The Guardian

European leaders have pledged to shoulder more of the burden of shared Nato defences to counter a hostile Russia Rubio says that under Trump, the US “will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration.” He underlines the close links between the US and Europe , including “shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, languagre, ancestry and past sacrifices.” “So this is why we Ameri…

Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax changes encourage more people to invest in previously unloved product The government’s “inheritance tax raid” on pensions has helped drive sales of retirement annuities to new highs. Industry data this week revealed they enjoyed a “record-breaking” 2025, with sales growing by 4% to £7.4bn and the average amount invested in an annuity surpassing £80,000 for the firs…

Auditorium to remove bacon and sausages from cafe during stage run after request from campaign group Campaigners are calling on theatre bosses to stop serving bacon, sausages and ham in their cafes – at least while Peppa Pig and her family are performing in the same building. Grimsby Auditorium in Lincolnshire said this week it would remove pork from the menu when Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show open…

Epstein files release shows David Stern advised against mentioning ‘being denied previously or criminal charges’ An aide to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor advised Jeffrey Epstein to illegally hide his child sexual abuse conviction to obtain a visa to China, according to the latest Epstein files release. David Stern, who was a close associate of both Epstein and the then prince , was asked for his hel…

For centuries in Ireland lifting huge boulders was a way to test strength and bond communities, says Instagram sensation Indiana Stones David Keohan surveyed the County Waterford beach and spotted a familiar mound half-buried in sand: an oval-shaped limestone boulder. It weighed about 115kg. He wedged it loose with a crowbar, wiped it dry with a cloth, dusted his hands with chalk and paused to ga…

As calls for the former prince to cooperate with police become deafening, this may be the reckoning Andrew cannot outrun Gordon Brown is a man who gets into the detail. In office, and since then, he has applied his forensic mind to the matters that concern him. Lately, he has been focused on the Epstein files. Continue reading...

Exclusive: High levels of banned ‘forever chemical’ have been detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites A string of toxic pollution hotspots has been uncovered across Cumbria and Lancashire, with high levels of the banned cancer-causing “forever chemical” Pfos detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites. The contamination, spread across a large area, was uncovered by Watershed Investigati…

Lawmakers left Washington for a long weekend without resolving an impasse over much-criticized agency’s funding The Department of Homeland Security has begun a partial shutdown, after funding for the much-criticized agency expired, with a range of services, including domestic flights and the US Coastguard, now vulnerable to disruption. The shutdown was all but confirmed on Thursday, after the Sen…

The Canadian prime minister told residents of Tumbler Ridge that the country is ‘with you’ Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has told residents of Tumbler Ridge that the country is “with you, and we will always be with you”, during a candlelight vigil for the eight victims of a mass shooting that has shattered the small mining town. The prime minister, holding hands with opposition leader Pierr…

‘Angus Taylor presents us with a new question: can a soufflé rise once?’ the prime minister said in a speech to a Labor conference The prime minister has borrowed from a sharp-tongued predecessor to launch his first attack on the new opposition leader, Angus Taylor, asking: “Can a soufflé rise once?” Albanese played on an infamous insult from former prime minister Paul Keating, who asked whether …

Strike appears to be first in Caribbean since November, with vast majority of recent strikes happening in the Pacific The US military’s Southern Command, which oversees operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, said it had carried out its second deadly boat strike this week. The command said the latest strike killed three suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean on Friday. “Intelligence con…

Charges dropped against two Venezuelan men over January shooting as investigation opened into agents’ conduct Federal authorities have opened a criminal investigation into whether two immigration officers lied under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis last month, as all charges were dropped against two Venezuelan men. ICE director Todd Lyons said on Friday that his agency opened a joint investig…

New York congresswoman criticizes ‘unconditional’ US aid and calls for enforcement of Leahy laws Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said during a Munich security conference panel on Friday on the future of foreign policy that the Democratic party’s next presidential nominee should reconsider the country’s military aid to Israel. Hagar Shezaf of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz asked the US congresswoman if sh…

A skier from France is also killed with manslaughter investigation to be carried out by mountain rescue police Two Britons are among three skiers to have been killed in an avalanche in the French Alps. The pair were part of a group of five people, accompanied by an instructor, off-piste skiing in Val d’Isère, in south-east France. A French national, who was skiing alone, was also killed. Continue…

German chancellor rebuts idea of American unilateralism and says ‘democracies have partners and allies’ The US acting alone has reached the limits of its power and may already have lost its role as global leader, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, warned Donald Trump at the opening of the Munich Security Conference. Merz also disclosed he had held initial talks with the French president, Emma…