52 m. ago Putin will not travel to Istanbul for peace talks with Zelenskyy, Kremlin confirms

Russian leader rejects Ukrainian president’s bold proposal for face-to-face meeting in TurkeyVladimir Putin will not travel to Istanbul for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Kremlin has said, rejecting the Ukrainian president’s bold proposal for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey to discuss peace.In a statement late on Wednesday, the Kremlin said its delegation would be led by Vladimir Medinsky, a hardline Putin aide who led the only previous round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in 2022. Continue reading...

Politics

72 m. ago Rangers takeover king sees Cyriel Dessers hit 50 but Vaclav Cerny hints at Ibrox farewell

It was the final home game of a nightmare campaign but those who bothered to turn up at least had something to cheer

Events

93 m. ago More inmates to be released early under measures to cut prison overcrowding as jails set to be full by November

Three new prisons will be built and new recall measures will be introduced in a bid to manage the jail population

Events

2 h. ago Trump signs $200bn Qatar deal after hailing meeting with Syria’s ‘young, attractive’ president in Middle East tour

Donald Trump said ending sanctions on Syria would give the country a ‘chance for greatness’ after meeting with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa

Politics

2 h. ago New Pope puzzles with possible olive branch to Trump as he boldly pitches himself as the world's greatest 'peacemaker'

Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of global peace on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump is pitching himself as a president devoted to peace in the Middle East.

Politics

2 h. ago New emergency measures to cut prison overcrowding as Government warns jails to be full in five months

Three new prisons will be built and new recall measures will be introduced in a bid to manage the jail population

Events

3 h. ago Ministers block Lords bid to make AI firms declare use of copyrighted content

Government uses arcane procedure to strip amendment passed by House of Lords from its data billMinisters have used an arcane parliamentary procedure to block an amendment to the data bill that would require artificial intelligence companies to disclose their use of copyright-protected content.The government stripped the transparency amendment, which was backed by peers in the bill’s reading in the House of Lords last week, out of the draft text by invoking financial privilege, meaning there is no budget available for new regulations, during a Commons debate on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago The Guardian view on Trump’s conflicts of interest: the shadow of kleptocracy | Editorial

The dissolution of boundaries between the president’s official and commercial business is a leading symptom of democracy in crisisDonald Trump’s tour of Gulf nations this week is notionally state business. The president has discussed trade, investment and defence. But the boundary between statecraft and self-aggrandisement is blurred. To honour the US president, the government of Qatar has  offered him a Boeing 747 aircraft. This “flying palace”, worth around $400m, would serve as a substitute for Air Force One as Mr Trump’s personal jumbo.The US constitution explicitly forbids anyone holding a government office from accepting any “present, emolument, office or title” from foreign powers without congressional consent. White House lawyers, obedient to their master, say the Qatari jet doesn’t cross that line. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago New emergency measures as UK prisons on verge of collapse with jail places set to run out in November

Three new prisons will be built and new recall measures will be introduced in a bid to manage the jail population

Events

4 h. ago White House backed down on China’s tariff after president was told they would hurt ‘Trump’s people’ the most

Several White House staffers had to warn the president that his tariffs would impact ‘Trump’s people.’

Politics

4 h. ago AP PHOTOS: Funeral of José Mujica, Uruguay’s iconic former president

Mourners wept, raised their arms and marched behind the flag-draped casket of former President José Mujica on Wednesday as thousands bid a poignant farewell to the iconic leader in the Uruguayan capital.

Politics

4 h. ago Trump’s cryptocurrency endeavor caps a political career filled with conflicts of interest

Trump’s foray into cryptocurrency involves him leveraging his presidency for personal gain and operating in an industry he has power overThe 220 winners of a cryptocurrency contest were told on Monday to look out for an email featuring “the most exclusive invitation in the world”. As a reward for spending immense amounts of money, in some cases millions of dollars, they had won the prize of attending a private gala with Donald Trump at his own Washington DC golf club later this month.Awarding access to the president in exchange for investment in his crypto endeavor was Trump’s latest conflict of interest in a political career filled with, in the words of one of his most repeated catchphrases, “many such cases”. Real estate holdings, a media company, merchandising deals, fraud and most recently Qatar’s gift of a $400m plane are only some of the myriad of entanglements that government ethics watchdogs have warned about for a decade now. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Prisons to run out of space in five months as new measures to tackle overcrowding crisis unveiled

Three new prisons will be built and new recall measures will be introduced in a bid to manage the jail population

Events

4 h. ago Trump meets Syria’s ‘attractive, tough’ president after lifting US sanctions

US president meets Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia as lifting of sanctions is met with jubilation in DamascusUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has met Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia, telling the former jihadist he had an “extraordinary opportunity”, and said Washington is exploring normalising ties with Damascus, a day after an announcement that all US sanctions on Syria would be lifted.The US president met Sharaa, a former militant who fought against US forces in Iraq and had a $10m US bounty on his head until December 2024, alongside the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for about half an hour before a conference of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as part of his four-day visit to the Middle East. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Liam Gallagher's daughter pregnant to Liverpool footballer as Oasis icon to become grandad

Liam Gallagher's daughter Molly Gallagher has announced that she's expecting a baby

Politics

5 h. ago Huge Hollywood star looks unrecognizable, as insiders say he hopes transformation will save his 'broken' career

A Hollywood legend looked almost unrecognizable as he transformed into a sports icon for his upcoming movie.

Politics

5 h. ago Trump marvels at wealth of his Arab hosts while he eyes White House and Air Force One upgrades

Donald Trump is the most powerful and famous person on the planet, and the American president is at the helm of the biggest economy and the strongest military

Politics

5 h. ago Definition of Troubles victim compensation scheme ‘very restrictive’ – McAlinden

Mr Justice McAlinden, president of the Victims’ Payment Board said he regrets those excluded by the scheme.

Events

5 h. ago Spirit Airlines introduces new seats and ‘comfy’ perks in bid for premium passengers

Travelers can start booking the roomier seats Thursday

Politics

5 h. ago Nottingham Forest take aim at Manchester United icon Gary Neville in new statement

Nottingham Forest have issued a fresh statement in response to Gary Neville's criticism of Evangelos Marinakis

Politics