US steps back from Russia-Ukraine peace talks

The US will no longer “fly around the world at the drop of a hat” to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, a state department official has said.

Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the US State Department, has said the country is changing “the methodology of how we contribute” to the conflict as she said “we will not be the mediators.”

While affirming the country remained committed to helping between the two countries, the state official said: “it is now between the two parties” to present “concrete ideas about how this conflict is going to end.”

This comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Fox News interview on Thursday Night that either there would need to be a breakthrough towards peace “very soon”, or President Trump would have to make a decision about how much time the US would dedicate to the conflict.

“This is not our war”, he added.

Ukraine’s government is due to ratify the “historic” minerals deal which was reached on Wednesday following months of negotiations. The deal includes no security guarantees but implies America will have a greater interest in protecting its investment in the country.

Sycamore Gap suspect thought it would be ‘good trophy’, court told

One of two men on trial for cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree had a “fascination” with it and thought it would make a good trophy, Newcastle Crown Court heard on Friday.

Adam Carruthers had a “strange interest” in the tree, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said.

Mr Carruthers, 32, and Daniel Graham, 39, each deny two counts of criminal damage to the Northumberland sycamore and to the nearby Hadrian’s Wall, which was damaged when it came down in September 2023.

On the fourth day of their trial, Mr Graham said his co-accused had spoken of wanting to cut down the tree beside the Roman wall, keeping a piece of string in his workshop to measure its circumference and ordering a chainsaw he said was “big enough” for the job.

Mr Graham also told the court his co-defendant rang him the morning after the tree was felled and claimed to be the person responsible.

He claimed Mr Carruthers asked him to take the blame for the crime “because he had mental health issues” and would be treated more leniently.

Prosecutors say Mr Carruthers, a mechanic, and Mr Graham, a groundworker, drove from Carlisle overnight during Storm Agnes to the Northumberland landmark.

The court had already heard the men sometimes worked together and had experience felling large trees.

Richard Wright KC put it to Mr Graham that Mr Carruthers had “a fascination” with and a “strange interest” in the tree, saying: “He talked about it in the sense of it would be a good trophy.”

Graham replied: “I suppose so, yeah.” He said he remembered Mr Carruthers ordering a big bar chainsaw and saying it was big enough to cover the circumference of the Sycamore Gap tree.

He also said his former friend had mentioned the tree in 2021. “He laid this string on the floor, put it in a big circle, that was the circumference of the Sycamore Gap tree,” Mr Graham told jurors.

“At the time I didn’t know of the tree… He told me it was the most famous tree in the world.”

Mr Graham said Mr Carruthers had used the string to measure the tree’s circumference.

He said he first realised his Range Rover had been taken out that night when he saw it had been moved the next morning.

He said it was not unusual for him to leave his phone in the vehicle overnight because he “liked to get away from his phone” after a day at work.

He told the jury other people could use his iPhone, including people who worked for him who used it to connect to the internet as a hot spot.

Earlier, the court heard that Mr Graham made an anonymous call to the emergency services’ 101 number, saying his former close friend was responsible for the crime.

Mr Graham said they had been friends for about three years but he turned on Mr Carruthers when the Sycamore Gap investigation started affecting his business.

He told the court: “My name is associated with my business and I started to have people phoning my business giving me abuse about the tree.”

The trial was adjourned until Tuesday.

Uefa confirm Europa League final stance if Man United play Tottenham

The Europa League final in Bilbao will not be moved if Manchester United face Tottenham Hotspur on May 21.

Both teams are in a strong position to contend for the trophy after winning the first legs of their semi-finals on Thursday night, with United beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away from home and Tottenham earning a 3-1 advantage over Bodo/Glimt ahead of next week’s return leg in Norway.

An all-English final would give two of the Premier League’s underperforming teams a chance to save their seasons and gain direct access to next year’s Champions League. United are in 14th place in the Premier League and Tottenham, who have not won a trophy since 2008, are 16th.

However, there is no chance that a Manchester United-Tottenham final could be moved to an English venue, with Bilbao’s San Mames stadium awarded the rights to host the Europa League final way back in 2021, the same year that Uefa decided the Basque city would host the 2024 Women’s Champions League final.

The San Mames has an official capacity of 53,289 but demand for tickets from Manchester United and Tottenham supporters will be far higher than what both teams would be allocated if they reach the final.

Uefa has confirmed that the two teams who reach the final will receive up to 15,000 tickets each, with a further 11,000 tickets up for general sale and the remainder offered to hospitality and sponsors.

And, as has been the case for recent all-English European finals between Manchester City and Chelsea in 2021 (Porto), Liverpool and Tottenham in 2019 (Madrid) and Arsenal and Chelsea in 2019 (Baku), the final will be played in Bilbao regardless of who advances.

Athletic Bilbao were dreaming of appearing in the Europa League final at their home stadium but United produced their finest performance under Ruben Amorim to win 3-0 against the 10-man hosts.

Tottenham were in a commanding position against Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt but their late goal means there remains some danger for Ange Postecoglou’s side before a potentially tricky trip to the Arctic Circle next week.