3 d. ago As the world hurtles ever closer to nuclear oblivion, where is the opposition? | Simon Tisdall

The puerile standoff between the US and Russia ought to alert a slumbering public to a risk that is in many ways greater than during the cold warNuclear weapons – their lethal menace, dark history and future spread – are back in the headlines again and, as usual, the news is worrying, bordering on desperate. Russia’s decision last week to formally abandon the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty banning medium- and short-range nuclear missiles completes the demolition of a key pillar of global arms control. It will accelerate an already frantic nuclear arms race in Europe and Asia at a moment when US and Russian leaders are taunting each other like schoolboys.Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, has repeatedly threatened the west with nuclear weapons during his war in Ukraine. Last November, Russian forces fired their new Oreshnik hypersonic, nuclear-capable intermediate-range missile at Dnipro. It travels “like a meteorite” at 10 times the speed of sound and can reach...

Events

4 d. ago Trump says he will meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska next Friday – US politics live

President posts on Truth Social that meeting with Russian counterpart will take place in AlaskaTexas house meets without necessary number of lawmakersAccording to new reporting by the New York Times, the president has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that the Trump administration considers terrorist organizations.According to the Times’ sources, US military officials have started drawing up options for how the military could go after the group. The Times also notes that this escalation would be the most “aggressive step” in the administration’s “campaign against cartels”. They also noted that this continues the president’s preference for using “military forces to carry out what has primarily been considered a law enforcement responsibility to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Texas house again fails to meet quorum as governor threatens to add more Republican seats to gerrymandered map – live

State legislature fails to meet quorum for third day; Greg Abbott says ‘we may may it six, or seven, or eight’ about number of added gerrymandered seatsTexas house meets without necessary number of lawmakersAccording to new reporting by the New York Times, the president has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that the Trump administration considers terrorist organizations.According to the Times’ sources, US military officials have started drawing up options for how the military could go after the group. The Times also notes that this escalation would be the most “aggressive step” in the administration’s “campaign against cartels”. They also noted that this continues the president’s preference for using “military forces to carry out what has primarily been considered a law enforcement responsibility to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs”. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Texas House again fails quorum as governor escalates threats and Democrats face second bomb threat amid redistricting battle – live

Hotel where several Texas Democrats are staying has second bomb threat this week, police say; Greg Abbott says he will keep calling special sessionsAccording to new reporting by the New York Times, the president has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that the Trump administration considers terrorist organizations.According to the Times’ sources, US military officials have started drawing up options for how the military could go after the group. The Times also notes that this escalation would be the most “aggressive step” in the administration’s “campaign against cartels”. They also noted that this continues the president’s preference for using “military forces to carry out what has primarily been considered a law enforcement responsibility to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs”. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago No contempt for Trump officials over Venezuelan migrant deportations to El Salvadorian prison, appeals court rules – live

Three-judge panel sided with government by a 2-1 vote, with two Trump-appointed judges and one Obama-appointed judge making the decisionAccording to new reporting by the New York Times, the president has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that the Trump administration considers terrorist organizations.According to the Times’ sources, US military officials have started drawing up options for how the military could go after the group. The Times also notes that this escalation would be the most “aggressive step” in the administration’s “campaign against cartels”. They also noted that this continues the president’s preference for using “military forces to carry out what has primarily been considered a law enforcement responsibility to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs”. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago JD Vance meets with David Lammy in Sevenoaks after Keir Starmer condemns Israel's plan to take over Gaza city

The Foreign Secretary said the pair would discuss the ‘developing situation in Gaza’ and the war in Ukraine

Politics

4 d. ago Trump orders increased federal law enforcement in Washington DC to combat crime

Move comes amid president’s suggestions that his administration could fully take over running the cityUS vice-president JD Vance kicks off a trip in the United Kingdom with a meeting with British foreign secretary David Lammy on Friday that will bring renewed scrutiny of Vance’s sharp criticism of Britain and its governing Labour party.Vance, his wife, Usha, and their three young children are expected to land in London at the start of a trip that includes staying with Lammy at Chevening, the country residence used by the foreign minister, Reuters reported.Vice-president JD Vance kicks off a trip in the United Kingdom with a meeting with British foreign secretary David Lammy on Friday that will bring renewed scrutiny of Vance’s sharp criticism of Britain and its governing Labour party. Vance, his wife, Usha, and their three young children are expected to land in London at the start of a trip that includes staying with Lammy at Chevening, the country residence used by the foreign mini...

Events

6 d. ago Trump hails ‘great progress’ after Witkoff meets Putin for talks on Ukraine

US president calls meeting ‘highly productive’ amid unconfirmed reports on halt to long-range strikesDonald Trump has claimed “great progress was made” during talks on ending the war in Ukraine between his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Wednesday.The three-hour talks came two days before a deadline the US president set for Russia to reach a peace deal in the war or face fresh sanctions. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago The Latest: Putin hosts Trump envoy Witkoff for crucial talks on Ukraine peace deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks, days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil

Politics

6 d. ago Hiroshima mayor warns world is repeating nuclear mistakes: ‘Please witness the reality’

Kazumi Matsui denounces ‘flagrant disregard’ of lessons from tragedies of history on 80th anniversary of nuclear bombing

Events

7 d. ago ‘Healthocide’: experts warn of rise in targeting of health services in conflict

Principle of medical neutrality threatened as doctors and hospitals deliberately attacked, particularly in GazaTargeting medics and hospitals in acts of war should be called “healthocide”, academics have urged, amid an increase in such attacks in recent years.Health services are increasingly deliberately under attack and medics are facing violence and abuse in conflict zones around the world – in particular in Gaza, but also in Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria and El Salvador. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Ten lessons the Aztecs can teach us today | Sebastian Purcell

You don’t need to solve your soul before setting your house in order. In fact, the outer path might just be the way to reach your inner peaceThe ancient Aztecs aren’t usually grouped with today’s self-help gurus. But their philosophy, preserved in early post-conquest records, offers surprisingly sharp tools for modern life. Unlike stoicism or Buddhism, which emphasize internal reflection as the path to a better life, the Aztecs believed that you should start with your surroundings, your relationships, your body and speech. In their view, wisdom begins outside. Here are 10 lessons from their “outward path”, starting with those that clarify life goals.Drive (high-intensity action),Durability (consistent effort), andDiscipline (resistance to temptation).Sebastian Purcell is an associate professor of philosophy at Suny-Cortland in New York, where he researches ethics, Aztec philosophy and mathematical logic. He is the author of Discourses of the Elders: the Aztec Huehuetlatolli, a First...

Politics

3 w. ago From Gaza to Ukraine, peace always seems just out of reach – and the reason isn’t only political | Simon Tisdall

Murdering and massacring innocents is indefensible. So why on earth is it allowed to continue? The answer is moral relativismThe quest for peace in major conflicts has rarely been so desperate and so seemingly futile. In Gaza, talk of ceasefires, truces and pauses typically ends in tears. In Ukraine, the war is now well into its fourth year with no end in sight, despite Donald Trump’s new 50-day deadline. Syria burns anew. Sudan’s horrors never cease. Last year, state-based conflicts reached a peak – 61 across 36 countries. It was the highest recorded total since 1946. This year could be worse.The sheer scale and depravity of war crimes and other conflict-zone atrocities is extraordinary. The deliberate, illegal targeting and terrorising of civilians, the killing, maiming and abduction of children, and the use of starvation, sexual violence, torture and forced displacement as weapons of war have grown almost routine. Israel’s killing last week of children queueing for water in Gaza ...

Politics

3 w. ago John Swinney: It’s in Scotland’s interest I meet Donald Trump

The First Minister said there would be an opportunity to discuss tariffs, Gaza and Ukraine with the US president.

Politics

3 w. ago Trump backtracks from suggestion Ukraine should ‘target Moscow’ but again tells Putin to reach peace deal soon – Europe live

US president says first deliveries of Patriot missile systems via Germany are ‘already being shipped’A joint Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian police operation arrested a Ukrainian man who was allegedly sending bomb threats against “hundreds” of Czech and Slovak schools, the forces confirmed.The arrest took place in the Dnipro region of Ukraine as a result of the forces’ joint investigation into multiple emailed bomb threats that started in September last year. Continue reading...

Politics