Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to confirm whether he personally discussed Lord Peter Mandelson's ties to Jeffrey Epstein before naming him UK ambassador to the United States.During Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pressed Mr Starmer repeatedly on whether he had phoned or met Lord Mandelson to raise concerns about the convicted sex offender prior to the...

Prosecutors have asked a Norwegian court to hand Marius Borg Høiby a prison term of seven years and seven months, saying he should be convicted on 39 of 40 charges brought against him.Høiby, 29, faces four counts of rape and a charge of serious assault among a wider slate of accusations.He denies the most serious allegations, saying sexual encounters with the four women were consensual. The...

Health officials are investigating an outbreak of meningococcal disease in Kent after two young people died and others remain seriously ill.The issue was raised during Prime Minister's Questions, where Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer expressed sympathy for the families and said public health teams are tracing close contacts, distributing antibiotics and preparing a targeted vaccination...

A Norwegian prosecutor has asked a court in Oslo to sentence Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, to seven years and seven months in prison.Høiby faces 40 counts including the alleged sexual assault of four women, domestic violence and other offences.Investigators say some of the alleged incidents happened while the women were asleep or unconscious. He has denied the four...

The Confederation of African Football has overturned Senegal's 2025 Africa Cup of Nations triumph, awarding the championship to Morocco after ruling that Senegal forfeited the final.Senegal won the match on the field in January after a dramatic finish: a stoppage‑time penalty was awarded to Morocco, Senegal's players briefly walked off in protest, returned after about 17 minutes, the penalty...

Belgium is preparing for widespread disruption this week as unions launch a three-day national strike aimed at protest­ing government austerity plans.Key public services and transport links are expected to be hit, with airports among the worst affected.The industrial action responds to a package of reforms from Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s centre-right coalition that aim to cut the budget...

Italy’s parliament has approved a new law that treats the gender-motivated killing of women as a separate offence punishable by life imprisonment.The vote, held on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, passed unanimously with all 237 deputies backing the measure.The bill was proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and received support from both the government...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will set out her Budget in the House of Commons around 12:30 GMT, facing pressure to find extra revenue while promising investment to cut NHS waiting lists and tackle the cost of living.She has flagged that tough but fair decisions are needed to reduce national debt and drive growth, with an immediate response from opposition leader Kemi Badenoch expected after the...

Senior US officials are pressing the European Union to rethink its rules for major tech firms as part of talks over steel and aluminium tariffs in Brussels.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Europe should make its digital regulations more welcoming to American tech companies if it wants lower US duties on metals.The comments come during negotiations to follow up on a trade framework agreed in...

Belgium is preparing for widespread disruption this week as unions launch a three-day national strike that will culminate in a full general stoppage on Wednesday.The action is aimed at government plans to cut public spending by overhauling labour rules and reshaping unemployment and pension systems.The industrial action begins with transport on Monday, when national rail operator SNCB expected to...