U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived in Britain for his second state visit, greeted with royal pageantry and political tension. The three-day visit includes a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle by King Charles III, a state banquet, and talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers.
Washington says more than $10 billion in trade and defense deals will be announced, covering technology, civil nuclear energy, and defense cooperation. U.S. officials call the visit a showcase of the “special relationship” and a platform for new investment between the two countries.
The trip comes as protests unfold in London and Windsor. A new Ipsos poll shows 61% of Britons dislike Trump, though nearly half support the visit going ahead.
Starmer faces his own challenges after dismissing Lord Mandelson over alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein, a scandal that risks overshadowing the carefully managed diplomacy.
Analysts say Trump relishes the royal treatment but warn that the visit may be more about symbolism and ego than substance. Europe, meanwhile, watches closely as both sides reaffirm ties amid uncertainty over Ukraine, trade, and global security.
Iran says no U.S. meeting is planned in Islamabad, despite Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arriving in the Pakistani capital. He is also set to visit Muscat and Moscow for regional consultations.
More than 1,000 firefighters are battling to contain two major wildfires in northern Japan for a fourth consecutive day, as flames advance towards residential areas and force thousands to flee.
Residents in central Gaza are preparing to vote in municipal elections on Saturday (25 April), marking the first ballot in the Strip since 2006. The vote in Deir al-Balah is being watched closely as a rare indication of public sentiment, including towards Hamas.
Militants have staged coordinated attacks in Mali’s capital, Bamako, and several locations across the country, the army said on Saturday (25 April), in an assault apparently involving jihadist and Tuareg-led groups.
Argentina has reiterated its interest in resuming talks with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South Atlantic, after reports that an internal Pentagon email suggested reviewing Washington’s support for the UK’s claim amid tensions over the Iran war.
Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war are intensifying, with the White House confirming that U.S. President Donald Trump will send special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Iran under Pakistani mediation.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Azerbaijan for talks with President Ilham Aliyev, holding meetings in Gabala on Saturday (25 April) during a working visit to the country.
Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTV Slovenia has confirmed it will not air the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, joining a widening boycott over Israel’s participation.
In a special edition of Context, Orkhan Amashov reports from Washington on the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, examining plans for Gaza’s reconstruction, a proposed stabilisation force, and the wider diplomatic impact of the U.S.-led initiative.
In today’s Prime Time, we covered the following conversations: Azerbaijan has shipped petroleum products to Armenia by rail for the first time in decades, marking a significant step toward economic cooperation and regional integration in the South Caucasus.
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