The Traitors bosses have finally confirmed the line-up for the show’s first ever celebrity outing.
The 19 contestants on the line-up are:
Now, one question we’ve always had about the proposed Celebrity Traitors is exactly how seriously the famous contestants would be taking the game, if there wasn’t a cash prize on the line.
However, it’s now been revealed that the famous Traitors and Faithfuls will be playing the game in the hopes of winning a share of a potential £100K cash prize for a charity of their choice – all under the watchful (and heavily made up) eye of Claudia Winkleman.
Claudia said: “We’re incredibly lucky these brilliant people have said yes. I’d love to say we’ll take it easy on them and they’ll just wander round the castle and eat toast for a couple of weeks but that would be a lie.”
A specific airdate is yet to be confirmed, although Celebrity Traitors will air on the BBC in the autumn, ahead of the regular series’ return in its usual January timeslot.
A senior official in Donald Trump’s government has said claims that Israel is blocking food from entering Gaza are “fake news” as he clashed with a BBC journalist.
Sebastian Gorka, the US president’s senior director for counter-terrorism, insisted that a “simply gargantuan amount of food” had entered the territory during the ongoing conflict.
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He also repeatedly threatened to end the interview on Radio 4′s World At One as he was questioned by presenter Sarah Montague.
The clash came after Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), told the BBC: “Starvation is spreading, people are exhausted, people are hungry.
“We can expect that in the coming weeks if no aid is coming in, that people will not die because of the bombardment, but they will die because of the lack of food. This is the weaponisation of humanitarian aid.”
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But Gorka said: “I wouldn’t listen to anyone who represents UNRWA. UNRWA is utterly morally corrupt and politically. It’s workers have been found to be actually working with the terrorists and helping to kill innocent individuals simply because they are Jewish.
“If you look at the math of the simply gargantuan amount of food that Israel has allowed into Gaza, which would feed multiples of the residents who live there, you have to ask yourself ‘so where is that food really going?’
“So what’s happening in Gaza is the result of the mass slaughter of innocent men, women and children in the greatest loss of Jewish life since the end of the Holocaust, and Israel has every right to do what it’s doing so it will never happen again.”
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Montague pointed out that UNRWA has more than 30,000 staff, of which nine were found to have “questions to answer and have been removed” over their alleged links to Hamas.
Gorka then interrupted her to say: “That is nine too many. That is the real story. The real story isn’t fake news about starvation. The real story is UNRWA working in league with the terrorists.”
Asked if there would be “a problem with baby formula going into Gaza”, the Trump official replied: “I’m not going to talk about this. It’s garbage, it’s rubbish.
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“There are factors more food going into Gaza than physically can be eaten by the putative population.”
As Montague tried to ask another question, Gorka said: “You’re interrupting me again. I will terminate this interview, OK? If you persist in talking about fake news about starvation in Gaza we are done, we are finished.”
The presenter then asked him: “Do we accept that no food has gone into Gaza in the last two months?”
Gorka replied: “I’m not going to talk about this garbage fake news. If you ask me one more question about it we are done.”
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He went on to accuse Montague of repeating “state propaganda” and added: “If you want to ask me about the incredible things President Trump is doing in the Middle East… I’m prepared to do so. I’m not going to countenance your propaganda.”
Later in the same interview, Gorka also went on an extraordinary rant after being asked about Trump’s willingness to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar.
The president has come under fire after it emerged the plane could serve as Trump’s new Air Force One.
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Trump has defended the move, declaring that it’d be “stupid” for him to pass on the aircraft and claiming it wouldn’t be a “gift” for him but to the US’ Department of Defence.
Critics have since pointed to a clause in the US constitution prohibiting officials from accepting gifts from “any King, Prince, or foreign State” without congressional approval.
Montague asked Gorka: “Is there a problem with this, because it doesn’t look like it’s draining the swamp?”
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Gorka replied: “Do you ever have pangs of conscience that you are so utterly and completely biased that all you can do is give in to your Trump derangement syndrome?
“Have you ever once said anything positive about President Trump or not knelt at the altar of left-wing ideology?”
Underneath it says: “In 14 years, the Conservatives broke Britain. Their record in government must not be forgotten.”
The Reform UK leaflet with no mention of Truss.
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But Truss’s omission from the line-up has raised eyebrows, especially since Farage famously praised the disastrous mini-Budget in 2022 which crashed the economy and ended her premiership.
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Farage was also roasted by Keir Starmer last month amid reports that Truss was advising Reform UK.
Meanwhile, a Reform UK “manifesto” published by Farage in the Daily Mail last Saturday also drew unfavourable comparisons with Truss’s time in office.
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Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal said: “It beggars belief that Nigel Farage is letting Liz Truss off scot-free on his leaflets.
“As he parades his new Truss-style unfunded ‘manifesto’, it appears he’s forgotten her disastrous mini-Budget crashed the economy and sent people’s mortgages soaring.
“Perhaps Nigel Farage thinks her time in office was a success. He’s copying her approach to economic vandalism, and backing her record. That’s a kick in the teeth for people still paying the price for her reckless time in office.
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“The toxic Truss-Farage partnership would need nothing short of a disaster for Britain.”
After his Russian counterpart offered to “resume negotiations” on ending the Ukraine war in Turkey last week, the Ukrainian president agreed – as long as there was a “full and lasting ceasefire”.
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Writing on X, Zelenskyy said: “We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting or Putin in Turkey on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look excuses.”
The Kremlin has not directly responded to the Ukrainian president’s remarks but a Russian senator dismissed them altogether on Monday.
Speaking to Rossiya-24 TV broadcast, the federation council’s deputy speaker, Konstantin Kosachev, said: “It’s pure theatrics, a total farce.
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“That’s not how high high-level meetings are arranged, especially given the seriousness of the situation.”
The senator claimed this would be an “impromptu” meeting and that is not the way to conduct such important negotiations.
He said: “Zelenskyy should known this from his own bitter experience, when he came unprepared to his meeting with President Trump in the White House in February, ending in a complete fiasco for him.”
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The Ukrainian president was actually very prepared for his meeting in the White House in February, but he had to cut the visit short after Trump and his vice-president JD Vanceberated him in front of the press.
At the time Trump was much more aligned with the Kremlin but he has since improved his relationship with Kyiv, and has even questioned if Putin really does want to stop the war.
Even though it was the Russian president who suggested further peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday, Kosachev claimed Zelensky is trying to “turn the tables” on Russia so he can call Putin uncooperative.
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The senior Russian politician continued: “Zelensky does not need a meeting with the Russian president now. He should be afraid of meeting with him. And I am sure that he is afraid, because, as Mr Trump rightly says, he holds no cards. It is true, and Zelensky is in a terrible situation.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov just told reporters that Putin is serious about peace talks.
“This approach, aimed precisely at finding a real diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, eliminating the root causes of the conflict and establishing lasting peace, has met with understanding and support from the leaders of many countries.”
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He cut off any further questions by saying: “That’s all. I’ve said everything I could about this story.”
Cheating isn’t just limited to romantic partners, experts say – “financial infidelity,” or lying about or concealing money-related issues, can sting just as much.
It seems Redditor u/Hexylpuff is going through the latter struggle.
Writing to r/AITAH (Am I The Asshole Here), the 31-year-old asked: “AITAH for finding out I’ve been unknowingly paying rent to my husband and his mom for TWO YEARS?”
So, we spoke to William “Bill” London, a divorce attorney and partner at Kimura London & White LLP, about how to talk money with your spouse.
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The couple have been married for two years
The original poster (OP) says she married her husband “Brian” two years ago.
The pair moved into a flat supposedly rented at a discount from a “family friend” after their wedding, and have always split bills evenly. This includes both rent and utilities.
For the poster, this costs about £530 a month (admittedly an amazing deal for a rental).
But OP says that at a barbecue recently, she overheard her mother-in-law say, “It’s nice getting rent from Brian’s place” and “how smart they were to keep it in the family.”
On confronting her husband, OP says she found out her mother-in-law owned the flat and that Brian’s name is also on the papers.
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“He never told me. Just let me keep paying rent for two years like a clueless roommate,” she shares.
Apparently, he never told her because “she never asked.” Her husband said she was “overreacting” because the “rent” was so reasonable.
But the poster feels blindsided, saying, “It’s not just the money, it’s the secrecy.”
She ends: “I told him I won’t keep paying until we talk about a fair setup. Now he’s acting like I’m the problem.”
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“It crosses the line from privacy to deception”
London tells HuffPost UK that financial strain ends more marriages than most of us realise.
“While every couple sets their own financial boundaries, I believe that in a marriage – especially one involving shared expenses – full financial transparency is not just healthy, it’s essential,” he adds.
In this case, the lawyer thinks that, “When a partner consciously misrepresents important fiscal information to the other, as by pretending to have non-existent housing costs, it crosses the line from privacy to deception.”
This can destroy the trust needed for a healthy marriage, he continues.
“Married couples are expected to be transparent about important financial information,” he advises.
“This doesn’t mean total merging of their finances or the disclosure of all trivial expenses, but hiding ownership of a mortgage-free property and asking a spouse to share in imaginary financial burdens is manipulative behaviour needing a direct confrontation.”
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In other words, OP hit the nail on the head when she said the money isn’t the main issue – it’s about respect, trust, and honesty.
Over the weekend, the Anti-Hero singer’s team issued a frustrated statement, lamenting that the Grammy winner had somehow become embroiled in the very public legal drama surrounding her friend, Blake Lively, and the Gossip Girl alum’s former director and It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.
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But what exactly is going on between the two Hollywood stars – and how is Taylor involved? Get yourself a cup of tea and allow us to bring you up to speed…
Before we even get to Taylor Swift – what is the beef between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively all about?
Frankly, we could be here all day with this one, so we’ll try and keep this short.
Last year, both actors starred in the big-screen adaptation of the novel It Ends With Us, which Justin also directed.
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Blake Lively arriving at a screening of It Ends With Us in August 2024
via Associated Press
Around the film’s summer release, people began to suspect there had been some behind-the-scenes drama after it was spotted that none of the cast followed Justin back on Instagram, with the film’s leads also not posing for any pictures together or doing joint interviews while promoting the movie.
The matter is expected to go to trial in March 2026, though a judge claimed earlier this year that this court date could be moved earlier were the legal teams on both sides able to follow court rules about public statements, which are in place to ensure as fair a trial as possible.
OK, so what has that between Justin Baldoni and Taylor Swift got to do with Taylor Swift?
On Friday, Deadline broke the story that a week earlier, Taylor – a long-time friend of both Blake and her famous husband Ryan – had been hit with a subpoena from Justin’s legal team earlier this week.
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Justin Baldoni at the premiere of It Ends With Us
via Associated Press
It Ends With Us features a scene soundtracked by Taylor’s Folklore cut My Tears Ricochet, but aside from that, she was in no way linked with the movie.
Blake’s team later issued a statement to Deadline, accusing Justin and his team of trying to “turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids”.
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“This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus,” Blake’s team said. “The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women’s rights and reputations. Including in the past month seeking to strike down ‘for all’, a powerful California victims’ rights law, calling it ‘unconstitutional.’
“The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as ‘female allies’ and their team continue to show their true colours.”
Back in January, Justin had also filed a legal complaint claiming that Taylor was one of the public figures (alongside Blake’s husband Ryan Reynolds) who had pressured him into accepting rewrites suggested by Blake on the It Ends With Us script.
What has Taylor Swift said after getting pulled into Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s legal drama?
Taylor Swift and Blake Lively have been friends and collaborators for years, and watched the Super Bowl together in February 2024
via Associated Press
A spokesperson for Taylor told Hello! magazine on Friday evening: “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was travelling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.
“The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, My Tears Ricochet. Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
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How do things now stand between Taylor Swift and Blake Lively?
Neither party has spoken out directly, but it’s worth pointing out that reports have been circulating suggesting that their friendship has cooled long before this latest development.
In February, the Daily Mail noted that Taylor had not invited Blake to join her to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce play at the 2025 Super Bowl, citing an anonymous “source” who claimed the singer “wants nothing to do with this trial and court case”.
A day later, the same outlet claimed that Blake was happy laying low until the drama involving Justin Baldoni blew over, quoting another “source” who said the A Simple Favour actor was happy to not be included so as not to “overshadow” Taylor and Travis’ big night.
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Just three weeks ago, People magazine published a story suggesting the two women’s friendship was “weathering the storm” when Taylor was first named in a complaint filed by Justin Baldoni’s January complaint.
People’s own “source” said Taylor was initially “really hurt by this situation” but that they had been able to “recover from this and put it all behind them”.
Since the latest update, the Daily Mail published a new piece suggesting that Taylor felt “exploited” by her friend – though it’s important to note that she has said nothing publicly to indicate that this is the case.
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HuffPost UK has contacted Taylor Swift’s team for comment.
Pope Leo XIV wasted no time making his position clear on global conflict, using his first Sunday blessing as pontiff to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and call for an end to all wars currently ravaging the world.
“The immense tragedy of the Second World War ended 80 years ago, after so many millions of victims. And now we’re facing the tragedy of a Third World War in pieces, as Pope Francis often said,” the new pope told the massive crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
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“I too would like to address the powerful people of the world by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war.’”
Last week’s conclave swiftly resulted in the unprecedented election of the first North American pope ― a 69-year-old missionary who hails from Chicago and spent much of his life in Peru. His first appearance as pontiff came Thursday, where he delivered a message of peace and unity. On Sunday, he called out specific conflicts and war that have divided much of the world.
A crowd attends the first Sunday blessing by Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, on May 11. Leo (formerly Robert Francis Prevost) was elected to the papacy on May 8 following the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
Laura Lezza via Getty Images
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“I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people,” Leo said, referring to Russia’s yearslong war against its neighbour. “May whatever is possible be done to reach an authentic, true and lasting peace as quickly as possible. May all the prisoners be freed. May children return to their families.”
The pope also said that he is “deeply hurt” by the humanitarian crisis facing Gaza due to Israel’s invasion. Leo called for a ceasefire to “immediately come into effect,” for desperately needed aid to reach Palestinian families and for all hostages to be freed.
Leo added that he was “happy to hear” of the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, expressing his hope that the two nuclear powers can negotiate a “lasting accord.” Just hours after the ceasefire, however, both countries allegedly restarted their bombing campaigns.
Pope Leo XIV speaks from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he delivered his first Sunday blessing to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, on May 11.
Domenico Stinellis via Associated Press
“My hope would be that he has, now, a new platform to reintroduce what the church has always called for in terms of its social justice agenda, and it will give people another opportunity to take a second look at what Francis was saying – but now in the words and the voice of an American who speaks like an American. I think that’s going to be very powerful going forward,” Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, told ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
“I think he’s going to help complete and complement our political agenda. He’ll talk a lot about the immigrants as well because he knows about the sufferings of people and the real needs that they have for a better life,” Cupich said.
“And he knows too that people in Oceania, for instance, where the rising sea levels are just overwhelming those islands, where people are trying to escape; he sees the drug trade that’s happening in Central and South America, where there are weapons from the United States going there,” he continued. “He knows that those people need an option. And he’ll for, I think, as the bishops have in the United States, fixing this broken immigration system.”
The data is in! The Social Security Administration has released its official list of the most popular baby names of 2024.
For the sixth straight year, the No. 1 name for girls is Olivia, which overtook Emma in 2019. Meanwhile, Liam is still the most popular name for boys for the eight year in a row. Noah and Emma also held steady as the No. 2 names.
The SSA compiles the annual list based on the names parents in the US gave their babies born in the previous year. Although the top name rankings usually don’t super dramatically from year to year, there were a few interesting small changes from 2023 to 2024.
Amelia surpassed Charlotte for the No. 3 spot, Mia jumped up to No. 5 in place of Sophia, and Evelyn knocked Ava down a ranking. Meanwhile, Sofia (with an f) joined the top 10 for the first time ever last year as the 10th most popular name for girls, ousting Luna from the list.
As for the boys, Theodore jumped up three places from No. 7 to No. 4. Henry is now the sixth most popular name for boys, having risen two spots, and Mateo moved down to seventh.
Without further ado, here are the top 10 girls’ and boys’ names of 2024.
Vladimir Putin has offered to start peace talks with Ukraine after renewed pressure from Kyiv’s western allies.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed his words but made it clear he would only negotiate if a ceasefire were implemented first – the Russian president has refused to agree to any lengthy truce so far.
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So could this be the beginning of the end of the Putin’s bloody war in Ukraine, or is this – as some fear – just another manipulation tactic from the Kremlin?
Here’s what we know.
What has Putin said?
Putin has proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Turkey.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said overnight on Sunday. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.”
Even though he started the conflict by invading Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian president said the talks should focus on the “root causes” of the war.
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The Kremlin has repeatedly claimed Russia was “provoked” into the conflict, pointing to Nato’s expansion since the fall of the Berlin Wall, although to Ukraine and its allies, it was an imperialistic land grab.
Putin then made a dig at the West, saying: “The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples.”
While Putin insisted Russia no longer needs preconditions for any such talks, the Kremlin has already said Western arms going to Ukraine would need to stop during any ceasefire, otherwise “it will be an advantage” for Kyiv.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed: “Ukraine will use this period to train new military personnel and to give a rest to their existing ones. So why should we grant such an advantage to Ukraine?”
What’s changed?
It comes after European leaders – including Keir Starmer – met in Ukraine over the weekend and threatened to impose “massive” new sanctions on Russia if Putin did not agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire this Monday.
From left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz make a call to U.S. President Donald Trump from Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
via Associated Press
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Although Putin dismissed these “boorish” demands as “ultimatums”, he may have felt forced to show he was willing for the conflict to end – especially as his relations with Donald Trump are starting to strain.
Putin has been dragging his heels, offering very few concessions, despite Trump’s push for a quick resolution to the war.
Russia’s previous attempts at ceasefires have been short-lived.
A promise to stop attacking energy infrastructure, a brief Easter ceasefire in April and a three-day pause this week during the 80th anniversary of World War 2 have all failed.
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Ukraine called the latest attempted truce a “farce” and manipulation from Moscow.
Despite these failures, the White House appeared to be willing for the conflict to end on Putin’s terms and considered handed over occupied Ukrainian land to Russia in the name of peace.
Yet Putin still played for time – and Trump has in recent weeks expressed more frustration with the Russian president, having been incredibly sympathetic.
“President Putin is doing whatever is possible to solve the problem, to achieve a settlement through peaceful and diplomatic means. But having no peaceful and diplomatic means at hand, we have to continue the military operation,” he said.
But does he actually want peace?
What does Russia want?
It’s likely Putin will want to retain as much Ukraine as possible – he currently holds a fifth of the country – and will try to neutralise it by removing its military.
Last June, the president said Ukraine should drop its Nato ambitions and called for it to pull all of its troops out of occupied areas to end the war.
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Russian officials have also suggested the US recognise Russia’s control over parts of Ukraine and called for Ukraine to stay neutral, although that does not mean it could not join EU.
Putin has mentioned the 2022 draft deal which was negotiated after Putin’s initial invasion.
It sees Ukraine agree to permanent neutrality in exchange for international security guarantees from the UK, China, France, Russia and the US (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council).
Putin claims it was not Russia who broke off those negotiations but Ukraine “at the insistence of the West”.
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Does anyone think Moscow is being serious?
Trump welcomed the change in tune from the Kremlin.
He wrote on Truth Social: “A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully coms to an end.”
Zelenskyy also appeared to welcome the news – but he reminded Putin he only wanted to commit to talks if a ceasefire were in place.
He said on X: “It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war. The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.”
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But he added: “And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire. There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day.
“We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet.”
Ukraine’s allies also seemed more wary than Trump.
Starmer said on Saturday, “if he [Putin] is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it”.
UK home secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News: “We need a serious response from Russia, they started this illegal invasion of Ukraine and everyone wants to see peace in Ukraine, and now we’ve had the huge international pressure calling for ceasefire, we do need to see a serious response from the Russia regime.
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“That so far has been lacking, I hope that they will now take that seriously.”
“It’s a first step but it’s not enough. An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” French president Emmanuel Macron told reporters.
However, as author of Putin’s War on Ukraine Samuel Ramani told Times Radio: “That’s exactly the trap that the Russians are trying to set for Zelenskyy. By not going ahead with the ceasefire, but then making an offer of talks, [they are] setting up a situation where Zelenskyy rejects it.”
“That’s exactly the trap that the Russians are trying to set for Zelensky. By not going ahead with the ceasefire, but then making an offer of talks, [they are] setting up a situation where Zelensky rejects it.”
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By not going ahead with the ceasefire, but then making an offer of talks, [they are] setting up a situation where Zelensky rejects it.”Putin is offering peace talks without a ceasefire to make Zelensky… pic.twitter.com/ozDD6U018J— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) May 11, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1080,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1921560844027981827/img/oH33itWXqjtoevKl.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1920,"title":"Times Radio on Twitter / 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“That’s exactly the trap that the Russians are trying to set for Zelensky. By not going ahead with the ceasefire, but then making an offer of talks, [they are] setting up a situation where Zelensky rejects it.”
It was fine. Just fine. I love pistachios, I love chocolate and the combination was delicious but was it worth the £10 my friend and I spent on it? Absolutely not. I wasn’t thinking about it for days afterwards, I wasn’t in awe.
Its not like I’m hard to please, either. My favourite snack is carrot sticks dipped in hummous – we keep it real simple around here!
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This kind of disappointment is common. So common, in fact, that when Reddit user Fly-Astronaut asked the /r/Cooking community what the most overrated dishes they’d tried were, over 3,000 people raced to respond.
Marry Me Chicken
Zyx-Darkshine says: “I want a divorce. I’ve moved on. I’ve been having an affair with Chicken Cacciatore anyway, but you already know that.”
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CONTROVERSIAL. Marry Me Chicken, a tuscan-inspired chicken dish has been a social media sensation since as early as 2016.
Jkfromjh adds: “I made it once, it was good, but I don’t feel tempted to make it again anytime soon. TBH, the only reason I made it was because I had some heavy cream in the fridge and wanted to use it up before it went bad.
“I don’t think its revolutionary or anything, and its hard for a recipe with heavy cream, tomato, and spices to really taste bad.”
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Honestly, this has just made me want it more.
Beef wellington
Listen, I love beef wellington but would I ever cook it at home? Nope. Boring.
MrEvil1979 agrees: “I mean it was nice, but not ’slaving around in the kitchen for 6 hours” nice.
“Much rather smoke meat, aka drink beer for 4 hours in the sunshine.”
Amen to that.
Baked feta and tomato pasta
Remember this pasta? It was HUGE on TikTok during lockdown. You simply filled an oven dish with tomatoes, added a block of feta and some herbs and then baked for around 20 minutes.
Once ready, the tomatoes and feta make a delicious pasta sauce. I LOVED it.
SunGlobal2744, however, did not. They say: “It was sooo tangy. I absolutely couldn’t eat it.”
8edibles adds: “Tastes like stomach bile and feet. I absolutely love all the ingredients…but prepared like that? No thanks💀”
If you feel similarly, I really recommend using Boursin in place of the feta. Delicious.
Macarons
101bees says: “They’re just okay. No right being as overpriced as they are usually.”
MissSassiFras1977 adds: “As a baker I have to agree 100%.
“I think it is more about achieving a cute, little, pain in the ass to execute cookie than anything…..”
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I agree. Plus, the texture is not the one.
Chicken parmesan
Flowerfoxcanyounot says: “Chicken parmesan. It’s just dry, breaded chicken made soggy with marinara with mozzarella on top. Even if the chicken is made well and stays juicy, it’s still ruined by marinara soggy breading and cooling melted mozzarella.”
Hard. Agree.
Basic_Ask replies: “I like chicken parm, and can’t disagree with you.”
Steak
Already, I agree. I like a good steak but if one food can be called overrated, it’s this.
Previous_Bed_6586 says: “Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious. It’s also extremely easy to make an equally delicious steak at home for a fraction of the price. I just can’t justify going to a restaurant for it.”