6 h. ago Germany plans rapid bunker expansion amid fears of Russian attack

Civil protection agency chief says country is ill-prepared for conflict and calls for urgent upgrades to cold war sheltersGermany is drawing up plans to rapidly expand its network of bomb-proof bunkers and shelters, the government’s most senior civilian protection official has said, warning the state needs to be prepared for an attack from Russia within the next four years.Ralph Tiesler, the head of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), said Europe’s largest economy needed to wake up to the reality of conflict, and that in its current state Germany was inadequately prepared. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Locals win war with National Trust by stopping 'abhorrent' building planned for internationally important nature reserve on Norfolk coast

The charity insisted the 85x27ft facility would improve the experience for visitors. But over 150 objections were received, many accusing it of commercialising the spot.

Society

5 d. ago Strategic defence review live: Starmer reveals largest increase in spending since Cold War as UK faces ‘new era of threat’

John Healey warns ‘new era’ for UK defence needed as ‘threats we face now more serious and less predictable than at any time since end of Cold War’

Events

5 d. ago Growing threats, new weapons, more troops: key points of UK’s defence review

The government says the UK must be ready to ‘fight and win’ a full-scale war. Here is a summary of its recommendationsKeir Starmer vows to make Britain ‘battle-ready’ as he unveils defence spending plansA vision of what war between the UK and another state such as Russia would look like is sketched out briefly but starkly on a page of the strategic defence review.Such a conflict could involve attacks on the armed forces in the UK and overseas, air and missile attacks on critical infrastructure, and sabotage and efforts to manipulate information and undermine social cohesion. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Strategic defence review live: Details of Starmer’s military plan revealed as Army to be ‘10 times more lethal’

But prime minister fails to make firm commitment to 3 per cent defence spending target

Events

5 d. ago Defending Britain with the magic money tree? Starmer warned he faces hiking taxes to get the country 'war

Keir Starmer has heralded a strategic review of the UK's military, promising investment in new submarines, munitions and personnel.

Events

5 d. ago Strategic defence review live: Starmer pledges to make UK ‘battle

Starmer fails to make firm commitment to 3% defence spending target

Events

5 d. ago 'Chunky tax rises' needed to pay for defence plan to make UK 'war ready' in face of Putin threat, warns IFS

Sir Keir Starmer launched the Strategic Defence Review amid lingering questions about the amount of money committed to military spending

Events

5 d. ago Starmer claims he's making Britain ready for WAR as UK faces 'new nuclear risks' and 'Russian aggression'... but he won't say how he will pay for it

Keir Starmer is heralding a strategic review of the UK's military, promising investment in new submarines, munitions and personnel.

Events

5 d. ago Strategic defence review live: Starmer warns of Russia threat as he launches plan to ready UK for war

Britain ‘cannot ignore the threat’ of Russia, PM warns

Events

5 d. ago Watch live: Starmer launches plan to ready UK for war as he warns of Russia threat

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer launches the landmark Strategic Defence Review in Glasgow, unveiling new measures as the country moves to “warfighting readiness”.

Events

5 d. ago Wealthy neighbours go to war with £100m tech tycoon over his plans for 'vanity' 7760 sq ft Chelsea mega

Peter Dubens wants to build a 7760 sq ft underground personal leisure complex taking up almost 50 per cent of the area under his garden and two years to complete.

Economics

6 d. ago Ukraine launches major drone attack on Russian bombers, security official says

Reported strikes on four airbases in Siberia mark escalation in cross-border incursions before planned peace talksUkraine has launched a “large-scale” drone attack against Russian military bombers in Siberia, striking more than 40 warplanes thousands of kilometres from its own territory, a security official said.The claims could not be independently verified. But if confirmed, the attacks would mark Ukraine’s most damaging drone strike of the war to date, amid an escalation in cross-border incursions before planned peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago 'My neighbours hate me... but I don't care!': Woman at war with whole village over her 'HS2 tunnel' house wins bitter planning battle

EXCLUSIVE: A farmer whose controversial new Teletubby-style eco home caused her own tight-knit village to ostracize her for 'bringing HS2' to their idyll has finally won her planning battle.

Events

8 d. ago Hamas ‘thoroughly reviewing’ Israel’s response to US ceasefire proposal

Draft reportedly includes release of 28 hostages in first week, 60-day ceasefire and aid for Gaza when deal signed offHamas has received Israel’s response to a US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire deal and is “thoroughly reviewing” it, even though the response does not meet any of the Palestinians’ “just and legitimate demands”, one of the militant group’s officials has said.On Thursday, the White House said Israel had agreed to the US truce proposal, and Hamas said it was reviewing the plan, although it described the agreement as more biased in favour of Israel than previous proposals. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago How the US became the biggest military emitter and stopped everyone finding out

Academic Neta Crawford warns that if Donald Trump follows through on his threats of war, emissions will soar and the planet will pay the priceCarbon footprint of Israel’s war on Gaza exceeds that of many entire countriesRevealed: Nato rearmament could increase emissions by 200m tonnes a yearThe climate impact of Donald Trump’s geopolitical ambitions could deepen planetary catastrophe, triggering a global military buildup that accelerates greenhouse gas emissions, a leading expert has warned.The Pentagon – the US armed forces and Department of Defense (DoD) agencies – is the world’s largest institutional greenhouse gas emitter, accounting for at least 1% of total US emissions annually, according to analysis by Neta Crawford, co-founder of the Costs of War project at Brown University. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Hamas says US ceasefire plan accepted by Israel does not meet its demands to end war in Gaza

The White House confirmed that Israel ‘backed and supported’ the new proposal

Events

8 d. ago Hamas says US ceasefire plan accepted by Israel does not meet demands to end war in Gaza

Draft reportedly includes release of 28 hostages in first week, a 60-day ceasefire and aid for Gaza as soon as deal signed offIsrael has agreed to a US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, the White House has said, and Hamas said it was reviewing the plan although its terms did not meet the group’s demands.As a US-backed system for distributing food in the shattered territory expanded, Israeli media reported that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted a deal presented by US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Carbon footprint of Israel’s war on Gaza exceeds that of many entire countries

Exclusive: Climate cost of war is more than than the combined 2023 emissions of Costa Rica and Estonia, study findsThe carbon footprint of the first 15 months of Israel’s war on Gaza will be greater than the annual planet-warming emissions of a hundred individual countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency on top of the huge civilian death toll, new research reveals.A study shared exclusively with the Guardian found the long-term climate cost of destroying, clearing and rebuilding Gaza could top 31m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This is more than the combined 2023 annual greenhouse gases emitted by Costa Rica and Estonia, yet there is no obligation for states to report military emissions to the UN climate body.Over 99% of the almost 1.89m tCO2e estimated to have been generated between the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack and the temporary ceasefire in January 2025 is attributed to Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza.Almost 30% of greenhouse gas...

Politics

8 d. ago It’s time for Israel to halt its war of devastation in Gaza | Ehud Olmert

The indiscriminate, cruel and criminal killing of civilians may see us be banished from the family of nations and summoned to the ICC, with no good defenseThe government of Israel is currently waging a war without purpose, without goals or clear planning, and with no chances of success. Never since its establishment has the state of Israel waged such a war. The criminal gang headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has set a precedent without equal in Israel’s history in this area, too.The obvious result of Operation Gideon’s Chariots is, first and foremost, the confused activity of Israeli military units deployed around Gaza. This is true particularly in neighborhoods where our soldiers have already fought, were hurt and fell while killing many Hamas combatants, who deserve to die, and many more innocent civilians. These have joined the statistics of pointless victims among the Palestinian population, reaching monstrous proportions.Ehud Olmert is a former prime minister of IsraelThis op-ed ori...

Politics