UNITED KINGDOM

The government was warned by its lawyers that such a move could be illegalIn his Q&A with journalists, Keir Starmer was also asked to respond to a report by the BBC’s James Landale saying he is looking at plans to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by the end of this parliament. In the past Starmer has just said that he would like to do this at some point in the next parliament.In his reply, Starmer said that at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend he was arguing that the UK, and Europe as a whole, needs to

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Japan misses growth forecasts for the final three months of 2025UK consumer sentiment continued to sink this month, as households grow more worried about debt levels.A poll of consumer confidence from data firm S&P Global has found that morale continued to drop in February, although not as quickly as in January.Consumers signal stronger rise in debt alongside a quicker deterioration in loan availabilityAppetite for major spending recedes to weakest in ten monthsSentiment regarding labour market conditions at lowest since last June“The mood among UK households matches the dismal weather seen

Rubio visits Orbán, who has a warm relationship with the Trump administration, ahead of Hungarian elections in April with the two countries expected to sign civilian nuclear deal later todayWe have some images come through from the newswires of Marco Rubio in Budapest:Hungary’s 12 April election is set to be one of the year’s most consequential in the EU. Voters will choose a new 199-seat national assembly under the country’s mixed electoral system, with Viktor Orbán facing his biggest electoral challenge after 16 years of uninterrupted power. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/feb/16/marco-rubio-viktor-orban-hungary-ukraine-europe-france-germany-europe-live-news-updates Author : Yohannes Lowe Publish date :

ACCC alleges the supermarket breached the law by offering ‘illusory’ discounts on many products with ‘Down Down’ promotionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColes disguised price increases on at least 245 products by offering discounts that were “literally true” but also “utterly misleading”, the competition regulator has argued at the beginning of a high-profile court case.A federal court battle between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Coles began on Monday, testing allegations the supermarket breached the law by offering “illusory” discounts on many everyday products. Continue