32 m. ago Keir Starmer addresses nation after slashing aid budget to fund 'biggest sustained rise' in defence spending since Cold War

The Prime Minister said ‘extremely difficult and painful choices’ would be needed to reach the spending goal, including the cut to foreign aid

Economics

37 m. ago Watch live: Starmer defends cutting foreign aid budget to boost defence spending

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer holds a press conference on Tuesday, 25 February, after announcing he will slash the foreign aid budget to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP to counter “tyrants” like Vladimir Putin.

Economics

41 m. ago What is Keir Starmer’s plan to increase UK defence spending and is it affordable?

Keir Starmer has outlined plans to slash foreign aid in order to hike Britain’s defence spending, The Independent looks at what has been said about the move

Politics

42 m. ago The ticking timebomb that could blow up under Meghan Markle and derail her new rebrand... from a former aide, writes AMANDA PLATELL

Is it a coincidence that almost a week before the delayed Netflix launch of the Duchess of Sussex's 'With Love, Meghan' lifestyle series the couple's former royal aide Jason Knauf has spoken out?

Politics

69 m. ago ‘Everything has changed’: UK embarks on biggest arms drive since cold war

Decision to plunder the development budget brings end to era of Britain as an ‘aid superpower’

Events

1 hour ago 'Versatile' 9L air fryer worth 'saves time and money' cut by over £65 in Amazon deal

With the April price cap said to increase household bills by 6.4 percent, save money in the kitchen with this popular air fryer.

Economics

2 h. ago Stunning moment woman brazenly steals SINK from the restaurant toilets before smuggling it out in her handbag

This is the moment a brazen thief smuggles an entire designer kitchen sink in her handbag from a restaurant in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. 

Events

3 h. ago Beano comic book hero to keep Dumfries and Galloway motorists safe during winter

Amey has named its latest gritter Brrr...Nanaman and is now inviting name suggestions for its next batch of gritters.

Politics

3 h. ago Oscars 2025: best director nominees – reviews, interviews and chances for victory

All you need to know about the five directors in the running for the Academy’s prestigious film-making prize, along with reviews of their nominated films, interviews and the awards they’ve earned so far• Full list of Oscar nominationsTrack record: Baker came out of the US’s microbudget/indie subculture; his first feature, Four Letter Words, was released way back in 2000. But it took a decade and a half for Baker to make a serious breakthrough; Tangerine, shot on iPhones, was the story of a trans sex worker (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), and won Baker some high-profile awards. His follow-up, The Florida Project, another account of marginalised Americans became a fixture on the awards circuit, bagging co-star Willem Dafoe an Oscar nom for best supporting actor. His next film, Red Rocket, premiered in competition at Cannes. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Dad buys kids Burger King meal at popular airport – but is totally floored by price

A dad has been left flabbergasted after forking out for some burgers at a popular airport. He shared a video online showing the amount of food he got for his money

Economics

3 h. ago Charities ‘shocked’ and ‘stunned’ by decision to cut aid to fund defence spending

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a dramatic increase in defence spending from the current 2.3% to 2.5% by 2027.

Economics

3 h. ago Affordable, easy and with a huge flavour punch: three Korean

The Malaysian Australian author and former MasterChef contestant shares his kimchi fried rice, braised chicken wings and gift-worthy glutinous rice balls Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailYou can throw kimchi fried rice together using nothing but leftovers. It’s an amazingly easy and economical dish – yet it still packs a huge flavour punch. This is a traditional favourite with university students who are living on a low budget. If I ever want a home-cooked meal but am feeling too lazy to “cook”, kimchi fried rice comes to the rescue. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago His coffee is coveted around the world. His son doesn’t know if his future is on the farm

‘Pepe’ Jijón loves his life in the Ecuadorian cloud forest, but for his son Jose, the excitement of New York city callsOn an October day, Jose Jijon rang up a customer’s $35 bag of coffee at a Brooklyn, New York, cafe. The transaction was one of many as shoppers poured in and out of Sey Coffee, one of the country’s most renowned roasteries.There was no way the patron who browsed the coffee varieties – each identified by producer, location and altitude of the farm – could know the smiling young cashier wearing the Johnny Cash T-shirt was the heir apparent to the coffee farm whose beans they had just purchased. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Make a meal of it: how to jazz up a tin of baked beans | Kitchen aide

Sausages, cheese, chilli all probably spring immediately to mind, but have you considered wine or sage instead?How can I make a tin of baked beans tastier? “You’ve come to the right place,” says food writer Melek Erdal. “One of my most popular recipes ever was jazzed-up beans on toast, which came out of lockdown, when we were all utilising everything.” Essentially, when it comes to injecting flavour into baked beans, it’s all about the base, and for Erdal that means toasting spices (cumin seeds, ground coriander, aleppo chilli) in an ovenproof pan, then adding “the magic triangle”, namely ginger, garlic and chilli, and some oil. “Add the beans, crumble feta on top, then pop it in the oven until the top caramelises.” Erdal might also add a drizzle of tahini, “for a take on shakshuka, and a lovely brunch or lunch.”In a similar riffable vein, Eleanor Maidment, author of Pulse, makes a base of chorizo and red peppers, then adds beans and poaches some eggs in them. Cured meat is, of cour...

Politics

4 h. ago Watch: Keir Starmer fast tracks defence spending boost by cutting foreign aid

Watch as Sir Keir Starmer announced a fast track on the government’s defence spending boost by cutting foreign aid.

Politics

4 h. ago Starmer hikes defence spending to 2.5% ahead of crunch meeting with Trump

Labour PM cuts foreign aid funding as he prepares to fly to Washington to meet the US President who has piled pressure on Britain to bolster its armed forces

Politics

4 h. ago Keir Starmer vows to slash aid spending to pump 2.5% of GDP into defence by 2027 in dramatic statement to MPs ahead of 'mission impossible' trip to meet Trump in White House

In a dramatic Commons statement, Keir Starmer finally laid out a trajectory for boosting the military amid rising alarm about America withdrawing support.

Events

4 h. ago UK defence spending to rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 with aid budget slashed to help fund move

Keir Starmer says now is the time to deepen European security, as he announces move in the CommonsThe rightwing historian Niall Ferguson is in the audience for Badenoch’s speech, according to James Heale from the Spectator.Niall Ferguson spotted at Kemi Badenoch’s big speech on foreign affairs hearing we might get some policy tooTractors’ horns interrupt Badenoch’s speech shortly after she begins speaking. Attendant spinner heard swearing furiously Continue reading...

Economics

4 h. ago 'I bought my kids a Burger King meal at popular airport – the price floored me'

The man was left fuming after buying food at the airport. When he was handed the bill, the price left him totally stunned

Politics

4 h. ago Kremlin disputes Trump claim Russia would accept Nato peacekeeping troops in Ukraine – live

Kremlin says it has nothing to add to the foreign ministry’s position on the unacceptability of Nato peacekeepers in UkraineUkraine’s presidential press service has issued a photograph showing president Volodymyr Zelenskyy introducing the world leaders visiting Kyiv some new developments in Ukraine’s defence industry.British prime minister Keir Starmer is set to announce a cut to the country’s aid budget to immediately hike defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, ahead of his visit to the White House on Thursday, according to The Sun. Continue reading...

Politics