Good morning. In his address to Congress last night, Donald Trump recited a letter from Volodymyr Zelenskyy offering to return to the negotiating table – and warmly welcomed the tone of discussions his administration has held with Russia. “We’ve received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” That … Read more
Donald Trump has said he appreciated Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s willingness to sign a minerals deal with the United States and come to the negotiating table to bring a lasting peace in Ukraine closer. “Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” the US president said in a speech to Congress following last … Read more
Australian great Steve Smith has quit one-day international cricket, but says prolonging his stellar Test career is a priority. Smith told his teammates of his ODI retirement after captaining Australia to a Champions Trophy semi-final loss in Dubai. “Test cricket remains a priority … I feel I still have a lot to contribute on that … Read more
Some companies are “stuck in neutral” in their approach to artificial intelligence, according to Microsoft’s UK boss, who said a significant number of private and public sector organisations lack any formal AI strategy. A Microsoft survey of nearly 1,500 UK senior leaders across public and private sectors, as well as 1,440 employees, found that more … Read more
Donald Trump on Tuesday declared that his administration was “just getting started”, boasting in a marathon address to Congress that his efforts to slash the size of the federal workforce, reorient US foreign policy and escalate a risky trade war marked the beginning of the “most thrilling days in the history of our country” as … Read more
An organised network operating from the former Soviet state of Georgia has scammed thousands of savers from the UK, Europe and Canada out of $35m (£27m) after they fell for fake celebrity adverts on Facebook and Google that the government promised to outlaw three years ago. Deepfake videos and fictional news reports featuring the money … Read more
The speaker of New Zealand’s parliament has told lawmakers to stop complaining about the use of the Māori name for the country, after the deputy prime minister strongly objected to hearing it in the house. In a ruling on Tuesday, Gerry Brownlee said that while “New Zealand” is the official name, the Māori name “Aotearoa” … Read more
Nearly one in 10 of all women who died at the hands of men in the UK over the past 15 years were mothers killed by their sons, a report reveals. Data analysing the deaths of 2,000 women killed by men since 2009 has given an unprecedented insight into the hidden scourge of matricide, with … Read more
China has set its GDP target for 2025 at “around 5%”, a figure which was unveiled by Premier Li Qiang at the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Wednesday. Li announced the growth target in the annual government work report, which also outlined plans to stabilise economic growth by boosting … Read more
Queensland authorities are advising some residents to leave coastal properties in the path of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, amid warnings that a storm surge of up to 1 metre higher than typical tides could inundate communities. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Australian Defence Force assets have been placed on standby to respond to the looming … Read more