France, under President Emmanuel Macron, has been more cautious in recent briefings, despite earlier signalling support for troop deployment. The uncertainty comes as President Donald Trump steps up efforts to finalise a peace deal with Russia and Ukraine, pushing Kyiv to make sweeping territorial concessions. He later told reporters at the White House, “I think we have a deal with Russia. Vice President JD Vance previously warned that the US would “walk away” if neither side accepted the deal, underscoring the administration’s impatience. “Ukraine and Russia will probably have to give up some of the territory they currently own,” he said.

“But news, culture and style are the main pillars of our newsroom,” she added, citing the brand’s traditional “investigative, internationalist” news coverage and other pillars through the Observer New Review, the Observer Magazine and Observer Food Monthly. Not the news as it happens, but when it’s ready.”The digital Observer will have a daily email newsletter and will create a slate of podcasts later in the year. I think we can buck the market trend, and I think we can really, really shift perception of it, both with readers and with advertisers. Former Observer deputy editor and acting editor Lucy Rock has moved to Tortoise as print editor. Observer staff had been given the choice as to whether to move over to Tortoise or take a voluntary redundancy package.

Children could face a social media curfew similar to a TV watershed under new government plans. Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, said that he is concerned over the “addictive nature” of social media and suggested that a watershed equivalent for social media is his “direction of thinking”. He said that he was “watching very carefully” the impact of TikTok’s introduction of 10pm curfews for under-16s and tools for parents to switch off access at set times, and encouraged other companies to consider similar features. Kyle said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph: “There is the opportunity for partnerships between my department and tech companies using digital skills and technology to help young people use the best aspects of online life. “It is clear

EATING chicken just four times a week significantly increases risk of death from gastrointestinal cancers, warn scientists. It's often touted as a healthier meat choice - especially when compared to red meat. Many studies have linked red meat consumption to the development of bowel cancer. It included how much meat participants ate, dividing consumption into red meat, poultry and total meat. 2 Regularly eating chicken has now been linked to increased risk of deadly gastrointestinal cancers Credit: GettyPrevious studies have suggested eating chicken exposes the human body to carcinogenic pesticides and hormones present in their feed.

In an era of increasingly polarised politics, The Times has emerged as the newspaper to unite MPs, according to an independent poll. The Times was named as the only news brand that “retains significant cross-party readership” in the report Influence and Information: Media Habits of Westminster. The survey and additional polling of a representative group of 111 MPs conducted this year found more than two thirds (67 per cent) of MPs either visited The Times’s mobile app or website. “This trust crosses political boundaries,” said the report, which was compiled by the consultancy 5654 & Company and the media agency MessageSpace. • Guardian journalists vote for sale of Observer to Tortoise MediaThe Times attracts almost three quarters (73 per cent) of Tory MPs,

The female Enoplognatha caricis (E. caricis) is a species of cobweb spider which is labelled as "extremely rare and vulnerable to extinction in both the UK and Europe" by the British Arachnological Society. The rare arachnid was discovered by spider enthusiast Shreyas Kuchibhotla next to one of the reserve's ponds, according to the WWT London website. "We regularly clear out the vegetation from the water channels, making the edges vibrant and bushy spaces for small invertebrates, like this rare species, to thrive. “Creating and protecting habitats that attract a wider range and breadth of rare species is ultimately the core of what WWT is about and why we exist. Mr Moore added that the E. caricis spotted at WWT London has been identified to be a mature female, suggesting there could be more of these rare insects using the habitat as well.

Police and fire crews responded to the scene, where a man was reported to have been threatening to jump off the pedestrian bridge in Dolerw Park at around 2pm. “Concern was raised for the safety and welfare of a man who had made his way to Dolerw Bridge, in Newtown,” said Dyfed Powys Police in a statement. “The man is currently with police.”RECOMMENDED READING:Montgomery Fire and Rescue Station confirmed a crew from its station was mobilised to a water rescue in Newtown, along with firefighters from Newtown. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had responded to a water rescue in Newtown and had assisted colleagues at Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. “Assistance was given to Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, with a person threatening to jump into water.

UK hosts global energy summit with renewables under attack (Credits: AP)An international summit on the future of energy security opens in London on Thursday amidst major disagreements over the role of renewables in satisfying the world's thirst for energy.The two-day International Energy Agency (IEA) meeting takes place amid global economic turmoil sparked by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.It also comes at a time of a trade war between the United States and China and wider economic uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump's tariffs. "The summit will examine the geopolitical, technological and economic factors affecting energy security at the national and international level," the IEA said.Several energy ministers from European countries are to attend the gathering, including 120 senior government officials, business leaders, and experts.The United States will only be represented by acting deputy secretaries of state, while China, Saudi Arabia and Russia are skipping the event altogether.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is to detail Europe's efforts to promote affordable and sustainable energy, although there are doubts over how much importance the summit will give to renewables.The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has welcomed the meeting. "The overall theme is one that OPEC supports. It is positive to see the IEA refocusing on energy security after veering away from this fundamental goal," the group said on Wednesday. "Many net zero policies have endorsed unrealistic timelines or had little regard for energy security, affordability or feasibility," said OPEC, which has previously described the phasing out of fossil fuels as a "fantasy".OPEC, whose membership is dominated by oil-producing Gulf states, believes that energy security must be achieved by adding renewable energy sources to existing fossil fuels, not by replacing them.European countries believe, however, that nuclear energy and renewables are the best way to avoid dependence on imported oil and gas, the prices of which have been increasingly volatile since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.In the United States, Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to lower energy prices with a "drill baby drill" approach in oil and gas fields, while limiting the development of wind power projects.The purpose of the IEA, which was established in 1974 in response to the first oil crisis, remains "to promote the energy transition as a tool for energy sovereignty," according to the French Energy Ministry's office.It says "there is no stated American agenda for this meeting, and no European concern about a deviation from the agenda".But according to a source at a major European energy company, the IEA and its executive director Fatih Birol have moderated their rhetoric toward renewables in recent months.The idea is to "avoid antagonising the Trump administration and to calm things down a little with OPEC", this source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Tesco confirms huge change affecting 2,000 supermarket stores from this monthThe Entertainer will launch in 2010 in Tesco Express stores across the UK, and will be offering customers the chance to pick up products ranging from the latest crazes to its seasonal toy lines. The Entertainer announced the news today (Image: George Clerk via Getty Images )Tesco has confirmed a huge change which will affect over 2,000 supermarket stores from this month. From April, the supermarket chain will be expanding its partnership with toy retailer The Entertainer and will be introducing a selection of its "key" toy lines its its Tesco Express stores. NEWSLETTER: Or sign up to the Mirror's Money newsletter here for all the best advice and shopping deals straight to your inbox. Sign up to our Mirror Money newsletter here.

Ukraine has quietly sent drone warfare instructors to Britain to train UK military personnel on the latest Russian drone tactics, The Times reports. In a reversal of traditional roles, the same Ukrainian troops who have received training from Western militaries are now imparting their battle-hardened expertise to British soldiers. While thousands of Ukrainian troops continue to undergo training from Western allies, Ukraine’s deep experience with Russian drones has become a valuable asset NATO is eager to tap into. These Ukrainian instructors are contributing to Operation Interflex, the UK-led initiative to train Ukrainian troops. According to The Times, they are also incorporating drone warfare instruction into basic training for Ukrainian soldiers.

As I write this, we have three litters of neonatal kittens, kittens under eight weeks of age, in our care. By July, our foster homes will all be full and we will be housing neonatal kittens in the shelter. The hardest part is when we know that their loss could have been prevented if their mother cats had received appropriate veterinary care. Sometimes that means upper respiratory viruses, other times that means intestinal parasites and, most ominously of all, at times they are exposed to panleukopenia. We will go through more wet cat and kitten food than you can possibly imagine, not to mention kitten milk replacer, cat litter and kitten kibble, and every little bit helps.

“These are discussions around tariffs and trade barriers, but we are not going to be changing our standards based on asks from foreign governments,” Ms. Reeves said. “Decisions around food standards, around digital services, around auto standards are decisions for the U.K. government to make.”Discussions with Mr. Bessent would instead be about building a partnership focused on technology. Ms. Reeves said the Trump administration was right, in some respects, to call out the need for “fair” trade practices. “I believe in free trade, but it also has to be fair trade,” she said. The British government will review the customs rule that allows goods valued at up to 135 pounds ($180) to be imported without having to pay a duty.

The government borrowed £14.6 billion more than official forecasters expected last year, suggesting further tax rises or spending cuts from Rachel Reeves may be necessary to strengthen the public finances. In the financial year to March, the government borrowed £151.9 billion, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), up by £20.7 billion across the same 12-month period a year earlier. This was the third-highest borrowing in any financial year since records began in 1947, behind the pandemic in the year to 2021 and the global financial downturn in 2010. In March alone, borrowing totalled £16.4 billion, the third-highest figure for the month since records began in 1993. The annual deficit figure was much higher than the

Growth in the world’s largest economies stuttered in April, a string of closely watched surveys showed, providing the first warning of the damaging effects of President Trump’s tariffs. British businesses struggled to build on early-year momentum this month amid escalating global trade tensions and a £25 billion rise in companies’ national insurance contributions that took effect in April, prompting warnings of a short-lived recession. The S&P Global flash composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the UK slid to a 29-month low in April of 48.2, down from 51.5 in the previous month and well below the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction. The composite PMI measures output across the UK private sector economy. Analysts had expected a reading of 50.4 in April.

Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Although your leading article on Pope Francis (“The Jesuit Pope”, Apr 22) presents a fairly even-handed summary of his strengths and weaknesses, it is striking that it omits to mention what may prove to be his most significant, radical and long- term contribution: the restoration of “synodality”. Synodality, which effectively means everyone working towards a common goal, enables all of the baptised to participate more fully in the life of the Church and offers a very different model for communication, consultation and decision-making. As Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe OP puts it: “Everyone should be heard. The art of holiness is to hear well, not so as to reply but so as to learn. That is what synodality is all about.”