World 02
Germany news: Merkel calls for first female president Former Chancellor Angela Merkel says it's time to consider a woman as Germany's next president. Meanwhile, Berlin's Left Party is deciding whether to enter coalition talks. DW has more.
Deutsche Welle (DW) World 03
Streeting says he began stockpiling food weeks ago amid rising threat to UK <p>Defence secretary says value for money and modernisation key for spending to ‘fight the wars ahead’</p><p>The defence secretary, Wes Streeting, says he started stockpiling food and water weeks ago in case of a national emergency, as he talked up the threats to the UK and said his department had already begun ramping up its spending in response.</p><p>Streeting spoke after the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/28/budget-2026-key-points-john-healey">chancellor, John Healey, said he wanted defence spending to reach 3%</a> of GDP by 2030 and 3.5% by 2035; having already asked Whitehall departments to find 1% cuts in their budgets for long-term investment to fund defence spending.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/31/streeting-stockpiling-food-water-weeks-ago-amid-rising-threat-to-uk">Continue reading...</a>
The Guardian World World 04
Railway engineering work over Christmas will cause 10 days of disruption <p>London Paddington and Birmingham New Street stations will shut for five days but most routes will stay open</p><p>Passengers travelling on some of Great Britain’s busiest railway lines at Christmas have been warned of significant disruption from 10 days of engineering works.</p><p>Work will close London’s Paddington station – affecting intercity trains to the west of England and Wales until January – as well as Birmingham New Street, the UK’s busiest station outside the capital, for five days over the holiday period.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/31/railway-engineering-work-christmas-disruption-london-birmingham">Continue reading...</a>
The Guardian World