Connect with us

Published

on

Joe Biden has arrived in the UK on Air Force One ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall.

His plane touched down at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk on Wednesday evening, beginning his first overseas trip as US president.

A large crowd of US Air Force personnel and their families were waiting for him inside a hangar, where he addressed them.

Air Force One carrying U.S. President Joe Biden lands at RAF (Royal Air Force) Mildenhall as he arrives ahead of the G7 Summit, near Mildenhall, Suffolk, Britain, June 9, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Boyers
Image:
Mr Biden’s first stop in the UK was RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks to U.S. Air Force personnel and their families stationed at RAF Mildenhall, ahead of the G7 Summit, near Mildenhall, Britain June 9, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Image:
Mr Biden spoke to US Air Force personnel and their families at the base

He said: “At every point along the way we are going to make it clear that the United States is back and democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and the issues that matter most to our future.”

The UK and US, as founding members of NATO, were part of “the strongest military and political alliance in the history of the world”, he said.

“Now we need to modernise our alliance, investing in our critical infrastructure, our cyber capabilities and to keep us secure against every threat we’ve faced over the last decade, and the new challenges we are about to face as well.”

After his time at Mildenhall, Mr Biden flew to Newquay before travelling on to Tregenna Castle in Carbis Bay.

More on Joe Biden

He will meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson tomorrow before the G7 begins in Carbis Bay on Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks to U.S. Air Force personnel and their families stationed at RAF Mildenhall, ahead of the G7 Summit, near Mildenhall, Britain June 9, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Image:
Mr Biden told his troops that democracies were ‘standing together’

After the summit – which also includes leaders from Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and Italy – Mr Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, will meet the Queen at Windsor Castle before the president meets NATO leaders in Belgium and then Russian President Vladimir Putin in Switzerland.

Speaking about his meeting with Mr Putin, Mr Biden said the US was not seeking conflict but would respond in a “robust and meaningful way” if Russia engaged in harmful activities.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘I’ll be letting Putin know what I want him to know’

Mr Johnson has said he wants to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and urge other leaders to do more to vaccinate the rest of the world, but it is likely the growing Brexit trade row and its effect on the Northern Ireland peace process will also come up.

Mr Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan has warned that the president has “very deep” concerns on the issue, adding that the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol is “critical” to ensuring that the Good Friday Agreement is protected.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What is the G7?

During Mr Biden’s flight across the Atlantic, his press secretary Jen Psaki and Mr Sullivan told reporters what else is on Mr Biden’s agenda:

• Boosting vaccine supply – the US announced on Wednesday evening that it would donate 500 million COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries

• Following discussions about possible waivers of intellectual property laws allowing more vaccines to be produced around the world, Mr Sullivan said he does not anticipate contention but “convergence” on the issue

• Mr Sullivan said that moves to vaccinate poorer countries faster are “the right thing to do” and the smart thing to do in terms of stopping new variants of the virus. Mr Biden also wants to show that democracies can lead the fight

• Mr Biden will meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in Switzerland where he will discuss the rise in ransomware attacks that have been attributed to Russian hackers

• The conflict in Syria will be discussed, as will concerns about Russia’s new nuclear systems

• Mr Biden and Mr Johnson are expected to refresh the Atlantic Charter. The charter was first announced in 1941 by the US and UK, setting out a vision for the post-war world

Continue Reading

US

Joe Biden has skin cancer surgery – months after ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer diagnosis

Published

on

By

Joe Biden has skin cancer surgery - months after 'aggressive' prostate cancer diagnosis

Former US president Joe Biden has had surgery for skin cancer, his spokesperson has said.

It’s unclear when he had the procedure, but video from late August showed him leaving church in Delaware with a large, fresh scar on his head.

The spokesperson told Sky’s US partner, NBC News, that he was recovering well.

Mr Biden had Mohs surgery, which involves removing a layer of tissue, examining it under a microscope to see if any cancer cells remain, and repeating if necessary.

The 82-year had a basal cell carcinoma, one of the two most common skin cancer types, removed from his chest in 2023.

His doctor said at the time that all the cancerous cells had been removed.

The same year, Mr Biden’s wife, Jill, had two basal cell carcinomas removed from near her eye and on her chest.

The former president also revealed this May that he had stage-four prostate cancer – with the disease having spread to his bones and having a Gleason score of nine.

Such a score means the disease is “likely to grow quickly”, according to Cancer Research UK.

Follow the World
Follow the World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Read more from Sky News:
Trump to rebrand Pentagon as ‘Department of War’
The proxy war that will redefine US public health

His office said the prostate cancer was discovered when Mr Biden visited a doctor for urinary symptoms and that he was considering “multiple treatment options”.

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” said a statement.

Continue Reading

US

475 people detained during immigration raid on Hyundai factory in Georgia

Published

on

By

475 people detained during immigration raid on Hyundai factory in Georgia

Officers detained 475 people during an immigration raid on a Hyundai factory for electric vehicles in Georgia.

The majority of those detained at the 3,000-acre site west of Savannah are from South Korea, according to Steven Schrank, special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations.

Mr Schrank said the raid was the “largest single-site enforcement operation” in the history of the agency and followed an investigation of several months, which involved leads from community members and former workers.

The spokesman for the South Korean foreign ministry, Lee Jaewoong, said there was a “large” number of South Koreans among those detained in the raid, but did not provide an exact number.

A 'large' number of those detained were from South Korea
Image:
A ‘large’ number of those detained were from South Korea

He said the detained workers were part of a “network of subcontractors” and that the employees worked for several different companies on the Georgia site.

Mr Lee said South Korea’s foreign ministry is dispatching diplomats from its embassy in Washington and consulate in Atlanta to the site, and plans to form an on-site response team centred on the local mission.

“The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the process of US law enforcement,” Mr Lee added.

More on Georgia, Us

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents executed a search warrant “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes”.

The manufacturing site, which employs about 1,200 people, has been hailed as the largest economic development project in the state’s history by Governor Brian Kemp and other officials.

The Hyundai Motor Group plant in Georgia. File pic: AP Photo/Mike Stewart
Image:
The Hyundai Motor Group plant in Georgia. File pic: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Hyundai Motor Group, the biggest automaker in South Korea, started manufacturing electric vehicles at the $7.6bn (£7.4bn) site a year ago and partnered with LG Energy Solution to build an adjacent battery plant, which is set to open in 2026.

ICE spokesman Lindsay Williams confirmed the raid and said agents were focused on the construction site for the battery plant.

LG said in a statement that it was “closely monitoring the situation and gathered all relevant details”. The firm said it couldn’t immediately confirm how many of its employees or Hyundai workers had been detained.

“Our top priority is always ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and partners. We will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities,” LG said.

Hyundai and LG’s battery joint venture, HL-GA Battery Company, said in a statement that it’s “cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities” and paused construction of the battery site to assist the investigation.

Operations at Hyundai’s electric vehicle manufacturing plant weren’t interrupted, plant spokesperson Biance Johnson said.

Read more from Sky News:
Trump to rebrand Pentagon as Department of War
Former President Biden has skin cancer surgery

The raid is the latest in a series of sweeping ICE operations as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, which saw immigration officers raid farms, construction sites, restaurants and auto repair shops.

The US labour force lost more than 1.2 million immigrants from January through July, which includes legal and illegal immigrants, according to the Pew Research Centre, citing preliminary census data.

Continue Reading

US

Mark Zuckerberg sues Meta – but he’s not who you think

Published

on

By

Mark Zuckerberg sues Meta - but he's not who you think

Mark Zuckerberg – not that one – is suing Meta, the owner of Facebook.

After years of putting up with people mistaking him for the founder of Facebook, the Indiana bankruptcy lawyer has had enough.

Between 2022 and 2025, Mr Zuckerberg paid over $11,000 (£8,160) to Meta to advertise his law business, in an attempt to draw new clients to his law practice.

His adverts, however, were repeatedly removed for “impersonating a celebrity” or using an inauthentic name, according to the legal filing.

It was the final straw for a man who had been dealing with sharing the name of one of the world’s most powerful men for well over a decade.

He has documented the struggles of being Mark S Zuckerberg (rather than Meta’s Mark E Zuckerberg) on his website, in a list entitled: “Things that have happened to me because my name is Mark S Zuckerberg (I give it Zero likes)”.

Mark S Zuckerberg is suing Meta, the owner of Facebook. Pic: Mark S Zuckerberg
Image:
Mark S Zuckerberg is suing Meta, the owner of Facebook. Pic: Mark S Zuckerberg

Meta chief and Facebook founder Mark E Zuckerberg. File pic: AP
Image:
Meta chief and Facebook founder Mark E Zuckerberg. File pic: AP

According to the list, he was mistakenly sued by the State of Washington who thought he was the Meta owner.

He said his Facebook account is “constantly hacked”, businesses refuse to take his bookings as they think it is a prank and on the family tree website 23andMe, he has more than 753 people claiming to be relatives who “immediately request money”.

While speaking at a Las Vegas event, he said “a limo-driver was waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator with a sign saying ‘Mark Zuckerberg’, causing chaos as a large disappointed crowd had been waiting”.

During an email exchange he shared between himself and Meta employees after his account was deactivated again, he said: “If you happen to run into the younger, richer Mark Zuckerberg, tell him I say hi and he causes me great aggravation each day.”

Read more from Sky News:
Revealed: Huge shortfall in NHS funding for weight-loss jab

How fake papers helped family get to Britain
Bank lobby chief warns Reeves over budget tax raid

The Indiana lawyer has spent years in communication with Facebook and verified his identity using government-issued ID and other documents, according to the emails, but his accounts were still repeatedly deactivated.

Meta employees would then have to reinstate his accounts, according to the emails, and mark the pages as “verified” to stop it from happening again.

In one email asking for help, he said to Meta: “I don’t want to make waves or cause problems, I just want my account to be reactivated and [be] left to play on the social media in peace.”

Now, however, he says he has lost thousands of dollars in advertising fees and is suing the company.

“It’s not funny,” he said to Indianapolis news channel WTHR. “Not when they take my money. This really pissed me off.”

“It’s like buying a billboard on the side of the highway, paying the people for the billboard and then they come and put a giant blanket over it and you don’t get the benefit of what you paid for,” he said.

He is accusing Meta of attempting to prevent him from having “full use, benefit and enjoyment” of his own legal name, which he was given before the celebrity Mark Zuckerberg was even born.

A Meta spokesperson told Sky News it has reinstated Mark Zuckerberg’s account, “after finding it had been disabled in error”.

“We appreciate Mr. Zuckerberg’s continued patience on this issue and are working to try and prevent this from happening in the future.”

The case has been lodged in Indiana’s Marion Superior Court.

Continue Reading

Trending