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...

A Warsaw judge has ruled that Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin may be handed over to Ukraine to face criminal charges, a decision his team says it will challenge in appeal.Judge Dariusz Łubowski's finding does not end the case — Poland's justice minister must make the final call on extradition if the ruling stands.Butyagin, a senior researcher at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg,...

Money expert Martin Lewis has apologised after a breathless turn on his ITV programme, saying there was simply too much to cover in the slot and he hoped viewers still found something useful.He thanked former Labour leader Ed Miliband for joining the show to discuss the government’s home heating oil plan, and acknowledged his delivery felt hurried as the programme ran long.Lewis also warned...

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...

Russian sources say President Vladimir Putin has increasingly been spending nights inside the Kremlin amid heightened concerns for his personal security.The claims come from the Telegram channel VChK-OGPU and the Rucriminal website, both of which cover security-service developments in Russia.Those outlets report that mobile internet access has been restricted across Moscow amid fears that...

Islanders are up in arms after Rome ordered hundreds of high-security mafia prisoners to be moved to Sardinian jails.The measure, part of a wider plan to concentrate 750 of Italy’s most dangerous offenders in a small number of facilities, has sparked widespread protests.Under the proposal, roughly a third of those inmates would be transferred to three prisons on the island, including one in the...

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned that Moscow does not appear ready to pursue genuine negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, describing the conflict as unpredictable and hazardous.She made the remarks in Strasbourg as EU lawmakers met to discuss the crisis.Von der Leyen argued that any meaningful settlement will require strong security arrangements to deter future...

President Emmanuel Macron will this week set out plans for a revamped national service intended to swell the ranks of France’s armed forces.The outline remains limited, but French media report the scheme would be voluntary, last about ten months and include pay of roughly €900–€1,000 per month for participants.Macron has been careful to stress that the program is not about sending young...

Survivors who fled northern Mali say Russian-linked mercenaries carried out summary killings, brutal interrogations and other abuses as part of counter-insurgency operations, forcing thousands to escape across the border.One man, who is now in a refugee camp in Mauritania, described being seized in the town of Nampala last August and subjected to repeated water torture and threats after fighters...

Dan Driscoll, the 39-year-old army secretary often nicknamed President Trump’s “drone guy,” has emerged unexpectedly as a key player in recent U.S.efforts to shape a peace process for the Russia-Ukraine war.A relative newcomer to diplomacy, Driscoll is the youngest person to hold the army secretary post. He has built a reputation inside the administration for pushing new battlefield...