Barely a day passes, it seems, without Keir Starmer talking to another European leader or preparing for a continental summit. The crisis over Ukraine has very much pushed the UK closer towards the centre stage than at any point since Brexit. But is this a new era or a false dawn? One thing is certain: … Read more
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has reopened its investigation into previous assaults by the Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane following representations from the victims’ families, the watchdog said. The IOPC previously prepared a report, which concluded that officers failed to properly investigate an assault on warehouse workers by Calocane that could have prevented his murders … Read more
Royal Mail is to increase the cost of first and second-class stamps for what will be the sixth time in little more than three years. From 7 April, the price of a first-class stamp will increase by 5p, or 3%, to £1.70. Meanwhile the cost of the second-class service is going up by 2p, or … Read more
The US will conduct its first execution by firing squad in 15 years on Friday in South Carolina, despite widespread concerns about the safety and cruelty of this method and growing calls for clemency. Brad Sigmon, 67, is scheduled to be shot to death by three South Carolina prison employees, part of a series of … Read more
Hold the biscuits, popcorn and chocolate and hand out the rice cakes, apples and halloumi, the UK is cutting back on snacks and shifting to healthier options amid tighter budgets and bulging waistlines. Britons had a snack at home on more than 15% fewer occasions in 2024 than in 2020 – as a boom in … Read more
His Royal Highness King Godwin Bebe Okpabi has carried bottles of water drawn from the wells of his homeland in the Niger delta to the high court in London. It stinks. “This is the water that Shell has left for my people,” said the ruler of the Ogale community in Ogoniland, Nigeria. “This is poison, … Read more
On the surface, the announcement that Saudi Arabia will host talks between the US and Ukraine in Jeddah next week appears promising news. After the disastrous meeting between the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Donald Trump in the White House last week, a more neutral location for this meeting of lower-level figures makes sense in … Read more
Police in Glasgow have launched a murder inquiry after a 15-year-old Eritrean refugee was found dying after a suspected stabbing. Amen Teklay was discovered seriously injured on Clarendon Street in the St George’s Cross area of the city late on Wednesday night and pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services. Police Scotland said that … Read more
The US owner of Boots is to be taken private in a $10bn (£7.8bn) deal that will mean further uncertainty for thousands of workers at the UK-based pharmacy chain. Walgreens Boots Alliance, which operates more than 1,800 Boots stores in the UK, has been sold to the US private equity firm Sycamore Partners after struggling … Read more
Anyone who has been looking in horror at the political upheaval in the US may welcome Western Australia’s dull and predictable election this weekend. The Labor premier, Roger Cook, is so assured of winning a third term for his party that the state’s only newspaper didn’t release any public opinion polls until the very eve … Read more