Starmer tells of ‘common ground’ with Italy’s Meloni after meeting
The UK Prime Minister welcomed Ms Meloni for a bilateral meeting on Sunday before the summit of political leaders in London focused on Ukraine and wider European security. Sir Keir, speaking at a press conference in Lancaster House, joked that they had the “first bilateral brunch in the history of British-Italian relations”. “And I think on this the UK and Italy can play an important role in bridge-building, let’s say. A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders “agreed on the importance of the transatlantic alliance in confronting shared challenges”. “They reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, agreeing that the UK and Italy will stand with them for as long as it takes.”
Source:The Times
March 03, 2025 06:17 UTC
Escaped Alone at Royal Exchange 'reflects times we are in'
Margot Leicester in rehearsal for Escaped Alone (Picture: Joel Fildes)Margot, a familiar face on screen and stage, is part of a truly stellar cast for Escaped Alone which also includes Annette Badland and Maureen Beattie. “It is a bleak piece in many ways,” said Margot, “but so are the times that we are living in. “I think that we all use avoidance tactics to try and ignore much of what is going on now,” said Margot. “You cherish each other; friendship is very important and it’s lovely being friends with people known since you were little. There will be an interval followed by If If Only which runs for 30 minutes, Royal Exchange, Manchester, until Saturday, March 8.
Source:The Times
March 03, 2025 05:07 UTC
Zelenskyy-Starmer meeting: What's in UK PM’s four-point Ukraine peace plan?
Continued military aid to Kyiv and sustained economic pressure on Russia to strengthen Ukraine’s position. Ensuring Ukraine has a seat at the negotiating table and that any peace agreement upholds its sovereignty and security. Establishing a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and enforce the terms of a peace deal. The public exchange raised fresh doubts about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine, leaving European leaders scrambling to reaffirm their backing. This follows a previous £2.2 billion loan aimed at increasing military assistance, backed by profits from frozen Russian assets.
Source:The Times
March 03, 2025 04:46 UTC
Conservation charity secures Highlands estate bigger than Dundee
The Scottish Wildlife Trust now owns the 7,618-hectare Inverbroom Estate following its largest ever land acquisition. The charity said securing the site will enable it to significantly enhance its efforts to protect and restore wildlife at scale across Scotland. The trust plans to regenerate habitats on the estate (Landfor/PA)“It is apt that we take ownership of the site on UN World Wildlife Day. Scott Renwick, whose family have farmed at Inverbroom for three generations, said: “We as a family are delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside the Scottish Wildlife Trust. “There is an incredible diversity of wildlife on the estate, from sea level to 3,300ft, from seals on the shore to ptarmigan on the tops.
Source:The Times
March 03, 2025 00:26 UTC
Times letters: Zelensky’s diplomatic disaster in Washington
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Rachel Reeves’s financial package for Ukraine funded by frozen Russian state assets in the UK is welcome, but it does not go far enough. Only the interest on the assets is being used. What Ukraine desperately needs is repurposing of the entire principal for reparations to Ukraine that Russia owes but will never voluntarily pay. The government has for months said it is “considering” this issue, but it urgently needs to come off the fence before it is too late for Ukraine. Leading international lawyers have said it is legal; Rishi Sunak, the former prime minister and chancellor, explained last week how it will not set any undue precedent (save to
Source:The Times
March 03, 2025 00:22 UTC
Easter Ross primaries named in Highland top five in Sunday Times primary school league table for 2025
Craighill Primary School, Tain. Picture: Google MapsPrimary schools in Easter Ross have made the top five across the Highlands in the The Sunday Times’ Scottish primary school league table, released today. Bridgend Primary in Alness and Craighill Primary, Tain ranked third and fourth, respectively, just behind schools in Inverness and Thurso. The Primary School League Table ranks success at P7 in around 1,200 schools, using the Scottish government’s Achievement in Curriculum for Excellence Levels (Acel) database. There are over 2000 primary schools in Scotland but more than a third do not submit Acel data each year.
Source:The Times
March 03, 2025 00:04 UTC
Democrats Invite Fired Federal Workers to Trump’s Congressional Address
Mr. Trump’s acrimonious exchange with Mr. Zelensky deepened the divide. “Nobody wanted to see what happened last Friday,” said Mr. Starmer, who had his own, much smoother meeting with Mr. Trump a day earlier. The prime minister has tried to mediate between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump. Still, Mr. Zelensky has also expressed a belief that his rift with Mr. Trump is not irreparable. On Saturday, after meeting Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Starmer gave Ukraine a loan of 2.26 billion pounds (about $2.8 billion) to buy military hardware.
Source:The Times
March 02, 2025 22:41 UTC
‘Evident demand’ for higher education among refugees in UK
More than 10,000 displaced people applied for UK higher education courses this year, according to new data that experts say “sends a clear message to both universities and politicians”. Prior to that, there had been a “real paucity of accurate information” on refugees and asylum seekers, according to Dan Webb, higher education lead practitioner at Refugee Education UK (REUK). ADVERTISEMENT“This Ucas application data sends a clear message to both universities and politicians that higher education is of huge importance to students from a displaced background,” he said. It will help us to direct and focus our higher education support work to the areas and cohorts that most need it,” added Webb. Young people who have been through the asylum process have previously complained that they had faced repeated rejections from higher education institutions despite having strong academic records.
Source:The Times
March 02, 2025 21:38 UTC
‘A spectacle to horrify the world’: what the papers say about Trump and Vance’s meeting with Zelenskyy
Adjectives including disastrous and vile were used to describe the meeting in which Donald Trump and his vice-president JD Vance openly berated the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Guardian leads with a quote from Donald Trump: “You are gambling with world war three”, characterising the meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents as “disastrous”. The first three show the presidents arguing, the final one showing Trump and Zelenskyy looking away from each other. View image in fullscreen The Times front page, Saturday 1 March 2025 Composite: The TimesThe Express led on “Bust-up leaves Trump’s peace talks in crisis”. View image in fullscreen The Sun front page, Saturday 1 March 2025 Composite: The SunThe Independent said “Zelensky ambushed by Trump, calling the meeting a “disastrously bad-tempered summit”.
Source:The Times
March 02, 2025 21:10 UTC
‘Time to step up’: Starmer urges European leaders to act now to support Ukraine after defence summit
Photograph: EPAEuropean powers must realise it is “time to act” as they stand at a “crossroads in history”, Keir Starmer has said following a defence summit on Ukraine. Mr Keir told the press conference that “every nation must contribute” in the best way it can and a number of “important steps” were agreed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer: 'This is not a moment for more talk. Mr Keir said that leaders had agreed to “meet again very soon” to keep up work on the plans. Mr Keir said a US backstop is subject to “intense” negotiations.
Source:The Times
March 02, 2025 18:59 UTC
Ex-criminal Ryan Peake qualifies for British Open with New Zealand Open victory
Ryan Peake (Pic credit: New Zealand Open)Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. Former Australian motorcycle gang member Ryan Peake completed a stunning redemption story on Sunday, winning the New Zealand Open and securing a spot in this year’s British Open . Fighting back tears, the heavily tattooed left-hander acknowledged the profound impact the sport has had on his life. "Yeah, I'm pretty lost for words at the moment, life-changing," Peake said. With his victory, Peake not only claimed a spot at the British Open but also pocketed $201,600 in prize money, marking a remarkable rise for the rookie on the Australasian Tour .
Source:The Times
March 02, 2025 18:52 UTC
Who topped the list for Moray in the Sunday Times primary school league table for 2025?
Burghead Primary School. Picture: Google MapsBurghead Primary School ranked highest in a list Moray schools scored in the latest Sunday Times Scottish schools league table, released today. Applegrove Primary School finished bottom of the Moray pack, ranked 1165th in Scotland overall, with a score of 250. The Primary School League Table ranks success at P7 in around 1,200 schools, using the Scottish government’s Achievement in Curriculum for Excellence Levels (Acel) database. There are over 2000 primary schools in Scotland but more than a third do not submit Acel data each year.
Source:The Times
March 02, 2025 18:05 UTC
Lawsuit Against Panama Challenges Detention of Trump Deportees
A group of high-profile lawyers on Saturday filed a suit against Panama over its detention of migrants deported from the United States, threatening to disrupt President Trump’s new policy of exporting migrants from around the world to Central American countries. The lawsuit, filed against the government of Panama before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, names 10 Iranian Christian converts and 102 migrants detained at a camp near a jungle in Panama as plaintiffs, according to a copy seen by The New York Times. The suit argues that the United States violated the Iranian group’s right to asylum on account of religious persecution and that Panama has violated domestic and international laws, such as the American Convention on Human Rights, in its detention of the migrants. The lawsuit was filed only against Panama, although one of the lawyers involved said he planned to file a separate complaint against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security this coming week.
Source:The Times
March 02, 2025 17:50 UTC
‘The West must not divide’, Italy’s Meloni tells Starmer
Sir Keir welcomed Ms Meloni for a bilateral meeting ahead of a summit of political leaders in London focused on Ukraine and wider European security. Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer greets the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, outside 10 Downing Street, London (Ben Whitley/PA)Speaking in Downing Street, Ms Meloni said that in a “precious moment” it is “very important to talk to each other, to co-ordinate”. “And I think on this the UK and Italy can play an important role in bridge-building, let’s say. Issuing a readout of the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders “agreed on the importance of the transatlantic alliance in confronting shared challenges”. “The two leaders acknowledged positive progress made since their last meeting in joint working to tackle irregular migration.
Source:The Times
March 02, 2025 12:41 UTC
Over 1,500 babies in Scotland born with drug or alcohol addiction
The number of babies in Scotland to have started out life addicted to alcohol and drugs continues to rise. Shooting galleryLast week, the UK’s first drug ‘shooting gallery’ opened in Scotland. Wrong answerThe Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) recently called on the Westminster Government to halt the slide towards decriminalisation and strengthen law enforcement’s role to address illegal drug addiction. According to CSJ, a record 5,448 people died from drug poisoning in England in 2023, an 84 per cent increase since 2013. Everywhere you look, it has not stamped out the illegal drug market or acted as a silver bullet to reduce drug deaths or drug use.”Turning off the supplyEvidence from North Wales indicates that tackling drug gangs is helping addicts kick the habit.
Source:The Times
January 21, 2025 12:47 UTC