As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver the Budget, ordinary Britons are voicing clear and varied priorities.From housing taxes to care for disabled people, voters across incomes have specific asks they want reflected in government plans.Wesley Thorne, 52, and his wife Toni run a sweets business near Bristol and say moving into a larger home is out of reach because stamp duty could tack...

Serbia's president has firmly denied claims that he took part in so-called "sniper tourism" during the siege of Sarajevo, calling the accusations false and defamatory.Aleksandar Vučić addressed the matter at a UK–Western Balkans business conference in Belgrade, saying he never harmed anyone and has never used a sniper rifle.He added that a photograph cited by critics actually shows him...

Air traffic around Eindhoven was suspended on Saturday after unidentified drones were reported near the airport, disrupting flights for several hours.Authorities first noticed the devices late Friday over Volkel air base, where attempts were made to shoot them down but the drones escaped capture.Following further sightings the next day, officials closed the airspace until about 23:00 local time...

When Keira’s daughter arrived last November she had only a couple of hours with her mother before being placed in foster care.The 39-year-old describes the moment as devastating and now visits her baby for one hour a week, bringing Greenlandic food and small reminders of home.Keira is one of many Greenlandic parents living on the Danish mainland who say their children were removed after...

Samir Shah, chair of the BBC, told MPs he intends to remain in post and tackle the problems exposed by the Panorama edit of a Donald Trump speech.Apologising for mistakes and their effects, Shah said his priority is to stabilise the corporation and lead a programme of fixes rather than step aside.The row began after a leaked internal memo from former editorial adviser Michael Prescott warned of...

When 23-year-old Aishat Baimuradova left Chechnya earlier this year she hoped to build a life away from strict family controls and public scrutiny. Friends say she adopted a more modern appearance — shortening her hair, abandoning the headscarf and even altering an eyebrow — and began sharing candid photos online, telling people she finally felt able to breathe. In October, Armenian police...

Albania's prime minister has accused the UK Home Secretary of ethnic stereotyping after she highlighted Albanian families while unveiling major changes to Britain's asylum system. Shabana Mahmood told MPs that roughly 700 Albanian families were living in taxpayer-funded accommodation despite having had their asylum claims refused, and argued the government must remove people who have no right...

Air traffic over the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven was suspended after unidentified drones were seen in the vicinity of the main airport and a nearby military base. The first sightings occurred late on Friday above Volkel Air Base, where personnel even fired on the devices in an attempt to bring them down, but the drones were not recovered. Additional activity close to Eindhoven Airport on...

War is never inevitable, but understanding risk is crucial for peace. Asia and the Middle East — two regions rich in history, culture, and energy — are also burdened with unresolved tensions, strategic rivalries, and deep-rooted conflicts. Below are 10 informed guesses about where future wars might emerge in these regions — if diplomacy and cooperation fall short. 1. 🇮🇱🇮🇷...

By ChatGPT, your friendly digital fortune tellerWhat does the future hold? No one can say for sure, but patterns, science, and human ambition give us some strong clues. As an AI trained on a mountain of human knowledge and trends, I’ve developed a few ideas about where things might be going — some exciting, some alarming, and all worth thinking about.So here are 10 bold guesses about the...