8 h. ago Drastic cuts under way bending US national security council to Trump’s will

Staff to be cut as office meant to formulate national security policy is reduced to implementing the president’s ideas, under watch of trusted aidesThe Trump administration started to dramatically overhaul the White House national security council on Friday, preparing to reassign hundreds of staff and consolidating power with aides trusted by the president, according to people familiar with the matter.The changes involved downsizing the NSC to about 150 from 300 staff and cutting a number of committees. Most NSC staff are drawn from other parts of the administration including the Pentagon and the state department, and were expected to be sent back to their home agencies. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Budget issues and Ncuti Gatwa's exit: is Doctor Who going to be renewed for another season?

The show is a national treasure, but it has started to struggle

Politics

44 h. ago Three decades later, NATO parliamentarians head to the site of the Dayton Peace Accords

Representatives of NATO-aligned nations will gather starting in the Ohio city where an end to the three-year Bosnian war was brokered 30 years ago

Politics

4 d. ago Why is the Six Nations starting on a Thursday? Key changes confirmed for 2026

Defending champions France to host Ireland in blockbuster opening match to be played in an unfamiliar window

Politics

4 d. ago 'Climate change is clear for all to see and it’s why we need to take water seriously'

Rachel Hallos, vice-president of the National Farmers Union, warns the driest start to spring in 70 years is of great concern to the farming sector - and why new water investment is urgently needed

Politics

4 d. ago Budget issues, falling viewership: is Doctor Who going to be renewed for another season?

The show is a national treasure, but in recent years it has started to struggle

Politics

4 d. ago Budget issues, falling viewership: is Doctor Who going to be renewed for a third season?

The show is a national treasure, but in recent years it has started to struggle

Politics

4 d. ago Gary Lineker's statement as his BBC exit is confirmed after antisemitism row

Gary Lineker will leave the BBC after this weekend’s Match Of The Day, it has been confirmed. He will not front BBC coverage of the 2026 World Cup, or coverage of the FA Cup next season

Politics

4 d. ago Scotland's 2026 Six Nations fixtures revealed as huge Valentine's Day clash lined up amid competition changes

Scotland discover their Six Nations campaign and tournament starts on Thursday

Politics

4 d. ago Six Nations 2026 to start on Thursday night as full schedule revealed

France will host Ireland on the opening night of the tournament

Politics

4 d. ago Men’s Six Nations starts midweek and is cut shorter for 2026

Winter Olympics shifts France v Ireland to ThursdayOnly one fallow week set to raise player welfare concernsNext year’s Six Nations will kick-off on a Thursday night for the first time in the competition’s history, with the defending champions France hosting Ireland, and take place across just six weeks after organisers removed one of fallow weeks for the championship.It is understood that the unprecedented move to begin the championship on Thursday 5 February next year has been made following input from broadcasters with the 2026 Winter Olympics ceremony taking place in Milan the following day. It has also been made with the agreement of all six unions. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Casemiro Man United transfer latest as 'contract renewal' update emerges

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro was key on Thursday night as his side advanced to the final of the Europa League

Politics

2 w. ago Trump news at a glance: military to immediately remove trans troops and use medical records to oust more

Buoyed by supreme court ruling, Pentagon will remove as many as 1,000 service members. Key US politics stories from Thursday 8 May at a glance“No More Trans @ DoD,” Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, posted after the supreme court allowed the Trump administration’s ousting of transgender troops to go forward. As of Thursday, the orders have been issued to identify and involuntarily force trans people out of service.Department officials have said it is difficult to determine exactly how many transgender service members there are, but medical records will show those who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, show symptoms or are being treated. Those troops would then be forced out. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago 'I just wanted to get it on target': Mason Mount breaks down Europa League semi

Mount has struggled for fitness since moving to United, but scored a key brace on Thursday night

Events

2 w. ago How can a country that is hosting the World Cup have no sponsor for its top flight?

The Copa do Brasil is back after a nine-year break but there are concerns about Brazil’s top flight before a first World Cup in South AmericaAfter a nine-year hiatus, fans of Brazilian women’s football will once again be able to support their clubs in the Copa do Brasil. The cup will bring together 65 clubs from the three divisions of the national women’s football league, starting with a preliminary round on 21 May and concluding with the final in November. It is a return that has long been requested by the women’s football community in Brazil in order to expand the calendar for lower-division clubs and gives high-profile teams such as Flamengo, Corinthians and Santos another opportunity to compete for silverware.However, all is not rosy on the Brazilian club scene only two years before Brazil are to host the Women’s World Cup for the first time. There have been a few years of growing sponsorship and visibility in the top tier, the Brasileirão A1, but this season has exposed the cha...

Politics

2 w. ago Current East Kilbride MSP confirmed as SNP’s candidate for 2026 Holyrood election

Collette Stevenson, who won the seat in 2021 with a majority of over 8,500, will be taking on current South Lanarkshire Council Leader Joe Fagan who is standing for Labour in the constituency.

Politics

2 w. ago Football League heads for dramatic finale, Bayern chase title and more – matchday live

Writer Q&A, fan views, plus the latest news and previewsToday’s fixtures | Latest tables | And email matchday liveBarney’s regular Saturday column is about a young man who, on Wednesday night, came agonisingly close to breaking the internetLamine Yamal was the buildup, the takeaway and also the TV commentary to this game, which for long periods was just Rio Ferdinand saying “OH MY GOD” a lot. In the second half you kept having to check the score to make sure it wasn’t actually 6-1 to Barcelona (Lamine Yamal 6), as opposed to a 3-3 draw and a good away result for Inter.The pandemic had a start date. But the closest we got to a national throwing-off of the shackles, our own VV day, was July 2021 and the sight of a lone England football supporter placing a flare between his buttock cheeks before releasing it into the air of central London. This was our healing moment, our iconography of closure, our own white cliffs and union flags. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Trump news at a glance: Rubio now holds four titles after Waltz out as national security chief

Marco Rubio becomes the first person since Henry Kissinger to hold the national security adviser and secretary of state positions at the same time – key US politics stories from Thursday 1 MaySecretary of state Marco Rubio – ridiculed as “Little Marco” by Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries – has become one of the most powerful players in the president’s cabinet.Trump appointed Rubio interim national security adviser on Thursday after Mike Waltz was forced to leave the post, alongside his deputy, Alex Wong, as sources said officials had lost confidence in their leadership. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Edinburgh 'fire festival' in pictures as Scots celebrate start of summer

The Beltane Fire Festival is an annual event that takes place on Calton Hill and takes the form of a procession that starts at Edinburgh's National Monument.

Events

3 w. ago McDonald’s posts surprise decline in global sales in first quarter

Firm was navigating ‘toughest of market conditions’ when Trump’s tariffs worsened wallet pressures on consumersMcDonald’s posted a surprise decline in first-quarter global sales on Thursday, as demand from cash-strapped diners in its key markets faltered on uncertainty sparked by chaotic tariffs.The company was navigating the “toughest of market conditions”, the company’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said, as global comparable sales fell 1%, while analysts on average had estimated a 0.95% rise. Continue reading...

Politics