The Cook Islands says it has signed a deal to expand relations with China, stressing that the accord does not impinge on ties with former colonial power New Zealand. Prime minister Mark Brown said he signed an “action plan for the comprehensive strategic partnership” with Chinese premier Li Qiang in the northern city of Harbin…
Britain’s poorest households are paying an increasing share of their income on council tax, according to new analysis that likened it to the poll tax that contributed to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher. The poorest fifth of households paid 4.8% of their income on council tax in England, Wales and Scotland and on domestic rates…
A New Zealand tourism campaign targeting Australian visitors has been ridiculed for sounding like a clearance sale slogan and for being tone-deaf amid widespread public service job cuts and record numbers of New Zealanders moving overseas. The government launched its “Everyone must go!” campaign on Sunday, in a bid to encourage Australian holiday-makers to visit…
Keir Starmer has said he is prepared to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia, acknowledging it could put troops “in harm’s way” if Vladimir Putin launches another attack. It is understood to be the first time the prime minister has explicitly stated…
Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard has thanked his lead actor, Karla Sofía Gascón, during an acceptance speech at the Baftas – following weeks of controversy surrounding her bigoted social media posts. Emilia Pérez beat out four other films in the best film not in the English language category: Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light,…
The UK will have warmer weather this week and sunshine in a number of areas on Monday, forecasters have said. After snow and torrential rain in parts of the country over the weekend, rising temperatures will bring a welcome respite. Temperatures could reach 13C (55F) or 14C by the middle of the week, well above…
The family of Martin Luther King Jr has expressed concern over Donald Trump’s executive order to release records surrounding the civil rights leader’s assassination, saying the president’s mandate could revive efforts to discredit the revered activist with the public. Speaking to Axios, a friend of the King family said: “We know J Edgar Hoover tried…
The UK’s elections system needs a fundamental overhaul including weekend voting and a cut in the number of polling stations, the group representing electoral officials has said. Years of changes in everything from postal voting to mandatory ID, with more reforms planned, has involved “bolting 21st century voter expectations on to 19th century infrastructure”, the…
The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has called on ministers to act “more promptly” than they did to help free his wife, after Iran detained a British couple on a motorcycle trip. Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife was freed in 2022 after five years in a Tehran prison, expressed fears that the couple would now face the…
The FBI and the US Department of Justice have joined the investigation into the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, and are reported to be helping UK police recover his deleted internet search history. Rudakubana, 18, was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January for murdering three young girls and attempting to murder eight others…
