7 h. ago Labour left piles pressure on Starmer as sacked critic elected to be his deputy leader

Lucy Powell has beaten Keir Starmer’s preferred candidate education secretary Bridget Phillipson in the contest to replace Angela Rayner as deputy leader

Politics

52 h. ago Frontrunner suffers blow in race to be UK ambassador to US over criticisms of Trump

Exclusive: Whitehall officials raise fears about Mark Sedwill’s newspaper article warning of president’s ‘blundering’ behaviourUK politics live – latest updatesMark Sedwill’s prospects of becoming the UK’s ambassador in Washington have taken a blow after officials raised concerns about an article he wrote in 2021 praising Joe Biden and criticising Donald Trump.The former cabinet secretary and national security adviser has emerged as the frontrunner in the race to succeed Peter Mandelson in Washington. But some in government are worried about an article he wrote four years ago in which he made several criticisms of Trump after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Biden. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago What are rare earths and critical minerals – explained in 30 seconds

Rare earths are a specific category of critical minerals crucial for defence, auto and electronic industries that have become a flashpoint in diplomacy and tradeCritical minerals are vital for the global economy and include nickel, manganese and cobalt.Rare earths are a specific, highly useful category of critical minerals that are used to make magnets essential for the auto, electronic and defence industries, as well as in renewable energy. Securing reserves and production of rare earths has become a flashpoint in global diplomacy and trade. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Syria holds first elections since overthrow of Assad’s regime by rebels

The elections mark a significant step in Syria’s post-conflict transition, but critics argue the elections fall short of full democracy

Politics

3 w. ago Green leader warns of authoritarian ‘alarm bells’ in conference speech

Zack Polanski, the newly elected leader of the Green Party, criticised Labour and Reform in conference speech on Friday.

Events

4 w. ago Moldovans face stark choice between EU and Russia in critical election

The parliamentary election has been fraught with claims of Russian interference

Politics

4 w. ago Moldovan diaspora critical in elections as country battles Russian vote

Watchdogs say Russia offering overseas voters cash for evidence of voter fraud in possible ploy to declare election riggedThe Moldovan diaspora will hold a critical role in Sunday’s high-stakes parliamentary elections as the country battles against an unprecedented Russian vote-buying operation to try to unseat the incumbent pro-European party, said the former deputy prime minister.Civilian foreign interference watchdogs say Russia is flooding the overseas voter communities with cash, including one advertising campaign offering people €500 to be election observers in the EU with the lure of “bonuses of up to €30,000” for evidence of voter fraud. Continue reading...

Politics