
Donald Trump has been pumped up and preened by Putin… and royally played
However, we must wait and see what unravels from the first contact of any substance between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, without any apparent input from President Zelensky.
The initial signs are not encouraging, though. It seems Putin has played Trump with all the expertise of a former FSB officer, par excellence.
I suspect that Trump's feathers have been preened, his ego stroked, and his peacock-pride inflated to bursting point. Trump appears to be putty in Putin's manipulative hands, no match for the guile and cunning of this wily Russian fox.
Trump is right about one thing, though: Europe must take prime responsibility for its own defence. But who will take the lead in securing pan-European commitment to deliver the financial and military resources to achieve this vital goal? The UK is the natural choice, but whether our prime minister has the mettle and charisma to succeed in this task is far from certain.
Keir Starmer must prove his doubters wrong, and show that he is a wolf in sheep's clothing – a match for any fox.
David Platts
Newark, Nottinghamshire
By giving up the moral high ground in his palpable appeasement of Putin, Trump may find that he has lost more influence than he has gained ("Trump's behaving like an agent of the KGB – it's time Starmer stood up to him", Thursday 13 February).
Clearly, the Europeans now know they can expect no help from the US on Ukraine or indeed anything else, and must act accordingly.
Andrew McLuskey
Ashford, Middlesex
Volodymyr Zelensky should draw Donald Trump's attention to the example of Afghanistan and Vietnam, where asymmetric warfare brought about ultimate victory over several generations ("Zelensky hits out at Trump and Putin's call over Ukraine peace: 'I don't accept it'", Thursday 13 February).
Occupying territory with a belligerent population is extremely costly, as both the United States and Russia have learnt to their cost.
Threaten Putin with that as a negotiating strategy!
David Smith
Taunton, Somerset
Donald Trump likes to boast that he is the ultimate deal-maker, even getting someone to write a book for him called The Art of the Deal ("The truth is, Trump isn't as good at deal-making as he thinks he is", Thursday 13 February).
Maybe it's time for Vladimir Putin to do likewise and write a book called 'The Art of the Steal'.
G Forward
Stirling
Fielding a question
Regarding the tractor drivers blocking the prime minister's visit to a building site ("Starmer forced to abandon visit after tractor-driving farmers protest with musical horns", Thursday 13 February).
No arrests were made – but why not?
The tractor drivers said: 'We are not being listened to.' This is the same thing that climate activists have said.
The tractor drivers are acting on their own behalf, and have never been arrested. The climate activists are working for all our benefit, and yet are arrested, locked up and given draconian sentences. Where is the justice in this?
Dr Jennifer Poole
Romsey, Hampshire
Heart and soil
In the 1920s, Lady Balfour, a pioneer in organic farming, firmly believed that healthy soil was the basis of growing good food, and that this could largely be achieved by the use of farmyard manure ("Prince of Wales praises regenerative farm's 'fantastic' composting efforts", Tuesday 28 January).
Today, organic regulatory bodies set standards which are maintained by inspection and forbid the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides, genetically modified animal feeds and any prophylactic use of antibiotics – while setting high standards for animal welfare such as pasture feeding and non intensive husbandry.
As a farmer of organic beef, it seems to me that the regenerative farming lobby is trying to reinvent the wheel.
When I first started to grow vegetables, I noticed that if my carrots and bean seeds were planted in soil that had had a generous helping of pony manure, to a large extent, they grew free of disease and pests.
In a small garden, a compost heap can do a good job. But I fear that few vegetarians or vegans understand how hard it would be to grow a field of wheat without manure if no artificial fertilisers were used.
Rearing livestock on a mixed farm is ideal.
On my farm, in the spring, one of the greatest things to watch are the swallows returning from Africa, scooping the dung flies from my cows' manure, while the hens, free-range and various, pick goodies from the muck heap.
PA Reid
Wantage, Oxfordshire
No place for anti-immigration in Britain
I thought your editorial on government proposals to limit the right to apply for UK citizenship was excellent ("With this crackdown on citizenship, Labour is forsaking British values", Wednesday 12 February).
It set out clearly the reality of the situation, rather than the self-serving fakery of arrogant, right-wing populists. Well done.
Mervyn Hughes
Cambridge
What price the dignity of women and girls?
When I was young, 'gender' was a term used in the study of European languages ("Transgender doctor told NHS of 'intent' to use women's changing rooms – tribunal", Monday 10 February).
There were two sexes, and, in public, separate toilets were provided for males and females. Now, we live in a topsy-turvy world where the social-science construct of gender has been created to subvert the scientific facts of biological sex, where a biological male can plead 'harassment' because – in current parlance – he has been 'misgendered'; that is, has been described as a man when that is what he is, biologically and immutably, rather than as a woman, which is his unscientific subjective preference.
The whole western world has fallen victim to gender theory, and I am aware of only one major leader speaking against it. In the US, Democrats embraced gender theory wholeheartedly, and undoubtedly lost votes last November because of it. Donald Trump – who has, possibly uniquely and certainly unequivocally, stated that there are only two sexes and that one cannot change one's sex, was the beneficiary of this.
The people I feel particular sympathy for are the very small number of those who have desperately wanted to be a member of the opposite sex to that into which they were born. They have adopted their new identity unostentatiously and lived their best life.
They are a far cry from the loud and threatening activists who insist that everyone else must accept their right to be treated as the gender they have adopted, for all purposes, to the extent of demanding that women accept them into their safe spaces from which men have customarily been excluded, and into women's sports.
Our politicians are culpable for pandering to this fantasy. They have traduced women – real, biological women – by changing the rules governing women's dignity, privacy and safety, often at the behest of organisations like Stonewall, whom they have paid, with our money, for 'advice'.
There are signs that the tide may be turning. Not before time, and not quickly enough.
Jill Stephenson
Address supplied
Room for consultation
The doctor who said she could deal with only one medical issue at a time has got it totally wrong (Letters: "The NHS is on life support", Wednesday 12 February).
Some years ago, I went to see my GP – a very good one who, regretfully, retired early – and started the conversation with: "Doctor, I've got four issues that I need to tell you about…'
He immediately replied: "I want you to tell me about all of them, so that I can get the bigger picture.'
A GP is supposed to look at the whole patient, to assess what needs doing and to decide how the problems and treatments may be connected. Otherwise, a treatment for one problem may well result in a negative outcome for another issue.
Keyworth, Nottinghamshire
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The Independent
44 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump administration memo clears way for federal employees to push their ‘correct' religion on other coworkers
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Scottish Sun
44 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Keir Starmer mocked for cringe call with hero Lionesses from Scotland as squad crowd around phone at No10 reception
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
US tariffs: Lesotho factory that made Trump shirts hard hit by US tariffs
A garment factory in Lesotho, which has produced Trump-branded golf shirts, may have to soon shut down following the massive import taxes, or tariffs, imposed by the US government earlier this small, southern African kingdom was hit with "reciprocal" tariffs of 50% - a higher rate than any other country - when they were announced by US President Donald Trump in they have since been put on hold, Trump says they will be reimposed this Friday, 1 August, along with other countries around the world, unless a separate deal is reached."We don't know how we survive this one. We are going to die," Aletta Seleso tells the BBC in a bleak voice standing outside Precious Garments, where the Trump golf shirts have been mother of one young child has worked there for almost a decade, also supporting her extended family on her monthly salary of $160 (£120).Lesotho has become known as the "denim capital of Africa". The country's garment factories also produce jeans for iconic American brands such as Levi's and the uncertainty over the future of the country's clothes industry is one reason why Lesotho declared a national "state of disaster" earlier this month in order to speed up job-creation. The BBC meets Ms Seleso during her lunch break just outside Precious joins hundreds of workers streaming out of the factory with their lunch boxes in one hand and water bottles in the other as they try to find a spot in the weak sun of the southern hemisphere winter to enjoy their home-cooked workers, with blankets wrapped around their bodies, huddle in groups with their backs to the sun as they try to soak up a bit of has been working at the factory as an embroiderer for the past eight years and had little reason to worry about her job - until the US tariffs announcement in says workers have been told that the firm "can close any time from now"."They say it's about a tariff," she the meantime, Ms Seleso and her colleagues have been told to work for two weeks a month, meaning they get just half the says it is now "so hard" for her to support her child, mother and her late younger sister's two children, who are all under her BBC has approached Precious Garments for Sam Mokhele, the secretary general of one the unions representing 150 workers at the firm, says the company had not "indicated any sign of shutting down" at the moment."But what they said was [they may have to] shut down if things do not change," he Seleso is appealing to the government to engage with the US and try to find a viable solution to the tariff her desperate situation, she at least still has an income – but others are not so the other side of town, in Maseru's Thetsane industrial site, dozens of desperate job seekers gather outside another garment factory, factory, one half of the CGM Presitex Jeans Manufacturer, has closed but there have been rumours it may soon would-be workers stand in small groups, clutching water bottles, their only source of sustenance for the day, as they listen and hope they will be among the lucky few. Among this group, mostly women, is Puleng Selane, who has been job-hunting since March. Since 2018, the mother of three has worked as a security guard, along with a variety of other young woman now relies on the sale of medical face masks to support her family - which even on a good day only brings in enough money to buy maize meal and paraffin."Now life is so hard... we often eat once a day but sometimes go to bed without any food," she says. Although the 50% tariff has been paused, Lesotho's exports to the US are still subject to a 10% tax, like the rest of the this year, its exports had not been subject to any US tariffs under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) - a law passed in Washington in 2000 to allow duty-free access to the US for goods from some countries in order to alleviate poverty and create jobs. This was part of the "trade not aid" tariffs could be death knell for US-Africa trade pactHow jeans and diamonds pushed Lesotho to the top of Trump's tariffs listThe textile and garment industry is Lesotho's largest private sector employer providing, at its peak, around 50,000 jobs, out of a population of just over two figure now hovers around 36,000 according to the government, with 12,000 jobs directly affected by the US Garments at one point hired 4,000 the Lesotho textiles boom boosted by Agoa meant that it had a trade surplus with the US - exporting more than it imports from the country. And that was why Trump imposed such high tariffs on the country, which appear to have put an end to Agoa, threatening the future of the one bright spot in the country's the relative success of the clothes factories - until now - the country as a whole is still struggling to create enough jobs for its young stands at 30% but for young people the rate is almost 50%, according to official activist Tšolo Thakeli tells the BBC that even without the latest threat to the textile sector, the situation is "tragic" as there are "literally no jobs in the country, especially for the youth"."We have graduates from every level... not having jobs. There's a serious state of hopelessness amongst the youth," he while there are myriad reasons, Mr Thakeli blames the "nepotism [and] corruption" that many allege runs rampant in the 31-year-old entrepreneur and qualified lawyer is a vocal critic of Lesotho's government and was arrested after he posted a video on social media questioning whether Prime Minister Sam Matekane's promise to create 70,000 jobs in two weeks was tells the BBC the prime minister lacks a proper plan to tackle the crisis."There's nothing tangible that the government has done or set to address the problem. [It's just] empty promises," he is denied by Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile, who insists that the government is working to try and resolve the issue."We already had some solutions, even before the tariff was announced, because the US market was already beginning to be a difficult market for us," he tells the says the country is "already shifting to production for South Africa" and that as things stand, only "20% of the garment industry supplies the US market". Mr Shelile is speaking to the BBC outside another factory hit hard by the uncertainty caused by the tariffs. TZICC, owned by a Taiwanese national, has been operational in Lesotho since 1999, producing sportswear for the likes of JC Penney, Walmart and Costco. At the height of operations, the firm produced 400,000 garments a month but when the BBC visits, hundreds of sewing machines lie gathering dust in one of the warehouses.A manager at the firm, Rahila Omar, says the company's 1,000 employees, mostly women, have been laid off for the next four months due to a halt in orders."Because of the... pressure of the tariffs, our buyers wanted us to finish the order or the quantity as soon as we can. We were given a deadline of 30 June, but we finished before 30 June, and that's why we have a layoff," she Omar says TZICC is waiting for an update on Agoa and whether the current tariff structure would be reviewed before deciding on the next step. Even if the current 10% tax remained, without Agoa, it would not be enough for the firm to reopen as there would be "some additional charges" to consider, she while the factory also supplies clothing to South African retailers, Ms Omar says the income generated from these pales in comparison to what the firm earns from the US the government's assurance that it is working to resolve the issue - with the minister even promising a desperate passer-by who spotted him during our interview that "it's going to work [out] at the end of the day" - for Ms Seleso and Mr Thakeli, these are hollow words for the country's despondent and hopeless workforce. Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica