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Sir Keir Starmer will travel to the Persian Gulf today as he tries to build stronger trade ties with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.In his first visit to the region as prime minister, he will aim to boost investment in the UK and deepen defence and security partnerships, said Number 10. The two Middle Eastern countries are among Britain's "most vital modern-day partners", it said in a statement.After flying to the Gulf on Sunday night, Sir Keir will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed on Monday.Later that day, he will fly to Saudi Arabia where he will have talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Sir Keir is facing calls from human rights groups to raise with Saudi leaders the rising number of executions.The PM said: "Driving long-term growth at home requires us to s...

Seismic is an overused word. Not when it comes to events currently under way in Syria, a country straddling the fault lines of the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, if it comes, will be the most significant event yet in the upheaval that's followed the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel last year. Syria latest: Rebels expand controlIt would be the end of a brutal reign of terror that has lasted since the Assad family under patriarch Hafez Assad seized power in the early 1970s. And the end of a devastating civil war that has raged since 2011.The Assads have maintained their grip on Syria with diabolical cynicism. They have used massacre and torture, chemical weapons and barrel bombs, to secure their rule for almost five decades. But they have also cleverly leveraged their cou...

The sound of psalms and hymns echoed hauntingly across Paris.Musical notes reaching the ears of those beyond the newly restored walls of Notre-Dame. Despite the bitterly cold and driving rain, masses lined the Seine to witness and be near this beloved French monument at its moment of triumph.The lights illuminating the spire on top and all the way around the cathedral made it a proud centrepiece of this city on this night.There were tears of joy this time from some of those who watched under umbrellas, who had come to see and hear the historic reopening from a distance. And it wasn't just the devout who showed up, there were tourists who had travelled from afar to see the cathedral rise again from ashes. Image: The word 'merci' was projected o...

At the gates of the national assembly in Seoul, there was huge disappointment as the news hit that the president, who they wanted punished, had been saved by his own party.Most members of the ruling party boycotted the impeachment vote in South Korea's parliament. Those calling for his imprisonment at the gates cried sabotage. "I think they are crazy. I think they are standing for the president not for the people," one protester told me. "They have to change their mind. To support the people of South Korea." Image: Protesters call for the president's impeachment. Pic: Reuters A young woman could barely contain her frustration, saying: "They don't do anything to correct the president's mistake. I'm so angry. We have to prote...

Prince William has met Donald Trump for the first time since the American was re-elected president.The pair shook hands at a ceremony in Paris to mark the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral - attended by leaders from around the world. They exchanged a few words and Mr Trump patted William on the chest. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player World leaders gather at Notre-Dame Cathedral for reopening ceremony Later in the evening, the Prince of Wales is expected to discuss the importance of the US-UK's "special relatio...