed June 12 presidential election
Personal details of new UK spy chief on Facebook
Personal details and photographs of the incoming head of Britain’s international spy agency have been posted on Facebook, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband acknowledged Sunday. But he insisted that no compromising information had been revealed
Report: UK embassy staff in Iran ‘face trial’
A top Iranian cleric said Friday some of the arrested employees from the British Embassy in Tehran would be put on trial, Iranian Students News Agency reported. The employees have been accused of helping to incite some of the post-election protests that sweep through Iran. The British Foreign Office in London reacted strongly to the statement Friday.