UNITED KINGDOM

‘What more do you want from us?’ asks chancellor-in-waiting as he seeks urgent support for fiscal rule changesGermany’s chancellor-in-waiting has tried to win over the Greens to his ambitious but controversial plans to raise the country’s defence spending, promising to expand the scope of the plans and demanding of them: “What more do you actually want from us?”The outgoing parliament met on Thursday to debate the creation of a €500bn (£420bn) fund for infrastructure investment and radical changes in Germany’s borrowing limits in order to boost defence spending. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/13/german-parliament-to-debate-radical-borrowing-rule-changes-to-boost-defence Author : Kate Connolly in Berlin

Mahmoud Khalil described by former colleague at UK office for Syria as well liked and extensively vettedA detained Columbia University graduate threatened with deportation after the Trump administration claimed he poses a risk to US foreign policy is a former employee of the British government who was extensively vetted before working at the embassy in Beirut.Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate from a Columbia University master’s programme, was arrested at home on 9 March as he returned with his wife from a dinner to break their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/13/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-british-government-work Author

Trump pick Dave Weldon has faced scrutiny over anti-vaccine views and says RFK Jr is ‘very upset’ by withdrawalUS politics live – latest updatesThe Trump administration withdrew its nomination to lead the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday, the day he was due to face a confirmation hearing.Axios broke the news that Dave Weldon, a 71-year-old doctor and former Republican Florida congressman, would not face a hearing as planned. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/13/dave-weldon-cdc-nomination-withdrawn Author : Martin Pengelly Publish date : 2025-03-13 14:40:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Cash reward at staff-owned group ruled out for third year in a row, with focus on £600m plans to transform businessBusiness live – latest updatesThe owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has tripled its annual profits but workers at the staff-owned retail group have missed out on a bonus for a third year in a row.The John Lewis Partnership said group sales rose 3% to £12.8bn in the 12 months to 25 January 2025, as underlying profit rose from £42m to £126m. However, the company said it was prioritising investment over the bonus with plans to spend £600m on transforming