17 h. ago Councillors told not to speculate on cause of King Street blaze

Legal chief David Mitchell stepped in to remind councillors that the fire was the subject of a live criminal case during an East Ayrshire Council meeting.

Politics

3 d. ago Foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before any peace deal would be ‘legitimate targets’, Putin warns

Putin's comments came hours after European leaders pledged their commitment to a potential peacekeeping force

Events

3 d. ago Horse dies and jockey taken to hospital after horrific Ascot fall as screens go up

A horse has tragically been put down and a jockey taken to hospital after an accident during the Sodexo Live! Handicap at Ascot's Royal meeting

Events

3 d. ago Novak Djokovic v Carlos Alcaraz live: US Open latest score as rivals meet in semi

Djokovic and Alcaraz clash in the first US Open semi-final before Jannik Sinner faces Felix Auger-Aliassime

Sport

4 d. ago NATO chief demands European answer TODAY on how to protect Ukraine as divided leaders meet in France after Putin, Xi and Kim Jong

It comes as leaders from Europe, Turkey, Australia and Canada head to Paris to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on what concrete measures they are prepared to offer Kyiv.

Politics

5 d. ago Epstein list live updates: Sex trafficking survivors invite Trump to meet with them as he again says case is ‘Democrat hoax’

Dozens of survivors gathered in Washington, D.C. demanding Congress release all documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases

Politics

5 d. ago Trump says ‘you’ll see things happen’ if US is unhappy with Putin’s decisions – Europe live

Trump makes comments while meeting Polish president Karol Nawrocki after Putin warns Russia will use ‘military means’ to achieve objectives if diplomacy failsPutin was also asked about the prospect of more EU sanctions against Russia or its allies, including China and India.He said the leaders did not discuss this during their recent conversations.“I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see.Otherwise, we will be forced to resolve all our objective objectives through military means.” Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Let him come to Moscow,’ Putin says about peace talks with Zelenskyy – Europe live

Russian president questions legitimacy of Ukrainian government as Zelenskyy ramps up diplomatic efforts in Denmark and Polish president prepares to meet Donald TrumpPutin was also asked about the prospect of more EU sanctions against Russia or its allies, including China and India.He said the leaders did not discuss this during their recent conversations.“I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We will see.Otherwise, we will be forced to resolve all our objective objectives through military means.” Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Trump faces new Epstein headache as Congress returns from recess

Lawmakers plan pressure campaign for release of Epstein files as victims meet with speaker and oversight committeeUS politics live – latest updatesCongress returns to session on Tuesday, and with it will come a political headache for Donald Trump in the form of renewed attention on the investigation into the disgraced financier Jeff Epstein and his death, a subject that the president has sought to avoid in recent weeks.While the president got a month-long break from the Epstein issue when lawmakers left town for the annual August recess – with the House of Representatives wrapping up a day early because of the controversy over Epstein – the calm is likely to end quickly. On Tuesday afternoon, representatives from both parties have planned press conferences and legislative maneuvers intended to put pressure on the Trump administration for more transparency over Epstein, whose suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in 2019 has been the subject of conspiracy theories t...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘Coalition of the willing’ to meet on Thursday, Élysée confirms – Europe live

Meeting, co-chaired by France’s Emmanuel Macron and UK’s Keir Starmer, will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and response to Russia’s refusal to end warEU transport spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen also offered a bit more detail on the issue of GPS jamming and its impact on operations.She said:“Generally, we have been seeing a quite a lot of such jamming and spoofing activities, notably in the eastern flank of Europe.Europe is the most concerned region in the or most affected region globally, on this.“We are, of course, aware and used to somehow to the threats and intimidations that are [a] regular component of Russia’s hostile behaviour.Of course, this will only reinforce even further our unshakable commitment to ramp up defence capabilities and support for Ukraine.”“This incident actually underlines the urgency of the mission that the President is carrying out in the frontline member states.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Vladimir Putin meets Xi Jinping arrives in China for security summit – Ukraine war live

Russian president and his Chinese counterpart shake hands as more than 20 world leaders attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in TianjinFollowing a meeting with Ukraine’s top general, Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country’s forces are planning new strikes deep into Russia.In a post on X, the Ukrainian leader wrote:We analysed in detail the situation in the Zaporizhzhia direction and the enemy’s intentions. Also the situation in the border areas of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.We will continue our active operations in exactly the way needed for Ukraine’s defence. The forces and resources are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago All but one EU states demand Russia ‘stop the killing’ in Ukraine as Zelenskyy urges Monday deadline for Putin meeting – Europe live

EU member states, except Hungary, sign joint statement calling out Russia’s disregard for international lawEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is in Latvia today, and has been speaking to the media in the last few minutes.Speaking alongside Latvia’s prime minister Evika Siliņa, she praised the country’s work on becoming “a true drone and anti drone powerhouse” in Europe, contributing to Nato’s security in the region bordering with Russia.We know that Europe is only safe if the eastern border is safe.“The risks your country and the other Baltic States warned us about, unfortunately, have materialised. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine is now in its fourth year, Putin is a predator, Putin’s proxies have been targeting our societies for years with hybrid attacks, with cyber-attacks, [and] the weaponising of migrants is another example.” Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Donald Trump to chair meeting on Gaza as US says it expects ‘to settle this before the end of this year’ – Middle East crisis live

US special envoy Steve Witkoff says ‘we think we’re going to settle this one way or another’ as Marco Rubio also prepares to meet Gideon Saar Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Work with partners on security guarantees ‘must be accelerated,’ Zelenskyy says

Specifics on Ukraine’s defence should be detailed ‘in near future’ as Finnish president says Russia deploying a ‘typical’ delaying tacticA combat drone, presumed to be Ukrainian, went off course and exploded over Estonia without causing any casualties, the Baltic state and close Ukraine ally said on Tuesday, AFP reported.Pieces of the drone, which left a crater on crashing, were discovered by an agricultural worker near the south-eastern town of Tartu, 75 kilometres (45 miles) from the border with Russia. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Finnish president says he hopes Trump’s patience with Putin will run out soon

Alexander Stubb says Russia deploying a ‘typical’ delaying tactic as Trump warns of ‘consequences’ if Putin-Zelenskyy meeting does not happenFinnish president Alexander Stubb has been speaking at a press conference before the country’s ambassadors’ conference in Helsinki.In comments reported by the Finnish public broadcaster, Yle, he said that he hoped Trump’s patience with Putin would run out soon. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Zelenskyy says he wants to see an agreement on security guarantees before meeting Vladimir Putin – Ukraine war live

Amid US offering minimal security a group of allies led by Britain and France are putting together a military coalitionWe have just heard from the European Commission, confirming that the EU and the US have now agreed on the much-awaited “joint statement” advancing the political commitments on trade agreed by Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump in Scotland last month.The commission’s press release says the statement “lays out in detail the new US tariff regime towards the EU, with a clear maximum, all-inclusive, tariff rate of 15% for the vast majority of EU exports, including strategic sectors such as cars, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber.” Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Trump needs to understand what the war in Ukraine is really about | Kenneth Roth

It’s not about Nato or the Soviet Union. It’s about democracyIt may be difficult for a real-estate mogul like Donald Trump to recognize, but Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is not about slices of war-torn land in eastern Ukraine. It is about Ukraine’s democracy. Putin fears that the Russian people will see that democracy as an enticing alternative to his stultifying autocratic rule. Trump is unlikely to secure a peace deal unless he acts on that reality and changes the cost-benefit analysis behind Putin’s continuing war.Much of the public analysis of the Alaska summit between Trump and Putin, and the Washington collection of European leaders protecting the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, from the temperamental Trump, has been replete with red-herring issues. For example, Putin did not invade Ukraine because of feared Nato expansion. The unanimous consent of all Nato members required to admit Ukraine is nowhere on the horizon, especially since article 5 of the Nato tre...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump pushes for meeting to end war as Russia continues attacks on Ukraine: Live updates

Putin and Zelensky could meet within just two weeks as European leaders hail ‘breakthrough’ in Washington

Events

2 w. ago Trump rules out sending US ground troops to Ukraine and warns Putin of ‘rough situation’ if he does not move towards peace – live

US president says it’s possible Russian leader does not want to make dealVolodymyr Zelenskyy navigated Monday’s meeting more successfully than his Oval Office encounter in February, which ended abruptly when Donald Trump and JD Vance publicly upbraided him for not being grateful enough.In his opening remarks to the media on Monday, the Ukrainian president repeated his thanks at least eight times, the Associated Press reports.A meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin ... could it finally happen?The need for security guarantees agreed – but details unclearTrump believes he is very good at solving conflictsA potential boost for the US arms industry Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine live updates: ‘Dynamics have accelerated,’ says Polish PM as coalition of the willing debrief takes place after White House meeting

European leaders meet virtually after talks at the White House where Trump said arrangements being made for meeting between Putin and ZelenskyyFull report: Trump arranging Zelenskyy-Putin meeting as European leaders push for US security guaranteesSketch: All smoke and no fire as Zelenskky emerges unbruised after Trump meetVolodymyr Zelenskyy navigated Monday’s meeting more successfully than his Oval Office encounter in February, which ended abruptly when Donald Trump and JD Vance publicly upbraided him for not being grateful enough.In his opening remarks to the media on Monday, the Ukrainian president repeated his thanks at least eight times, the Associated Press reports.A meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin ... could it finally happen?The need for security guarantees agreed – but details unclearTrump believes he is very good at solving conflictsA potential boost for the US arms industry Continue reading...

Society