Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with the US asking Nato countries to spend more on defence, is the backdrop to today’s strategic defence review. The measures in the report are wide-ranging – from better housing for armed forces to building up to 12 attack submarines. Our analysis shows that to meet all the goals of making the UK’s armed forces ready for war, more money will be needed. John Healey says a defence investment plan, described as a new investment framework, will be published in the autumn. You can read his analysis, check out all the key points of the strategy defence review, or read our full news piece.

Act now to keep your subscriptionWe've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.

Representative photo (AP)Summer drought riskLONDON: The UK experienced its warmest spring on record, and its driest in more than 50 years, the country's official weather service said on Monday.Temperatures for the season have been frequently elevated this century, according to the data from the Met Office, which said: "Eight of the 10 warmest UK springs have occurred since the year 2000. "The data "clearly shows that recent decades have been warmer, sunnier, and often drier than the 20th century average," said Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle.The Met Office said provisional temperatures registered between March and May this year averaged 9.51 degrees Celsius (49.1 degrees Fahrenheit).That beat the last record, set in last year's spring, when the average was 9.37 degrees.The next warmest springs were in 2011, 2014 and 2007, according to the Met Office which has been recording temperature data since 1884.This year, the 128.2 millimetres (five inches) of rainfall recorded across the UK during the season was "approximately 40 percent below the long-term average and still the driest spring in more than 50 years", it said. "England was particularly dry, experiencing its driest spring in more than 100 years, beaten only by 1893," it added.The Met Office's Carlisle said: "The UK's climate continues to change. What's particularly notable about spring 2025 is the combination of record warmth and sunshine, alongside very low rainfall. ""This spring shows some of the changes we're seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions, including prolonged dry, sunny weather, becoming more frequent," she said.The recent weather's dominant feature had been the persistent high-pressure systems, often coming from the Azores or mainland Europe.These had lingered over the UK since late February and blocked the usual flow of Atlantic weather fronts, allowing high pressure to dominate, the Met Office said.Last month, the Environment Agency (EA) called a meeting of its national drought group after it said levels in reservoirs were "exceptionally low".In the meeting, the EA's deputy water director, Richard Thompson warned that "changing climate means we will see more summer droughts in the coming decades".The agency added that, while there was no official drought yet, there was a "medium risk" of a summer drought without sustained rainfall.The UK government has said it would step in to fast-track the building of two new reservoirs.According to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, no new water reservoirs have been built since 1992.Scientists warn that extreme and fluctuating weather events are becoming increasingly common as planet-heating fossil fuel emissions keep rising.

Ukraine’s drone attacks on airfields deep inside Russia on Sunday were strategic and symbolic blows that military analysts said were designed to slow Moscow’s bombing campaign and demonstrate that Kyiv can still raise the cost of war for the Kremlin. After more than a year of planning, Ukraine was able to plant drones on Russian soil, just miles away from military bases. Then in a coordinated operation on Sunday, Ukrainian drones attacked five different regions in Russia. The operation on Sunday, along with extensive bombardments on Ukrainian cities by Moscow, also complicate ongoing efforts for diplomacy. Delegations from both sides met Monday for peace talks in Istanbul, with no breakthrough on a cease-fire announced.

The UK has announced a major shake-up of flight paths, intended to reduce pollution, make way for flying taxis and speed up journeys. New laws were set out today to enable the largest redesign of UK airspace since it was first formed in the 1950s, when there were around 200,000 flights per year, compared to 2.7 million in 2024. The new UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) will be fully operational by the end of 2025. Decades of flight from HeathrowHeathrow Airport in London, the UK's busiest, has been a travel hub for decades. Last year, easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, said inefficient use of airspace contributes to increases in fuel consumption, carbon emissions and flight times.

Act now to keep your subscriptionWe've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.

But is this true for mocking members of the Royal Family on television? Prince Harry and Meghan are no strangers to criticism. Animated TV show The Prince, with its cast including Sophie Turner and Orlando Bloom, mocked the couple's job prospects in 2021. 'I'll go it alone, just like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry,' he says. But William, Harry, Kate and King Charles were all more popular than Meghan - the only US citizen on the list.

2 June 2025: Anna Mikhailova has been appointed to the role of Political Editor of Times Radio. She is a frequent contributor across TV and radio, and has been a regular guest on Times Radio. Times Radio Programme Director, Tim Levell, said: “We are thoroughly delighted that Anna is joining Times Radio. As we continue to grow, Anna will ensure that Times Radio is the place to be for the best and most authoritative political news and analysis.”Anna Mikhailova said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Times Radio as its Political Editor during such an interesting and fast-moving time in Westminster. Times Radio also attracts the highest proportion of ABC1 listeners of any commercial speech radio station, cementing it as the destination for hard-to-reach quality news audiences.

Anna Mikhailova. Picture: Times Radio/News UKMail on Sunday deputy political editor Anna Mikhailova has been appointed political editor of Times Radio. She leaves the Mail on Sunday after five years at the title and was previously deputy political editor of the Daily Telegraph. Times Radio programme director Tim Levell said: “Anna has a brilliant track record in breaking exclusive political stories. Kate McCann was previously political editor of Times Radio and continues to work for the station as co-host of the breakfast show with Stig Abell.

Tightening immigration laws, unpredictable visa rules, and rising tuition costs have made many students reconsider the value of studying there, according to a report by The Times of India. A notable example came when the Trump administration moved to revoke Harvard University ’s license to host foreign students. ICEF Monitor notes that foreign students previously made up 2.5% of the Canadian population. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)Japan, where the population of 18-year-olds has nearly halved in 30 years, aims to host 400,000 international students by 2033, according to The Hechinger Report. Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia are also expanding their reach in the international education market.India has announced plans to attract 500,000 foreign students by 2047.

THE BRITISH cities with the worst availability and speed of electric vehicle charging have been revealed in new research. Researchers looked at the number of charging points per 10,000 people within a five mile radius of city centres. Ripon was the city with the highest number of chargers per 100,000 at 63.1 - far ahead of second placed Salisbury at 43.7. Leicester is the city found to have the slowest EV charging times - taking an average of 8.25 hours to get to half charge. Their report adds: "Making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV) should be an exciting step towards greener, more sustainable driving.

Labour also promised it in two consecutive manifestos.The federation insists the inquiry must investigate both UK involvement in the Indian military operation and anti-Sikh actions in Britain during Margaret Thatcher’s tenure. It plans to contact every MP individually, asking them to confirm written support for a judge-led inquiry by July-end.The letter warns Starmer that failing to act “could have massive consequences for the re-election of many Labour MPs”, citing rising support for Reform UK and independent candidates. “The papers released prove training and equipment was secretly provided by Britain before the Indian army assault in June 1984,” the letter says. “In addition, counter-insurgency training and equipment were provided to Indian army and police to deal with the Sikh uprising that followed the massacre. We are confident a judge-led public inquiry will prove the UK involvement had a massive rather than limited impact.

Act now to keep your subscriptionWe've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.

Protests previously broke out over NHS workers being forced to have Covid jabsFrontline NHS staff are reportedly refusing the simple flu jab with almost nine in 10 at one of England's largest hospital trusts left unvaccinated last winter. During the Covid pandemic the government fought a running battle with medical unions over mandatory Covid vaccines for all frontline nurses, doctors and workers in healthcare settings. One senior consultant at Barts Health Trust, who had the jab, told The Times they were shocked at the low percentage of staff getting jabbed. A person receives a Covid vaccine injectionOverall across the NHS uptake of the flu vaccine has plummeted to 35%, the lowest take-up for 15 years. "A lot of people were kind of bullied, almost, in a positive sense, to get the first Covid dose in the UK.

Instead, Verstappen dropped from fifth to tenth, costing him nine points in the F1 world championship, received three penalty points on his FIA superlicence and will live to fight another day. “It seems completely unnecessary.”Verstappen’s response: “I’ll bring some tissues next time.”This is not the first time the red mist has descended on the four-time F1 world champion. His accruing of 11 penalty points in the past 12 months is evidence of that. A necessary evil, Verstappen’s self-destructiveness goes hand-in-hand with his generational genius. Given he was arguably fortunate to escape penalty points in Saudi Arabia and Miami earlier this year, Verstappen is lucky to have not accumulated a race-ban-worthy 12 penalty points already.