The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt confirms talks but declines to provide details The White House is holding direct talks with Hamas over the return of the Israeli hostages held since 7 October, breaking decades of precedent by engaging with the militant group without intermediaries. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday that officials had held “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, as the Trump…

Ukraine’s non-American allies have to be ready to replace US military support The hugs of European leaders for Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a London summit this weekend could not have contrasted more sharply with the Ukrainian president’s dressing down in the White House on Friday. One upside of the Oval Office showdown is that it seems to have served as a galvanising moment — though there had been plenty already…

…After disappearing on vacation The bodies of nine students who went missing on vacation in southern Mexico last month have been found dismembered by the side of a local highway — with a bag of hands nearby. The group’s gruesome remains were discovered in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle and underneath a blood-covered tarp in San Jose Miahuatlan on the border of the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca.…

Proxy marriages are recognized under Ghanaian law and registration was not a legal requirement. A Ghanaian woman has been granted the right to remain in the UK after an immigration tribunal ruled in favor of her proxy marriage, which took place 12 days before the Brexit deadline, despite her and her husband’s absence from the ceremony. The tribunal was told that Elizabeth Owusu claimed to have married Tamba Dumbar Matrui,…

Proposal focuses on emergency relief and long-term economic development under Palestinian Authority administration Arab leaders have endorsed a $53bn (£42bn) plan to rebuild Gaza under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority (PA), in a rushed attempt to present an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s idea for a property development-style plan. Trump’s suggestion involved a relocation of the Palestinian population that has been widely criticised as effectively endorsing ethnic…

The director of an agency of the US government, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe said Wednesday that the US has paused intelligence support and weapons shipments to Ukraine following the clash in the Oval Office between President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump last Friday. ”President Trump had a real question about whether President Zelensky was committed to the peace process, and he said ‘let’s pause’,” Ratcliffe told…

Global security concerns escalated today as Beijing declared that it is “ready for war” with the United States, responding to heightened trade tensions and economic sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. The world’s two largest economies—the United States (GDP: $27.4 trillion in 2024) and China (GDP: $17.8 trillion)—are now locked in a fierce economic and military standoff, with Washington’s dominance in technology and finance clashing against Beijing’s industrial and export-driven…

….Says Ronald Reagan is ‘rolling in his grave,’ Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan also had harsh words for Elon Musk and warned that Trump’s policies “could walk us right into a recession.” Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., lit into President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, suggesting that President Ronald Reagan — whose “peace through strength” mantra Trump has adopted — would be appalled by his approach to Russia’s war against Ukraine.…

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a possible peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying he is willing to work “constructively” under Donald Trump’s “strong leadership” and to sign a deal giving the US access to his country’s mineral wealth. In an attempt to mend fences with Washington after Trump abruptly suspended supplies of military aid, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he was “ready to come to the negotiating table as…

…As Trudeau calls them a “dumb thing to do” President Trump’s imposition of blanket 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico drew swift vows of retaliation from the United States’ immediate neighbours on Tuesday. China, which was hit with a second 10% tariff on U.S. exports since Trump took office, bringing the total levy to 20%, immediately announced its own reciprocal measures — deliberately targeting America’s agricultural…

Authorities in Mexico were investigating the killing of a local reporter Monday in the central state of Guanajuato, the country’s homicide leader. The state prosecutor’s office identified the victim only by his first name, but local media outlets said the victim was Kristian Zavala, who covered local goings on in the city of Silao on his Facebook page. Zavala and another person were killed Sunday, according to the office. According…

Ukraine’s battlefield resilience could collapse within six months without continued U.S. military aid, top military officials have warned, as President Donald Trump announced a pause on all U.S. military supplies to the war-torn nation. A senior U.S. Defence Department official confirmed that military aid packages not yet delivered—including weapons currently in transit or stockpiled in Poland—will be suspended pending further review. The decision has raised serious concerns about Ukraine’s ability…