71 m. ago A humiliation at the White House and what does it tell us? Trump would make a colony of my country | Andrey Kurkov

A cold reality hit us in Washington. Zelenskyy was being forced to buy hope of survival by people who have no care for our freedomIt’s warming up in Kyiv. The temperature has risen from -5C to 4C. Sometimes, the sun peeps through breaks in the clouds, but Kyivites are not much cheered by the sunshine. They are not watching for signs of spring as they usually do at this time of year. The atmosphere in the city and in the country as a whole has been one of nervous expectation. This was not an expectation of an end to military action or the signing of a peace treaty with Russia – nothing so specific. Indeed, it was not at all clear what we were waiting for, but it was something connected with Donald Trump and the change in US policy towards Ukraine.Clarity emerged at today’s macabre theatre at the White House: handshakes, a thumbs up and some fist pumps from the US president, before Trump sat side by side with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a minerals-for-war-support deal and to humili...

Politics

3 h. ago Skype is permanently shutting down as Microsoft forces people to use Teams instead

Microsoft has announced it is shutting down the popular video calling service Skype. Its 2 billion users will no longer be able to access their accounts starting in May 2025.

Politics

4 h. ago Skype shutting down for good as Microsoft axes video calling service to focus on Teams

Skype was used by 300million people every month.

Politics

5 h. ago Microsoft announces it's permanently shutting down major service used by 2bn people in shock move

Microsoft has announced it is shutting down the popular video calling service Skype. Its 2 billion users will no longer be able to access their accounts starting in May 2025.

Events

5 h. ago Uggs with shorts? Why not! Dressing for fake spring in the middle of winter

It’s open season on mismatched outfits as optimists make the most of some unexpected sunshineThe first nice day of the year hit the east coast this week like a bump of ecstasy. Workers took long lunches, sneaking outside to soak in vitamin D. (It didn’t hurt that this spring-in-February preview coincided with a widespread Slack outage, as if cosmic forces wanted to make sure America’s corporate class touched grass.) People were nicer, life slowed down.And then there were the haphazard outfits people put on to celebrate the unexpectedly beautiful weather no matter how bizarre they might have looked. Uggs with shorts? Why not! A puffer coat and a summer dress? Pull it from the back of your closet! Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago Social Security Administration could cut up to 50% of its workforce

The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000 — and the final reduction in force number could be as high as 50%, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans who are not authorized to speak publicly

Events

31 h. ago Spudman is saved! Beloved TikTok chef forces busybody council into a U

Ben Newman, 40, who sells £5 jacket potatoes from his trailer in Tamworth, Staffordshire, has gained 4million followers on TikTok - where he shares clips about his business.

Politics

3 d. ago DWP slashes benefits for 602,000 people amid crackdown on appointment no

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) cut the benefits of more than 600,000 people in the last year, according to data, meaning many were forced into difficulties

Politics

8 d. ago North Ayrshire Council forced to bin brutal budget cuts after people power forces u

More than 4,000 submissions were received as part of the budget consultation exercise.

Politics

1 week ago Nigel Farage says Tories ‘not on the right in any measurable way’ and calls Labour government ‘miserable’ – UK politics live

Leader of Reform UK criticises Conservatives and ‘declinist’ Labour government in new attacksGood morning, defence secretary John Healey has finished speaking, so I can take a quick pause and actually welcome you to our rolling coverage of UK politics for Tuesday. Here are the headlines Defence secretary John Healey has announced what he described as the most significant defence reform for 50 years, in which reporting lines and budgets will be simplified, and a new “quad” of four senior leaders reporting directly to the minister appointedHealy said there were extraordinary people in the UK’s defence forces, but too often they were hampered by process, and there was a lack of direct accountability. He suggested his changes might bring about up to £10bn in savings to the taxpayer over the next decadeTransport secretary Heidi Alexander has said the UK should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine as part of any future peacekeeping forceThe rate of UK unemployment remained unchanged at ...

Politics

1 week ago What I learned from a lovely woman on a packed ward in hospital | Zoe Williams

Healthy people are being forced to stay in hospital because of a lack of social care – and it’s an indictment of our current systemPoliticians talk constantly about the crisis in social care, and the pressure it puts on the NHS, so that the words just turn into a hum. Then you brush against that in real life and think why is anyone, with any kind of authority over anything, doing any activity that isn’t sorting out social care?My mum has been in hospital, on a ward with five other patients, most of whom are vocally very displeased with being there. My mum just wants to feel less crappy, and fair play, who wouldn’t? The woman diagonally opposite just wants to see a doctor, but is a bit fogged on when she last saw one, which is hard. The woman directly opposite has a massive family, and gets constant Fomo, even when they’re all – even the teenagers – right round her bed, and she’s the event she would otherwise be missing out on. The woman in the corner was incredibly buoyed by the app...

Politics