Britain handed Italian defence company Leonard a 165 million pound ($213 million) contract extension on Tuesday to maintain the Royal Navy’s fleet of 54 Merlin helicopters, a deal which it said would help support 1,000 jobs across the country. Britain, which plans to boost defence spending to 2.5% of economic output by 2027, said the deal with Leonardo would help bolster national security. “This investment demonstrates our unwavering commitment to…

Donald Trump has signed and approved Sir Keir Starmers controversial deal to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The details of the agreement with the Mauritian government are now being finalised which includes a leaseback arrangement for the Diego Garcia airbase. Speaking about the progress of the deal on Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said; “I think the finalisation of the deal is ongoing, but we’ll obviously provide an…

A leaked Pentagon document has sparked international alarm by revealing that the United States is unlikely to deploy troops to defend Europe in the event of a Russian military incursion. The confidential memo, titled “Interim National Defence Strategic Guidance”, outlines a dramatic shift in U.S. defence priorities, placing China above Europe in Washington’s global military agenda. According to the memo, first reported by the Washington Post, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete…

Britain’s top mobile network provider including Vodafone (VOD.L) and BT’s EE (BT.L) on Monday urged a London tribunal to throw out a mass lawsuit valued at over 3.2 billion pounds ($4.3 billion) for allegedly overcharging customers. The case which is also brought against Telefonica’s O2 (TEF.MC) and Hutchison’s (0001.HK) Three UK, whose $19 billion merger with Vodafone was approved last year – is being brought on behalf of over 28…

Britain’s King Charles is returning to public duties this week after he was briefly taken to hospital last Thursday when he experienced side effects from his cancer treatment. The 76-year-old monarch has been undergoing treatment since he was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in February last year following tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate. The monarch will be carrying out a mix of public engagements,…

The Bank of England has proposed raising the protection limit for savers in case a bank fails to 110,000 pounds ($142,300), it said on Monday. The scheme provides financial protection to depositors in case banks, building societies, and credit unions become insolvent. The deposit protection limit is the maximum amount of money that is typically protected for savers should their bank fail and under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)…

South African coal-fired power stations have received limited exemptions from air quality laws and harmful emissions reduction regulations, the environment minister said on Monday, but he stressed that the measures did not constitute a “blanket reprieve”. The government is struggling to strike a balance between calls to reduce its carbon footprint and stop harmful emissions and the need to provide electricity to Africa’s most advanced economy, which has stagnated due…

Japanese banks may need to offer business turnaround support to companies hit by tariffs imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the head of the country’s banking lobby said. Many large Japanese firms, including major exporters and manufacturers, are grappling with U.S. duties on imports of steel and aluminium and a 25% tariff on imported cars and light trucks starting this week. “We think tariffs could lead to…

The future of the far-right leader Marine Le Pen – and France’s political landscape – will be decided on Monday when a court hands down its verdict on charges she and party officials embezzled money from the European parliament. If convicted, the three-time presidential candidate of the National Rally (RN) could be barred from standing to succeed Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 presidential election. Public prosecutors have demanded Le Pen…

The chairperson of an African charity co-founded by Prince Harry accused the royal on Sunday of orchestrating a bullying and harassment campaign to try to force her out as she pushed back following his abrupt resignation from the organization. Sophie Chandauka, the Sentebale chair, took several shots at Harry on Sky News in which she described how the prince’s Netflix deal interfered with a scheduled fundraiser and how an incident…

WH Smith is set to sell its more than 230-year-old British high street business to Hobbycraft-owner Modella Capital, a private equity firm for 76 million pounds ($98 million) to focus on global travel retail. The sale means that the WH Smith name will disappear from British shopping streets as the group’s nearly 500 stores will be renamed TGJones by the new owner, which intends to retain existing products and services,…

Ratings agency Moody’s said yesterday that the UK government’s moves to address budget challenges were timely and positive steps aimed at tackling declining public finances amid a worrisome fiscal outlook. British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves, on Wednesday, rebuilt the fiscal buffer against which the government measures its fiscal rules, partly by cutting welfare payments. “There is a significant risk that the Chancellor will have to cut spending further or introduce…