TONY BLAIR

Russia has engaged in under-the-radar military operations in at least half a dozen countries in Africa in the last five years using a shadowy mercenary force analysts say is loyal to President Vladimir Putin.

A play that offers an audaciously Shakespearean take on recent and future U.S. politics is running at London's Old Vic theater.

The most clear-eyed response to Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine has come from the U.K. And it can go even further.

Jakarta is congested, polluted, prone to earthquakes and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea.

Disloyalty isn’t exactly a new development among the Tories but the rise of ideology has broken discipline and organization.

A petition accuses the ex-PM of war crimes, but Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says the honour is deserved.

Dr Gregor Smith and Olympic swimmer Duncan Scott are among Scots recognised by the Queen.

The Biden administration is looking to expand reporting requirements on all-cash real estate deals to help crack down on bad actors' use of the U.S. market to launder money made through illicit activity.

Angela Merkel is still Germany's Chancellor and might be still when the European Union leaders meet again, yet they have given her a farewell party at Friday’s EU summit.

For many Iraqis, the name Colin Powell conjures up one image: the man who as U.S. secretary of State went before the U.N. Security Council in 2003 to make the case for war against their country.

A UK court says the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, hacked the phones of his ex-wife Princess Haya and her attorneys during the legal battle over custody of their two children.

Chile Pandora Papers Chilean President Sebastian Piñera gives a press conference at La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, Chile, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. The investigation, dubbed the Pandora Papers, was published late Sunday and involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. ___MONTENEGROMontenegro’s President Milo Djukanovic and his son in 2012 allegedly established a trust and hid their wealth in a complicated network of companies, according to the investigation. ___LEBANONLebanon’s billionaire prime minister, Najib Mikati, cropped up in the Pandora Papers while the country is embroiled in a wrenching financial crisis. ___BRAZILThe documents showed Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes had multimillion dollar investments in an offshore company named Dreadnoughts International in the British Virgin Islands.

A global investigation has revealed how the rich and powerful have being hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century.

Pandora Papers FILE - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is shown ahead of a meeting at the EU Charlemagne building in Brussels, in this Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, file photo. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. The report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. Many of the accounts were designed to evade taxes and conceal assets for other shady reasons, according to the report. Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Pandora Papers FILE - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is shown ahead of a meeting at the EU Charlemagne building in Brussels, in this Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, file photo. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. The report released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. The more than 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts include Jordan’s King Abdullah II, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, and associates of both Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Calls are growing for an end to the financial secrecy and shell companies that have allowed many of the world’s richest and most powerful people to hide their wealth from tax collectors.

Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century.

Britain’s main opposition Labour Party is struggling to make an impact despite the many problems besetting the Conservative government.

The deputy leader of Britain’s main opposition party is refusing to apologize for calling the governing Conservatives “scum.”.

Afghanistan Taliban fighters search a vehicle at a checkpoint on the road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (Rahmat Gul)The Pentagon said Sunday that it is formally seeking airlift help from commercial airlines to relocate evacuees from Afghanistan once they have gotten out of their country. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the Department does not anticipate a major impact to commercial flights from this activation. ___LONDON — Britain’s Ministry of Defense says the country’s armed forces have evacuated nearly 4,000 people from Afghanistan since Aug. 13. “We don’t abandon our people and help others,” he said, adding that Ukrainian authorities were working on “further evacuations.” Last week, a Ukrainian plane evacuated some 80 people out of Kabul.

Britain Afghanistan In this handout photo provided by the Ministry of Defence, members of the UK Armed Forces taking part in the evacuation of entitled personnel from Kabul airport in Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. In addition to the 4,000 or so U.K. citizens, the country is thought to have around 5,000 Afghan allies, such as translators and drivers, earmarked for a seat on a plane. Blair conceded that mistakes were made over the past two decades but added that military interventions can be noble in intent. The British government has been working diplomatically to ensure there is no unilateral recognition of a Taliban government in Afghanistan. ___Follow all AP stories on developments in Afghanistan at https://apnews.com/hub/AfghanistanCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

The former British prime minister who deployed troops to Afghanistan 20 years ago says the U_S_ decision to withdraw from the country has “every Jihadist group round the world cheering.”.

Tony Blair, the British prime minister who deployed troops to Afghanistan 20 years ago after the 9/11 attacks, says the U.S. decision to withdraw from the country has “every Jihadist group round the world cheering.” In a lengthy essay posted on his website late Saturday, the former Labour Party leader said the sudden and chaotic pullout that allowed the Taliban to reclaim power risked undermining everything that had been achieved in Afghanistan over the past two decades, including advances in living standards and the education of girls. "The abandonment of Afghanistan and its people is tragic, dangerous, unnecessary, not in their interests and not in ours,” said Blair who served as prime minister during 1997-2007, a period that also saw him back the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003.

Afghanistan Taliban fighters search a vehicle at a checkpoint on the road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (Rahmat Gul)BERLIN — The U.S. military says an Afghan woman gave birth aboard an Air Force C-17 that flew from the Middle East to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The military’s Air Mobility Command tweeted that the mother began having complications during the flight Saturday. “The baby girl and mother were transported to a nearby medical facility and are in good condition,” the military said. Abdullah Hafeez Khan says Sunday that the airline has no on-ground arrangements and lacks appropriate facilities at Kabul international airport to operate evacuation flights.

Afghanistan Taliban fighters search a vehicle at a checkpoint on the road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (Rahmat Gul)THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Dutch government is donating 10 million euros to fund aid such as food, clean drinking water and medical supplies for Afghans. One Spanish plane carrying 64 people who worked for the U.S. landed late Saturday at Spain’s Torrejón air base near Madrid. Abdullah Hafeez Khan says Sunday that the airline has no on-ground arrangements and lacks appropriate facilities at Kabul international airport to operate evacuation flights. ___NEW DELHI — An Indian official says an air force transport plane has left Kabul for New Delhi carrying 168 people on board.

Afghanistan Taliban fighters search a vehicle at a checkpoint on the road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. ___ISLAMABAD — The spokesman for Pakistan International Airlines says the airline has suspended flights from Kabul and is not evacuating anyone at the moment. Abdullah Hafeez Khan says Sunday that the airline has no on-ground arrangements and lacks appropriate facilities at Kabul international airport to operate evacuation flights. Khan said the suspension is temporary and the airline will resume its operations once the required arrangements are made there. The Press Trust of India news agency said around 400 Indians were believed to be stranded in Afghanistan.

Tony Blair has launched a furious attack on Joe Biden's "imbecilic" withdrawal from Afghanistan, as the airport at the centre of evacuation efforts was forced to shut on Saturday amid horrific scenes.

London’s Tower Bridge was stuck with its roadway arms raised Monday afternoon, snarling traffic on both sides of the River Thames.

Documents from a presidential visit to the UK in 1997 have just been released, giving a behind-the-scenes look at planning for the high-profile visit.

The Scottish Parliament has the power to hold an independence referendum without Westminster’s consent, according to a previously secret UK government email revealed on Tuesday. Correspondence released by the National Archives shows a message written by Tony Blair’s special adviser on Scotland just hours before his Government released its devolution plans. In the email, Pat McFadden said that Donald Dewar – the man who went on to serve as leader of Scottish Labour and the country’s inaugural Fir

The mayor of Amsterdam has apologized for the extensive involvement of the Dutch capital’s former rulers in the global slave trade.

Malta imposed a 14-day quarantine on unvaccinated Britons just hours after being added to the UK's green list, as it emerged that only two green countries are free of travel restrictions. The Maltese government reintroduced the self-isolation rule amid growing concern in Europe over the UK's high rates of the Indian or delta Covid variant. Only vaccinated Britons will be allowed into Malta without having to quarantine as its status as the only fully green destination on the list saw a nine-fold

President Joe Biden frequently talks about what he sees as central in executing effective foreign policy: building personal relationships.

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson used their first meeting Thursday to highlight a commitment to strengthening their nations’ historic ties while setting aside, at least publicly, their differences both political and personal.

Boris Johnson will announce within weeks a new national flagship named after the Duke of Edinburgh that will be seen as a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia. The new ship is expected to be named HMS Prince Philip and will boost British trade and drive investment into the UK economy. HMY Britannia was controversially decommissioned by Labour prime minister Tony Blair in 1997. That decision “signalled the end of an unbroken succession of royal yachts dating back to the reign of King Charles II”, the Duke wrote in Britannia’s official history in 2003. The new ship would be crewed by the Royal Navy, senior sources said. It will be the first official government commemoration to Prince Philip.

Shirley Williams, a trailblazing U.K. female lawmaker who tried to reshape a British political system dominated by two big parties, has died.

AdThe last four presidents, back to Bill Clinton, each held one solo White House news conference in their first 60 days, picking up the pace to varying degrees later. The pandemic has kept foreign leaders away from the White House this year. Eisenhower's news conference Jan. 19, 1955, was one benchmark among several in the history of presidential news conferences tracked by Kumar, an authority on White House practices. But for all of JFK's charms and smarts, he encountered a more aggressive White House press corps, Kumar says. Richard Nixon, like Trump after him, called the press an “enemy.” Yet Nixon was the first to hold White House news conferences in prime time.

Fauci won a $1 million award from the Israeli Dan David Foundation for courageously defending science during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)TEL AVIV – Dr. Anthony Fauci has won the $1 million Dan David Prize for “defending science” and advocating for vaccines now being administered worldwide to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Israel-based Dan David Foundation on Monday named President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser as the winner of one of three prizes. AdBiden's election, Fauci said, was “liberating.”The Dan David Prize, established in 2000, gives $1 million awards in three categories each year for contributions addressing the past, present and future. Fauci won the prize for achievement in the “present,” in the field of public health, the foundation said.

The United Kingdom has suffered its worst civilian loss of life since World War II by a significant number. But the United Kingdom has now suffered its worst civilian loss of life since World War II by a significant number. Here's a look at some of Britain's struggles with civilian deaths during World War II and since. In World War II, the threat to Britain was existential. WORLD WAR II CIVILIAN DEATHSFrom September 1940-May 1941, the U.K. suffered an intensive bombing campaign by Germany's Luftwaffe that struck the biggest cities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Usman Garuba, one of the freed boys, described the horror of their six days walking through the forest and being beaten. Boko Haram, Nigeria's jihadist rebels, claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but the government later said the abduction was carried out by bandit groups rampant in the northwest. Nigeria’s military and police forces, with the backing of local self-defense groups, are outgunned, outnumbered, underfunded and underpaid, he said. More than 800 security forces were killed in 2019, one of the deadliest years since Boko Haram’s establishment more than 10 years ago. It is really disturbing.”___AP journalists Lekan Oyekanmi in Katsina, Nigeria, and Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed.

But it said he was not criticizing devolution, only its use “by separatists and nationalists to break up the U.K.”“The PM has always supported devolution,” Downing St. said in a statement. Brexit was championed by Johnson and supported by a narrow majority of U.K. voters in a 2016 referendum, but strongly opposed in Scotland. Scotland voted to remain in the U.K. by a margin of 55%-45% in a 2014 independence referendum that was billed as a once-in-a-generation event. If Sturgeon’s SNP wins the anticipated majority, she is likely to demand a new independence referendum. U.K. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick defended Johnson, saying he did not oppose Scotland exercising its own powers.

FILE - In this March 2, 2016, file photo, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks speaks at a press conference announcing his winning of the 2016 Templeton Prize, in London. Sacks, the former chief rabbi in the U.K. who reached beyond the Jewish community with his regular broadcasts on radio, has died at 72. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)LONDON – Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi in the U.K. who reached beyond the Jewish community with his regular broadcasts on radio, has died at 72. Sacks served as the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, the figurehead of British Jews, for 22 years, stepping down in 2013. He was succeeded by the current chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, who said the world had lost an “intellectual giant who had a transformative global impact."

“He served as a bridge in a broader sense,″ said Chaya Spitz, a protege of Pinter's and CEO of an umbrella organization for Orthodox Jewish charities. For instance, students aren’t taught about human reproduction because the Orthodox community believes the topic is one best handled at home. While some in his Jewish community considered him a dangerous modernist, many in the broader society saw him as a crazy extremist, Cohen said. After seeing the situation for himself, Pinter went back to London and raised 5,000 pounds ($6,500) for the migrants. “When he died I thought, ‘That’s Rabbi Pinter, at least he could look at his wife and say that he did his homework,’″ Glasman said.

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 file photo, former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair, left and John Major attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in London. One major element of the Brexit withdrawal agreement is the section related to ensuring an open border on the island of Ireland to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland. The issue proved thorny during the more than two years of discussions it took to get a Brexit deal done, as the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is the only land link between the U.K. and the EU. As a result, the two sides agreed there would be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Major and Blair, who both vociferously opposed Brexit, said the planned legislation puts the 1998 Good Friday agreement that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland at risk.

LONDON A Royal Air Force plane used by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on official trips is getting a red, white and blue paint job at a cost of almost 1 million pounds ($1.25 million). The Voyager also carries other senior ministers and members of the royal family on overseas trips, and is used by the air force for air-to-air refueling. Johnson complained in 2018 about the drab official plane, asking why does it have to be gray? and saying he would like a Brexit plane to help promote the U.K. around the world. Johnsons office said the paint job, estimated to cost 900,000 pounds, wouldn't affect the planes military role. But opposition Labour Party lawmaker Louise Haigh questioned the wisdom of spending almost a million pounds redecorating a plane which in all likelihood has been grounded for months because of the coronavirus" pandemic.

This combination of cover images show, from left, Rough and Rowdy Ways," by Bob Dylan, "Homegrown," a release by Neil Young and "Bigger Love" by John Legend. Peoples film will debut Friday on-demand on Juneteenth, the annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Miss Juneteenth isnt about that history but the contemporary African American struggle to remain in the middle class. AP Film Writer Jake CoyleMUSICBob Dylan: Its been eight years since the legend Bob Dylan released an album of original material. Neil Young: Neil Young also has a new album out on Friday, though he finished it 45 years ago.

The curt riposte to Blair's desire to talk about his Christian faith reflects a general attitude in the U.K. both among the political establishment and the general public that politics and religion don't mix well. In the case of the forthcoming U.K. election on Thursday December 12, however, political parties have been unable to dodge religion with controversies over discrimination coming to the fore for both the Conservative and Labour parties. The bigger prominence of religion in the 2019 snap election, one which will decide the direction the U.K.'s departure from the EU takes, is more to do with identity politics, experts say. But I think it's one manifestation of the politics of identity that is becoming increasingly common," he said. In late November, the U.K.'s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis attacked the Labour party for failing to tackle anti-Semitism within its ranks, adding that the party's leader Jeremy Corbyn was "unfit for office."

A British inquiry that began seven years ago has found that following the United States into the Iraq War was not necessary. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair takes most of the blame in the report. Mark Phillips has more.

Long-awaited report from independent inquiry says Tony Blair "chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options had been exhausted" based on a deeply flawed presentation of the evidence available on Saddam Hussein's weapons stockpiles. CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports from London.

Campbell spent more than a decade advising Tony Blair, helping Blair win three terms as British prime minister. Campbell witnessed pivotal moments with world leaders, business innovators and royalty. Campbell joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss his latest book, “Winners and How They Succeed.”