Saturday, 17 May 2025

Trump to talk to Putin on Monday about Ukraine ceasefire proposal and trade

In social media posts, president also slammed Walmart for price increases and spread anti-Clinton conspiracy theories

Donald Trump has said that he will speak to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an effort to stop what he called the “bloodbath” war in Ukraine, in a barrage of new social media posts that included baseless conspiracy theories and a demand that Walmart not raise prices for customers because of tariffs he has imposed.

Trump, posting on his Truth Social account on Saturday, wrote that he will speak to Putin on Monday morning. “THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE ‘BLOODBATH’ THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE,” Trump wrote, in his customary all-capitalized prose.

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Five killed after helicopters collide in Finland

Police have not confirmed the number of deaths but said there were five people on board in total.

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Friday, 16 May 2025

House Republicans block Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ in major setback

Rightwing lawmakers say president’s bill – centered on tax cuts and funding deportations – doesn’t make enough cuts

Rightwing lawmakers derailed Donald Trump’s signature legislation in the House of Representatives on Friday, preventing its passage through a key committee and throwing into question whether Republicans can coalesce around the massive bill.

The party has spent weeks negotiating a measure dubbed the “one big, beautiful bill” that would extend tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term, fund mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, and temporarily make good on his campaign promise to end the taxation of tips and overtime. To offset its costs, Republicans have proposed cuts to the federal safety net, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

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Five House Republicans stall Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax bill

Lawmakers from the president's own party joined all Democrats to reject a key domestic bill, demanding deeper budget cuts.

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Shock in Sweden at death of diplomat questioned for spying

The man, described as a high-ranking diplomat, was arrested on Sunday and released on Wednesday.

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Thursday, 15 May 2025

Republican push to cut green tax credits would raise utility bills, new data shows

Study shows rollback of credits would increase energy expenses for American of both red and blue districts

As House Republicans propose taking a sledgehammer to the green tax credits in Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, new data shows the loss of those incentives could lower some Americans’ household income by more than $1,000 a year due to increased utility bills and job losses.

Though Donald Trump has called climate spending a “waste” of money, the data – published by the industry group Clean Energy Buyers Association (Ceba) on Thursday – provides evidence that rescinding them would actually increase expenses for ordinary Americans in red and blue districts alike.

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US says Trump and Putin needed for breakthrough in Ukraine peace talks

Marco Rubio says he does not have high expectations for Ukraine-Russia peace talks due to be held in Turkey.

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Wednesday, 14 May 2025

Menendez brothers ‘huge step’ closer to freedom as judge reduces sentences

Brothers, convicted of parents’ 1989 murders, resentenced to 50 years to life, making them immediately parole eligible

After months of delays and decades behind bars, Erik and Lyle Menendez now have a long-awaited chance at freedom after a judge reduced their sentences for the 1989 killings of their parents.

Their family and extensive network of supporters celebrated on Tuesday when Judge Michael Jesic resentenced the brothers from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. The judge’s decision means they are immediately eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because of their young ages at the time of the murders.

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Trump's meeting with Sharaa, unthinkable just months ago, boosts Syrians' hopes

Syria's interim leader met the US president in Riyadh after he announced he would lift sanctions on Syria.

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Tuesday, 13 May 2025

Robert Benton, Oscar-winning director of Kramer vs Kramer, dies aged 92

The writer and director, whose credits also include Bonnie and Clyde, Superman and Places in the Heart, died at his New York City home

Oscar-winning writer and director Robert Benton has died at the age of 92.

He won his two Academy awards for divorce drama Kramer vs Kramer. His longtime assistant and manager confirmed his death to the New York Times.

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Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearing begins after months of delays

LA judge to decide whether Erik and Lyle Menendez should get chance at freedom after serving 30 years for murder

Erik and Lyle Menendez returned to court on Tuesday for a long-awaited hearing in which a Los Angeles judge will decide whether the brothers should get a chance at freedom after serving nearly three decades in prison for the double murder of their parents in 1989.

The resentencing hearing, which is moving ahead after months of delays, is expected to last two days. If Judge Michael Jesic shortens the brothers’ sentences, they would still need approval from the state’s parole board to be released.

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Monday, 12 May 2025

Starmer defends plans to curb net migration after backlash from MPs

Prime minister’s ‘island of strangers’ speech was likened to rhetoric of Enoch Powell

Keir Starmer has defended his plans to curb net migration after an angry backlash from MPs, businesses and industry to a speech in which he said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” without tough new policies.

The rhetoric was likened by some critics to the language of Enoch Powell, and the prime minister was accused of pandering to the populist right by insisting he intended to “take back control of our borders” and end a “squalid chapter” of rising inward migration.

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Sunday, 11 May 2025

Hamas to release US-Israeli hostage as part of efforts to reach Gaza ceasefire

The release will come ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East on Tuesday.

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Trump officials ‘created confrontation’ that led to arrest of Newark mayor

Democratic Congress members who visited detention center with mayor say Ice officials ‘created the chaos’

Trump administration homeland security officials were responsible for starting the confrontation on Friday at a New Jersey immigration jail that led to the arrest of Newark’s mayor as well as threats to detain three members of Congress, the representatives said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.

The Democratic Congress members Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver and Rob Menendez – all of New Jersey – visited the controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center known as Delaney Hall on Friday to inspect the facility. As they waited to enter Delaney Hall, Newark’s mayor Ras Baraka arrived – and as he left the property, he was arrested outside by Ice officials accusing him of trespassing, leading to a commotion at the entrance of the jail.

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Trump to receive luxury jet for Air Force One from Qatar

The aircraft is intended for use as a presidential plane, which will then be donated to Trump's library.

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Saturday, 10 May 2025

‘We share a history and the future’: diaspora communities in UK decry Kashmir conflict

At a demonstration in Westminster, people from both sides of India-Pakistan divide call for more than mere ceasefire

People around the world held their breath this week as India and Pakistan appeared to edge closer and closer towards war.

For diaspora communities with family in the region, especially in Kashmir and along the border between the two countries, recent days in particular have been filled with fear and anxiety.

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Google agrees to pay Texas $1.375bn over data-privacy claims

State attorney general said company secretly tracked users’ movements, searches, voiceprints and facial geometry

Google has agreed to pay $1.375bn in a settlement in principle reached with the state of Texas over allegations the company violated users’ data privacy, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, said on Friday.

The agreement settles two lawsuits that covered three products for allegedly violating Texas consumer protection laws.

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Friday, 9 May 2025

US considers special status for Greenland amid Trump push for control

Officials float idea of compact of free association (Cofa), used by US to keep close ties with Pacific Island nations

US officials are discussing a plan to pull Greenland into America’s sphere of influence using a type of agreement that the United States has used to keep close ties with several Pacific Island nations, according to two US officials and another person familiar with the discussions.

Under the plan being considered, the Trump administration would propose to Greenland’s leaders that the island enter into a so-called compact of free association, or Cofa, with the United States.

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Thursday, 8 May 2025

US celebrates Leo XIV as first American pontiff: ‘Everything dope, including the pope’

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson hails home town cardinal as Donald Trump and others offer congratulations

Americans are celebrating and speaking out after US cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV, was announced as the next pope.

“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after the pope, who was born in Chicago, appeared on the Vatican balcony in Rome on Thursday.

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Turkey moves to silence jailed Erdogan rival by blocking account on X

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has relied on social media to stay in touch with supporters from jail.

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Watch Pope Leo XIV's first public address - in full

Speaking from the Vatican balcony just after being unveiled as the new pontiff, he paid tribute to his predecessor and called for unity.

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Wednesday, 7 May 2025

US adults’ belief in impact of BLM protests consistently decreased since 2020 – study

Study also found 54% of adult Americans said the relationship between police and Black people was about the same since George Floyd’s death

This 25 May marks the fifth anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, whose murder sparked international protests against police brutality and racism.

A new study by the Pew Institute examines the beliefs of American adults regarding race and racial issues five years after Floyd’s death.

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Israeli strikes on Gaza restaurant and market kill 33, health ministry says

The restaurant in Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood had been recently been operating a community kitchen.

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South African opposition politician hits out after failing to get UK visa

The UK Home Office was unable to process Julius Malema's application in time for his trip, the High Commission says.

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Tuesday, 6 May 2025

Man arrested after crashing car into front gate of Jennifer Aniston’s home

The Friends actor was at her Los Angeles residence when the man was arrested and taken into custody

A man was arrested after crashing a car into the front gate of Jennifer Aniston’s home in Los Angeles, California, authorities said on Tuesday.

Police told KABC-TV that the Friends star was home at the time of the crash.

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French hunter given suspended sentence for killing protected bear

The 81-year-old man said he had no choice but to shoot the animal after it attacked him during a hunt.

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EU plans to end Russian gas imports by end of 2027

The European Union vowed to end energy relations with Russia after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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Monday, 5 May 2025

Cuts leave voters doubting Labour’s ability to deliver change

Many are giving up on the government after the winter fuel allowance cut, on which there may now be a partial U-turn

Keir Starmer rode a red wave into Downing Street on the back of a furious desire for change. Poll after poll said that top of the list for change was the cost of living, followed by public services.

But just nine months from taking power, many voters seem to be already giving up on the government’s ability to bring about that change. The speed of that rejection has been extraordinary.

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Ukraine claims strike in Russia's Kursk amid reports of fresh incursion

Kyiv says it struck a drone command centre in border village and insists forces remain inside Russian region

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Sunday, 4 May 2025

Wisconsin woman missing for more than 60 years found ‘alive and well’

Audrey Backeberg who disappeared at age 20 in 1962 was found living out of the state, county sheriff’s office says

A Wisconsin woman missing for more than 60 years has been found “alive and well”, according to authorities.

In a press statement, Wisconsin’s Sauk county sheriff’s office said that 82-year old Audrey Backeberg, who initially disappeared in July 1962 at the age of 20, had been found living out of the state. The sheriff’s office did not disclose which state Backeberg was found in.

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Saturday, 3 May 2025

Police disband pro-Palestinian camp at Swarthmore College and arrest nine activists

Some students were also temporarily suspended as other colleges respond with disciplinary action to protests

On the morning of 3 May, the Swarthmore borough police department disbanded a four-day pro-Palestinian encampment on Swarthmore College’s campus and arrested nine activists. One current and one former Swarthmore College student were among the arrested, while the rest were from outside of the college community, the college’s president, Valerie Smith, said in a statement.

“With rising concerns about safety and security on campus, a continued and growing presence of individuals unaffiliated with the college, warnings from outside law enforcement agencies and no signs that protestors were willing to engage in conversation that would bring the encampment to an end,” Smith said, “I felt we had no choice but to seek outside assistance from local law enforcement.”

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Fears of global instability drive Singapore voters into ruling party's arms

The People's Action Party won by a landslide in an election dominated by concerns over the cost of living and the economy.

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Driver arrested after four people injured in two collisions in Rochdale

A man is being detained on suspicion of attempted murder following two incidents about two miles apart

A driver has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after four people were injured in two separate collisions in Rochdale, police have said.

A woman was airlifted to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after she was hit by a car in Whitworth Road and three pedestrians, including a child, were injured in Woodgate Avenue, about two miles away.

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Friday, 2 May 2025

Trump proposes cutting $163bn in non-defense funds and boosting military

Education, health, climate and more on chopping block and 13% rise – to over $1tn to Pentagon – in ‘skinny budget’

Donald Trump is proposing huge cuts to social programmes like health and education while planning substantial spending increases on defence and the Department of Homeland Security, in a White House budget blueprint that starkly illustrates his preoccupation with projecting military strength and deterring migration.

Cuts of $163bn on discretionary non-defence spending would also see financial outlays slashed for environmental and renewable energy schemes, as well as for the FBI, an agency Trump has claimed was weaponised against him during Joe Biden’s presidency. Spending reductions are also being projected for the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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Thursday, 1 May 2025

White House uses newly revealed allegations to support refusal to return Kilmar Ábrego García to US

Wife of man unlawfully sent to El Salvador filed protection petition in 2020 after domestic violence allegations

The legal team behind Kilmar Ábrego García, the Maryland man unlawfully deported to El Salvador, is demanding that the Trump administration “bring him back and give him a full and fair trial” as the administration releases new domestic abuse allegations.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited allegations made by Ábrego García’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, that he abused her on several occasions in 2019 and 2020.

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Hundreds arrested in crackdown on May Day protests in Istanbul

More than 50,000 police officers are deployed to the Turkish capital and public transport is shut down.

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Trump to talk to Putin on Monday about Ukraine ceasefire proposal and trade

In social media posts, president also slammed Walmart for price increases and spread anti-Clinton conspiracy theories Donald Trump has sai...