9 h. ago NATO chief Mark Rutte battles fierce backlash after calling Donald Trump 'Daddy'

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, referred to Donald Trump as 'Daddy' as he praised the US president's approach to the Iran-Israel ceasefire in reference to Trump's F-bomb tirade on live TV

Politics

9 h. ago It’s also a ‘new era’ for share prices in the defence sector

Nato’s spending splurge has made Babcock hot – a sign fundamental change in dull income defence stocks is happening It’s a miracle. Babcock International, the defence contractor with a specialism in kitting out the UK’s nuclear submarines, has emerged from the depths. After about half a decade in which the story was mostly about cost overruns, acquisition indigestion, accounting woes, pension deficits and too much debt, Babcock is suddenly back in the FTSE 100 index and is a hot stock. The share price has more than doubled this year.Of course it’s not really a miracle because the performance is easily explained. A fix-the-basics strategy was started in 2020 under ex-Cobham boss David Lockwood and has worked. The last of the badly performing major contracts – to build first-of-a-kind Type 31 frigates for the Royal Navy – is no longer spitting out provisions. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago NATO boss praises ‘Dear Donald’ for pushing alliance to boost defense spending: ‘You made this change possible’

Secretary General Mark Rutte credits Trump with pushing for ‘concrete plan’ to have member nations spend at least five percent of GDP on defense

Economics

16 h. ago NATO chief says 'Daddy Trump has to use bad words sometimes' as he 'sorts out' war

World leaders are gathered for a Nato summit in The Hague, but the star of the show is Donald Trump, who has been lavished with praise by general secretary Mark Rutte amid calls for greater spending

Politics

18 h. ago Ukrainian President Zelenskyy sidelined as NATO leaders meet to agree defense spending boost

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is looking on from the sidelines as NATO leaders meet to agree a significant boost in defense spending that is spurred by Russian aggression

Politics

37 h. ago Nato’s Mark Rutte praises Donald Trump for making Europe ‘pay in a BIG way’

US president releases flattering message from secretary-general that also hails ‘truly extraordinary’ Iran strikes

Politics

39 h. ago Unthinkable Russia should outproduce us, Nato’s Rutte says, as summit waits for arrival of Trump – Europe live

Nato secretary general urges alliance to push for military investment before arrival of US president this eveningAnalysis: Summit set to be triumphant for Trump but deflating for UkraineWhittaker also says that he is expecting US president Donald Trump “might deliver some remarks” on his views on the summit, as he stresses that “we need to make sure that everyone’s investing in the common defence of the Alliance.”“I don’t want to sort of steal what he might say, nor do I claim to be able to read his mind and know what he’s going to say. But I think he has demonstrated through, again, decisive action leading to peace.”“And again, that’s good for Europe, because there’s been a lot of irregular flows of migrants through Europe, from the Middle East because of the instability. And so hopefully, with Syria now appearing to be stable, with Iran, maybe in check a little more than they had been, I think we could really see a generational moment here where the Middle East is more stable than...

Politics

3 d. ago Students will spend 25 YEARS on their phones if screen habits don't change, study finds

The average school, college or university student spends five and a half hours on their phone per day, which could amount to 25 years of their lives.

Politics

3 d. ago Benjamin Netanyahu reacts to Trump’s US military strikes on Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised US President Donald Trump's decision to attack three nuclear sites in Iran.

Events

6 d. ago Five ways Australians’ spending, housing and dating habits have changed over the last 25 years

New lifestyle data shows how young people are living with their parents for longer and have fewer partners – while older generations are splurgingAustralia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe way Australians live has changed in the last 25 years, as soaring house prices have forced some young people to live with parents longer, and others to move rentals more often.New research from the e61 Institute breaks down why some Australians are more reluctant to move house, while consulting firm KPMG has looked at how household spending has changed by generation. Each explored data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Finland's lawmakers vote to leave land mine treaty as Nordic country boosts defenses against Russia

Finland’s parliament has voted overwhelmingly to pull out of a major international treaty on land mines as the Nordic country seeks to boost its defenses against an increasingly assertive Russia

Politics

8 d. ago Plurality of Americans hate the Republican ‘Big Beautiful bill’ – but Congress is working to approve it anyway

Forty-two percent of Americans oppose legislation ‘changing tax, spending, and Medicaid policies’

Politics

1 week ago Reeves braced for OBR forecasts to blow £20bn hole in tax and spending plans

Downgrades by Treasury watchdog could force chancellor to raise taxes or cut spending at budget to meet fiscal rulesRachel Reeves is braced for revised forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to blow a £20bn hole in her tax and spending plans before the autumn budget.Even without changing the totals the chancellor set out in her spending review on Wednesday, a weaker forecast from the the Treasury’s independent watchdog could force her to find significantly more money at the budget to meet her “non-negotiable” fiscal rules. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Putin downs more champagne as he gives award to nuclear boss who compared NATO to Hitler

Despite tensions being higher than ever between Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin gathered several Russian officials into a room to award his favourites during a lavish ceremony

Events

2 w. ago DWP changes in full as Rachel Reeves announces Spending Review for 'working people'

After weeks of intense behind-the-scenes wrangling over who gets what, Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled her Spending Review after the Labour Government U-turned on cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment

Economics

2 w. ago Free school meal changes in full from today's Spending Review

The Government has announced that every pupil whose household is on Universal Credit will get free school meals from the 2026/27 academic year

Politics

2 w. ago Winter Fuel Payment changes in full from today's Spending Review

The change to Winter Fuel Payments was finally confirmed this week ahead of the Spending Review, which is being delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the House of Commons

Economics

2 w. ago 'Ramp up defence spending or start learning Russian': NATO boss Mark Rutte's chilling warning as he piles pressure on Keir Starmer to hike military budget by £30BILLION

Mark Rutte issued the chilling message while in London for talks with PM Sir Keir Starmer , ahead of a NATO summit later this month.

Events

2 w. ago Elon Musk’s father Errol praises Vladimir Putin as ‘pleasant man’ at Moscow conference

Event organised by Russian ultranationalist organisation also featured former MP George Galloway and American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones

Politics

2 w. ago Five 'rarest UK coins' still in use are worth more than £3,000

Check your change before spending it as you could be sitting on a small fortune

Economics