SALFORD, England (Reuters) – The Dalai Lama walked into an Olympic row with China on Friday on a visit to Leeds in northern England, the city chosen as the base for the Chinese Olympic team this summer.

The BBC reported that China had urged Leeds City Council to stop his visit and threatened to pull out of the city, but the council insisted the visit to address a business convention was private.

SALFORD, England, June 15 (Reuters) – The Dalai Lama walked
into an Olympic row with China on Friday on a visit to Leeds in
northern England, the city chosen as the base for the Chinese
Olympic team this summer.

The BBC reported that China had urged Leeds City Council to
stop his visit and threatened to pull out of the city, but the
council insisted the visit to address a business convention was
private.

LONDON (Reuters) – The West is using Russia’s opposition to tougher action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a pretext not to come up with its own solution to the crisis there, the head of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee said on Thursday.

Speaking a day after Washington accused Russia of supplying attack helicopters to Assad’s forces, Alexei Pushkov said Western calls for the Syrian president to step aside were “irresponsible”.

LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David
Cameron, under fire for courting an exclusive media clique led
by Rupert Murdoch, appeared before a judicial inquiry on
Thursday to try and neuter claims his ministers tailored policy
to further Murdoch’s interests.

Cameron’s once cosy ties with Murdoch’s inner circle mean he
is under pressure to pull off a virtuoso performance at the
inquiry, which has sharpened the perception that Britain has
been run for years by an elite that fawned on the News Corp
chairman.

LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron will face questions at a judicial inquiry on Thursday about accusations his government tailored policy to pamper media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s business interests.

Cameron’s once cozy ties with Murdoch’s minions mean he is under pressure to pull off a virtuoso performance before an inquiry which has sharpened the perception Britain has been run for years by an elite that fawned on the News Corp chairman.

LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) – A star-studded lineup serenaded
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and huge crowds at a pop concert
outside Buckingham Palace on Monday to mark her 60-year reign,
but Diamond Jubilee celebrations were overshadowed by news her
husband had been hospitalised.

Prince Philip, who turns 91 next weekend, was taken to
hospital with a bladder infection in what the palace said was a
“precautionary” move.

LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David
Cameron on Monday took the rare step of seeking advice over
allegations that his Conservative Party co-chairman had broken
ministerial rules, the latest twist in a row that has
embarrassed his beleaguered government.

Sayeeda Warsi has in recent weeks battled accusations of
improper expense claims, but on Sunday a newspaper alleged that
she had not declared a business interest with a relative who had
travelled with her on official business.

LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) – “Elizabeth rules the waves!” was
just one headline from gushing British press coverage of Queen
Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee on Monday, the third day of
celebrations that have bolstered a royal family once mired in
scandal and dismissed as outdated.

Newspapers featured pages of crowds braving heavy rain to
witness Sunday’s spectacular flotilla on London’s River Thames
to mark Elizabeth’s 60th year on the throne, and previewed
Monday night’s star-studded concert outside Buckingham Palace.

LONDON (Reuters) – “Elizabeth rules the waves!” was just one headline from gushing British press coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee on Monday, the third day of celebrations that have bolstered a royal family once mired in scandal and dismissed as outdated.

Newspapers featured pages of crowds braving heavy rain to witness Sunday’s spectacular flotilla on London’s River Thames to mark Elizabeth’s 60th year on the throne, and previewed Monday night’s star-studded concert outside Buckingham Palace.

LONDON (Reuters) – States must set legally binding global rules on weapon and ammunition sales, aid agency Oxfam said on Tuesday, ahead of a United Nations summit to agree an arms treaty to prevent arms reaching human rights violators.

Citing the example of Syria, which has continued to receive arms shipments even as it is accused of killing more than 9,000 civilians in a crackdown on a popular uprising, Oxfam said it is vital that regulations on weapons sales are strengthened.