The last thing I was expecting to discover on the doorstep of a Falkirk house was a 70-year-old woman crying at the near 16% council tax rise she and tens of thousands of others face next month. Falkirk is bracing for the UK’s biggest hike in bills as the local authority faces a crisis of

Orla Guerin BBC News, Goma Freddy Mukuza / Facebook Rapper Freddy Mukuza, who was married with two children, was moving house on the day he was killed Freddy Mukuza’s final moments were witnessed by a friend, who stood helpless, 50m (160 ft) away. When he heard that Freddy had been shot – by M23 rebels

Reuters Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said he hoped the move would be the start of “a new history for Syria” Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a constitutional declaration covering a five-year transitional period, three months after his Islamist group led the rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad. The document says Islam is the

Caroline Hawley BBC diplomatic correspondent Reuters Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has rejected the idea of negotiations with the US over its nuclear programme Almost a decade since world powers sealed a historic deal to limit the Iranian nuclear programme, this is a crunch moment for Iran and the international community. The country is

Hong Kong/Taipei CNN  —  It was a surprise ceremony at the White House presided over by President Donald Trump to unveil a $100 billion investment from what he called the world’s most powerful company, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). But nearly 8,000 miles away, the mood was far from celebratory. Instead, the shock announcement last

James Landale Reporting fromKyiv, Ukraine Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agreed with the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but that “questions” remained about the nature of a truce as he set out a number of tough conditions. The Russian president was responding to a plan for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US A Canadian businesswoman who was arrested in the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents over an

Annabel Rackham Culture reporter Getty Images Donatella Versace pictured last week at the Vanity Fair Oscars party Donatella Versace is to step down from her creative director role at fashion house Versace, after nearly 30 years. She has held the position since 1997 and took over after the murder of her brother Gianni. Versace has

Politics Canada retaliated with a new set of counter-tariffs Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 25 per cent levy on steel and aluminum coming into the U.S. Here’s a breakdown of what is being targeted. New wave of countermeasures effectively double tariffs imposed last week Darren Major · CBC News · Posted: Mar