How Melania Trump emerged as one of Zelensky’s key allies in the White House
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeThe first lady could be President Zelenskyy’s unlikely ally in the White House, influencing Trump’s recent tougher stance on Russia. As the president this week decided to deliver Patriot air missiles to Kyiv, Melania Trump has been reminding him of the deadly toll of Russian airstrikes on Ukraine. Melania was born behind the Iron Curtain in 1970 and grew up in the former Yugoslavia. Please, if you can, donate to help them [International Red Cross],” she posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 22:46 UTC
IND vs ENG: King Charles III meets Team India, inquires about Akash Deep's cancer-stricken sister
He sounded like a gentleman, and it did not seem we were talking to the King of England. added the BCCI Vice President.On the absence of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from Tests before the series, Shukla said their decision was personal and respected by the board. Referring to Siraj’s dismissal, the King remarked on the misfortune of the ball rolling back to hit the stumps. Following that, he spent time with the Indian women’s team as well.Before meeting the King, the Indian contingent also had an informal interaction with British actor and musician Idris Elba. He asked us, like, how the travel was and all, and, um, it was really nice to meet him.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 22:36 UTC
Darts, Love Island and spikeball: inside hotel helping England relax
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Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 20:48 UTC
Air pollution falls across UK, led by drop in car emissions
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Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 19:16 UTC
The Open: Rival’s tribute to 'the legend’ of Rory McIlroy while Saturday action ‘tweaked’ due to loyalist parade
I feel like probably he's in a good mindset, I would imagine. Obviously I've had a bit of a come down off the back of the Masters. I was able to still be happy for Rory in that moment, and it had been a long time coming for him. He probably felt like he shouldn't even be in a playoff from his point of view. Still probably can't get on the green, but you can maybe advance the ball a little bit further than some other bunkers.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 17:43 UTC
Is Reform UK right to claim ‘illegal migrants’ are 24 times more likely to go to prison? – Full Fact
But as we explained in our fact check last week, this figure is not reliable, based on the details reported. The Conservative analysis reportedly compared 2025 prison data to 2021 population statistics which are likely out of date, and appears to have used data on the imprisonment of foreign nationals in general to draw conclusions about small boat arrivals specifically. While tens of thousands of people detected entering the UK irregularly arrive via small boat crossing, thousands are also detected via other routes (for example, in lorries). And, as the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory has noted, it’s difficult to accurately estimate the number of people entering or living in the UK illegally, because many may never be detected. We’ve contacted Reform UK for comment.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 16:48 UTC
'Drunken stupidity': Two men jailed for destroying iconic Sycamore Gap tree in UK; incident caught on camera
Representative ImageTwo people were sentenced for over four years on Tuesday for destroying Britain's iconic 'Sycamore Gap' tree, a beloved global landmark recognised for its striking silhouette that appeared in a Hollywood film.The nearly 200-year-old sycamore stood magnificently in a distinctive dip alongside the historic Hadrian's Wall in northern England, serving as a favoured location for photographers, walkers and romantic proposals.Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted last month for deliberately felling the tree with a chainsaw after travelling from their residences during the night in September 2023.They recorded their destructive act on Graham's mobile phone and subsequently boasted about it. Their friendship later deteriorated as public outrage intensified over their actions.Initially, both denied involvement in destroying the tree, which appeared in the 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and caused damage to Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site constructed by Romans approximately 2,000 years ago.Their lawyers indicated that both men later acknowledged responsibility when speaking with probation officers. Carruthers' legal representative, Andrew Gurney, characterised the incident as "drunken stupidity".Judge Christina Lambert, while imposing four-year-and-three-month sentences, stated the men had felled the tree out of "sheer bravado".The National Trust, which manages the heritage site, reported in August signs of growth at the tree's base, suggesting potential regeneration.Recently, Northumberland National Park announced plans to display the largest section of the tree in an installation near its original location.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 16:36 UTC
The seaside towns near Greater Manchester named among ‘best in the UK’
The seaside towns near Greater Manchester named among ‘best in the UK’The Times has shared as list of the best seaside towns and includes destinations in North Wales and CumbriaLlandudno in North Wales has been named one of the best seaside towns by The Times (Image: Getty Images )A town with ‘genteel elegance’ on the edge of the Lake District and a resort in North Wales have been named among the best seaside towns in the UK by The Times. Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria and Llandudno in North Wales were included in the list of 24 coastal destinations across the country. The list rounds up “lovely seaside towns” to visit as we enter the summer holiday period, covering destinations along the south coast all the way to the Scottish Hebrides. One of the destinations within easy reach of Greater Manchester is the “attractive resort town” of Grange-over-Sands on the edge of Morecambe Bay. The full list of the best seaside towns according to The TimesArticle continues belowAldeburgh, SuffolkCromer, NorfolkOban, Argyll and ButeBrixham, DevonGrange-over-Sands, CumbriaPenzance, CornwallBrighton, East SussexIlfracombe, DevonMargate, KentLyme Regis, DorsetVentnor, Isle of WightTobermory, Isle of MullLlandudno, ConwyPortrush, Co AntrimSt Andrews, FifeBerwick-upon-Tweed, NorthumberlandTenby, PembrokeshireLymington, HampshireWhitby, North YorkshirePortpartrick, Dumfries and GallowayWhitstable, KentExmouth, DevonFishguard, PembrokeshireDungeness, KentFor more of the latest What's On news, click here.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 16:30 UTC
The Open: Global superstars finish their preparation on final practice day at Royal Portrush
And for Robert MacIntyre, it's here in Portrush, as he told reporters after the Scottish Open final round on Sunday. On why Portrush is his number one"It's how the golf course flows. There is everything on this golf course visually. I just think the whole golf course is absolutely beautiful to the eye but it also plays absolutely brilliantly. You've got holes that you've got a chance, and then you've gotholes that you just try to hang on."
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 16:08 UTC
U.K. Secretly Resettled 4,500 Afghans in Britain After Huge Data Breach
The British Defense Ministry accidentally exposed personal information in 2022 about more than 18,000 Afghans who worked with it before the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan. The government then suppressed public disclosure of the data breach for two years through a stringent court order. The extraordinary lapse in security, which the government acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday, led Britain to set up a secret program to resettle thousands of people believed to be at risk of retribution. Super injunctions are legal mechanisms in Britain that prevent news organizations from publishing a report on a topic or even from referring to the fact that a court order has been granted. In this case, critics said, the government’s initially legitimate interest in protecting the safety of Afghans was supplanted over time by a desire to avoid an embarrassing headline during an election year.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 15:35 UTC
Two farming businesses make Sunday Times list
Two farming businesses make Sunday Times listTwo farming-related businesses, St. Ewe Free Range Eggs and Hawkstone, have been named among the fastest-growing British businesses. Photos by Hawkstone and St. Ewe Free Range Eggs. Founded over 50 years ago by the Tonks family, St. Ewe Free Range Eggs has been placed 53rd on the list. Rebecca Tonks of St. Ewe Free Range Eggs. Responding to the news, Rebecca Tonks, CEO, founder & farmer at St. Ewe Free Range Eggs, said: “We’re incredibly proud to share that St. Ewe Free Range Eggs has been named #53 on The Times 100 fastest-growing private companies of 2025.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 15:28 UTC
The Hope & Anchor, Ross-on-Wye, named The Times list
The Hope & Anchor, a pub nestled on the banks of the river Wye in Ross-on-Wye, was recently named among the UK's "most glorious riverside pubs" by The Times. Travel editor, Gemma Bowes, made mention of the pub's large and busy beer garden, along with the town's host of bookshops and "quirky" cafes. "The pub hosts live music at its bandstand, while the Hut, in its garden, serves wood-fired pizzas and cakes alongside drinks," Ms Bowes wrote. "It was a fantastic boost to all the chefs and staff here at the Hope and Anchor to know that their hard work has been recognised in such good company. Along with rooms to stay in and dinners to devour, the pub also offers afternoon tea packages, along with a cocktail masterclass workshop.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 14:57 UTC
Seven of the UK’s most magical open-air cinemas
Some of them encourage you to bring along picnics and blankets while others have deckchairs or beanbags, plus wood-fired pizza and bars. The Taybank, Dunkeld, Perth and KinrossEach summer, this hotel puts up a 13ft cinema screen in its garden on the banks of the River Tay, showing films from now until mid-August (£10). The menu offers pizzas cooked to order, including one with local venison, and loaded fries. Upcoming films include Life of Pi, Being John Malkovich, Inside Out and When Harry Met Sally, while the gentle murmur of the river adds its own soundtrack. Films are open to all and, should you wish to stay, there are seven bedrooms, all decorated with a pleasing Scandi-Scottish charm.
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 14:55 UTC
The Open: Tee times revealed as McIlroy and Lowry in blockbuster groups after fun-filled Tuesday practice
There is everything on this golf course visually. "As newly designed golf holes in the modern game, I think these (the new 7th and 8th holes) are as good as it gets when they've been redesigned. Par-5, from tee shot hitting down, bunker on the right, heading back up the hill with a wind that's normally off the right. I just think the whole golf course is absolutely beautiful to the eye but it also plays absolutely brilliantly. You've got holes that you've got a chance, and then you've gotholes that you just try to hang on."
Source:The Times
July 15, 2025 14:47 UTC