The Prime Minister has been told he is making Britain look "unreliable and weak" after reportedly denying US forces access to British bases. This move could impact potential strikes on Iran and influence international perceptions. Military leaders' warning about the decision underscores the seriousness of the situation, encouraging the audience to recognise the importance of strong defence policies for national safety.
The current Government is about to take a billion pounds out of the Army this year, so I don't think we can sustain it and actually no one is fooled by it. We would be very stretched. We have a deployment in Estonia. We need to spend real money now, not in 2029, not in 2030, 2040. The OBR itself said that the British Government had not set out a path to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.
I think it [the war] was a waste of time, because the benefits we got from it, the wartime camaraderie and everyone, almost everybody, mucked in [with] whatever they could do. Whatever [way] they could help somebody else they did. That wasn't just in the army. You don't get that now, no.
German industrial production unexpectedly jumped in October, official data showed Monday, the latest sign that Europe's crisis-wracked top economy may be turning a corner. Factory output rose 1.8 percent month-on-month, according to preliminary data from federal statistics agency Destatis, after a 1.1 percent rise in September. The positive result, boosted by the construction and the machinery sectors, was far better than a 0.55 percent decline forecast by analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet.
Takaichi, who this month became Japan's first female leader after winning a vote to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP), made her international debut at this weekend's Asean summit. But it is her meeting with Trump on Tuesday that will set the tone for Tokyo's relationship with its important and increasingly unpredictable ally, which has imposed retaliatory tariffs on Japan, despite the US president's obvious affection for the country.
Russia plans to raise tax to fund its defence budget as oil revenues decline. Despite Western sanctions, Russia's military spending has fuelled its war economy. Three years into the war in Ukraine, growth is stalling, energy revenues are plunging, and the budget deficit is widening. To shore up state coffers, Russia is raising the value-added tax from 20 percent to 22 percent, among other measures.
Spending more on defence will be pointless unless western governments also tackle the climate crisis in poor countries, the UN's departing chief of international development has warned. The more you restrict your ability to act by simply focusing on what's happening inside your country, the more vulnerable you become, said Achim Steiner, who recently completed his second term as administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), which works on overseas aid and lifting people out of poverty.
Even before recent tariff announcements, the spring statement felt like a stopgap. If the government is serious about increasing defence spending or supporting struggling departments, it will either have to raise taxes or bend the rules.
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