Alan Titchmarsh has admitted he is downsizing from his £4million home because he is 'knocking on a bit' and worries he won't be able to look after its huge garden.

The Paris-based body forecast that growth of 1.4 per cent this year would fall to an even more sluggish 1.2 per cent in 2026.

Russia's State Duma has ratified a major military logistics pact with India, the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistic Support (RELOS). This agreement allows both nations' military forces to utilize each other's facilities for joint exercises, humanitarian operations, and disaster relief, strengthening their strategic partnership ahead of President Putin's visit.

The new Prime Minister's Office complex, formerly 'Executive Enclave', will now be called 'Seva Teerth' to reflect a spirit of service over power. This renaming aligns with a broader shift in public institutions, moving from 'satta' (power) to 'seva' (service) and emphasizing duty and transparency in governance.

India has achieved a significant milestone in indigenous defence capabilities with a successful high-speed rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft escape system. This dynamic trial, conducted by DRDO, validated canopy severance, ejection sequencing, and aircrew recovery, placing India among nations with advanced in-house testing. The test simulated real-life conditions, marking a step towards self-reliance in defence.

Karnataka's chief ministerial post remains undecided as Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar's «breakfast diplomacy» yields no timeline from the party high command. Both leaders project unity, calling for a peaceful settlement amidst ongoing speculation. Siddaramaiah's cryptic «politics is not permanent» comment further fuels discussions about a potential leadership change.

Defense minister Rajnath Singh highlighted Operation Sindoor as a firm response to those ignoring peace, drawing parallels with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's decisive leadership. He praised the armed forces and emphasized the government's commitment to Patel's vision of a united India, citing Article 370's abrogation and strengthened indigenous defence capabilities.

Amid growing concerns about wealth concentration and fiscal strain, debates on the taxation of high-net-worth individuals have intensified in (international) taxation forums. The European Parliament's Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC) is due to hold a public hearing on this topic on 11 December 2025. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The explanatory note says that the agreement will streamline not only the dispatch of troops and equipment, but also their logistics

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian Special Presidential Envoy on Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Kirill Dmitriev earlier had lunch together ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin

Abdullah Agar believes that Turkish authorities apparently formulated their position in light of the attacks on ships in the Black Sea in line with «the need to stay away from these dangerous events»

The top Russian diplomat specified that «the relevant departments of the Russian government's economic bloc are dealing with issues related to strengthening our cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, as well as in the humanitarian sphere»

Sergey Yurchenko said the Ukrainian army position in the Zaporozhye area is deteriorating daily

Hegseth, who is under pressure over his order to kill the entire crew of a suspected smuggling vessel, shared a doctored image of the well-known children’s book on social media.

The surprisingly competitive race in Tennessee’s ruby-red 7th Congressional District is a high-profile test of voters’ attitudes about the president’s agenda.

Le Secrétariat Technique Permanent de l'Initiative pour la Transparence dans les Industries Extractives (ITIE) a ouvert, ce mardi 02 décembre à Libreville, un atelier de renforcement des capacités et de consultation des parties prenantes, consacré à l'accélération des réformes structurelles dans le secteur extractif. Cette rencontre, organisée du 2 au 5 décembre, intervient après la première validation ITIE du pays, obtenue en janvier 2025 avec un score de 73,5/100, marquant une mise en (...) - ECONOMIE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

The proposal for a Global Europe instrument is included in the post-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) package, which aims to be simpler than previous regulations and to provide additional flexibility (over and above MFF ceilings). The new instrument merges the Neighbourhood, Development, International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe; the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, humanitarian aid; the Ukraine Facility, the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans; and the Reform and Growth Facility for Moldova. The impact assessment (IA) focuses on the six corresponding regulations. It falls under the Better Regulation Tool #9 (special case of preparing a new MFF); the scope and depth of analysis are therefore different compared with a non-MFF IA. Although the IA provides an intervention logic and defines the drivers, the problem definition remains vague and unclear. Moreover, the interlinks with objectives and drivers are not detailed in the intervention logic. In accordance with the Better Regulation Requirements, the IA assesses the expected economic, social and environmental impacts for the three policy options. It also compares and rates them against the Better Regulation criteria of effectiveness, efficiency and coherence. Proportionality and subsidiarity are not assessed in the IA, not even in the policy options. In terms of monitoring and evaluation, the IA is limited on data collection methods and on how progress will be measured. The evidence from previous evaluations could have been better integrated in the IA and be used to provide quantitative estimates. The Regulatory Scrutiny Board decided to issue an opinion without qualification given the lack of fundamental elements in this IA. The legislative proposal is aligned with the IA's preferred option. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Energy drinks, widely marketed as performance-enhancing products, contain high levels of caffeine, sugar and stimulants such as taurine and guarana. Rising and excessive consumption among adolescents has raised public health concerns linked to acute cardiovascular effects, sleep disruption and gastrointestinal issues. Although the global energy drink market is expanding rapidly, these beverages still represent a small share of the EU non-alcoholic drinks market. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) consumption data indicate that adolescents are the age group with the highest consumption of energy drinks, with some of them being high chronic users. At EU level, no product-specific legislation exists. However, Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 requires a mandatory high-caffeine warning label. Industry bodies such as UNESDA (representing the non-alcoholic beverages sector) and Energy Drinks Europe apply voluntary marketing restrictions, particularly concerning children. National rules vary widely. Several EU countries – including Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria – have introduced bans on sales to minors, while others rely on voluntary retail measures. Outside the EU, diverse regulatory models exist, from strict bans to voluntary guidelines. The European Commission considers EFSA's 2015 scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine sufficient and sees no need for additional EU-level action at this stage. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

According to Eurostat, EU research and development expenditure relative to GDP stood at 2.26 % in 2023, while in comparison it stood respectively at 3.59 % in the United States, and 2.56 % in China (2022). In his 2024 report on the future of European Competitiveness, Mario Draghi identified this gap as one of the root causes of the EU's lack of competitiveness. Against this backdrop, the proposed 10th EU framework programme for research and innovation should help to preserve EU research and innovation ecosystem excellence in producing world-class scientific knowledge, while improving the capacity to exploit such knowledge, in particular by scaling-up innovative technologies and solutions. While the programme's architecture is apparently a continuation of the current 2021-2027 Horizon Europe programme, the creation of a European competitiveness fund creates a specific set of rules and governance that will apply to a substantial part of Horizon collaborative research activities. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Heavy rains caused a tree branch to snap and fall onto a car at Lavender Street on Tuesday (Dec 2).The incident occurred at 12pm, according to a post on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page, which included photos of the car.In the pictures, a white Toyota Sienta is seen sandwiched beneath a large tree branch, though it appears to be undamaged. Smaller branches are also seen littering the road around the car.The National Parks Board (NParks) confirmed the incident and said that the Angsana tree branch had snapped during a period of heavy rain and strong winds brought about by a Sumatra squall, in response to queries from the Straits Times.According to the Meteorological Service Singapore, a Sumatra squall is a line of thunderstorms that originate over Indonesia's Sumatra island that typically move towards Singapore and the surrounding region under the influence of southwesterly or westerly winds.NParks said that no injuries were reported and that the road obstruction was cleared at around 1pm.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also told Straits Times it did not receive a call for assistance over the incident.

Federica Mogherini has reportedly been taken into custody by Belgian police as part of a probe into alleged misuse of EU funds Read Full Article at RT.com

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Putin and PM Modi will discuss the joint production of the warplane Read Full Article at RT.com

Airbus has confirmed a limited A320 panel quality issue and said inspections are underway after reports of delivery delays Read Full Article at RT.com

RT India will officially launch its TV broadcast from a state-of-the-art media studio in Delhi Read Full Article at RT.com

Namibian politician Adolf Hitler has moved to change his name, saying it is causing confusion and unwanted associations Read Full Article at RT.com

Ellen DeGeneres and her actress wife Portia De Rossi bought the seven-bedroom Kitesbridge Farm estate in Oxfordshire for £15million in June 2024 before moving in that November.

Technical investigators from the Capital Area Police were still on the scene yesterday after a report of a death in a small apartment building in Kópavogur on Sunday. The man who died was around forty years old and, according to Morgunblaðið’s sources, of Portuguese origin.

TEHRAN – Tehran will play host to the first international artificial intelligence (AI) exhibition, known as AIX Expo, which is scheduled to be held from January 12 to 15, 2026, at Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds.