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Paul Kirby Europe digital editor RALF HIRSCHBERGER/AFP Friedrich Merz hopes to form a new government by late April Friedrich Merz, who’s expected to become Germany’s next chancellor, has announced a political deal to raise hundreds of billions of euros in extra spending on defence and infrastructure. “In view of the threats to our freedom and … Read more

US actor Jesse Eisenberg has been awarded Polish citizenship by President Andrzej Duda, after telling the story of the Jewish population during World War Two in his Oscar-winning film A Real Pain. Eisenberg wrote, directed and starred in the film, about two American cousins who travel to Poland to honour their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, … Read more

For 30 miles we bounce along a dirt road in southwestern Wyoming, heading toward a jagged skyline. It’s early September and the aspens are starting to turn yellow. As we climb toward the mountains, the air grows colder. Soon the road will see snowfall. Jeff Munroe, a professor of geology at Middlebury College in Vermont, … Read more

AIB, one of Ireland’s two main banks, made a record pre-tax profit of €2.7bn (£2.2bn) in 2024, up 13% on the previous year. The Irish state continues to own a 12% stake in the bank as a legacy of a bail-out during the financial crisis. The bank’s chief executive, Colin Hunt, said there was now … Read more

It’s the first night of the Rodeo in Houston, Texas – usually an unmissable event in the city. But gathered at an Irish pub in the suburbs of the city are a group of young Republicans who don’t want to miss President Donald Trump’s prime-time address to Congress. About a dozen members of the party … Read more

A British man detained in India for six years without trial over a high-profile corruption case must be released on bail, the Delhi High Court has ruled. Christian James Michel, an arms consultant, is accused of bribing Indian officials to win a multimillion-dollar helicopter contract for British-Italian defence company AgustaWestland. He denies the charge. He … Read more

Steve Smith has retired from one-day international cricket following Australia’s semi-final exit from the Champions Trophy. The 35-year-old made 170 appearances for Australia in his 50-over career, hitting 12 centuries and winning the ODI World Cup in 2015 and 2023. Smith captained the side in Pat Cummins’ absence during his final ODI appearance on Tuesday, … Read more

The first 29 of an estimated 2,000 children in need of medical treatment have arrived in Jordan from Gaza. Among the evacuees are war wounded and children suffering from diseases like cancer and rare blood conditions. Among them is six-month-old Niveen Abu Daqqa, who has a heart condition, and her mother Enas – she left … Read more

Six weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump came to a US Capitol controlled by his Republican Party to take a lengthy victory lap. “We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years, and we are just getting started,” he told the joint session of Congress. In typical … Read more

Harriet Orrell BBC World Service Getty Images The Malian military is struggling to combat islamist insurgents in the Sahel The Sahel region of Africa is the “epicentre of global terrorism” and now, for the first time, accounts for “over half of all terrorism-related deaths”, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI). Its new report says … Read more