64 h. ago Donald Trump 'pushes UK to pump billions of pounds more into defence spending' and reach 3% 'ambition' years earlier than PM had planned

The US President is said to want the UK to increase its military budget to 3 per cent of GDP by 2029, which is years earlier than Sir Keir Starmer had been planning.

Politics

5 d. ago ‘We will pay a huge price’: Ukraine fears war could drag on for years

Kyiv officials believe Moscow is not interested in peace despite talks in Istanbul and Trump’s interventionUkrainian officials believe a largely stalemated war of attrition with Russia is likely to continue for several more years, despite international efforts pushed by Donald Trump to end the fighting.After the inconclusive breakup of the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul on Friday, and despite the US president’s planned calls with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they see no evidence that Moscow is serious about peace. Continue reading...

Economics

6 d. ago Oklahoma high schools to teach 2020 election conspiracy theories as fact

State superintendent Ryan Walters tapped chief of Heritage Foundation, key player behind Project 2025, for curriculum As part of the latest Republican push in red states to promote ideologies sympathetic to Donald Trump, Oklahoma’s new social studies curriculum will ask high school students to identify “discrepancies” in the 2020 election results.The previous standard for studying the 2020 election merely said: “Examine issues related to the election of 2020 and its outcome.” The new version is more expansive: “Identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information, including the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of ‘bellwether county’ trends.” Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner swap but peace talks fail to make progress

Apart from agreeing to swap 1,000 prisoners each, Moscow sticks to maximalist demands in IstanbulRussia and Ukraine have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failed to reach a breakthrough during their first direct peace talks since 2022, held in Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Sitting down under pressure from the US president, Donald Trump, Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Watch Carney dismiss Trump’s Canada ‘51st state’ threats to his face

Mark Carney pushed back on Donald Trump's repeated threats to make Canada the "51st state" as the pair talked face-to-face at the White House on Tuesday, 6 May.

Politics

3 w. ago Donald Trump made bombshell admission to Zelensky during Pope funeral faceoff

While President Donald Trump pushed President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign the US-Ukraine mineral deal - which was formally agreed last night - Zelensky wanted Trump to take a harsher stance on Putin

Events

3 w. ago Trump 100 days: after tepid start, protest movements – and Democrats – find footing

Although the resistance at the start of Trump’s second term was wobbly, ‘ordinary people’ are pushing the movement forwardThose opposed to Donald Trump’s agenda started his second term on a worse footing than the beginning of his first term.This time, the social media platform owners who previously tried to tamp down on false claims stood with him at his inauguration. Some major media outlets attempted to stay in Trump’s good graces. Democrats were wrecked by a popular vote loss, believing they lacked the backing to lead an opposition. The courts were stacked in Trump’s favor and had ruled the president had absolute immunity from criminal punishment for “official acts”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Donald Trump 'keeps pushing Keir Starmer to get the 2028 Open held at his golf course'

No10 has refused to slap down reports that US President Donald Trump has repeatedly asked Keir Starmer for the 2028 Open to be held at his Turnberry course in Scotland - but said it's not a decision for government

Politics

3 w. ago Whitehall officials ‘pushing for the Open to return to Trump

Revealed: Sources say bosses at R&A, which organises the annual golf tournament, were quizzed about 2028 eventSenior Whitehall officials have asked golf bosses whether they can host the 2028 Open championship at Donald Trump’s Turnberry course after repeated requests from the US president, sources have said.Officials had asked senior people at the R&A, which organises the world’s oldest major golf championship, what the hurdles would be to hosting the 2028 Open at Turnberry. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago IAN BIRRELL: These attacks on Kyiv are proof Putin is emboldened by US appeasement

Reports suggest Donald Trump is pushing a 'peace' plan that gives Moscow almost everything it wants, while simultaneously attempting to bully Ukraine's leaders into capitulation.

Politics