Yahoo News What to expect from Ursula von der Leyen's second presidency
Russia's war on Ukraine, Donald Trump and the poor health of the European economy will define the start of Ursula von der Leyen's second presidency.
Latest stories
The IndependentTrump considering rejecting Lord Mandelson as Starmer’s nominee for ambassador to the US
Exclusive: With Donald Trump set to be sworn in as the 47th US president on Monday, the nomination of Lord Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US is still causing problems
- The Telegraph
Labour refuses to rule out means-testing pension triple lock
Labour has refused to rule out means-testing the pension triple lock following a row with Kemi Badenoch over the state pension.
- The Telegraph
Two Iranian ‘judges of death’ gunned down in Tehran
An armed assailant fatally shot two notorious Iranian judges inside the Islamic Republic’s supreme court on Saturday.
- The National
Economists call out BBC over Rachel Reeves interview
ECONOMISTS have spoken out after the BBC broadcast an interview where the Chancellor compared government funds to a household budget - despite the broadcaster's own guidelines ...
- The Guardian
‘A small act of patriotism’: Canada’s anti-Maga hats go viral
Ontario premier’s ‘Canada is not for sale’ cap emerges as an unlikely expression of unity amid Trumpian threats
- HuffPost
3 Things Trump Wants You To Forget Before He Takes Power
President-elect Donald Trump has made revisionism a cornerstone of his political career. Here’s why that’s so dangerous.
- RFI
African troops 'forced to Ukraine frontlines' while Russians stay in camp
A large number of Africans have joined the Russian army since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While some have voluntarily taken up arms via private companies under contract with the Kremlin, others were lured by false promises. One Cameroonian, who thought he was going to Russia to work as a caretaker, reveals the extent of this human trafficking. "Tomorrow, they want us to go on a suicide mission. I'm going to drop the gun so I don't have to go. I'll probably be tortured and sent to p
- HuffPost
Trump's New Official Portrait Tells Quite The Story. Body Language Experts Explain Why.
The president-elect's new eyebrow-raising photo spurred a lot of conversations online. Experts think his expression and pose reveal a lot.
- The Independent
Senior military figures warn Starmer against sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned the UK risks becoming a ‘national embarrassment’
- York Press
'How pensioners with surplus funds could spend cash - and help us all'
Our letter writer has a suggestion on how pensioners with surplus funds could spend their cash - and help out the Government
- The Telegraph
Barack Obama dispels divorce rumours with gushing birthday tribute to wife Michelle
Barack Obama has dispelled rumours of a split from his wife, Michelle, by posting a gushing social media post to celebrate her birthday.
- The Independent
Mel Gibson had the same reaction as everyone to Trump giving him a new Hollywood role
Gibson, Sylvester Stallon and Jon Voight have been named as ‘Special Ambassadors’ to Hollywood
- The Daily Beast
Trump Threatens to Bypass GOP Congress to Unleash MAGA Plans
If anyone was expecting moderate Republicans in Congress to temper Donald Trump’s more extreme plans on immigration and tariffs, the president-elect doesn’t plan to give them the chance, Trump told lawmakers this week. During a two-hour meeting with Senate Republicans, Trump said he plans to immediately enact his MAGA vision instead of waiting for Congress to act, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal. He has already prepared about 100 executive orders, and he has no qualms testin
- The Telegraph
A day in the life of blackout Britain: how net zero electricity rationing would play out
Blackout – if ever a single word could strike fear into ministers it is this. The prospect of Britain’s lights, computers, offices and so much more all shutting down, and the huge political backlash that would follow – are the stuff of ministerial nightmares.
- Reuters
Russia says any British military role in Ukraine under new 100-year deal would be worrying
Russia said on Friday that any placement of British military assets in Ukraine under a new 100-year partnership agreement between Kyiv and London would be of concern to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the possibility of Britain setting up military bases in Ukraine under the agreement announced on Thursday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
- Business Insider
Russia's new ICBM with lots of warheads keeps running into problems, leaving it stuck with older, inferior missiles
Russia's Sarmat missile keeps having troubles, including apparent catastrophic failures, and there's nothing in the works to replace it.
- The Atlantic
Trump Triggers a Crisis in Denmark—And Europe
What a single phone call from the president-elect did to an unswerving American ally
- Associated Press
Mysterious airstrip appears on a Yemeni island as Houthi rebel attacks threaten region
A mysterious airstrip being built on a remote island in Yemen is nearing completion, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show, one of several built in a nation mired in a stalemated war threatening to reignite. The airstrip on Abd al-Kuri Island, which rises out of the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden, could provide a key landing zone for military operations patrolling that waterway.
- Reuters
Mauritius PM queries duration of lease deal for Chagos military base
Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has questioned the duration of the lease on a U.S.-British military base, he told a local newspaper, a contentious element of negotiations in which the UK plans to cede control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Britain struck a deal in October to hand over the Chagos Islands while retaining control of the base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease. Having ousted the former government in a November election, Ramgoolam criticised the deal, without going into details on the individual sticking points.
- South China Morning Post
China crisis looms as Europe's gravy train stalls: 'nobody is making money'
It was just past 11 on a freezing December morning on the outskirts of Brussels, but already workers at the city's Audi factory were cracking open frosty cans of beer. They had just finished a long night shift - not on one of the production lines at a plant that has produced 8 million cars since 1949, according to a huge sign on its exterior wall - but on a picket line outside. Pallets and old furniture were added to roaring fires in the middle of a road. Hand-painted signs raged, in French, aga