Kimberly Guilfoyle named as ambassador to Greece as Republicans change rules to clear backlog of positions

The Senate has confirmed 48 of Donald Trump’s nominees at once, voting for the first time under new rules to begin clearing a backlog of executive branch positions that had been delayed by Democrats.

Frustrated by the stalling tactics, Senate Republicans moved last week to make it easier to confirm large groups of lower-level, non-judicial nominations. Democrats had forced multiple votes on almost every one of Trump’s picks, infuriating the president and tying up the Senate floor.

Matthew James Ruth, 24, killed in altercation that left three officers dead and wounded two more

The alleged gunman who killed three officers and wounded two more in southern Pennsylvania before he was killed by police was a 24-year-old being sought on stalking charges, according to court documents and law enforcement.

The violence erupted in rural York county as officers sought Matthew James Ruth, who had also been charged with trespassing, loitering and prowling at night in a domestic-related investigation that began a day earlier, court documents show.

Arrests include 11 city officials who had demanded to see the conditions of an Ice intake facility on the 10th floor

New York lawmakers, immigrants’ rights activists and religious leaders were arrested on Thursday at protests both inside and outside the complex in lower Manhattan where federal officials have been routinely detaining immigrants amid the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda.

At least 70 demonstrators staged a direct-action protest to block access to and from the underground garage used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) to transport people arrested by the agency. The nature of the protest prompted the New York police department (NYPD) to begin arresting people sitting in front of the access ramp.

President says Jimmy Kimmel was ‘not a talented person’ as critics decry show’s suspension as an attack on free speech

Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that TV networks which cover him “negatively” could be punished by the government after his celebration of ABC suspending late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

On Air Force One, the president spoke to reporters on his flight back to the US from his state visit to the UK. The president said major US networks were “97% against me”, though he did not offer evidence to prove this figure or detail how this conclusion was evaluated. He said he read the statistic “someplace”.

Phil Appleton, 71, made subject to order preventing him contacting actor and banning him from certain areas

The actor Anna Friel has said she is constantly looking over her shoulder after a man stalked her for three years, telling her she would make the “perfect wife” and turning up at her home with a ring.

Friel said Phil Appleton, 71, a former pilot and actor, had “invaded” her private life and that protecting herself and her family against him had taken up valuable time when she wanted to focus on her acting.

Prices have risen by 34% since 2022, with 29% of psychologists refusing new patients

The cost of seeing private psychologists is soaring and many are so busy they are turning away new clients, research has found.

The prices psychologists charge have risen by 34% since 2022 and 12 sessions now cost an average of £1,550, compared with £1,152 just three years ago, according to a survey by myTribe Insurance, which tracks the cost of private medical care.

The average cost of a consultation in the UK has risen from £96 in 2022 to £129.20 in 2025.

Psychologists in England charge the most (£131) per session and those in Scotland the least (£124).

Those in Scotland have the shortest waiting times (16.9 days), and people in Wales the longest (23.8 days).

US president ends second state visit with warning that illegal migration could destroy the UK

Donald Trump has told Britain it should “call out the military” to control its borders during a tightly controlled summit in which Keir Starmer ducked major flashpoints with the US president.

During a potentially difficult two-day state visit for the government, Trump has for the most part avoided exploiting tensions, although he described the UK’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state as “one of our few disagreements”.

Analysis reveals 24% of guilty doctors handed suspensions but are allowed to keep working in medicine

UK doctors who are guilty of sexual misconduct are not being appropriately sanctioned due to weak disciplinary processes, research reveals.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of doctors found guilty of sexual misconduct were handed suspensions but allowed to continue working in medicine, according to analysis of fitness to practice tribunals by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS). This is despite the regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC), recommending they be struck off the medical register.

Move comes after Israel fails to meet UK conditions that would have postponed step

The UK is preparing to recognise the state of Palestine as early as Friday, after Israel failed to meet conditions that would have postponed the historic step, including a ceasefire in Gaza.

Keir Starmer insisted the timing of the UK announcement had nothing to do with Donald Trump’s visit, even though the US president said at a press conference that he disagreed with Britain’s decision, without elaborating.

The two leaders skirted around areas of potential conflict but there was still plenty of news and startling information

Given an hour to speak freely in front of the world’s media, Donald Trump is always likely to spring a surprise or two.

His joint press conference with Keir Starmer at Chequers on Thursday was largely a disciplined performance, skirting around several potential topics of conflict. But it was still full of news, telling details, and startling information and opinions.

Here are some of the most important, and some you might have missed.

PM cannot afford for US president to walk away from Ukraine crisis and must persuade him to publicly support specific Gaza plans

With bear traps avoided and fireworks unlit, Keir Starmer will be delighted that his press conference with Donald Trump lent credence to his claim to be America’s first partner in defence, trade and now technology.

Trump, for his part, got the “great pictures” he wanted and was on his best low-wattage behaviour. He said he did not disagree with his host about much, save Starmer’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state. And he teetered on the edge of being diplomatic, at least until he advised Starmer

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A so-called miracle cure for stroke is no more effective than a placebo, a study has found.

AAP reports the treatment, known as perispinal etanercept, involves injecting an arthritis medication into the back of a patient’s neck and tilting them downwards so it travels towards their brain.

It’s been a challenge, because … you buy a car today and it’s operating for 15 or more years, so it takes time to turn that around.

I’m not here to pretend to you that that has all of a sudden impacted on emissions yet. It’s going t

Police investigating deaths of Dau Akueng, 15, and Chol Achiek, 12, raid homes in city’s north-west

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Seven teenagers have been arrested over the stabbing deaths of 15-year-old Dau Akueng and 12-year-old Chol Achiek in Melbourne’s west.

Police have confirmed that a 19-year-old Thornhill Park man, a 19-year-old Caroline Springs man, an 18-year-old Wollert man, along with three

Double defeat protects Venezuelans with temporary protected status and Guatemalan minors

The Trump administration has been handed a double defeat by judges in immigration cases, barring the executive branch from deporting a group of Guatemalan children and from slashing protections for many Venezuelans in the US.

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the administration to refrain from deporting Guatemalan unaccompanied immigrant children with active immigration cases while a legal challenge plays out.