London Bureau Chief, The National

London
Joined May 2008
HRH Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Minister of Defense, leads the Kingdom’s delegation to the meetings that will be held today in Tehran, capital of Iran, between Makkah Joint Defense Agreement countries and officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran, with participation of Field Marshall Asim Munir, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff and Ibrahim Kalin, Director of the Turkish National Intelligence. Representatives of Makkah Joint Defense Agreement countries will meet with the H.E. President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, and H.E. the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Mohsen Rezaei. The visit comes as part of the continued efforts by the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement countries for de-escalation between parties involved in the ongoing crisis, and promoting dialogue and diplomatic solutions, in support of the mediation efforts carried out by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The visit underscore the pivotal role of Makkah Joint Defense Agreement countries in reinforcing regional security and stability, and working with all countries in the region to achieve that goal.
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Andy Burnham will remain caught in a political trap where he can’t address the big questions. And the UK’s strategic traps will remain glaringly exposed. Opinion | Damien McElroy @ddamned via @TheNationalNews thenationalnews.com/opinion/…
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Damien McElroy retweeted
Smit Machchhar, the flydubai pilot whose heroism helped avert tragedy on flight 1073. has given his first English-language interview with The National's Editor-in-Chief, Mina Al-Oraibi. For the first time, he recounts details of the terrifying events in the plane's cockpit. Stay tuned for the full interview on our website and YouTube channel tonight, Saturday, October 17, at 9pm
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🦠🤒🦠58.3% of Islington residents taking a test are discovering they have COVID. It seems to be the highest in the country atm. Look after yourselves Islington
Replying to @skeuomorphology
Mixed signs in inner London, with Islington and Camden both increasing testing yet still showing very high positivity. Outer London boroughs are now all increasing and that extends along the M4 west and to Medway (which was on 16.67%) and Southend. 2/8
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CMA and Ofcom reports into the Telegraph bid are out this Friday. Having worked a large slab of my life for two organisations at the heart of this, the release of these reports amounts to a process outcome. The actual findings less so.
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RT @Stone_SkyNews: There’s lots going on here… - why is Merz in his attic? - has VDL been doodling on her notes? - which aide, off camera,…
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Damien McElroy retweeted
And so, the American military presence in Iraq came to an end today officially. Long drawn out, but still significant. After 23 years and 6 months, the US leaves Iraq, after previous attempts to leave failed war.gov/News/Releases/Releas…
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Oh Canada!
#Energy I @jnbarrot mobilizes French diplomacy to secure France’s energy supplies
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Damien McElroy retweeted
Palestinian ambassador to France @HalaAbouHassira told me that recognition of Palestinian statehood by 11 western nations a year ago must not be “trivialised” despite a deteriorating security and humanitarian situation on the ground. thenationalnews.com/news/202…
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There is no other body that has the infrastructure to address the long-term emergencies, plus the fundamental challenges posed by conflict. Opinion | Damien McElroy @ddamned via @TheNationalNews thenationalnews.com/opinion/…
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One role for middle powers is how to carve out a position of strength on AI at a time when so much of the industry and its frontier development are concentrated outside their borders. Opinion | Damien McElroy @ddamned via @TheNationalNews thenationalnews.com/opinion/…
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The Government continues to refuse to acknowledge it is receiving help from foreign militaries. It's getting a bit ridiculous a this point
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Damien McElroy retweeted
Replying to @educationgovuk
Here is my story of the meeting @edballs had to queue for his photo sirpeterwanless.substack.com…
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Damien McElroy retweeted
🚨New passport requirements Irish Sea🚨 From 28 September 2026, all passengers, including Irish and British citizens, travelling between the Republic of Ireland and Britain (both directions) will be required to carry a valid passport. This is to ensure compliance with UK Border Force requirements relating to the accuracy and integrity of passenger data before boarding. We encourage all passengers travelling or planning to travel after 28 September 2026 to check that they have a valid, in-date passport (or Irish passport card) before arriving at the port.
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Damien McElroy retweeted
'Local news' on BBC NI really was very different to all the other BBC regions in the 90's. (New Years Day 1993)
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Damien McElroy retweeted
End of an Era as Diamonds News Prepares to Close After 47 Years in An Baile Meánach gyronnyherald.com/2026/08/13… via @gyronny I don’t know the person who wrote but it’sbeautiful in the way he describes the Newsagents it moved me to tears thank you 🙏
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