2 d. ago A visit to Somalia's crumbling hospitals shows the toll of aid cuts and war

Somalia is one of the world’s poorest countries and it faces a crisis of health care made worse by the Trump administration's deep cuts in foreign aid

Events

4 d. ago As France prepares military expansion, how is Europe beefing up its armies?

European nations are rushing to bolster their defences amid Russia threat and uncertainty of US supportFrance will this week become the latest EU country to set out plans to expand its army, with Emmanuel Macron expected to announce on Thursday that military service will be restored – albeit on a voluntary basis – nearly 30 years after the end of conscription.In the face of Russia’s military threat and uncertainty over the US’s commitment to defending its transatlantic allies, Europe is rushing to bolster its defence industry and its deployment capability after radically cutting them back since the cold war. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Pete Hegseth's Department of War to cut ties with Boy Scouts after 100 years over 'genderless' attack on young males

The organization changed its name to Scouting America last year, which was criticized with Hegseth calling it a 'genderless' attack on 'boy-friendly spaces' in leaked documents.

Events

6 d. ago Reform UK claim to have saved £331m at English councils – but do the numbers stack up?

Experts say councils face limits on cuts as Reform’s savings on IT deals, office moves and EV projects are disputedReform UK has ignored requests to share the evidence for its claim to have saved £331m since it took charge of 10 English councils in May, prompting questions over whether the figure is true.The party has boasted that it had achieved £331m worth of savings at English councils it controls. Warning of a “blob” of vested interests devoted to “ripping off” taxpayers, Richard Tice, the new head of the party’s self-styled ‘Doge’ cost-cutting unit, added: “We’re going to war with these people”. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Reform’s plan to cut EU citizens’ benefits would risk trade war with Europe, Labour claims – UK politics live

As Reform announces what it claims are £25bn in savings through cuts, Labour says ‘Farage’s fantasy numbers don’t add up’ Good morning. Yesterday, as the government announced drastic plans to curb the number of asylum seekers able to stay in the UK, it was accused of adopting the politics of Reform UK, the anti-immigration party with a big lead in the opinion polls. In response, ministers argued that Labour would be doing even worse if it just ignored the legitimate concerns of voters who are supporting Nigel Farage’s party.But, when mainstream parties move on to the territory of the more extreme parties, those parties often respond with a further lurch to the right, and we will see an example of that today. Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, is holding a press conference where he is going to announce proposals that cover immigration and the budget (the other huge story preoccupying Westminster politics at the moment). As Peter Walker reports, Farage will propose spending cuts whic...

Events

2 w. ago David Squires on Fifa’s peace prize and Donald Trump’s eligibility

Our cartoonist on how the US president’s actions in office may have put him in line for an awardBuy a Squires cartoon in our Print ShopDavid’s latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russia unleashes attack on energy infrastructure, triggering power cuts

Ukrainian minister says Moscow is ‘massively attacking’ grid; Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian troops gathering near north-eastern city. What we know on day 1,354See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Mortgage war erupts: Nationwide cuts rates to 3.64% as households see cheapest deals since 2022

A mortgage rate war has fully erupted after Nationwide became the latest lender to announce it's slashing home loan prices.

Economics