European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that Moscow does not appear ready to pursue genuine negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, describing the conflict as unpredictable and hazardous.She made the remarks in Strasbourg as EU lawmakers met to discuss the crisis.Von der Leyen argued that any meaningful settlement will require strong security arrangements to deter future...

A leaked recording that reportedly shows US special envoy Steve Witkoff advising a Russian official on how to appeal to President Trump has stirred controversy in Washington.President Trump told reporters he had not listened to the audio but defended Witkoff, saying the envoy was doing what a dealmaker does to promote a peace plan.Bloomberg published a transcript of a call dated 14 October in...

President Trump defended special envoy Steve Witkoff after a leaked recording purportedly showed him advising a senior Russian aide on how to appeal to the US president over a proposed Ukraine peace plan.Trump told reporters he had not listened to the tape but characterized Witkoff’s approach as typical dealmaking — trying to pitch the plan to both Moscow and Kyiv.The leak surfaced shortly...

Italy’s parliament has approved a new law that treats the gender-motivated killing of women as a separate offence punishable by life imprisonment.The vote, held on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, passed unanimously with all 237 deputies backing the measure.The bill was proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and received support from both the government...

Dan Driscoll, the 39-year-old army secretary often nicknamed President Trump’s “drone guy,” has emerged unexpectedly as a key player in recent U.S.efforts to shape a peace process for the Russia-Ukraine war.A relative newcomer to diplomacy, Driscoll is the youngest person to hold the army secretary post. He has built a reputation inside the administration for pushing new battlefield...

Serbia's president has firmly denied claims that he took part in so-called "sniper tourism" during the siege of Sarajevo, calling the accusations false and defamatory.Aleksandar Vučić addressed the matter at a UK–Western Balkans business conference in Belgrade, saying he never harmed anyone and has never used a sniper rifle.He added that a photograph cited by critics actually shows him...

A freshly revised peace framework unveiled after intense talks in Geneva may be acceptable to Kyiv — but key issues still stand in the way of a deal.Washington had pushed for a rapid agreement ahead of Thanksgiving, but Kyiv balked when the initial proposal appeared heavily tilted toward Moscow’s demands.That prompted high-level delegations from Ukraine, the US, Germany, France and the UK to...

The chair of the Commons culture committee has raised serious doubts about the BBC board’s ability to manage the broadcaster’s current crisis after its chair, Samir Shah, gave evidence to MPs.Dame Caroline Dinenage said Shah’s responses fell short of the clear, decisive plan the committee wanted to hear and warned there appeared to be weak oversight at the top of the organisation.Shah told...

Samir Shah, chair of the BBC, told MPs he intends to remain in post and tackle the problems exposed by the Panorama edit of a Donald Trump speech.Apologising for mistakes and their effects, Shah said his priority is to stabilise the corporation and lead a programme of fixes rather than step aside.The row began after a leaked internal memo from former editorial adviser Michael Prescott warned of...

Renowned Irish designer Paul Costelloe has died in London at the age of 80 after a short illness.His family said he was at home, surrounded by his wife and seven children when he passed.Born and raised in Dublin, Costelloe grew up in a household connected to clothing—his father ran a raincoat business. He trained at the Grafton Academy of Fashion Design before traveling to Paris to study at...