6 h. ago Trump reveals mysterious secret meeting with Iran over nuclear weapons and issues cryptic warning to Ayatollah

Trump indicated the 'direct talks' with Iran had already begun, and said there would be a 'top level' meeting on Saturday.

Events

6 h. ago Trump says US in direct talks with Iran over nuclear program as he holds Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu – US politics live

President says talks to continue on Saturday and adds he and Israeli president also discussed tariffs and Israel-Gaza warEU ministers are in Luxembourg to consider the European Union’s response to Trump’s sweeping tariff regime amid continuing market turmoil and heightened fears of a global economic recession.It comes after Trump doubled down on his tariff policy in comments aboard Air Force One overnight. He said Europe “has treated us very, very badly,” and “has taken our leaders for a ride”, and declined to hold talks on changing tariffs “unless they pay us a lot of money on a yearly basis”. He also repeated criticism of Europe for not spending a fair share on Nato. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago World's most powerful banker breaks his silence on Trump tariffs to issue terrifying warning

Jamie Dimon issued a direct warning about President Donald Trump's tariffs. 

Events

11 h. ago Trump threatens China with extra 50% tariffs if country fails to withdraw 34% retaliatory levies – US politics live

US president escalates trade war with China, saying all negotiations will be terminated and additional levies will take effect on WednesdayGlobal stock markets tumble over tariff ‘medicine’Wall Street falls continue – business liveWhich Trump billionaires have lost the most?EU ministers are in Luxembourg to consider the European Union’s response to Trump’s sweeping tariff regime amid continuing market turmoil and heightened fears of a global economic recession.It comes after Trump doubled down on his tariff policy in comments aboard Air Force One overnight. He said Europe “has treated us very, very badly,” and “has taken our leaders for a ride”, and declined to hold talks on changing tariffs “unless they pay us a lot of money on a yearly basis”. He also repeated criticism of Europe for not spending a fair share on Nato. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Trump says Federal Reserve should cut rates; Canada initiates WTO dispute over car tariffs – US politics live

US economic council head denies tariffs were part of strategy to pressure Fed to cut interest rates; Canada says measures breach trade agreementsEU ministers are in Luxembourg to consider the European Union’s response to Trump’s sweeping tariff regime amid continuing market turmoil and heightened fears of a global economic recession.It comes after Trump doubled down on his tariff policy in comments aboard Air Force One overnight. He said Europe “has treated us very, very badly,” and “has taken our leaders for a ride”, and declined to hold talks on changing tariffs “unless they pay us a lot of money on a yearly basis”. He also repeated criticism of Europe for not spending a fair share on Nato. Continue reading...

Politics

45 h. ago ‘There is no ceasefire. Attacks are ongoing’: how Putin’s envoy played US over Ukraine

White House welcome for key member of Russian president’s inner circle raises fears over America’s commitment to peaceKirill Dmitriev’s meetings with US officials in the White House last week went largely below the radar. And deliberately so.The dapper investment envoy to Russian president Vladimir Putin, who also serves as a key negotiator for Moscow on Ukraine, posted an image of his flight plan on social media to make the point that a senior sanctioned Russian official was being welcomed by the Trump administration. Otherwise, details of what was discussed remain opaque. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Police officer who tried to meet boy, 14, while carrying 'limb restraints and bondage equipment' in Aldi bag is jailed

Inspector Thomas Kettleborough, 35, had sexually explicit conversations with what he thought was a 14-year-old boy he had met on Grindr and arranged to meet him in a car park.

Events

4 d. ago Trump fires six national security staffers after meeting with far

Trump ally presented him with opposition research against a number of officials that she said showed their disloyaltyFollow US politics liveDonald Trump fired six national security council staffers after an unusual meeting in the Oval Office where the far-right activist Laura Loomer presented opposition research against a number of staffers that she said showed they were disloyal to the US president, according to two people familiar with the matter.The firings included three staffers who had been brought on by national security adviser Mike Waltz – an extraordinary situation where Loomer appeared to have more sway over NSC personnel than the official in charge of running the agency. It also undercut Waltz’s position to have his allies axed from under him. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago I don’t want to interfere in trade talks by meeting US officials, says Swinney

The First Minister has defended his decision not to meet the US Government during his trip to New York this week.

Politics

4 d. ago Trump fires National Security Council staff after Laura Loomer urged him to cut people she saw as disloyal: report

Trump fired ‘several’ NSC members after his Oval Office meeting with Loomer, according to reports

Events

4 d. ago Trump fires three national security staffers after meeting with far

Loomer reportedly presented Trump with opposition research on national security council officials at Oval OfficeFollow US politics liveLaura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist and Islamophobic former Republican congressional candidate banned from Uber, Paypal and some social media platforms has apparently been successful in pushing the White House to fire national security staffers for disloyalty.The New York Times first reported that Loomer, famous for promoting racism and 9/11 conspiracy theories, was spotted in a meeting on Wednesday where she reportedly presented Trump with opposition research on national security council officials during a 30-minute Oval Office meeting. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago John Swinney has 'no plans' to meet with Trump Administration officials when in New York

The First Minister is jetting off to New York as part of the city's annual Tartan Day celebrations.

Politics

4 d. ago Hungary to pull out of ‘political’ ICC as Netanyahu visits Budapest

Israeli PM, who is wanted by the court, hails Viktor Orbán’s ‘bold and principled’ decision to leave the ‘corrupt’ bodyHungary will leave the international criminal court because it has become “political”, the country’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said as he welcomed his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanhayu - the subject of an ICC arrest warrant - to Budapest for an official visit.Standing beside Netanyahu at the start of the four-day visit, Orbàn said on Thursday that Hungary was convinced the “otherwise very important court” had “diminished into a political forum”. Netanyahu hailed “a bold and principled” decision. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Qatargate: Israel shocked as Benjamin Netanyahu rocked by latest scandal

Netanyahu has slammed the probe as a political witch hunt

Politics

4 d. ago Vilified, arrested, held incommunicado: that's the price of protest in Britain today | George Monbiot

It seems to me that whatever the charges facing the activists at the Quaker meeting house raid, their fundamental crime is dissentThe faces are different, but it’s the same authoritarianism. Keir Starmer’s team might not look or sound like Donald Trump’s, but its policies on protest and dissent are chillingly similar. So is the reason: coordinated global lobbying by the rich and powerful, fronted by rightwing junktanks.Last week, six young women were having tea and biscuits in the Quaker meeting house in Westminster. Twenty police officers forced open the door and arrested them on conspiracy charges. Had the police discovered a plot to blow up parliament or to poison the water supply? No. It was an openly advertised, routine meeting of a protest group called Youth Demand, discussing climate breakdown and the assault on Gaza.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnistThe Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism, by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison, was published in paperb...

Events

5 d. ago Business leaders gather in Edinburgh to tackle climate change

Business leaders championing sustainability in the Scottish capital gathered for the quarterly Edinburgh Climate Compact (ECC) meeting at the Agilico Edinburgh office.

Politics

5 d. ago Trump to consider final proposal on TikTok future as US ban deadline looms

Owner ByteDance required to find non-Chinese buyer for video app’s American operations by SaturdayDonald Trump is preparing to consider a final proposal to decide the future of TikTok before a deadline for the app to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a US ban.The US vice-president, JD Vance, the commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday to discuss the issue, Reuters reported. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Youth Demand vows to press on with 'disruptive' protests as Met accused of 'traumatising women' during arrests

Youth Demand held a rally in central London on Tuesday night - days after more than 30 police officers made six arrests at Quaker meeting house

Events

6 d. ago Trump 'finalizing' TikTok sale proposal as total ban looms in just FOUR days

President Trump is set to host an Oval Office meeting with investment groups who could purchase TikTok, after he directed a pause in a legal ban on the company on his first day in office.

Politics

6 d. ago Russia issues chilling threat as Vladimir Putin 'condemns' Donald Trump's latest outburst

Dealmaker Donald Trump has issued a chilling threat to Iran, saying that if it refused to negotiate on its nuclear program, he would bomb the country "the likes of which they have never seen before"

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