36 m. ago Trump tried to extort Zelenskyy and was impeached – now he may succeed

The Ukrainian president is expected at the White House on Friday to sign a multimillion-dollar minerals deal with echoes of a notorious 2019 phone callAlexander Vindman remembers the phone call – and what he did next. Serving on the national security council (NSC), he went to see his twin brother, who was the council’s senior ethics official, closed the door and told him: “Eugene, if what I’m about to tell you ever becomes public, Donald Trump will be impeached.”Vindman had set up a call between Trump and Ukraine’s new president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in July 2019. He heard the US president attempt to leverage US military aid to the country in return for Zelenskyy launching an investigation into Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, over his position at a Ukrainian gas company. Continue reading...

Politics

36 m. ago Licence to kill: could a James Bond horror emerge when book copyrights expire?

Character and plots of Ian Fleming’s original literary works become open for public use in most countries in 2035Amazon may have captured James Bond, paying billions to get creative control of the super spy, but a clock is now ticking that means 007 – or at least a version of him – could escape into the wider world in a decade’s time.The character and plots of the original literary works by creator Ian Fleming become open for public use in most countries in 2035, raising the prospect of Bond starring in rival film and TV stories of espionage, comedy or even horror. Continue reading...

Events

59 m. ago Donald Trump says 'real' UK trade deal could mean no tariffs as King Charles invites US President for ‘historic’ second state visit

Sir Keir Starmer and Trump held crunch White House talks on Ukraine and trade

Politics

74 m. ago King Charles invites Donald Trump for ‘historic’ second state visit as US president raises UK trade deal hopes

Sir Keir Starmer and Trump held crunch White House talks on Ukraine and trade

Politics

92 m. ago Starmer sees value in Trump’s mineral deal with Ukraine after meeting with US president

British prime minister says agreement will form ‘at least one element’ of security guarantee for Kyiv

Politics

97 m. ago Hamilton hero Stuart McKinstry bagged winner in 'biggest game of the season'

McKinstry's strike moved Accies out of the relegation play-off slot

Politics

2 h. ago Deal reached to end illegal strike by New York state prison workers, governor says

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced an agreement to end a wildcat strike that has roiled the state’s prison system for more than a week

Events

2 h. ago UN talks end in Rome with nations backing $200 billion a year plan to protect nature

Global negotiators concluded an extended session of the United Nations biodiversity conference, COP16, with key commitments on funds needed and the institutions through which the funds will be channeled to protect the world’s biodiversity

Economics

2 h. ago ‘Green roofs deliver for biodiversity’: how Basel put nature on top

For decades, the Swiss city has been transforming its skyline, and now boasts some of the greenest rooftops in EuropeSusanne Hablützel breaks up her work day by staring out the window at a rooftop garden. The view is not spectacular: a pile of dead wood sits atop an untidy plot that houses chicory, toadflax, thistle and moss.But Hablützel, a biologist in charge of nature projects in Basel, is enthralled by the plants and creatures the roof has brought in. “Tree fungi have settled in the trunks, and they are great to see – I love mushrooms. You can also see birds now – that wasn’t the case before.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago The Bangladeshi politician who built a shadowy global property empire

FT investigation: Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and his family bought 482 properties overseas costing $295mn. The new government wants some of that money back

Politics

5 h. ago Lip reader reveals what was said when Starmer and Trump's mics were off...and which leader called the other 'handsome'

EXCLUSIVE: The US president hailed 'special' Sir Keir during an extraordinary meeting to discuss Ukraine 's future and the role the two countries have in the peacemaking process.

Politics

5 h. ago Senegal has signed a deal with separatist rebels. But will it end one of Africa's longest conflicts?

Senegal’s government has signed an agreement with separatist rebels to bring peace in its southern region, where an armed rebellion has been raging for over 40 years over calls for independence

Economics

5 h. ago UK and US to start work on 'new economic deal with AI front and centre', Keir Starmer says 

The UK and the US will begin work on a 'new economic deal with advanced technology at its core', Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday.

Economics

6 h. ago Cop16 countries strike crucial deal on nature despite global tensions

Delegates hammer out compromise on delivering billions of dollars to protect species and their habitatsDelegates from across the world have cheered a last-gasp deal to map out funding to protect nature, breaking a deadlock at UN talks seen as a test for international cooperation in the face of geopolitical tensions.Rich and developing countries on Thursday hammered out a delicate compromise on raising and delivering the billions of dollars needed to protect species, overcoming stark divisions that had scuttled their previous Cop16 meeting in Cali, Colombia last year. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago Nasty bug sweeping UK can strike twice, doctors warn as cases continue to rise

The bug is currently spreading 'at high levels', according to the HSE, as a new warning has been issued about the highly infectious illnes

Events

7 h. ago Mother Animal by Helen Jukes: Think giving birth is hard? Try being a porcupine!

After giving birth to her own child, Helen Jukes turns to Nature to understand how other species approach motherhood.

Politics

7 h. ago GPs in England accept contract terms helping end ‘8am scramble’ for appointments

The British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union for doctors, and the Government agreed the deal at a meeting on Thursday.

Politics

8 h. ago What an unlikely bromance! Donald Trump and Keir Starmer insist Special Relationship is alive and well despite tensions over Ukraine at historic White House summit

In an extraordinary exchange at the White House, the President and Prime Minister lavished each other with praise and played down the vast political gulf between them.

Politics

8 h. ago Donald Trump backtracks over Zelenskyy 'dictator' slur with sheepish statement

Donald Trump has 'forgotten' that only just over a week ago, he called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a 'dictator' as the pair are due to meet tomorrow to discuss a trade deal

Politics

8 h. ago Trump says Putin would keep his word on a Ukraine peace deal

President claims presence of US workers in Ukraine would deter Russian aggression after talks with Keir StarmerStarmer visits Trump: latest updatesDonald Trump has insisted that Vladimir Putin would “keep his word” on a peace deal for Ukraine, arguing that US workers extracting critical minerals in the country would act as a security backstop to deter Russia from invading again.During highly anticipated talks at the White House with the prime minister, Keir Starmer, the US president said that Putin could be trusted not to breach any agreement, which could aim to return as much of the land as possible to Ukraine that was seized by Russia during the brutal three-year conflict. Continue reading...

Politics