VILNIUS, Lithuania — The United States will lift sanctions on Belarusian potash in the latest sign of a thaw between Washington and the isolated autocracy. John Coale, the U.S. special envoy for Belarus, made the announcement after meeting the country’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Friday and Saturday. A…
The effort to overturn the 2020 election by organizing slates of alternate electors for President Donald Trump began in the swing state of Wisconsin. Now, the fitful attempt to hold those organizers accountable might hang on what happens there. On Monday, three people charged in what became known as the “fake electors” plan are in…
When Volodymyr Zelenskyy last asked Ukrainians to vote for him, he was a political newbie, a former comedian eager to change his country and talk with Russia to end a protracted conflict. Six years later, Zelenskyy — transformed by the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion — is facing sudden pressure from the United States to hold a…
More recently, the format has met something of a reappraisal. In 2015, Begala reflected that, with hindsight, America could have used more noisy dissent in the buildup to the war in Iraq. Outsiders to the show have also defended it, or, at least, expressed bafflement at its punching-bag status; Ian Crouch, for instance, wrote, in…
A few weeks ago, my 14-year-old went into the garage, pulled out his skateboard and told me this was going to be his “skate park summer”. I was curious about what was sparking his renewed interest in an activity he hadn’t thought about since he was 12. His response: “The ban.” I was thrilled. As…
Keir Starmer is poised to choose a new ambassador to Washington from a shortlist of three as relations with the US are tested over Ukraine and Donald Trump’s attacks on European leaders. The prime minister held interviews with three finalists for the role this week, the Guardian has learned, with Downing Street preparing to make…
Microsoft India and South Asia President Puneet Chandok had made a bold prediction of the careers that would shape the upcoming generations. Chandok believes that the rampant use of artificial intelligence (AI) means this will be the last generation that will enjoy “stable, long-term careers.” Addressing the Microsoft AI Tour, which also featured a speech…
Claire Brennan, Emma Orrand Ashleigh Swan,BBC News NI Getty Images Evri has apologised to customers and said it is continuing to invest in its delivery service in Northern Ireland, following complaints about missing and delayed parcels. The courier company opened a new £1.3m depot in Mallusk, County Antrim in September. GMB, the union which represents…
Charlie BucklandBBC Wales Clare Jones, 47, has received thousands of Christmas cards after a Facebook plea to make her last Christmas “special” went viral When Clare Jones put up a Facebook post asking for extra Christmas cards to make her last Christmas “super special”, she never expected thousands of responses. The mum-of-three was diagnosed with…
The battle had been brewing for months. But this week it came to a head in a flurry of meetings, calls and one heady statement. Twenty-seven European countries urged a rethink of the human rights laws forged after the second world war, describing them as an impediment when it came to addressing migration. Amnesty International…