India: Nearly one and half billion citizens have no spending money – report

India is home to 1.4 billion people but around a billion lack money to spend on any discretionary goods or services, a new report estimates. The country’s consuming class, effectively the potential…

Canada: Takeaways from Liberal leadership debates

After back-to-back debates in both English and French, the candidates to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party in Canada have made their case to voters.…

UK: Sites sought for Ukranian bombed door sculpture

An artist who has created a sculpture using the door of a bombed home in Ukraine is appealing for places display it. Robert Marshall from Wareham, Dorset, salvaged the door,…

UK: Trump accelerated British military boost- former defence chief

The decision to hike UK defence spending has been “accelerated” by President Donald Trump’s actions on Ukraine, a former defence chief of staff has said. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer…

USA: House passes Trump-backed spending bill

Republicans in the US House of Representatives narrowly passed a multi-trillion dollar government spending bill on Tuesday, a major boost for President Donald Trump that advances his 2025 agenda. The…

UK: Starmer upends Labour manifesto to confront Europe’s new reality

A big moment and a big decision, ahead of a big meeting. The government’s announcement that it will crank up defence spending and shrivel the international aid budget amounts to a big…

Ukraine: Minerals deal agreed with US

Ukraine has agreed the terms of a major minerals deal with the US, a senior official in Kyiv has said. “We have indeed agreed it with a number of good…

UK: Ten Church of England clergy face disciplinary action

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey is among a number of clergy facing disciplinary action over safeguarding failures after a report into prolific abuser John Smyth, the Church of England…

UK: Starmer cuts aid to fund hike in defence spending

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has set out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027, as peace talks to end the war in Ukraine gather…

USA: Judge declines to immediately restore AP access to White House

A US judge has declined a request by the Associated Press to immediately restore its access to presidential events after the Trump administration blocked the agency in a dispute over…