3 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Pope opens Vatican door to peace talks, says Meloni

Zelenskyy says Putin ‘trying to buy time’ after phone call with Trump; EU lays on further sanctions and more coming up. What we know on day 1,183Pope Leo confirmed to Giorgia Meloni his willingness to host in the Vatican the next round of negotiations to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Italian prime minister said on Tuesday. “Finding in the Holy Father confirmation of the readiness to host the next talks between the parties in the Vatican, the prime minister expressed deep gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his unceasing commitment to peace,” said a statement from Meloni. Leo, elected two weeks ago, said on 14 May that the Vatican could act as a mediator in global conflicts, without specifically mentioning Russia’s war against Ukraine.Separately the Italian prime minister said she had talks with other European leaders and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over next steps. “It was agreed to maintain close coordination between the partners with a view to a ne...

Events

3 d. ago Vatican peace talks and a threatened ‘red line’ – what comes after the Trump

Volodymyr Zelensky accuses the Kremlin of trying to ‘buy time’ as Vladimir Putin agrees to work towards a memorandum with Kyiv, but no 30-day ceasefire

Politics

5 d. ago US threatens maximum tariffs as it takes tougher line on trade talks

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent says rates will jump to the high levels set on ‘liberation day’ if countries do not negotiate

Events

5 d. ago Bessent threatens maximum tariffs and takes tougher line on trade talks

Treasury secretary says rates will jump to the high levels set on ‘liberation day’ if countries do not negotiate

Events

6 d. ago Oklahoma high schools to teach 2020 election conspiracy theories as fact

State superintendent Ryan Walters tapped chief of Heritage Foundation, key player behind Project 2025, for curriculum As part of the latest Republican push in red states to promote ideologies sympathetic to Donald Trump, Oklahoma’s new social studies curriculum will ask high school students to identify “discrepancies” in the 2020 election results.The previous standard for studying the 2020 election merely said: “Examine issues related to the election of 2020 and its outcome.” The new version is more expansive: “Identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information, including the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of ‘bellwether county’ trends.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Red Cross escorts over 1,000 disarmed Congolese soldiers from rebel

Over a thousand disarmed Congolese soldiers and police officers, along with their families have safely been transferred from the rebel-controlled city of Goma in eastern Congo to the capital Kinshasa over the last two weeks

Events

9 d. 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

9 d. ago Watch: Trump welcomed by parade of red Cybertrucks and camels during Qatar visit

Donald Trump’s motorcade was welcomed by a parade of red cybertrucks and camels during his visit to Qatar.

Politics

1 week ago Putin offers new peace talks as West demands ceasefire and threatens sanctions

Vladimir Putin has proposed restarting direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next week, but stopped short of agreeing to a Western-backed ceasefire due to begin on Monday.

Events

1 week ago Putin calls for 'direct talks' with Ukraine to make 'lasting, strong peace' in rare late

In a rare late-night TV address on Sunday, he said Russia was proposing direct talks with Ukraine in an attempt 'to achieve the restoration of a long-term, lasting peace'.

Politics

2 w. ago Gaza, gay rights, abuse and Trump: How will Pope Leo XIV confront global crisis?

The world receives a message of ‘peace and justice’ from the Vatican amid global turmoil and a long shadow of abuse in the church

Events

2 w. ago Donald Trump say there 'won’t be any red tape' in 'historic' UK

This is a breaking news story and is constantly being updated as the story develops

Politics

2 w. ago Donald Trump says there 'won’t be any red tape' in 'historic' UK

Donald Trump has praised Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his handling of trade negotiations after the two countries made a deal "after years of failed talks"

Politics

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but Trump cancels almost $8bn in projects

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but Trump cuts almost $8bn in projects

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago US renewable energy has tripled in a decade – but almost $8bn in projects now face cuts

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation’s energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 – enough to power 28m homes – was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy – enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, accordin...

Politics

2 w. ago US agrees ceasefire with Houthis in Yemen after dozens killed in airstrikes

The Houthis have agreed to stop targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea, but said attacks against Israel will continueThe US will halt its bombing campaign against Yemen’s Houthis after the Iran-aligned group agreed to stop targeting shipping in the Red Sea.The halt – announced by the US president, Donald Trump, during an Oval Office meeting with Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, came on a day in which Israel claimed its jets had fully disabled Yemen’s main airport, including three civilian aircraft on the ground, in retaliation for a missile strike on Sunday that hit within the perimeter of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago UK's powerhouse services sector slips into red for first time since 2023 as Trump tariffs and Labour's raid on business hammers activity

Grim figures from the closely-watched PMI survey of businesses showed a score of 49 for April - with anything below 50 representing contraction.

Politics

2 w. ago The famous faces you won't see at the Met Gala because of their links to 'banned' Donald Trump

The star-studded event of the year is tonight, but certain MAGA figures will not be attending the Met Gala. President Donald Trump has been banned from red carpet since 2017.

Politics

2 w. ago Trump is desperate to brand his opponents as communists. But why?

A 'Red Scare'-era figure influenced a young Trump

Politics