31 h. ago Sweden, Estonia, and Finland pledge to increase spending on weapons purchases from US – Europe live

Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he expected further pledges, noting that $2bn already had been committed through the mechanismSergiy Petrovich Lysak has been appointed as the head of the Odesa city military administration, as confirmed by an order on the website for the president of Ukraine on Wednesday, after the dismissal of the city’s former mayor.Lysak was previously tasked with leading the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.Odesa deserves greater protection and greater support.This can be done in the format of a military administration – too many security issues in Odesa have remained without an adequate response for far too long. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago Nato looks to bolster defences in response to Russian air incursions – Europe live

Fears Moscow testing west in grey zone between war and peace with incursions into Nato territoryRussia on Wednesday pushed back at US president Donald Trump’s warning that gasoline shortages showed Russia’s economy was nearing collapse, Reuters reports.Trump on Tuesday expressed disappointment with president Vladimir Putin, whom he said was unwilling to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine.We have a stable domestic market supply, we see no problems in this regardThe balance is maintained between production and consumption, and we, on the part of the government and the relevant ministries, are doing everything to ensure that this remains the case. Continue reading...

Society

34 h. ago FTSE 100 LIVE: London muted and Europe rises as Federal Reserve chair Powell hints at US rate cuts

FTSE 100 LIVE: London muted and Europe rises as Federal Reserve chair Powell hints at US rate cuts  Yahoo

Society

52 h. ago Lecornu backs delaying rise in French retirement age until after 2027 presidential election – Europe live

PM says that law increasing age to 64 will be put on pause in bid to stave off losing a no-confidence vote that would bring down his governmentThe Kremlin said on Tuesday it welcomed US president Donald Trump’s desire to focus on the search for a peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine after achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and hoped he would be able to push Kyiv towards a settlement.Addressing the Israeli Knesset a day earlier after brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas, Trump spoke of wanting to get a deal done with Iran over its nuclear programme, but said he would turn his attention to trying to end the war in Ukraine first.We are already well acquainted with Mr Witkoff; he is effective, has proven his effectiveness now in the Middle East, and we hope that his talents will continue to contribute to the work already under way in Ukraine.The Russian side remains open and ready for peaceful dialogue, and we hope that the influence of the United States and the diplomatic skills o...

Politics

53 h. ago Lecornu addresses French parliament in bid to win over Socialists – Europe live

PM will be hoping to win over enough Socialists to stave off losing a no-confidence vote that would deepen France’s political crisisThe Kremlin said on Tuesday it welcomed US president Donald Trump’s desire to focus on the search for a peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine after achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and hoped he would be able to push Kyiv towards a settlement.Addressing the Israeli Knesset a day earlier after brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas, Trump spoke of wanting to get a deal done with Iran over its nuclear programme, but said he would turn his attention to trying to end the war in Ukraine first.We are already well acquainted with Mr Witkoff; he is effective, has proven his effectiveness now in the Middle East, and we hope that his talents will continue to contribute to the work already under way in Ukraine.The Russian side remains open and ready for peaceful dialogue, and we hope that the influence of the United States and the diplomatic skills of President...

Politics

55 h. ago Lecornu attempts to rally French cabinet before addressing parliament – Europe live

PM will be hoping to win over enough Socialists to stave off losing a no-confidence vote that would deepen France’s political crisisThe Kremlin said on Tuesday it welcomed US president Donald Trump’s desire to focus on the search for a peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine after achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and hoped he would be able to push Kyiv towards a settlement.Addressing the Israeli Knesset a day earlier after brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas, Trump spoke of wanting to get a deal done with Iran over its nuclear programme, but said he would turn his attention to trying to end the war in Ukraine first.We are already well acquainted with Mr Witkoff; he is effective, has proven his effectiveness now in the Middle East, and we hope that his talents will continue to contribute to the work already under way in Ukraine.The Russian side remains open and ready for peaceful dialogue, and we hope that the influence of the United States and the diplomatic skills of President...

Politics

55 h. ago Zelenskyy urges world leaders not to lose momentum for finding peace, and says the war in Europe can also be ended – Europe live

Ukrainian leader expresses hope amid Trump’s Gaza deal, saying ‘it brings more hope for peace in other regions’The Kremlin said on Tuesday it welcomed US president Donald Trump’s desire to focus on the search for a peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine after achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and hoped he would be able to push Kyiv towards a settlement.Addressing the Israeli Knesset a day earlier after brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas, Trump spoke of wanting to get a deal done with Iran over its nuclear programme, but said he would turn his attention to trying to end the war in Ukraine first.We are already well acquainted with Mr Witkoff; he is effective, has proven his effectiveness now in the Middle East, and we hope that his talents will continue to contribute to the work already under way in Ukraine.The Russian side remains open and ready for peaceful dialogue, and we hope that the influence of the United States and the diplomatic skills of President Trump’s envoys will ...

Politics

3 d. ago French political crisis continues as Macron blames rivals for ‘sense of disorder’– Europe live

President, attending Gaza summit in Egypt, reiterates he will not step down as opponents lodge no-confidence motions in the governmentNational Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet has welcomed the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu’s new government, calling for calm and constructive debate as parliament prepares to convene.“Our institutions are strong and now ready to work in the interests of the French people,” Braun-Pivet said on social media. “Posturing and political manoeuvring must give way to constructive discussion before the National Assembly. Let the parliamentary debate begin!” Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago French political crisis continues as Lecornu unveils new government – Europe live

Marine Le Pen says she will seek to call a no-confidence motion as she urges Macron to dissolve the National AssemblySpeaking from Egypt, French president Emmanuel Macron dismissed opposition calls for his resignation, insisting he would remain in office to safeguard the country’s stability.“Never forget that the mandate given by the French people is to serve, to serve and serve, and to provide answers to the questions of everyday French people, and to do everything possible for the independence of France,” Macron told reporters in Sharm el-Sheikh. “That is the only thing that matters. The rest is the government’s business I will continue to ensure stability,” he added. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago 'Greedy girl has a sex menu – everything has a price including a new car'

JUST JANE: Today our agony aunt Jane O'Gorman is dealing with a new issue from a Daily Star reader who has been told to increase his spending or risk losing his lover

Politics

4 d. ago Chancellor Rachel Reeves set to tax the rich to fill £30BILLION public finance black hole

Treasury sources have said the Chancellor will not significantly increase borrowing or cut public spending in this year's Autumn budget.

Economics

5 d. ago Aston Villa must stop crying foul and focus on the Europa League instead | Jonathan Wilson

There is no grand PSR conspiracy against Unai Emery’s side. They should be challenging Newcastle or Tottenham for fifthFour wins in a row, seven games unbeaten and suddenly life does not seem so bad for Aston Villa. They are up into mid-table and if a 2-0 victory over Feyenoord in the Europa League will not quite live in the memory in the way last season’s games against Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain do, a return to Rotterdam at least evoked the glory days of 1982.It will be a while yet before the frustration at missing out on the Champions League fades, but there does now seem to be a gathering recognition that Villa have a decent chance of winning the Europa League, potentially adding Istanbul’s Besiktas Park to De Kuip as a venue where they have won a European trophy. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Macron summons parties for crunch meeting in frantic effort to appoint PM

All parties except National Rally and La France Insoumise called on by president to show ‘collective responsibility’Europe live – latest updatesEmmanuel Macron has summoned the leaders of several political parties to his office to demand they show “collective responsibility” as he attempts to appoint a new prime minister amid a deepening political crisis.All political parties except Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, which is the biggest single opposition party, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s leftwing La France Insoumise were called to the meeting at the presidential palace before Macron’s self-imposed deadline to name a new prime minister by Friday night. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Zelenskyy says he will nominate Trump for Nobel peace prize if he secures Ukraine ceasefire – Europe live

US president has claimed he deserves the award for what he has described as his work in securing ‘numerous’ peace dealsBelow is a video published by the Guardian showing Ukrainian firefighters tackling blazes in burning shipping containers after a Russian drone attack injured at least five people in Odesa.The attack cut power to 30,000 people and damaged the city’s port infrastructure. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Ukrainian counteroffensive has derailed Russian plans to capture parts of Donetsk, says Zelenskyy – Europe live

Ukrainian president accuses Russia of wanting to sow ‘chaos’ with overnight attacks on energy and rail infrastructure, but says Ukrainian long-range strikes have caused gas shortages in RussiaBelow is a video published by the Guardian showing Ukrainian firefighters tackling blazes in burning shipping containers after a Russian drone attack injured at least five people in Odesa.The attack cut power to 30,000 people and damaged the city’s port infrastructure. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Outgoing French PM hopeful for concessions to avoid snap elections

Sébastien Lecornu continues meetings with party leaders in effort to pass budget and avoid further political instability• Europe live – latest updatesFrance’s caretaker prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has said his talks with various party leaders had revealed a “willingness” to pass a budget by the end of the year and that snap parliamentary elections were now looking less likely.“This willingness creates a momentum and a convergence, obviously, which make the possibilities of a dissolution more remote,” he said in a brief address on Wednesday from the courtyard of Matignon Palace, the prime minister’s residence, in Paris. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Outgoing French PM says ‘there is desire’ to agree budget and talks down prospect of snap election – Europe live

Sébastien Lecornu speaks at the Matignon Palace and expresses optimism that parliament will not need to be dissolvedLecornu clarified on Wednesday that outgoing ministers from his government would not be entitled to compensation, according to Le Monde.The resigning prime minister noted in his speech that the topic of compensation for such ministers had upset “a certain number of French people”.It turns out that members of the government, when they leave office, are entitled to three months of compensation when they have no other income.It is obvious that ministers who were ministers for only a few hours will not be entitled to these compensations. I have decided to suspend them.This willingness creates a momentum and a convergence, obviously, which make the possibilities of a dissolution more remote. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Irish Government increases spending and scales back planned tax measures

Ministers pledged to ‘secure jobs and stability at a time of global challenge’.

Politics

9 d. ago Rutgers professor moving to Europe after threats over antifa accusations

Mark Bray says threats intensified after a Turning Point USA petition accused him of promoting political violenceUS politics live – latest updatesA Rutgers University professor is temporarily relocating to Europe as he grapples with threats that intensified after a student group affiliated with the organization founded by murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk accused him of being “a prominent leader of the antifa movement on campus”.Rutgers’ Turning Point USA chapter also says the presence of Mark Bray – whose work has closely examined antifascist movements – threatens them and is calling for his firing from the New Jersey university, prompting the academic to say those demands are little more than “manufactured outrage”. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago French PM in final bid to salvage cabinet amid political turmoil – Europe live

Macron has asked Lecornu to stay on for 48 hours to try to win over lawmakersJordan Bardella, the leader of the far-right party National Rally, has also supported the dissolution of parliament, followed by elections.Bardella told France’s BFM TV that his party was preparing for both parliamentary elections and an early presidential vote. Continue reading...

Politics