Will Israel join Hamas and agree to a Gaza ceasefire deal?
Hamas officials have shown a 'positive response' to the plan, according to Qatari mediators, who described it as 'almost identical' to an American proposal which Israel had accepted before.
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Daily Mirror
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump's new White House portrait criticised for 'Satanic theme'
A fresh image of Donald Trump has been unveiled in the Oval Office - but it's already causing a stir online, with many branding it as "too accurate" A controversial new portrait of Donald Trump has sparked fierce criticism over its alleged 'Satanic themes'. Sebastian Gorka, the deputy assistant to the president, revealed a fresh image of Trump, which is now displayed in the Oval Office. The artwork shows Trump striding through rows of American flags with an orange glow behind him - compared to flames by critics - and was teased as just "one of the new" Trump-themed artworks decorating the White House. The new portrait comes amid reports of how Trump's Ukraine plans has prompted a Pentagon peace summit with UK military chiefs. The new portrait was created by Vanessa Horabuena, a self-described Christian worship painter. the Express. Not everyone was impressed with the portrait, with some branding it as "too accurate" and others as "too orange." Project Liberal questioned, "Why is the country on fire behind him?". This feeling resonated with many, as another user remarked, "fits. America is on fire in the background and Trump walks away." Others pointed to Trump's collection of self-portraits in the White House, especially after reports last week that portraits of Obama and Bush have been moved to a rarely-used stairwell, reports the Mirror US. Ignited uproar "The man can't get enough of himself," one user slammed. Another added: "As per usual, it's all about his ego." Another person slated the portrait's poor resemblance to Trump's real appearance. "Did you request the portrait to appear 60 lbs lighter than reality?" an X user questioned. The Mirror reached out to both the White House and the artist for a response, but none was immediately available. Trump's portraits and paintings displayed around the White House have previously sparked controversy, and a recent attempt to showcase them to other world leaders didn't go as smoothly as Trump had hoped. Assassination attempt His iconic photo from the Butler assassination attempt, featuring him with his fist raised in the air, is also a source of pride for the president, who often shows it off to visitors. Before a meeting in the East Room yesterday, the seven European heads of state gathered for a photograph with Trump and Zelensky in the Grand Foyer of the White House. As they stood together, the president gestured towards a painting depicting his bloodied ear following an assassination attempt during his 2024 campaign in Pennsylvania. "That was not a good day. Not a great day. See the picture?" Trump said, pointing to a wall on the group's right where the large painting is hung. However, not all the leaders shared Trump's enthusiasm for the image. Patriotic portraits Some of the leaders briefly glanced over, appearing to show minimal interest, while others, like French President Emmanuel Macron, continued to look straight ahead. The Republican leader has been giving the White House a makeover, including refurbishing the Rose Garden and adding numerous gold accents throughout the Oval Office. A substantial portion of these changes includes swapping out portraits of his predecessors. In a recent snap shared on X, Trump's patriotic portrait is proudly showcased between former First Lady Laura Bush and another first lady, nabbing the spot previously held by his long-standing adversary, Hillary Clinton. This comes after Joe Rogan revealed a startling new conspiracy theory about a potential assassination attempt on Trump in 2024.
Leader Live
27 minutes ago
- Leader Live
UK military chief meets US counterparts for Ukraine talks
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin met senior US defence officials alongside other European military chiefs in Washington DC on Wednesday to discuss military options to secure peace in Ukraine. He later attended a virtual meeting of Nato's military committee, described by its chairman Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone as 'candid'. On Tuesday evening, Admiral Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, had dined with his US counterpart General Dan Caine. The meetings come amid renewed planning for a 'coalition of the willing', led by the UK and France, that would guarantee Kyiv's security in the event of a ceasefire. Earlier in the week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired a meeting of the coalition, in which members of the group also discussed the possibility of further sanctions on Russia. Western security guarantees, strongly resisted by Moscow, are one of the central issues for any peace deal for Ukraine, which fears Russia could otherwise use a ceasefire to regroup and launch a renewed invasion. So far, only the UK and France have indicated they could commit troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. In an interview on Tuesday Donald Trump ruled out an American ground contribution but suggested the US could be willing to provide some form of air support. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, had earlier suggested the US could offer Ukraine a mutual defence agreement similar to Nato's Article 5, without Kyiv formally joining the alliance. Renewed talks among the 'coalition of the willing' follow last week's summit between Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska as the US president continued to push for an end to a conflict he had promised he could finish on his first day in office. Those talks appeared to result in little progress towards a deal, but sparked concern among some in Europe that Mr Trump could seek to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into accepting a deal without sufficient security guarantees. On Monday, Sir Keir and Mr Macron joined other European leaders in travelling to Washington in a show of support for Mr Zelensky during a meeting with Mr Trump. Meanwhile, the UK and Russia traded sanctions as London sought to increase the pressure on Moscow to end its invasion. Europe minister Stephen Doughty unveiled sanctions on a series of organisations linked to Kyrgyzstan's financial services sector, saying they had been involved in Kremlin attempts to 'soften the blow of our sanctions by laundering transactions through dodgy crypto networks'. Russia in turn sanctioned 21 individuals, including former Labour MP Denis MacShane, several journalists, and the Government-appointed independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall.
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
Portrait of the week: Ukraine talks, inflation rises and a new house for the Prince and Princess of Wales
Home Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, joined President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the EU and Nato in a visit to Washington three days after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. On his return he chaired a virtual meeting of a 'coalition of the willing' to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. Asylum seekers were to be removed from the Bell Hotel, Epping, Essex, after the High Court granted an injunction sought by Epping Forest district council against their being housed there. The ten councils controlled by Reform would try to emulate Epping. The number of migrants arriving in England in small boats in the seven days to 18 August was 968. Ricky Jones, 58, a councillor suspended by the Labour party, who, speaking to a crowd in Walthamstow last year, said of 'disgusting Nazi fascists' that 'We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all', was found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder by a jury. Hashem Abedi, who was jailed for a minimum of 55 years in 2020 for helping to plan the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, was charged with attempting to murder three prison officers at Frankland prison. The pressure group For Women Scotland lodged an action at the Court of Session, claiming rules on transgender pupils in schools and transgender people in custody are 'in clear breach' of a Supreme Court judgment in April. A Labour MP, Afzal Khan, resigned as Britain's trade envoy to Turkey after a visit to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Terence Stamp, the glamorous 1960s film star, died aged 87. Inflation rose from 3.6 to 3.8 per cent. Gilt yields, reflecting the cost of government borrowing, rose above the peak reached during Liz Truss's financial difficulties. GDP rose by 0.3 per cent in the second quarter, compared with 0.7 per cent in the first. The average two-year mortgage rate fell below 5 per cent for the first time since September 2022. Britain's largest bioethanol plant, in Hull, began closing down, following the removal in May of a 19 per cent tariff on ethanol imported from America. Britain's biggest power generator, German company RWE, blamed weak winds for a £1.8 billion fall in profits. The chain of 46 Soho House clubs was bought for £2 billion. The Met Police will axe 40 of its 93 horses to save money. No horses will run at race meetings on 10 September in protest at a proposed rise in betting tax. A-level grades were again the highest ever, with 28.3 per cent being A* or A. The Prince and Princess of Wales will move from Adelaide Cottage into the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park. Abroad President Donald Trump of the United States and President Vladimir Putin of Russia met for three hours in Alaska without reaching an agreement on the war in Ukraine. Mr Putin had been greeted with a red carpet and a lift in the American presidential car. At the end of their meeting, Mr Putin said in English: 'Next time in Moscow.' Mr Trump had promised 'severe consequences' if Russia did not move towards a ceasefire, but after the meeting he said that the 'best way' was to go 'directly to a peace agreement'. He said that Ukraine could not reclaim Crimea or join Nato. But he added that Mr Putin had agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine; no American troops would set foot in Ukraine. At the Washington follow-up meeting, Mr Zelensky said that he and Mr Trump had had a 'very good conversation'. The plan was for a trilateral meeting, then for a bilateral one between Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky. Territory remained an unsolved problem. Four people in New York City died from Legionnaires' disease, which was traced to 12 cooling towers where bacteria were growing. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Israel to call for an end to the Gaza war and an agreement to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of US national intelligence, said Britain had withdrawn its demand for access to global Apple users' data. Two boats carrying 90 migrants capsized off Lampedusa; 60 were rescued. Hundreds were killed by floods in northern Pakistan. Aid agencies warned of starvation in Burma's Rakhine State, which is under a military blockade. The communist mayor of Noisy-le-Sec in France said he had cancelled a screening of Barbie to protect town hall officials from 'insistent threats' from young Muslim men who accused the film of 'promoting homosexuality'. CSH
