Author: News Desk

The new “gold cards” are US residency permits of $5 million (€4.8 million) a pop, replacing a 35-year-old visa for investors.

US President Donald Trump says Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy set to visit US on Friday to sign a “very big deal.” It comes as sources confirmed to several news agencies that Ukraine and the United States have agreed on a draft broad minerals deal, which may ease recent tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy. The deal will see the US jointly develop Ukraine’s mineral wealth, with revenues going to a new fund shared by both countries, according to senior Ukrainian officials, who were quoted by several news agencies. Draft deal lacks US security guarantees for Ukraine Zelenskyy had rejected Trump’s demand for…

The UK, Norway, Germany and France, as well as other European Union states, have offered military training for Ukrainian soldiers and officers since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine three years ago. One of them, who asked DW to use his combat name Mara, is deployed with the 114th Brigade of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense against Russia’s war of aggression. Mara completed two months of basic training in France in 2023. “But Western trainers sometimes don’t understand the kind of war we’re fighting,” he told DW. “They are used to fighting terrorists who don’t have tanks, artillery or drones.” The soldier would have preferred…

Voices: Should the UK and Europe step away from US influence? – and Nato? — Join The WTX News Debate Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on Europe to reduce its reliance on NATO and the US amid rising security concerns and Donald Trump’s cosiness with Putin. Merz argues that Europe should build its own defence, with potential backing from nuclear powers like the UK and France. But critics warn that no European alternative can match America’s military strength and that breaking away from Nato could expose Europe to growing global threats. Share your thoughts in the comments – Should…

A new report shows used EVs now cheaper than diesel alternatives as market sees price stabilistaion Second-hand electric car prices are now more affordable than their equivalent diesel or hybrid alternatives, as the overall market sees price stabilisation after years of volatility, a new report shows. The report, by DoneDeal Motors, shows demand for second-hand electric cars is up, with prices also increasing by 1% during January — the first positive monthly growth since the beginning of 2023 which indicates the used electric car market has stabilised compared with previous pricing declines. According to the report, used electric cars are…

Rachel Reeves says Europe must boost defence spending like UK Rachel Reeves has said Europe must boost defence spending, following the UK’s lead after Keir Starmer pledges to boost spending to 3 per cent. In a move to underscore the reasoning behind the controversial budget shift, the chancellor wrote in The Telegraph it was the duty of the government to respond to Russian aggression by increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP in the next to years, before going further following the next election. “This is a generational moment for our Continent. All of us must step up and do more on defence,” Ms…

A UN-led coalition warns of a “wave of extreme brutality” in Haiti, reporting numerous killings and mass displacements. According to the group, families have been massacred, and children shot while fleeing. Despite the Kenyan-led security mission’s reinforcements, gang dominance in the capital and widespread violence persist. “Entire families have been brutally wiped out in their homes, while others, including children and babies, have been shot dead as they tried to escape,” the group, organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in a statement Monday. Gangs control large portions of Haiti, including the majority of…

Kennedy’s Southport account to MPs was centred on the events of 31 July. Serena Kennedy told MPs she had stressed that the UK’s streets were “on fire” with violent disorder in the wake of three young girls being fatally stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town on 29 July. Axel Rudakubana, 18, was last month jailed for a minimum of 52 years for murdering Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. By that evening, prosecutors had said that Rudakubana could be charged with murders in Southport which led to riots inflamed…

The White House to select news outlets for The President. On Tuesday it will select the media members covering President Trump, shifting control from the long-standing journalist group. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed traditional media can still report but noted changes in participation for the press pool, which covers events in limited spaces like the Oval Office. “For decades, a group of D.C.-based journalists, the White House Correspondents’ Association, has long dictated which journalists get to ask questions of the president of the United States in these most intimate spaces. Not anymore,” Leavitt said at a news briefing. “Moving forward, the…

Damian Lewis looking dapper at London Fashion Week. On this rare occasion the star posed for the camera with rarely seen children during London Fashion Week. Damian Lewis looking dapper at London Fashion Week Damian Lewis made a rare and stylish appearance with his two children at London Fashion Week. The Homeland actor, 54, looked dapper rocking a striped suit at the Burberry event alongside his daughter Manon, 18, and son Gulliver, 16, who he welcomed with his late wife Helen McCrory. Manon looked chic in a trench coat over grey trousers, complete with a green handbag. While Gulliver sported…