LONDON, JUL 4: Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer said whoever succeeds him would have to devote as much time to international crises and diplomacy as he did, rejecting suggestions Britain’s next leader could focus more heavily on domestic issues.

Starmer, who announced last month that he would step down after two years in office, said in a BBC interview on Friday that foreign and domestic policy could not be separated as Britain faced an increasingly volatile world.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

“There’s often this discussion – what’s the right balance between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic affairs? They’re one and the same thing,” he said.

Asked whether a prime minister could spend less time on diplomacy than he had, Starmer replied: “No, I don’t think it is possible.”

Starmer has faced criticism from some opponents over the amount of time he has spent on foreign policy. Lawmaker Andy Burnham, widely expected to replace Starmer, has promised to focus on domestic priorities including living standards, housing, infrastructure and devolving more power to Britain’s regions.

In a video titled “With Keir” and posted on X on Saturday, Starmer defended the international focus of his premiership, saying Britain had restored its global standing. He cited support for Ukraine and participation in international coalitions among his key achievements.

“The fact that now other countries look to us for that leadership is something I’m really proud of having delivered in the two years we’ve had in government,” he said.

Starmer also pointed to stabilizing the economy, reducing child poverty and improving the National Health Service among his key accomplishments.

DNA

HAVANA, JUL 4 – Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla has strongly condemned the United States’ economic, commercial, and financial embargo against Cuba, calling it a “crime against humanity in full execution.” Speaking at a press conference ahead of the United Nations General Assembly debate scheduled for 7 July, Rodríguez announced that Cuba has formally requested the Assembly to consider the agenda item titled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.”

Rodríguez accused Washington of intensifying its blockade through an “energy siege” that he described as an act of genocide and collective punishment. He stressed that Cuba poses no threat to U.S. national security, declaring: “Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is.” He argued that the embargo undermines the well-being of the Cuban people, violates international humanitarian law, and destabilizes regional peace and security.

The Cuban minister highlighted what he called unprecedented diplomatic pressure by the U.S. to prevent the UN session from taking place. He alleged that the State Department has circulated documents threatening sanctions against governments, companies, and financial institutions that maintain ties with Cuba. These measures, he said, represent illegal extraterritorial coercion under international law.

Rodríguez also rejected U.S. claims linking Cuba to terrorism and regional instability, dismissing them as “slanderous and mendacious.” He emphasized that Cuba remains committed to peace, recalling Havana’s role in declaring Latin America and the Caribbean a Zone of Peace. He further denied allegations of Cuban involvement in the war in Ukraine, noting that Cuba prosecutes mercenary activity under its constitution.

The minister criticized U.S. attempts to block humanitarian food aid through the World Food Programme, despite Cuba’s severe shortages caused by the blockade. He pointed out that damages from the embargo have reached $170 billion, with last year alone causing losses of over $7.5 billion.

Rodríguez expressed confidence that the UN General Assembly will once again support Cuba, as it has done in 33 previous votes demanding an end to the embargo. He concluded by reaffirming Cuba’s commitment to sovereignty and independence: “For Cuban men and women, a free, sovereign, dignified, and independent homeland is sacred. Cuba is not a threat; the blockade is.”

TEHRAN, JUL 4: Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei officially began on Saturday, state television reported, an event drawing thousands and intended to serve as a show of strength to the Islamic republic’s foes.

Iranian authorities say they anticipate between 15 and 20 million participants in Tehran alone over the next three days for tributes to the man who ran the country for three-and-a-half decades.

Six days of funeral ceremonies are planned to commemorate Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic republic as its number one from 1989 until his assassination aged 86 on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

The events will be scrutinised in particular for any signs of Khamenei’s son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named supreme leader a week after the killing of his father but is yet to appear in public.

Thousands of mourners carrying red banners — a symbol of vengeance — gathered in the courtyard of Tehran’s vast Grand Mosalla religious complex waiting for the arrival of Khamenei’s coffin, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Chants of “death to America” and “revenge, revenge” echoed at the venue.

Another AFP journalist saw mourners walking several kilometres to reach the venue. Hundreds of supporters of the Islamic republic were already waiting on Friday evening outside the Grand Mosalla.

“We want to say a final goodbye to our leader, which is why waiting like this isn´t painful or difficult for us,” Somayye Hamedi told AFP as she waited.

Significant security measures have been imposed, with roads blocked and airspace expected to be closed for what is set to be the largest-scale public event in Iran since the burial of Khamenei´s predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

‘Final goodbye’
The coffin will lie in state until Monday, when a procession will pass through Tehran. On Tuesday it will move to the clerical hub of Qom, before moving on Wednesday to cities holy to Shia Muslims in neighbouring Iraq, then proceeding for burial on Thursday in Khamenei’s home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.

Officials who survived the war showed their grief and displayed a united front on Friday, with parliament speaker and top negotiator in the US talks Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visibly tearful.

Top Iranian officials paying their respects included Ahmad Vahidi, who was named chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guards after his predecessor was killed in the same strikes that killed Khamenei but had not been seen since.

The coming days will be closely watched for signs of Mojtaba Khamenei, who has communicated only by written statements and is said to have been wounded in the same strikes, though the extent of his injuries was never made clear.

Other relatives killed in the strikes will also be buried, including Ali Khamenei’s infant granddaughter.

International guests paying respects Friday included Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between Iran and the US, and Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Russian security council, who attended on behalf of President Vladimir Putin.

Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, both backed by Tehran, were also represented, as was the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

‘Call for vengeance’
After five weeks of fighting, the Middle East conflict is on hold following an initial accord between Iran and the US. But Iranian officials have warned Tehran is ready to resume fighting if needed.

“The nation’s call for vengeance must ring in the ears of the whole world,” said Ghalibaf, who urged Iranians to turn out en masse.

Army chief Amir Hatami vowed Israel and the US “will pay for the blood of the martyred leader and all the nation’s martyrs”.

But authorities will also want the event to go smoothly, deeply aware of the risk of crowd crushes, which have marred similar events in the past, with TV broadcasting guidelines on how to stay safe.

With temperatures well over 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) expected over the next few days in Tehran, tankers were stationed to spray water on the roads to cool down attendees.

Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran was quieter than usual, with many normally busy streets free of Tehran’s notorious traffic.