Kremlin rejects accusations of Russian involvement in UK arson attacks
Earlier this month, police were called to fires at a house in north London owned by Starmer, another at a property nearby where he used to live, and to a blaze involving a car that also used to belong to him.
Three men - two of them Ukrainians and one Romanian national - have been charged in connection with the fires. None of the suspects have been charged under terrorism laws or the new National Security Act which aims to target hostile state activity.
The Financial Times and the Mail on Sunday reported that British security officials were investigating if Russia was involved in the arson attacks.
Asked about the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea that Russia was behind the arson attacks.
"You know, London is inclined to suspect Russia of involvement in all the bad things that happen in Britain," Peskov said. "As a rule, all these suspicions are false, unsubstantiated and often ridiculous."
The British police, which has not mentioned Russia in any of their statements related to the attacks, declined to comment on recent reports. The British government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
18 minutes ago
- The Hill
Zelensky warns Trump ‘Putin is bluffing' ahead of Alaska summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday sent a warning to President Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin is 'bluffing' about being open to peace, ahead of a high-stakes summit between the U.S. and Russian leaders in Alaska set for Friday. Zelensky made his remarks alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in remarks following a video conference call with Trump and other European leaders. They said the call was aimed at setting 'the course for this meeting in the right way.' Trump has floated 'land swaps' between Russia and Ukraine as a path to peace, a possibility that Zelensky has resisted, drawing the U.S. president's ire. 'I stress that any questions concerning our country's territorial integrity cannot be discussed without regard for our people, for the will of our people and the Ukrainian constitution,' Zelensky said Wednesday. Merz said Ukraine is willing to discuss territorial questions, but only if a ceasefire is implemented on the current frontline, throwing cold water on reported Russian demands for Ukrainian withdrawals as a condition to halt the fighting. The two leaders spoke to reporters in Berlin. A translation of their remarks was provided by Sky News. Zelensky said he told Trump to expect Putin to downplay the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy and its military as a way to deter additional penalties. Trump has held off imposing additional sanctions on Russia and blew past a deadline last week to impose sanctions, instead announcing the face-to-face with Putin. 'In reality, the sanctions are very effective, and they're hurting the Russian military economy,' Zelensky said. Merz said that Zelensky and European leaders made 'clear' to Trump that a ceasefire along the current frontlines 'needs to be the starting point' for broader peace talks. Merz said there will be no discussion of legal recognition of Russian-occupied territory, rejecting another major pillar of Moscow's demands. Russia occupies an estimated 20 percent of Ukrainian territory but lays claim to four areas it only partially controls. Putin is reportedly calling for Ukraine to retreat from territory in the Donbas region that is not occupied by Russia. Zelensky said the leaders 'briefly talked about' security guarantees for Ukraine and emphasized that Russia should not be given a veto to block Ukraine from joining NATO, another red line for Moscow. Merz added that Trump 'largely' shares these positions. 'So if in Alaska there's no movement on the Russian side, then the US and the Europeans need to increase the pressure. President Trump knows this position. He shares them largely so I can say we've had a very good, constructive talk,' he said.
Miami Herald
18 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
More Americans than ever don't drink alcohol, poll finds. What's behind shift?
The share of Americans who drink alcohol has fallen to a record low, according to a new Gallup poll. At the same time, a record-high share of Americans believe consuming alcohol, even in moderation, is unhealthy. The results come from Gallup's Consumption Habits survey, conducted July 7-21 with 1,002 U.S. adults. In the survey, 54% of respondents said they sometimes drink wine, beer or liquor, marking the lowest such figure since 1939, the first year Gallup asked Americans about their drinking habits. It continues a recent trend of declining alcohol consumption, with the share of drinkers standing at 58% in 2024, 62% in 2023 and 67% in 2022. In contrast, for most of the past eight decades, this figure has remained above 60%. It reached a high of 71% in 1976. When the latest results were broken down by demographic groups, some notable differences emerged. Men were more likely than women to report drinking — 57% vs. 51% — and white respondents were more prone to drink than respondents of color — 56% vs. 52%. Similarly, there were slight generational differences. Among adults 55 and older, 56% reported drinking alcohol, while 50% of 18- to 34-year-olds said the same. Democrats were also significantly more likely to consume alcohol than Republicans — 61% vs. 46%. This is a relatively new phenomenon, as the share of GOP respondents who drink fell 19 points since 2023, while the share of drinking Democrats only fell by 3 points. For the first time, a majority of respondents, 53%, now say drinking in moderation — defined as up to two drinks per day — is bad for health. Meanwhile, 37% said it makes no difference, and 6% said it is good for health. The findings reflect a continuing trend of more Americans viewing drinking as unhealthy. In 2024, 45% said alcohol is bad for health, up from 39% in 2023 and 28% in 2018. Young Americans were also significantly more likely than their older counterparts to view moderate drinking as detrimental. In the survey, which has a margin of error of 4 percentage points, 66% of 18- to 34-year-olds said moderate drinking is bad for health. Meanwhile, 48% of those 55 and older said the same. Similarly, women were more likely than men to say limited drinking is unhealthy — 60% vs. 47%. And Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say the same — 58% vs. 44%. The results come as emerging medical guidance indicates that drinking alcohol — even in moderate amounts — indeed poses health risks. The U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting drinking to one or two servings per day. But, this advice is expected to be removed and replaced with a more general warning, according to a June report from Reuters, which notes that limited alcohol consumption has been linked to higher risks of certain types of cancer. 'The continuation of these trends may hinge on whether recent pronouncements about drinking's risks are the final word on the subject, similar to how the U.S. surgeon general's warnings about tobacco in the 1960s marked the start of a long-term decline in smoking,' Gallup concluded.
CNN
23 minutes ago
- CNN
Masked thieves steal $7,000 worth of Labubu dolls
Masked thieves steal $7,000 worth of Labubu dolls Masked thieves stole about $7,000 worth of Labubu dolls from a Los Angeles-area store on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are investigating the incident. 00:44 - Source: CNN Vertical Top News 12 videos Masked thieves steal $7,000 worth of Labubu dolls Masked thieves stole about $7,000 worth of Labubu dolls from a Los Angeles-area store on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are investigating the incident. 00:44 - Source: CNN Trump will meet Putin one-on-one as a 'listening exercise' President Donald Trump plans to meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of their summit on Friday in Alaska. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the summit as a "listening exercise." 00:38 - Source: CNN Nearly 500 rounds fired in CDC shooting 01:54 - Source: CNN Lightning strike sparks fireball in South Carolina Dashcam video from the Mount Pleasant Police Department shows a lightning strike near an intersection in South Carolina. Hundreds lost power, and no injuries were reported, according to officials. 00:31 - Source: CNN Baltimore's mayor responds to Trump's claims about his city Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) responded to President Donald Trump's criticism about violence in his city by highlighting historic drops in violent crime. President Trump warned other major cities about federal intervention after he placed the Washington, DC, police department under federal control and deployed the National Guard. 01:05 - Source: CNN Video shows explosion at US Steel plant An explosion Monday at a US Steel coking plant near Pittsburgh has left people trapped under the rubble, with emergency workers on site trying to rescue them, an official said. 00:25 - Source: CNN Trump to deploy National Guard and place DC police under federal control President Trump announced that he's placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploying National Guard troops to the nation's capital. 00:47 - Source: CNN This city could be part of a Trump-Putin deal The city of Kramatorsk is at the frontline of Ukraine's war with Russia. The capital city of Donetsk, that Russia occupies, may play a part in upcoming talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. CNN's Chief Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh visits the city as Ukrainians arrive from Kyiv. 01:36 - Source: CNN Intense storm rips roof off prison Hundreds of prisoners from the Nebraska State Penitentiary were displaced after a violent storm damaged two housing units on Saturday, according to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. No injuries were reported, the department said. 00:27 - Source: CNN Officer killed in CDC shooting gave speech at police academy graduation David Rose, a DeKalb County Police officer, was killed in the CDC shooting in Atlanta, leaving behind a pregnant wife and two children. Rose gave a graduation speech to his fellow cadets at the DeKalb County Police Department's Academy Class 138 in March, 2025. 00:45 - Source: CNN Journalists killed in targeted Israeli strike on Gaza Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif was killed in a targeted strike in Gaza on Sunday alongside multiple other journalists. The Israeli military accused Al-Sharif of leading a Hamas cell, an allegation Al-Sharif had previously denied. 01:50 - Source: CNN Australia will recognize Palestine in September Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at the General Assembly of the United Nations in September. Australia joins the UK, France and Canada in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state. The move leaves the US increasingly isolated from some of its closest allies in its defense of Israel's escalating military campaign that's decimated the besieged enclave after almost two years of war. 00:29 - Source: CNN
