Starmer welcomes Zelenskyy’s offer to work with Trump on Ukraine peace deal – as it happened

PM says any deal must be ‘lasting and secure’ following fiery Trump-Zelenskyy meeting last week and UK weekend summit. This live blog is closed

Lisa O’Carroll is the Guardian’s acting Ireland correspondent.

Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s first minister, has described a decision to build thousands of lightweight missiles for Ukraine in a Belfast factory as “incredulous”.

I find it really incredulous that at a time when public services are being cut left, right and centre.

At a time when we have endured 14 years of austerity ... I think at a time like that, rather than buying weapons of war, I would rather see the money invested in public services.

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Rachel Reeves vows to use defence spending to support UK’s ‘left behind’ industrial towns

Chancellor says increased military spending should support ‘British jobs and British industries’

Rachel Reeves has said UK companies and jobs will be prioritised under the government’s plans for a significant increase in defence spending, with an aim to support “left behind” industrial towns and the economy at large.

Announced by Keir Starmer last week amid growing fears over Donald Trump’s commitment to European security, the government will increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – worth an additional £6bn a year.

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Crowds cheer as runners with frying pans race to mark annual Pancake Day – The Associated Press

  1. Crowds cheer as runners with frying pans race to mark annual Pancake Day  The Associated Press
  2. Olney pancake race: How did a 550-year-old tradition start?  BBC.com
  3. Crowds cheer as runners with frying pans race to mark annual Pancake Day in London  Wahoo Newspaper
  4. Flipping good fun for everyone as traditional pancake race takes to streets of Stafford  Express & Star
  5. Photos: Frying pan race marks annual Pancake Day in London  The Daily Progress
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US designates Yemen’s Houthi group as foreign terrorist organization once again

Designation comes after Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the start of Israel-Hamas war

The US state department has reinstated the “foreign terrorist organization” designation for Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group, fulfilling an order announced by Donald Trump shortly after he took office.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced on Tuesday the department had restored the designation, which carries with it sanctions and penalties for anyone providing “material support” for the group.

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Can Europe keep Ukraine in the fight if America really has bailed? – The Economist

  1. Can Europe keep Ukraine in the fight if America really has bailed?  The Economist
  2. Indifference or Hostility? Trump’s View of European Allies Raises Alarm  The New York Times
  3. Can Europe guarantee Ukraine’s security without the US?  Al Jazeera English
  4. Willpower, Not Manpower, is Europe’s Main Limitation for a Force in Ukraine  War On The Rocks
  5. How Trump upended the world order, over one weekend  Vox.com
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Civilians, police stopped 1st wave of terrorists at Nahal Oz; IDF arrived 7 hours later – The Times of Israel

  1. Civilians, police stopped 1st wave of terrorists at Nahal Oz; IDF arrived 7 hours later  The Times of Israel
  2. No defense, lax standards: IDF's initial probes into Oct. 7 are infuriating and horrifying  Haaretz
  3. IDF admits grave failures over Hamas' October 7 attack  DW (English)
  4. Israel's military publishes first report on 7 October 2023 failures  BBC.com
  5. Netanyahu’s office admits staff didn’t pass on alert hours before Oct. 7 attack  The Times of Israel
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Serbian parliament erupts into chaos as opposition hurl smoke bombs and flares – POLITICO Europe

  1. Serbian parliament erupts into chaos as opposition hurl smoke bombs and flares  POLITICO Europe
  2. Video shows protesters tossing smoke granades, tear gas in Serbia’s parliament  CNN
  3. Serbian lawmakers throw smoke grenades, tear gas in parliament  Fox News
  4. Violence Disrupts Serbia Parliament After Prime Minister Resigns  Bloomberg
  5. Serbian MPs set off flares and smoke grenades inside parliament  The Guardian
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Russia-Ukraine war: Why Trump’s embrace of Putin is different this time – Vox.com

  1. Russia-Ukraine war: Why Trump’s embrace of Putin is different this time  Vox.com
  2. The Putinization of America  The Atlantic
  3. Opinion | The Disturbing Question at the Heart of the Trump-Zelensky Drama  The New York Times
  4. Canada is more alone than ever  The Globe and Mail
  5. I’ve Negotiated With Russia. Trump Is Doing It All Wrong.  U.S. News & World Report
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Designation of Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization – Department of State

  1. Designation of Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization  Department of State
  2. Houthis designated as foreign terrorist organization, Rubio says  Fox News
  3. Trump administration again labels the Houthis a ‘foreign terrorist organization’  ABC News
  4. US formally redesignates Yemen’s Houthis as foreign terrorist organization  The Times of Israel
  5. US implements designation of Yemen's Houthis as 'terrorist organization'  Reuters
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