Author: News Desk

Exclusive: As of January, there were just 369 UK staff working on the British-led programme that has trained over 51,000 Ukrainian soldiers to resist Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion More than 1,000 British staff cut from key Ukraine troop training programme The number of British personnel working on an international training program for Ukrainian soldiers has fallen by more than 1,000 in the last 2.5 years, new figures reveal. The decline marks a 73 per cent reduction in the UK staffing of the British-led Operation Interflex that has trained over 51,000 Ukrainian soldiers to resist Vladimir Putin’s invasion. It comes as…

PM Starmer takes a shot at Trump as he sets Britain on a course that will accelerate an increase to its defence spending, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday, on the eve of a crucial visit to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington. Starmer said he will raise military spending from 2.3% of Britain’s GDP to 2.5% by 2027, and then again to 2.6% the following year, as a rift opens up between Trump and Europe over the future of the war in Ukraine. However, yesterday’s announcements have all been to appease Trump, the PM has already admitted defeat…

Man charged over death of three-year-old girl in Manchester tram crash A man has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a three-year-old girl was killed in a crash between a van and a tram in Manchester at the weekend. Rawal Rehman, 35, of Lambton Road, Manchester, will appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police said. Louisa Palmisano, known as Lulu, died after the collision on Mosley Street in the city centre on Saturday morning. Lulu’s parents, who were visiting Manchester for the weekend, paid tribute to her. In a statement issued by GMP, they…

Starmer mocks Badenoch’s ‘desperate search for relevance’ in clash over defence spending boost: PMQs live Kemi Badenoch has appointed herself “saviour of the western civilisation”, Sir Keir Starmer said, after the Conservative leader suggested she had advised him to increase defence spending. In a clash at PMQs, the prime minister said she “didn’t feature in my thinking at all” and that her comment was a “desperate search for relevance”. Sir Keir Starmer has faced questions from MPs after his shock announcement the government will increase the UK’s defence spending to 2.5 per cent, before a meeting with Donald Trump in…

Birmingham plagued by rats ‘the size of cats’ as bin strike and HS2 blamed Rats the size of cats are plaguing parts of Birmingham, residents say, with the city’s ongoing strike by bin collectors and nearby construction work for HS2 among issues being blamed for the infestation. Residents of Drews Lane, Washwood Heath, an area already known as a rat hotspot, have found rodents chewing through car cables and nesting in bonnets and wheelie bins. Kim Blakeman, who lives on the road, told the BBC: “The rats are huge – they are like small cats and their tails are really…

How a fraudster helped fund Farage’s US trip to meet Musk Nigel Farage’s trip to Florida to meet tech billionaire Elon Musk was partly funded by convicted fraudster George Cottrell, records show. The former Ukip volunteer paid for the Reform UK leader’s £15,000 fight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Palm Beach, Florida, last year where he was pictured posing next to Mr Musk and Reform UK treasurer Nick Candy. Mr Cottrell, who spent eight months in jail after being convicted of one count of wire fraud in the US, is a former adviser to Mr Farage. How a fraudster helped…

The General Secretary of Employment, María José Nevado, has presided over the Autonomous Employment Bureau that has gathered to supervise the Program Stimulus for the Creation and Consolidation of Autonomous Work in Extremadura 2024-2027, an initiative aimed at supporting and promoting autonomous entrepreneurship in The region. A meeting in which the advances achieved, highlighting that the program has had a “positive impact” on the creation of autonomous employment in Extremadura, and new measures have been proposed “to improve the effectiveness of the program and extend its benefits to A greater number of self -employed, “according to the Board of Extremadura…

Defence editor Alex Gatapolous reflects on how the Russia-Ukraine conflict has changed over the years.

Enzo Maresca sends message to Chelsea star after Southampton win. He said Christopher Nkunku’s performance in Chelsea’s win over Southampton, but still ‘expects more’ from the attacker going forward. Enzo Maresca sends message to Chelsea star after Southampton win Chelsea put four unanswered goals past the Premier League’s bottom-placed team to end their three-game winless run and move back into the top four. The Blues have badly struggled for form over the winter period and Nicolas Jackson’s sustained absence through injury has come as a significant blow to the west London giants. Maresca has experimented with Nkunku through the middle…

Paul Scholes names his top five players to ever play for Man Utd – from Cantona to Keane. Paul Scholes names his top five players to ever play for Man Utd | Football Scholes is well-placed to assess the club’s greatest players as one himself; during his 20-year spell at Old Trafford he lifted 11 Premier League titles, five domestic cups and two Champions Leagues. The legendary midfielder is in fact one of the most decorated footballers in history and regarded as one of the best players of his generation. Scholes was given the unenviable task of naming Manchester…