• Reuters

    John Prescott, pugnacious deputy UK PM to Tony Blair, dies at 86

    LONDON (Reuters) -John Prescott, the pugnacious deputy prime minister to Britain's Tony Blair during his 10 years in government, has died aged 86 after a battle with Alzheimer's, his family said on Thursday. Prescott, who served under Blair from 1997 to 2007, was known as a plain-speaking politician who bridged the divide between the traditional left-wing and the modernisers in the Labour Party. "There was no one quite like him in British politics," Blair told BBC radio.

  • Yahoo News UK

    John Prescott latest: Former deputy prime minister dies, aged 86

    The former trade union activist died “peacefully” after a battle with Alzheimer's. He was a key figure of Tony Blair’s New Labour government.

  • Reuters

    Russia is ready to consider any 'realistic' Ukraine peace initiative, says Foreign Ministry

    Russia is ready to consider any "realistic" peace initiative on the conflict in Ukraine which takes into account Russia's own interests and the situation on the ground, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "We are open to negotiations, we are ready to consider any realistic, non-politicised initiative - of course," Zakharova said, adding that Russia would only consider a settlement "which was based on taking into account our interests". Reuters reported that Russia is open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Donald Trump but rules out making any major territorial concessions and insists Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO.