The Times: “Coalition of the willing” for Ukraine struggles to materialize amid Europe hesitation
European nations would struggle to collectively deploy 25,000 troops to Ukraine as part of a “coalition of the willing,” a proposed deterrence force, according to sources cited by The Times. This falls far short of the 64,000-strong force originally suggested by British military leadership. Russia firmly rejected proposals for European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, characterizing such deployments as “direct NATO aggression” and a threat to its strategic interests. The Times gained insight into high-level discussions between Europe’s defense ministers and military chiefs who are developing plans for a “coalition of the willing” force in Ukraine. While the Trump administration refuses to deploy troops, it privately signaled openness to providing intelligence and logistical aid
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 16:30 UTC
Portrait Of A Killer As A Schoolboy
Portrait Of A Killer As A SchoolboyRupa SenguptaApr 30, 2025, 21:40 IST ISTAdolescence’s Jamie is a misogynist monster? People are still talking about it, staggered by its portrayal of a schoolboy who kills a schoolgirl after consuming online misogynistic content. Adolescence ’s co-creator Stephen Graham read about cases of boys stabbing girls, and rising knife crimes in UK. Drawing from these reports, the series-makers wove an ingenious plot around an ‘ordinary family’ – caring, if clueless parents, cute kids – struck by tragedy. They wanted common folks to think ‘My god, this could be happening to us!’ They also sought to avoid blame-the-parents ‘tropes’ – violent dad, alcoholic mom – in portraying loss of innocence.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 16:18 UTC
Sign of the times: In the age of the selfie, what’s happening to the humble autograph?
‘Celebs seem to prefer them [selfies] as they don’t have to spend the same amount of time on them,’ Borghi adds. ‘But autographs still have their appeal.’The official signatures of European leaders and royalty, including Napoleon Bonaparte (40). ‘If you sign something that has value — whether it be legal or sentimental — then your signature is a reflection of yourself. Forgeries have been around for as long as humans have been scrawling, but an equally sizable problem comes with printed signatures. ‘You can value an autograph without endorsing the person,’ says Borghi.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 15:09 UTC
'UK must stand with friend India': Indian-origin MP Priti Patel calls Pahalgam attack 'act of terrorism'
Indian origin UK MP Priti Patel (File Image)Indian-origin United Kingdom MP Priti Patel on Wednesday called the Pahalgam attack an " act of terrorism " and said that the UK must always stand with "friend" India during a difficult time.While speaking at the Parliament, Patel recalled the India-UK strategic relationship from the New Delhi declaration in 2002 to the UK India 2030 roadmap. "Speaker, my condolences, thoughts and prayers are also with all those affected by this murderous, violent terrorism that has taken place in Faglan. And I recognise that for India and the diaspora communities in the UK in particular, this has been a really difficult week. This was an act of terrorism and we should call it out for exactly for what it is. Speaker, has the Government undertaken an assessment of the security implications of this attack on the uk?"
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 15:02 UTC
Should India manage UK? Two decades or so from now, the idea may not look outlandish
It was his idea that govts can spend their way out of recession that overturned the dangerous orthodoxy of balanced budgets. They grow up with what they think are fundamental ideas about organising human affairs, and stick to them.One such idea is the sovereign nation-state. Instead, let’s try to think this through.First, this idea doesn’t imply anything as terrible and unaesthetic as a military venture. And ‘Indians’ are now handsomely represented in British politics.Seventh, companies from India are already big players in UK. British imperialism didn’t last in India because it looted India – that, along with demands for sovereignty, is what motivated pre-independence Indian nationalists.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 15:02 UTC
Amal Clooney could be barred from US by Donald Trump for her role in ICC to charge Netanyahu
Amal Clooney may get sanctioned by Trump administration because of her influence over the ICC to charge Netanyahu with war crime. Financial TimesFTWho is Amal Clooney? British lawyer Amal Clooney could get barred from the US where she lives with her husband George Clooney because of her role in influencing the International Criminal Court to charge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant with war crimes in Gaza. Last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Amal Clooney provided advice to the ICC as to whether there was sufficient evidence to charge.Trump’s order gave a 60-day deadline for a subsequent internal recommendation to the president on who else should be placed under sanctions, which would have been April 7, thereportedTrump's executive order does not name Amal Clooney.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 14:13 UTC
All the times David Beckham redefined masculinity and scored
David was photographed by The Sun, wearing a sarong over his trousers whilst walking with his then fiancée Victoria Beckham. David still says he’d wear the look again (Picture: PA)In recent years, when discussing the incident, David has only doubled down on the fashion statement. David & Victoria Beckham Attend The ‘Versace Club’ Gala Party In London. The star has also shown that he’s happy to wear makeup in his everyday life and shared skincare tips for his wife’s brand, Victoria Beckham Beauty. Arrow MORE: David Beckham makes unexpected career move to launch his own chat showArrow MORE: David Beckham reveals who he wants to win Champions League semi-final between Arsenal and PSG
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 13:52 UTC
Times: Europe will struggle to deploy even 25,000 troops to Ukraine
Europe will have to make significant efforts to send 25,000 troops to Ukraine to form a deterrence force, as its armies are understaffed and underfunded. Advertisement:During an earlier meeting this month, he reportedly stated that the UK was ready to contribute up to 10,000 troops. The Times noted that the defence ministers expressed concerns over the UK's proposal to form a 64,000-strong contingent during a coalition of the willing meeting on 10 April. Following this meeting, talks continued in Brussels in a more restricted circle of defence ministers, where the allies voiced their concerns more openly. Advertisement:Close allies expressed their doubts to UK Defence Secretary John Healey, emphasising that sustaining a force of this size for two years, including rotations, would require 256,000 troops.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 12:52 UTC
Times letters: Extending sugar tax to milkshakes and lattes
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, The government should avoid being seen as clobbering poorer consumers (“Milkshake tax looms in broader sugar levy”, Apr 29). Instead it should allocate the proceeds of this levy to programmes that directly help those consumers to access and afford more nutritious food, such as the NHS Healthy Start cards, free school meals and school holiday clubs. The Healthy Start weekly allowance of £4.25 toward fruit, vegetables, milk and pulses has been frozen for four years. Meanwhile tens of thousands of poorer children are eligible but are not registered for these cards because awareness of the scheme is very low. An increased allowance, alongside revised criteria and the
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 12:01 UTC
Trump's First 100 Days: All The Times The US President Has Made Life Difficult For Starmer So Far
Trump's First 100 Days: All The Times The US President Has Made Life Difficult For Starmer So FarBritain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and US President Donald Trump shake hands during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. via Associated PressKeir Starmer was already enduring a particularly rockyfirst few months in office when Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. But Trump, while still friendly to the prime minister, has certainly not made life easy for him. Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. Some reports even credited Starmer with using direct diplomacy to get the US president and Zelenskyy talking again.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 11:38 UTC
Why Nigel Farage Is Bringing MAGA-Style Rallies to the UK
Thursday’s elections, while limited in number, are the first test of Reform’s ability to convert that polling into power. It’s also favored to win a closely fought special election for a parliamentary seat the same night. Jeremy Corbyn, the hard-left former leader of the Labour Party, was a notable exception in 2017 when he spoke at the Glastonbury music festival and was serenaded enthusiastically by concertgoers. “Rallies have gone out of political fashion,” said Neil Kinnock, who led Labour from 1983 to 1992, and was one of the most accomplished orators of his era. He was famed for his platform speeches, including his 1983 warning against voting Conservative and his passionate denunciation of the hard left in 1985.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 10:59 UTC
Aston Martin reduces exports to US as it watches impact of tariffs
Aston Martin Lagonda has cut back on exports to the United States as it monitors the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on demand for its luxury sports cars. Shipping its Vantage, Vanquish, DB12 and DBX models across the Atlantic from its factories in Warwickshire and south Wales is big business for the company. Sales in the Americas account for about a third of group volumes, with the vast majority of that in the US. In a statement accompanying its first-quarter results, the only carmaker quoted in London, said: “We are carefully monitoring the evolving US tariff situation and are currently limiting imports to the US while leveraging the stock held by our US dealers. “We remain vigilant in monitoring events and will respond to changes
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 08:30 UTC
Chelsea urged to start stadium talks as Twickenham issues revealed amid Stamford Bridge dilemma
"They see the value that we bring to the area and they understand why we need to have more non-rugby events when you compare it to Tottenham, Wembley, the O2. They can see why we need those non-rugby events to make the thing viable.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 07:58 UTC
U.K. Crossbow Attack Suspect Voiced Racist and Misogynist Views
A man accused of wounding two women with a crossbow in the British city of Leeds on Saturday has died of a self-inflicted injury, the police said on Tuesday. The suspect, Owen Lawrence, 38, died in the hospital where he was taken after his arrest at the scene of the attack, the counterterrorism police said in a statement. The two women, ages 19 and 31, were seriously injured, the authorities said. One was released from the hospital a day after the attack, but the other remained hospitalized on Tuesday after undergoing surgery for life-threatening wounds, they said. The police said they were still investigating the motivation for the rampage, during which witnesses saw the suspect walking along a three-mile stretch of pubs and bars, known locally as the “Otley Run,” armed with a crossbow and several air rifles.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 07:33 UTC
Amnesty: Human rights at risk worldwide
No YesIsrael and Gaza once again in focusSudan: A humanitarian disasterCriticism of GermanyCall to reflect on human rightsAccording to the UK-based human rights organization Amnesty International , we are at a "critical juncture" when it comes to universal human rights worldwide. Its report underlines religious, patriarchal and racist assaults on the system of human rights conventions, universal human rights, international humanitarian law , and international courts agreed upon by states after the crimes of the Nazis and World War II. Amnesty International assesses the human rights situation in a total of 150 countries every year.Amnesty's annual report identifies three main ongoing trends. This was particularly true of states that once were committed to universal human rights, such as the US. That is why we are calling on governments to put human rights at the heart of their policies.
Source:The Times
April 30, 2025 07:14 UTC