Amid Rhetoric About Rupture With U.S., Finland Urges Calm
“We don’t need a bulldozer,” says Alexander Stubb, Finland’s president and a golf partner of President Trump. “Reform doesn’t mean destruction.”
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Green Party Defeats Labour in U.K. Special Election, in Blow to Starmer
The result marks the first time the Greens have won a British parliamentary by-election and signals the frustration of left-leaning voters with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
‘Our patience has now run out’: Pakistan declares ‘open war’ against Afghanistan after cross-border attack – live news
Pakistani forces launched airstrikes against military targets in the Afghan capital, Kabul, as well as other provinces close to the borderBoth sides are reporting they have inflicted heavy casualties on each other, but it is difficult to know the true numbers when they are presenting sharply divergent figures.Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar claims 133 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed, with more than 200 injured. Of its own soldiers, Tarar says that two were killed in the cross-border fighting, while three were injured.The UK is deeply concerned by the significant escalation in tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. We urge both sides to take immediate steps toward de‑escalation, avoid further harm to civilians, and re‑engage in mediated dialogue. Continue reading...
Bill Clinton to face Congressional questions over Epstein ties – US politics live
Clinton follows his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who testified on Thursday calling for Donald Trump to appear before the panelPresident Donald Trump says the US economy is booming and that he has fixed inflation. But most Americans, including many in his Republican Party, do not see things that way, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.“This is the golden age of America,” Trump said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. “The roaring economy is roaring like never before.“ Continue reading...
Starmer calls byelection result ‘very disappointing’ as Green party’s Hannah Spencer says voters ‘rejected hate’– UK politics live
The Green party pulls off an unlikely victory in Gorton and Denton as Reform UK finish second and Labour is pushed into third placeFull story: Resounding victory for Green partyAnalysis: Labour’s worst fears realisedReform activists are “hearing Matt Goodwin has all but conceded defeat to the Greens”, the UK poll aggregator Britain Elects has posted on X.The Green party has predicted a “seismic moment” in UK politics, with a party source telling the Press Association:Things are feeling positive. Not wanting to get ahead of ourselves, but everything that we thought that was going to be happening looks like it’s happening … Whatever happens, I think it’s fair to say that Greens are here to stay now as a progressive voice in British politics. Continue reading...
France condemns decision to provisionally apply divisive Mercosur trade deal – Europe live
Trade between the EU and two South American countries may start within two months under a provision application of the dealTrade between the EU and two South American countries may start within two months under a provision application of the Mercosur deal.“The law allows the provisional application of the deal can happen two months after notification has been exchanged between both sides in the form of a ‘note verbale’ that the deal will enter into provision application.”“The president reached out to member states and to MEPS, that’s what it means. She reached out to member states and MEPs, and I remind you that the member states as the European Council, endorsed and approved the EU Mercosur agreement and empowered the European Commission to move forward with provisional application.” Continue reading...
Green win shows progressive voters are now voting against Labour as well as Reform
Gorton and Denton byelection shatters Labour strategy of neglecting its core base while focusing on Reform defectorsUK politics live – latest updatesThe Gorton and Denton byelection produced Labour’s most feared outcome – the Greens winning and potential displacing Labour as the choice of anti-Reform voters. This risk was signposted for months. It is just the latest of the unintended consequences produced by this government: first, a manifesto commitment to not raise taxes that has led to constant U-turns on spending, then a clampdown on immigration that is creating shortages of medical staff, and now an attempt to stop Andy Burnham from challenging Keir Starmer that has super-charged an insurgent Green party.Clear though the risk was, Labour simply refused to acknowledge it. Until very recently, No 10 strategy, as defined by Morgan McSweeney, was built around neglecting, even insulting, progressive voters, and seeking to win back defections to Reform. Come the next general election, so the argument went, progressives would sheepishly have to back Labour, just as leftwing voters in France got behind Emmanuel Macron when push came to shove. Continue reading...
Manifesto planning ‘mass casualties’ allegedly found at home of WA man charged with terror plot
Police allege that 20-year-old Jayson Joseph Michaels was going to target mosques, WA police and parliamentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice in Western Australia have charged a 20-year-old man with preparing a terrorist attack, with Anthony Albanese describing the allegation as “deeply shocking”.Jayson Joseph Michaels, from Bindoon, appeared at Perth magistrates court on Friday charged with acting in preparation for a terrorist act, possessing a prohibited weapon, two firearms offences and using a carriage service to menace or harass. Continue reading...
What we know after latest escalation in Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions
Bombings by Pakistan are the most significant development in tensions between the two neighbours - though the physical impact remains unclear.
Hillary Clinton accuses Republicans of ‘fishing expedition’ in Epstein testimony | First Thing
Former secretary of state says hearing is an attempt to deflect attention from Trump. Plus, the textile artist weaving patterns to inspire the labor movementGood morning.Hillary Clinton rebuked a congressional committee investigating her supposed links to Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday, accusing its Republican members of embarking on a “fishing expedition” intended to “distract attention from President Trump’s actions”.How did we get here? The Clintons reluctantly agreed to appear in response to a subpoena from the committee’s Republican chair, James Comer, after being threatened with contempt of Congress charges. Both Clintons have previously complained that they are being singled out unfairly to distract public attention from Trump, who had a long friendship with Epstein before breaking with him.What happens next? Bill Clinton, a former president, will testify later today, also in a closed-door session.What stage are the bills at? None have been signed into law, and they may face legal challenges. The bills, nonetheless, underscore the determination by Democratic state lawmakers in New Jersey, California, Maryland and Washington state, to undermine Trump’s hardline immigration policy.How did immigration enforcement get so many resources? The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, approved by the GOP along party lines in Congress, allocated nearly $30bn to hire and train new ICE agents. The agency embarked on a hiring spree that often used xenophobic slogans in recruitment ads, as well as incentives such as signing bonuses as high as $50,000. Continue reading...