World News

Nissan is set to announce a leap in its cost-cutting plans that will see 20,000 jobs go globally, according to reports in Japan.The carmaker, which employs around 6,000 workers at its sprawling manufacturing operations in Sunderland, had already let it be known last November that 9,000 roles would be going amid weak sales and rising costs. But Japanese broadcaster NHK said on Monday it expected that total to more than […]

Pope Leo has called for an end to a polarising "war of words" as he hosted an audience with international media for the first time. Speaking in Vatican City to thousands of members of the media, he said "we are living in times that are both difficult to navigate and to recount" - adding they present a "challenge for all of us", but it is one "we should not run […]

Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East this week has taken on a new importance after a series of surprising developments on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and on trade between the US and China.After a diplomatic flurry over the weekend, it seemed like steps were being taken towards some form of possible peace in both Gaza and Ukraine. Alongside that, Washington claimed it had made "substantial progress" in […]

It has been an extraordinary few hours which may well set the tone for a hugely consequential week ahead.In the time that it took me to fly from London to Saudi Arabia, where President Donald Trump will begin a pivotal Middle East tour this week, a flurry of news has emerged on a range of key global challenges. On the Gaza war: The Trump administration has confirmed it's holding talks […]

US President Donald Trump has demanded that Ukraine should "immediately" agree to direct talks with Russia in a bid to end the war.It comes after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his team were "ready to meet" Russian representatives following Vladimir Putin suggestion of peace talks, subject to an unconditional ceasefire starting on Monday. Russia's president put forward the proposal for talks in Istanbul on Thursday after European leaders including Sir […]

Pope Leo XIV appealed for "no more war" as he gave his first Sunday message to crowds in St Peter's Square since his election as pontiff.The new pope called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all Israeli hostages. Recalling the end of the Second World War, Leo quoted his predecessor Pope Francis as he denounced the number of ongoing conflicts […]

The Kremlin billed this as a meaningful statement from Vladimir Putin but how much does it actually mean?His comments are exactly the same as what Moscow has been saying for weeks, only repackaged with a date. The latest attempt to avoid committing to a 30-day ceasefire. Next Thursday - 15 May - is when he's proposing to hold direct talks with Ukraine. Only then, he says, can they discuss the […]

A car-sized piece of Soviet rocket has crashed back through the atmosphere, after 53 years in orbit.Scientists haven't yet pinpointed its location but one organisation has predicted it had re-entered over southern England early on Saturday morning. It is not immediately known how much of the rocket survived the blazing hot descent, with scientists suggesting it had burned up or broken up at the last minute, sometime between around 7am […]

Ask Ukrainians and they will make it perfectly clear.Being forced to give away chunks of their country to murderous, brutal invaders as part of a deal cooked up between Putin and his admirers in the White House is far from ideal. Read more: Ukraine and 'coalition of the willing' press Russia for 30-day ceasefireThey would far prefer being given the means to expel the invaders and secure victory.That is, after […]