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Trump Accepts State Visit Invitation from King Charles as US-UK Relations Take Center Stage
President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation from King Charles II for a state visit to the United Kingdom, a gesture that underscores the ongoing efforts to maintain the "special relationship" between the two nations. The invitation was delivered personally by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit to the White House, where he engaged in discussions with Trump on Ukraine, trade, and military cooperation. Upon receiving the letter, Trump expressed admiration for King Charles, calling him “a beautiful man and a wonderful man.” The invitation signals a diplomatic move by Starmer, who is working to strengthen ties with the US president. During their meeting, Trump and Starmer also discussed aid to Ukraine, an issue that led to a brief but notable exchange. Trump suggested that European nations financially benefit from their contributions to Ukraine, stating, “You know, they get their money back by giving money. We don’t get the money back.” Starmer quickly corrected him, saying, “We’re not getting all of ours. I mean, quite a bit of ours was gifted. It was given. There were some loans, but mainly it was gifted, actually.” The moment mirrored a previous encounter between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who also challenged Trump’s statements on European aid to Ukraine. When asked whether the US would step in to assist the UK if it faced an attack while supporting Ukraine, Trump responded that Britain “doesn’t need much help.” He elaborated, “You know, I’ve always found about the British they don’t need much help. They can take care of themselves very well. It sounds like it’s evasive, but it’s not evasive. You know, the British have been incredible soldiers, incredible military, and they can take care of themselves.” Starmer emphasized the importance of the historic US-UK alliance and urged the US to serve as a “backstop” to support a ceasefire in Ukraine. Another key topic of discussion was the Chagos Islands, a British-controlled territory in the Indian Ocean where the US operates a military base on Diego Garcia. The UK is currently in negotiations with Mauritius to return sovereignty of the islands but has assured that the US lease on Diego Garcia will remain in place. Trump indicated he was open to the plan, saying, “We’re going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it’s going to work out well. They’re talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease about 140 years actually. That’s a long time.” Trade also surfaced in the conversation, with Trump reiterating his focus on tariffs, particularly against countries running trade surpluses with the US. Starmer was quick to point out that UK trade with the US is "fair and balanced," adding, “In fact, you’ve got a bit of a surplus.” However, data discrepancies between the UK’s Office for National Statistics and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis present conflicting figures, with the UK reporting a £71 billion trade surplus with the US in 2023, while US statistics indicate a $14.5 billion (£12 billion) surplus in favor of the US. Differences in how each country measures trade—particularly in financial services—explain some of the inconsistency, though the exact cause remains uncertain. Given Trump's tendency to impose tariffs on countries with trade surpluses against the US, the UK may hope he continues to view the numbers in Washington’s favor to avoid potential trade tensions. As Trump prepares for his upcoming state visit to the UK, the evolving dynamics between the two allies remain a key focus in international diplomacy. A Press Conference is due soon. Based on a report by CNN 2025-02-28 -
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U.S. Economy Shows Signs of Strain From Trump’s Tariffs and Spending Cuts
You've got nothing. -
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Russia’s economy is doomed
90% of medicines and 85% of medical equipment is imported. Russia has been unable to identify domestic suppliers. -
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BREAKING NEWS Gene Hackman, wife and their dog found dead in their New Mexico home, authorities say
I'm selling my rental in Washington state, and Washington state law requires carbon monoxide alarms regardless of whether ir not gas is available to the dwelling. -
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The Controversy Over Islamophobia and Grooming Gang Investigations
All that matters is any scum that commits a sexual crime receives the proper judicial process and subsequent jail time. If in that process someone who follows a certain ideology is offended. Too bad. -
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Trump insider: "Zelensky's 'Best Bet' is to Leave for France 'Immediately'"
It was a lot more complex than people would suppose. There is not doubt Iraq had a pretty advanced chemical and biological capability. I attended briefings about what the British military knew abut Halabja. It was sobering. The British had tracked Iraqi Air Force sorties over the town, and there were many. They knew the Russian aircraft lacked the ability to carry enough of the type of munition that was being dropped, so the Iraqis had to switch to old ex-RAF Hawker Hunters. They knew the exact time the bombing runs were carried out. From studying the filmed corpses and the time stamps of Iranian journalist's on the scene videos, they quite quickly came to a presumptive determination that Sarin and VX figuredmin the mix (because of the time that elapsed between the attack and unprotected Iranians entering the town). Earlier I worked in the same university department in the UK where British police turned up to take a number of Iraqis into custody in 1990. They were microbiology students with strong research interests in aflatoxin, a really potent class of fungal nerve toxins. The head of the Iraqi programme trained at East Anglia, which has a particularly strong plant protein department, and close links with a Food Research Institute, which I know from first hand experience, had some interesting knowhow. Post Desert Storm, there were Congressional inquiries into so-called Gulf War Syndrome, whcich I suspect was a combination of the results of exposure to untested vaccines and some pretty terrible environmental conditions in Kuwaut. I was struck by the account of members of a Marine unit who were specialist CBRN operators. As the Iraqi Army collapsed, they left behind ammo dumps. These two operators testified coming across one such site, that they reported as well ordered. They knew it was well ordered because it had been set up just the same way as the US military do. That similarity allowed them to identify so-called special munitions, likely chemical rounds, 155mm variety. 15 years on, the thing that occupied the Western intelligence was being blindsided again. Iraq had a CBRN capability, but did it have a CBRN readiness. Personally, I think Saddam never gave them up, but he hid them, expecting that one day the Americans would just leave. The best aircraft he had, he didn't use to try and defend Iraqi skies or destroy American armour.They flew to Iran or were buried, to fight another day. The Arab dictator needed a symbolically powerful military, not really toprotect from external threats but to protect from internal threats I'm of the mind the capbility is buried, those who buried it are long dead. 120 years after ww1, the British and Americans are still finding Lewisite caches. Someone knew where they were stored, the paperwork has gone. eg a big dump was found in Florida, along with a radioactive lab, when clearing a site for new housing. For the radioactive lab, they had to find some old boys from a nursing home to explain what had happened (a big spill in the 50s, so the building was evacuated, shuttered and forgotten about). We will eventually find the stuff, but long after I'm dead.
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