Donald Trump Jr.’s new wife has confirmed that the couple’s two-night wedding party was partly funded by a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin.
The wedding between Trump Jr. and socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas was heavily funded by Umar Kremlev, according to earlier reports.
Who is Umar Kremlev?
Kremlev is a Russian oligarch who heads the International Boxing Association. He “footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses,” including paying to rent out one of two private islands where the three-day party was held and a fireworks show, ProPublica reported.
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news
The key changes in major school meals shake-up
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Deep-fried food will be banned from school meals as ministers seek to boost the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables served to pupils in the biggest shake-up to school dinners in England in more than a decade.
Here are some of the key changes.
Healthier changes for children
More fibre
Under the changes, higher fibre and wholegrain products must be more present.
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Limited processed meat
Processed meats like ham and chicken nuggets can be served once a week and must come vegetables or fruit.
Sweets twice a week
Fruit must come with sweetened desserts, which will be cut to twice a week in secondary schools and once a week in primary schools.
Some products banned
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No deep-frying
Starchy food cooked in fat or oil can be served twice a week, while deep-frying is banned.
Breakfast clubs
No pastries and no fried eggs will be allowed, and cereal sugar content will be restricted.
Chocolate spread ban
Reduced sugar and salt condiments will be limited to 10g portions. Chocolate spread will be banned.
More about the changes
- Schools are expected to publish menus and food policies online to help boost compliance, the Department for Education said.
- They are expected to nominate a school food governor to hold schools to account for the meals on offer.
- The DfE will work with the Food Standards Agency on a plan to monitor schools, with details to follow in the coming months.
Teachers’ union embraces new rules
The changes are set to come into effect from September 2027 and be funded with existing money for schools.
The move has been welcomed by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). However, the union said it hopes the rules would not become “another stick with which to beat” teachers.
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Tackling child obesity
The DfE said it hoped the reforms, which schools will have a year to implement, will tackle childhood obesity, improve nutrition and support children’s concentration, learning and wellbeing.
Schools Minister Georgia Gould told the BBC she was confident schools could deliver healthy meals within existing budgets, without diverting funding from elsewhere.
Big Read
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UK NEWS
A split Britain – is Westminster’s time ‘coming to an end’?
The first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have warned that “Westminster’s time is coming to an end” as they called on the UK Government to “prepare” for constitutional change.
The nationalist leaders from Plaid Cymru, the SNP and Sinn Féin are seeking to pressure Andy Burnham into agreeing to hold referendums for independence.
‘The right to self-determination’
It is the first time since devolution that the leaders of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have signalled intentions to leave the UK at the same time.
In a memorandum of understanding signed in Cardiff on Monday, they said that each nation has “the right to self-determination” and called on Westminster to “prepare for, plan and facilitate constitutional change in each jurisdiction”.
Save Britain's Rivers
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Breaking up the United Kingdom
Scotland’s John Swinney and Northern Ireland’s Michelle O’Neill have each called for referendums. However, Rhun ap Iorwerth leader of Plaid Cymru in Wales, has not given a timetable for one in his country.
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Burnham ‘last PM of UK’
SNP leader Swinney predicted Burnham will be the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, saying a new Scottish independence referendum should be held within the next five years,
Swinney believes Scots, who rejected independence in 2014 by 55 per cent to 45 per cent, would now vote to leave.
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No 10 calls for ‘problem-solving over division’
The Prime Minister is committed to delivering change across all four nations of the United Kingdom and believes strongly in the Union. The United Kingdom is at its best when people come together around our shared values and problem-solving rather than division.
UK Government spokesperson
breaking news
Andy Burnham cancels engagements after dad’s death
Andy Burnham has cancelled official engagements for two days after the death of his father Roy, who had Alzheimer’s disease, was announced on Monday.
The Prime Minister was initially due to host business leaders at Downing Street on Monday and address the TUC Congress in Brighton on Tuesday.
Inspiring social care reforms
In July, Burnham spoke of his 86-year-old father’s condition and told how it influenced his drive to reform adult social care.
Burnham said he wanted to help “my dad and the millions like him”.
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He has previously said his father’s illness was so advanced that he did not know his son had become Prime Minister.
‘It’s his achievement as well’
The way I look at it, it’s his achievement as well. A whole family achievement, although he doesn’t know it.
Prior to stepping into No 10, Burnham told The Times that it was “a sadness” his father was not aware, as he would have been proud.
The Prime Minister later called it a “wonderful thing” that care home staff showed his father footage of him entering Downing Street.
Burnham’s tribute to parents
In his 2024 book Look North, Burnham wrote that neither of his parents had attended university but could have done had they “grown up in a different time and different place”. He wrote: “Their knowledge of that fact seemed to make them all the more determined that their three sons would go.”
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Condolences offered
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was among those to offer condolences to Burnham and his family.
“No matter how old you are, or how much you try to prepare, losing your father is a profoundly painful experience,” Badenoch said. “A part of your life that has always been there is suddenly gone forever, and it can feel as though a part of you won’t ever be the same again.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said his “heart goes out to the Prime Minister on the loss of his dad”, while Green party leader Zack Polanski added: “There are moments in life such as this sad time that transcend politics and I join the whole country in sending condolences.”
news
Are you overlooking ‘silent pay rise’ in new job search?
Jobseekers have been cautioned not to overlook a possible “silent pay rise” when looking for a new career move.
Remember your pension
According to a new reported by the consumer organisation Which?, less than a third of working adults consider their pension as one of the three most important benefits that a job offers.
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It suggests many workers may be overlooking a “silent pay rise,” warned Which? money editor Sam Richardson.
Gen Z blind to pension importance?
Some 31 per cent of 1,200 people surveyed across the UK in August ranked employer pension contributions behind paid sick pay (53 per cent), flexible working hours (45 per cent) and holiday allowance (45 per cent) in terms of most important benefits.
- Most (55 per cent) still said they would be likely to give employer pension contributions some thought when considering a job offer.
- However, this falls sharply when it comes to the younger generation of 18 to 24-year-olds, also known as Gen Z.
- While 49 per cent of people aged 55 to 64 ranked their employer pension contributions as a top three benefit, only 11 per cent of Gen Z adults did so.
More findings
Meanwhile, nearly half (46 per cent) of people paying into a defined contribution (DC) workplace pension did not know how much their employer contributed, according to the survey.
Money Clinic
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Pension Diaries
5 min read
‘Every extra pound adds up’
Our latest research shows that workplace pensions are a massively neglected employee benefit, with almost half of workers we surveyed unsure how much their employer is currently contributing to their pot. Every extra pound that your employer chips in can really add up in the long run, but is often a chunk of salary that lots of us overlook.
Sam Richardson, Which? Money editor
What to do
Many experts suggest saving more than just the minimum into pensions amid concerns that the rising cost of living risks leaving people facing a retirement shortfall.
Under automatic workplace pension enrolment rules, a minimum of eight per cent of qualifying earnings goes into an employee’s pension, which includes three per cent from the employer.
However, pension contributions benefit from tax relief and can also be much higher than the minimum. Meanwhile, Which? advised that giving pensions time to grow could significantly boost their value, suggesting early investment is important.
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news
New ‘common-sense change’ for cancelled train passengers
A new “common-sense change” for rail travel is set to come into effect, the Government has announced.
Here’s what to know.
Next stop, home
From Sunday, passengers with a valid ticket for a train that has been cancelled will be able to travel on another operator’s service to finish their journey free of charge immediately – with some conditions.
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The replacement service must be departing within two hours before or after their original cancelled train, using a direct or reasonable alternative route, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.
How will it work?
- Travellers must show their original ticket to rail staff on their new service as proof of purchase.
- You will not be required to download a new ticket.
- Cross-operator ticket acceptance is already in place across all publicly owned operators.
- This will expand to include CrossCountry, GWR, Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways from Sunday. East Midlands Railway is expected to join at a later date.
Passengers left waiting
- Under previous rules, passengers of cancelled trains were required to wait for operators to agree to ticket acceptance, buy new tickets or abandon journeys, the DfT said.
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‘Putting passengers first’
Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy has hailed the announcement as a “common-sense change that puts passengers first”.
He added: “No one should be left stranded because of a fragmented railway when their journey is disrupted.”
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russian strike near Boris Johnson’s train – what we know
A Russian drone attack on a train station in Ukraine may have been aimed at a train carrying Boris Johnson and other foreign dignitaries, the country’s railways operator has suggested.
Here’s what we know.
Johnson’s train was ‘possible’ target
The attack hit a train at Yahodyn station, on the Polish border, shortly after the train carrying the former British prime minister left ahead of schedule on Sunday morning.
Provider: Ukrainian Ukrzaliznytsia Railway
Source: Ukrainian Ukrzaliznytsia Railway
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According to a translation from Ukrainian, rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said in a post on Telegram it was “possible” that the drone had been aimed at Johnson’s train.
Why did Johnson’s train leave early?
“Real-time adjustments to train timetables” were “necessitated by the constant threat of Russian strikes,” Ukrzaliznytsia said.
Johnson was returning from a major conference in Kyiv along with former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt and a number of European security advisers.
Ex-CIA director David Petraeus, who was on another train at the station when the drone struck, told The New York Times: “This is the act of a truly barbaric leader trying to terrorise Ukrainian civilians.”
No casualties have been reported.
Analysis
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Johnson reacts
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- Johnson has since praised the railway’s staff and passengers as “absolutely heroic” while calling for more support for Ukraine.
Analysis
3 min read
‘Warped Putin plot’
I don’t know what warped logic drove [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning. What we can say for sure is that this is the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day – even on civilian railways.
boris johnson, in a post on x
(Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/AFP/Getty)
‘Unfreeze Russian assets to boost air defences,’ urges Johnson
Johnson called for Russian assets to be unfrozen and used for more air defence support in Ukraine. The Conservative Party called the incident a “stark escalation” by Moscow and urged the Government to increase defence spending.
Analysis
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Analysis
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Streeting: ‘Reckless attacks underline Russia threat’
Reckless, dangerous attacks on civilian infrastructure so close to Poland also underline the wider security threat Russia poses.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has condemned Russia’s “reckless” infrastructure attacks, saying the UK continues to stand firm with Ukraine and “will continue working with allies and partners to bolster European security”.
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GB sprinter Hunt calls out controversial Sydney Sweeney ad
British sprint star Amy Hunt has hit back at Sydney Sweeney’s controversial betting advert by telling the US actress that “this is what women in sport look like”.
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Source: PA
Sweeney ad draws backlash
Sweeney’s new advert for American betting company Novig, which features the Euphoria star wearing little to no clothing and covering herself with sports equipment, has received a significant backlash from the female sporting community.
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Britain’s double European individual sprint champion Hunt took direct aim at the 29-year-old after finishing fourth in the 200m final at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
‘It’s not sexy all the time’
Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. 21.4 (seconds, the winning time of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden), muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears. This is a beautiful evening.
Hunt added: “We’ve seen in the last 24 hours everything about the Sydney Sweeney ad, you know, and when you’re a woman in sport, it’s not pretty. It’s not glamorous. It’s not sexy all the time, definitely.”
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Source: Anadolu
More criticism
- Other sporting stars have voiced criticism of Sweeney’s Novig ad.
- Among them, Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus wrote on Instagram: “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.
- Meanwhile, Australian boxer Skye Nicolson said: “There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport compared to using sex to sell ‘sport’.”
Sweeney yet to respond
In a possible response to the criticism, Sweeney posted several images from ESPN Magazine’s ‘BODY Issue’, which included nude images of the likes of Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe to her Instagram stories.
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- As of Monday, the American actress has yet to comment directly on the backlash her Novig ad has faced.
He was recently honoured with the Order of Friendship by Putin, according to the International Boxing Association. He accompanied Putin to China as part of a Russian delegation.
What have the couple said?
In a post on Instagram, Bettina Trump called Kremlev a “dear friend”. Kremlev “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” she added.
Bettina said: “It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
In the post, Bettina claimed that she and the president’s son were married in a private ceremony “surrounded ONLY by our family,”
“The weekend that followed had actually been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends. It was never intended to be our wedding weekend.
“When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlywed.
“It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from.
“Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda. And sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift.”
That gift comes as Russia remains at war following its invasion of Ukraine and as the president has failed to broker a promised peace deal between the nations.
What other links does Trump Jr have to Russia?
Trump Jr. has previously been scrutinised over his Russian ties. During the 2016 campaign, his meeting with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya in Trump Tower was the subject of intense scrutiny by federal and congressional investigators probing whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to meddle in the election.
The meeting had been billed as an opportunity to discuss potentially incriminating information about the president’s then-Democrat opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton, as part of the Russian government’s alleged efforts to help Trump Jr.’s father win the White House.
