53 m. ago PHOTO ESSAY: The Palestinian families trying to rebuild their lives in the ruins of Gaza

The Halawa family’s building still rises two stories above the rubble in Gaza City, a small miracle after two years of Israeli airstrikes wrought heavy damage on homes across the Palestinian territory.

Society

54 m. ago Europe has lost all credibility in the Middle East. The way to regain it lies in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon | Nathalie Tocci

Sidelined by Trump, preoccupied with Ukraine and damaged by its immoral stance on Gaza, Europe can still help stabilise its eastern Mediterranean neighbours A year after the overthrow of Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, the former jihadi fighter turned Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed the Doha Forum earlier this month, deftly parrying questions about his controversial past and outlining his country’s complex journey toward a participatory, rules-based system. As I listened, it struck me that, while Europe’s role in the Middle East has been severely damaged by its immoral stance on the Gaza war and its self-inflicted exclusion from Iran nuclear diplomacy, Europeans still have a role to play when it comes to its neighbours in the eastern Mediterranean.Europe’s world has been turned upside down by Washington’s alignment with Moscow in the Ukraine war and the transatlantic rift as the Trump administration treats Europe as an adversary. Another dimension of this upheaval is E...

Politics

2 h. ago Donald Trump's new event for High School students draws dystopian 'Hunger Games' comparisons

The Patriot Games will feature 'one young man and one young woman from each state', echoing the dark science fiction film franchise in which Jennifer Lawrence's protagonist takes on President Snow

Politics

2 h. ago Spencer Matthews says he's never dealt with his brother Michael's death as he reveals he's 'carried shame through my 20s and regretted a lot of my behaviour'

The reality star, 37, has said he has never dealt with his brother Michael's death and reflected on carrying 'a lot of shame through his 20s' in a new candid interview.

Economics

2 h. ago Inscrutable. Immaculate. Immutable: I can't get enough of Melania, the Real Housewife of Washington, says JAN MOIR

Melania Trump is releasing a documentary about herself, an exciting new development for political plus-ones.

Politics

3 h. ago US military says 2 strikes on alleged drug boats kill 5 in eastern Pacific

The U.S. military says that it conducted two more strikes Thursday against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people

Events

3 h. ago The town at war with the balaclava yobs: 'Intimidated' residents are being terrorised by gangs of masked youths on souped

Residents of Darlington, County Durham, are plagued by gangs of youths on off-road and electric bikes who cause havoc in balaclavas

Events

3 h. ago Trump gives federal workers two new days off around Christmas after using Juneteenth to denounce ‘nonworking holidays’

Trump signed an executive order that will see federal agencies close and employees excused from work on Christmas Eve and December 26

Politics

4 h. ago Newsom trolls Trump after president’s eyes seen drooping during afternoon event: ‘NAP TIME FOR THE BIG GUY’

Trump also recently appeared to fall asleep at a Cabinet meeting open to the press

Politics

4 h. ago Kennedy Center board member claims she was forcibly muted during call on name change: ‘This was not unanimous’

Kennedy Center leadership insists it followed the law and attacked the late president’s family members who criticized the change

Politics

4 h. ago Tragic discovery in search for missing student one month after disappearance

Aryan Sharma, 20, was last seen on CCTV footage jogging down a road just after midnight - Leicestershire Police said they have found what they believe is his body on Thursday

Events

5 h. ago Local elections face further delays as councils struggle to reorganise in time

Opposition parties say Labour is ‘scared of voters’ but government says merging authorities have voiced concernsLocal elections could be delayed again as merging councils lack the capacity for reorganisation, the government has announced, triggering claims from opposition parties that Labour is “scared of the voters”.Sixty-three council areas could opt to postpone elections until 2027 after some were already delayed until May 2026 as two-tier authorities are being combined into single unitary councils. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Rare specimens collected by naturalist Gerald Durrell donated to museum

The donation of more than 550 specimens and samples is now available for scientific research.

Politics

6 h. ago Republicans leave Washington without any solution on healthcare: ‘Giving the middle finger to the American people’

Sending the House home without a solution on health care is career suicide for many Republicans, Eric Garcia writes. But Trump’s opposition makes any deal impossible

Politics

6 h. ago Tories and Reform accuse Labour of 'running scared' of voters after Keir Starmer's ministers open door for 63 councils to scrap next May's elections

Labour's move would rob more than 10million people of a vote in May. And with half the councils involved run by Labour, it could limit the party's losses and boost Sir Keir's chances of survival.

Politics

6 h. ago Howard Lutnick addresses Trump’s ‘mathematically impossible’ claim he’s cutting drug prices by 600% during Fox News grilling

Trump claimed he has negotiated with drug companies to cut prices by ‘as much as 400, 500 and even 600 percent’

Events

7 h. ago Gabby Logan, 52, makes a rare appearance with her daughter Lois Maya, 20, as she dazzles in a gold gown at the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year

The Welsh TV host, 52, dazzled in a sequinned gold gown and strappy heels as she posed next to leggy Lois, 20, as they stopped for snaps ahead of the annual ceremony in Manchester.

Politics

7 h. ago US Justice Department sues 3 states, District of Columbia for voter data

The U.S. Justice Department has sued three states and the District of Columbia for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration

Politics

7 h. ago Kennedy Center board votes to add Trump’s name to DC arts institution

Joe Kennedy III, JFK’s grandson, said he doubted the Trump-Kennedy Center name change was legalThe board of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC is moving ahead with a proposal to rename the arts and culture-focused institution, named after President John F Kennedy, in honor of Donald Trump, according to an announcement from the White House on Thursday.If the White House move succeeds it would be called the Trump-Kennedy Center, though it is unclear if this change would be legal. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago A look at the US military's unusually large force near Venezuela

The U.S. military has amassed an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off the coast of Venezuela since this summer, when the Trump administration first began to shift assets to the region as part of its anti-drug trafficking operations

Events