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13% of federal civilian workforce is affected, although DHS – which spurred budget standoff – remains fundedA limited US government shutdown came into effect on Saturday – the third of Donald Trump’s second term – after negotiations between the White House and Democrats in Congress failed to agree on new restrictions for federal immigration agents.The shutdown affects about 13% of the federal civilian workforce and is confined to agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which screens airline passengers. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/14/limited-government-shutdown-congress Author : Edward Helmore Publish

The UK prime minister said stronger security relied on greater cooperation and integration across the continentMunich Security Conference – live updatesKeir Starmer said there was an urgent need for a closer UK defence relationship with Europe, covering procurement and manufacturing, so that the UK is at the centre of a stronger European defence setup.In a rare visit to the Munich Security Conference, the British prime minister told the audience, to applause, “we are 10 years on from Brexit. We are not the Britain of the Brexit years.” Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/14/keir-starmer-munich-conference-closer-europe-defence-ties Author : Patrick Wintour in Munich Publish

Russia has shown ‘appetite for aggression’ and possible path for Europe’s future, UK prime minister saysRubio insists that the US “do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship.”He says “we do not want allies to rationalise the broken status quo rather than reckon with what is necessary to fix it.”“We do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weaker. We want allies who can defend themselves, so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength. This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt

Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax changes encourage more people to invest in previously unloved product The government’s “inheritance tax raid” on pensions has helped drive sales of retirement annuities to new highs.Industry data this week revealed they enjoyed a “record-breaking” 2025, with sales growing by 4% to £7.4bn and the average amount invested in an annuity surpassing £80,000 for the first time. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/feb/14/uk-pension-annuities-sales-rachel-reeves-inheritance-tax-invest Author : Rupert Jones Publish date : 2026-02-14 07:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.