10 h. ago ‘Suspension of entry into the US’, paparazzi – and wine: three other reasons George Clooney moved to France

A UK government warning that Amal Clooney risks US sanctions over her role in the issuing of an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister is key among reasons the couple have sought French citizenshipThe exodus from Hollywood to shores not presided over by Donald Trump has been busy and loud. Ellen DeGeneres, Robin Wright and Courtney Love moved to England; Rosie O’Donnell opted for Ireland; Eva Longoria, Spain. Other Trump critics, including Richard Gere, Lena Dunham and Ryan Gosling, have upped sticks without citing the re-election as a motivating factor.In the case of Clooney, however, there has appeared little doubt that his decision to gain French citizenship was primarily because of Trump, whose re-election he energetically campaigned against. Yet amid the heat and headlines generated by the pair’s war of words, some of the actor’s reasons for relocating may have flown under the radar. Continue reading...

Politics

22 h. ago 'Foreign Secretary must use holidays to reset and bring Jagtar Singh Johal home', says family

Gurpreet Singh Johal said Yvette Cooper has not got back to him following their last meeting and urged her to use the Christmas holidays to “reconsider” his plea.

Society

36 h. ago Russia accuses Ukraine of killing 24 in New Year drone strike days after ‘false flag’ blitz on Putin’s palace

RUSSIA has accused Ukraine of launching a vicious New Year drone strike that killed 24 people, including a child, and left many more wounded. Shocking pictures have emerged of a cafe and hotel that was allegedly levelled by the overnight strike on the New Year's Party. Mad Vlad is said to be plotting a devastating...

Events

38 h. ago Russian ‘proof’ of attack on Putin’s palace with footage of ‘downed Ukrainian drone’ is laughable, says Kyiv

VLADIMIR Putin has been left with egg on his face after a video supposedly showing a drone downed near his private palace has been rejected by the international community. Scattered debris from one of the 91 drones Russia accused Ukraine of firing towards the tyrant's Valdai complex can be seen in footage released by the...

Events

42 h. ago Russia accuses Ukraine of killing 24 people in drone strike on a hotel and café

Vladimir Saldo, the Kremlin-installed governor of Kherson, has made currently unverified claims about the attack. Pictured: Ukrainian strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure.

Events

56 h. ago Thornberry calls for envoy to stop ’embarrassing failures’ like in El

The chairwoman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Emily Thornberry, criticised ‘serious shortcomings’ in information sharing.

Events

58 h. ago Thornberry calls for envoy to avoid ’embarrassing’ failures in El

The chairwoman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Emily Thornberry, criticised ‘serious shortcomings’ in information sharing.

Events

3 d. ago Russia accused of dancing on bodies of the dead for reopening theatre it bombed in Ukraine

RUSSIA has been accused of dancing on the bodies of the dead for reopening a theatre it bombed in Ukraine. Amnesty International says 12 people died when the Mariupol Drama Theatre was hit in 2022, part of a three-month siege of the now Russian-occupied city. It was fully restored and an opening gala was denounced...

Events

4 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says Kyiv cannot win without US support as Putin orders advance in Zaporizhzhia

Ukrainian president calls latest talks with Trump productive; Zelenskyy says attack on Putin’s residence is ‘lies’. What we know on day 1,406Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine cannot win its war against Russia without US support and accused Moscow of trying to sabotage peace talks after the Kremlin said it had foiled a Ukrainian drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s residence. Zelenskyy described the claim as “typical Russian lies” after his two-hour meeting on Sunday with Donald Trump in Florida, Luke Harding and Sammy Gecsoyler report. The Ukrainian president said Russia was “at it again” and using “dangerous statements” to undermine “diplomatic efforts” with the US to end the conflict. He added: “This alleged ‘residence strike’ story is a complete fabrication intended to justify additional attacks against Ukraine, including Kyiv, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take necessary steps to end the war.”Zelenskyy later said his Sunday meeting with Trump was productive. “Can we win with...

Politics

4 d. ago Cracks in Trump’s peace plan as Ukraine accuses Russia of lies over ‘attack on Putin residence’

Russia said it would revise its response to peace talks after claiming Ukraine had attacked Vladimir Putin’s forest retreat – an allegation dismissed by Volodymyr Zelensky as ‘lies’

Politics

4 d. ago Zelenskyy accuses Russia of trying to sabotage peace talks with ‘typical Russian lies’

Russia’s claim it foiled drone attack on Putin residence shows ‘they do not want to finish this war’, Ukrainian president saysVolodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of trying to sabotage peace talks and preparing to bomb government buildings after the Kremlin said it had foiled a Ukrainian drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s residence.Zelenskyy described the claim as “typical Russian lies” following his two-hour meeting on Sunday with Donald Trump in Florida. He said Russia was “at it again” and using “dangerous statements” to undermine “diplomatic efforts” with the US to end the conflict. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Yvette Cooper leads push to free Aung San Suu Kyi as Myanmar elections begin

The UN has warned the military-controlled election is unfolding amid violence, intimidation and arrests. The country’s former leader has not been heard from in two years

Politics

1 week ago The killing of a general in Moscow follows a series of assassinations Russia blames on Ukraine

Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out a number of high-profile attacks against prominent Russians since Moscow invaded its neighbor nearly four years ago

Events

1 week ago China has set a bear trap for Keir Starmer – and our naive PM is walking straight into it | Simon Tisdall

The conviction of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong is another hostile act. How can Britain ignore Beijing’s provocations and human rights abuses?The UK pushed hard to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, the newspaper publisher and British citizen who was a leading light in Hong Kong’s brutally suppressed pro-democracy movement. So, too, did press freedom and human rights campaigners. But the Beijing-appointed high court judges in the former colony convicted him anyway, finding Lai guilty last week on fake charges of trying to “destabilise” the Chinese Communist party (CCP). For Xi Jinping, China’s dictator-emperor, there is no greater crime.Protesting to China’s ambassador, the UK’s foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, condemned the trial as “politically motivated”. She’s right, of course – but her angry words will make no difference. Beijing’s contempt for Britain’s views is as painfully obvious as the UK’s weakness and indecision in the face of Chinese hubris. The breaking of its solemn promise t...

Politics

1 week ago UK aid cuts take 40% from funds to counter Russian threat in western Balkans

Funding to tackle misinformation and cyber-attacks, and boost democracy, cut from £40m to £24mKeir Starmer’s raid on overseas aid has led to a 40% cut in funds for countering Russian aggression and misinformation in a region of Europe described by the prime minister as vital to the UK’s national security.British funding committed to bolstering the western Balkans, where Russia has been accused of sowing division and creating destabilisation, has been cut from £40m last year to £24m for 2025-26. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Denmark says Russia was behind two ‘destructive and disruptive’ cyber

Intelligence service says attacks were work of groups connected to Russian state in ‘clear evidence’ of hybrid warThe Danish government has accused Russia of being behind two “destructive and disruptive” cyber-attacks in what it describes as “very clear evidence” of a hybrid war.The Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) announced on Thursday that Moscow was behind a cyber-attack on a Danish water utility in 2024and a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Danish websites in the lead up to the municipal and regional council elections in November. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago New UK migration pact to tackle small boats hailed as breakthrough

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has signed a new pact with Greece which will see the UK help authorities deal with smuggling gangs and the supply of small boats used for Channel crossings

Politics

2 w. ago Nato on alert after Russian border guards ‘illegally cross border into Estonia’ on hovercraft

Russia has been accused of repeated incursions into Nato territory by fighter jets and drones in recent months

Events

2 w. ago US strike on alleged drug boat in Pacific kills four, as Trump accuses Venezuela of taking ‘our oil’

The announcement from Pete Hegseth comes a day after Trump issued a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving VenezuelaThe US military carried out a lethal strike on a vessel it said was engaged in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, according to defense secretary Pete Hegseth, as Trump further ratcheted up pressure on Venezuela, accusing the country of taking US oil.On Wednesday Hegseth said the “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel engaged in “narco-trafficking operations” had killed four people. The latest strike in the Pacific brings the death toll to 99 since the US began its campaign of striking alleged drug-trafficking boats in September. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago European 'little pigs' risk triggering global conflict over Ukraine warns Vladimir Putin in frightening outburst

Putin has also accused Western politicians of plotting Russia's downfall and vowed to carry on with the war in Ukraine unless his demands are met.

Events