France's Socialist incumbents held onto the country's four biggest cities — Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Lille — in local elections that offered a boost to established parties ahead of next year's presidential contest.The results suggested a retreat from political extremes in many urban centres, even as the far left and far right made selective advances in other areas.Parties across the...

The Irish government has announced a temporary cut to fuel excise duties to ease pressure from a recent spike in pump prices linked to conflict in the Middle East.From midnight on Wednesday until the end of May, excise on diesel will be lowered by 20 cent per litre and petrol by 15 cent per litre.Cabinet will consider the measures on Tuesday after they were agreed at a leaders' meeting earlier...

A bitter disagreement over the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline has stalled a vital €90bn EU loan to Ukraine and laid bare how a single member state can disrupt bloc decisions.No crude has passed from Russia through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia since a Russian strike hit the Brody pumping station in western Ukraine on 27 January.Satellite imagery and on-the-ground reports show a massive storage...

France’s Socialist-led administrations kept control of the country’s four biggest cities — Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Lille — in local elections that offered a boost to established parties ahead of next year’s presidential vote.The night also saw gains for both the far left and far right, with notable wins for a Le Pen ally in Nice and for France Unbowed (LFI) in Roubaix, underscoring a...

A bitter dispute over repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline has blocked a vital €90bn EU loan to Kyiv.The row pits Hungary and Slovakia against Ukraine after a Russian strike damaged the Brody pumping station on 27 January and stopped all flows.Satellite images and local reporting show a giant storage tank at Brody — one of Ukraine’s largest — burned for days after the attack. Engineers...

Dame Jenni Murray, the broadcaster best known for presenting BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, has died at the age of 75.She led the programme for more than three decades and left in 2020 as its longest-serving host.Murray joined Woman’s Hour in 1987 and became famous for sharp, revealing interviews with a wide range of public figures. Her guests included political leaders and cultural icons,...

Hungary's decision to block a €90bn EU loan for Ukraine has provoked sharp criticism from fellow European leaders and exposed deep divisions ahead of next month's Hungarian elections.After a tense summit in Brussels, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán refused to lift his veto, posting on X: "No oil = no money." He linked his move to a dispute over a damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline that...

Health authorities have widened a meningitis B (MenB) vaccination campaign after an outbreak linked to a Canterbury nightclub, prompting long lines of university students seeking protection.The UK Health Security Agency now says anyone who visited Club Chemistry between 5 and 15 March is eligible for a jab.The offer has also been extended to sixth form pupils in affected areas and to people who...

Outlander returns with episode three of season eight, titled Abies Fraseri, following last week's dramatic instalment that featured Caitríona Balfe's debut as director and a shocking character death.UK viewers can stream the new episode on MGM+ via Prime Video on Saturday, March 21.While the platform has not published an exact minute-by-minute schedule, the episode is expected to arrive just...

A rare public health alert has been issued after a fast-moving meningitis outbreak in Kent that has so far left two young people dead and prompted targeted vaccinations at local universities.Health authorities say there have been around 20 confirmed or suspected cases linked to an incident that appears to have originated at a nightclub in Canterbury.Officials describe the cluster’s rapid spread...