There was no horse-drawn carriage ride or banquet at Windsor Castle, as during last week’s state visit of President Emmanuel Macron of France. But when Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a landmark defense treaty on Thursday, it added another layer to a portrait of Europe uniting against foreign threats. The accord is further evidence of how European leaders are pulling together to confront a landscape scrambled by President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy and President Vladimir V. Putin’s relentless assault on Ukraine. In addition to defense and security, the treaty covers energy, economic cooperation and migration. It builds on an agreement signed last October, under which the countries agreed to conduct joint military exercises and develop sophisticated weapons.

Voting age to be lowered to 16 across UK ahead of next electionToday, the UK government announced its plans to lower the voting age to 16 in time for the next general election. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said young people who "pay in" to the system should have the opportunity to say what they want their money spent on. Leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, said he didn't support lowering the voting age to 16 "even though we get lots of votes". And Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney said changing the minimum voting age to 16 was a "no-brainer". But it could be some time before these proposals become law, as they will need to be scrutinised in Parliament first.

‌In recent days, it has been revealed that a report has upheld 45 allegations against MasterChef host Gregg Wallace. ‌There was also one allegation upheld against his co-host John Torode, for racism—something he denies and says he was “shocked and saddened” to hear. John Torode was made an MBE in 2022 (Image: Pool, Getty Images )A BBC spokesperson has made the following statement: “John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him." John Torode denies the allegation. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”

SynopsisIndia and the UK are poised to sign a Free Trade Agreement next week, aiming to significantly enhance trade and investment ties. The agreement, finalized on May 6, will eliminate tariffs on key exports like leather and clothing, while reducing the cost of British whisky and cars.

This is representative AI image. How FTAs Make Your Chocolate Sweeter & Whisky Cheaper? All You Need to Know About Free TradeNEW DELHI: India and the UK are likely to sign the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) next week, according to officials. "The process of legal scrubbing of the FTA text is going on. The two countries announced the conclusion of the negotiations on May 6.

A general view of the Old Trafford Football Stadium - home of Manchester United in Manchester. (TimesofIndia.com)TimesofIndia.com in Manchester:A plaque outside the Old Trafford Football Stadium remembering those who died in the Munich Air Disaster. (TimesofIndia.com)With the football season yet to get underway, The Trafford pub in Manchester wore a deserted look. (TimesofIndia.com)Over the next 10-odd days, focus will be on the Old Trafford Cricket Ground as England host India in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. "Oh you wanted to go to the other Old Trafford?," chuckled Phil, who is a security guard at the Old Trafford football ground.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suspended several lawmakers on Wednesday as he tried to reassert his authority over his ruling Labour party following a rebellion over welfare reforms. All four voted against the welfare reforms on July 1 after Starmer made his authority-sapping climbdown to avoid a humiliating defeat in parliament. Starmer has endured a difficult first year in power and has made several damaging U-turns in recent weeks. Political scientist Steven Fielding said the purge was a bid by Starmer to reinforce party discipline. Labour now trails Eurosceptic Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform UK party in many national polls, although the next election is likely four years away.

England now know their path to the Euro 2025 final in Basel, and the Lionesses have actually landed on the opposite side of the draw as world champions Spain and cannot play the tournament favourites until the final. Who do England play next? After going through as Group D runners-up, England will play the winners of Group C, Sweden. There is a score to settle for Sweden, too, after England thrashed them 4-0 in the semi-finals of Euro 2022. Should England win their quarter-final they will play Italy in what appears to be a far more winnable semi-final.

Judge Lambert said that after being convicted, both men admitted to probation officers that they had been “present and involved” in the episode but still tried to minimize their culpability. Mr. Carruthers said that he was the person who chopped down the tree but that he had “no idea why” and “could offer no explanation” after drinking a bottle of whiskey on the night, the judge said. Mr. Graham admitted that he had driven to the site and filmed the felling but “tried to heap as much blame as possible” on his friend and claimed that he thought the plan was a “fantasy” that Mr. Carruthers would not go through with. Judge Lambert said that she did not accept their claims as being “wholly honest or the whole story,” adding that elements were “not plausible” in light of the events. The judge said that it was still not possible to know the full reasons for the tree’s being felled, but that carrying out the action at night and in the middle of a storm “gave some sort of thrill” to both men, as did the media coverage.

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The experts at The Times have come up with a list of the UK’s best spots for seaside fish and chips. This isn't the first time the Benllech-based chippy has been amongst the UK's best as part of the National Fish and Chip Awards. The Anglesey-based fish and chip shop has been described by visitors as "the best", "10/10" and "a must visit when in North Wales". Les and Rita’s Fish BarLes and Rita's Fish Bar first opened in Rhyl around 55 years ago, and the "modern art" on the walls "does little to change the impression that you’ve gone back to the Swinging Sixties". Where is your favourite seaside fish and chip shop in North Wales?

It benefits from some added creature comforts, including a gym, sauna, snooker room, yoga studio and tennis court, and a heated outdoor pool. Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 12 from £4,995 (premiercottages.co.uk)2. Details Seven nights’ self-catering for seven from £4,725 (nationaltrust.org.uk)4. Details Seven nights’ self-catering for eight from £4,126 (luxurycottages.com), with good availability in August and September. Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 16 from £7,050 (boltholeretreats.co.uk)11.

The New York Times is revamping its lineup of arts and entertainment critics — replacing four of the paper’s TV, music and theater critics, who are being offered “new roles,” according to an internal memo obtained by Variety. The quartet of Times critics — television critic Margaret Lyons, music critic Jon Pareles, theater critic Jesse Green and classical music critic Zach Woolfe — will “be taking on new roles, and we will be conducting a search for critics on their beats in the weeks to come,” New York Times culture editor Sia Michel wrote in a memo to staffers on Tuesday afternoon. Michel joined the Times in 2007 as pop music editor before being promoted to editor of Arts & Leisure. In 2018, she became deputy culture editor and was elevated to her current role in 2023. Green has been the Times’ theater critic since 2017 and “has championed important theater from Broadway and beyond with his incisive, witty reviews,” per the memo.

UK government was forced to act after the breach revealed the names of Afghans who had helped British forces in Afghanistan before they withdrew (Picture credit: AP)LONDON: Britain set up a secret scheme to relocate thousands of Afghans to the UK after a soldier accidentally disclosed the personal details of more than 33,000 people, putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban, court documents showed on Tuesday.A judge at London’s high court said in a May 2024 judgment first made public Tuesday that about 20,000 people may have to be offered relocation to Britain, a move that would likely cost “several billion pounds”.Britain’s current defence minister John Healey said that around 4,500 affected people “are in Britain or in transit ... at a cost of around 400 million pounds”.The government is also facing lawsuits from those affected by the breach. A ministry of defence-commissioned review of the breach, a summary of which was also published Tuesday, said more than 16,000 affected people had been relocated to the UK as of May this year.The government was forced to act after the breach revealed the names of Afghans who had helped British forces in Afghanistan before they withdrew from the country in chaotic circumstances in 2021. The details emerged on Tuesday after a legal ruling known as a superinjunction was lifted.The injunction had been granted in 2023 after the MoD argued a public disclosure of the breach could put people at risk of extra-judicial killing or serious violence by the Taliban.The dataset contained personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to be relocated to Britain and their families. It was released in error in early 2022, before the MoD spotted the breach in Aug 2023, when part of the dataset was published on Facebook.The former Conservative government obtained the injunction the following month.REUTERS