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Race to rearm: Telford gun hall brings tank barrel production back to the UK

22 October 2026 at 17:59

Defence secretary says Britain must manufacture at scale as Germany’s Rheinmetall opens Midlands factory

For the last 20 years, Britain was unable to put a barrel on its tanks without buying from abroad. Relying on foreign allies seemed like a reasonable choice during years of relative security (for wealthy countries at least) after the end of the cold war.

But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has changed the calculation – and prompted a scramble to rearm among European countries, including the UK.

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© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Workers hit hard by rising employer health insurance costs

22 October 2026 at 18:57
Costs are spiking for the millions of Americans who rely on workplace-sponsored health insurance, according to a survey released Thursday, with small businesses and their employees being hit especially hard.  The average cost of a family plan increased by 5 percent, topping $28,000 this year, according to the annual Employer Health Benefits Survey from KFF.…

Workers hit hard by rising employer health insurance costs

22 October 2026 at 18:57
Costs are spiking for the millions of Americans who rely on workplace-sponsored health insurance, according to a survey released Thursday, with small businesses and their employees being hit especially hard.  The average cost of a family plan increased by 5 percent, topping $28,000 this year, according to the annual Employer Health Benefits Survey from KFF.…

Revealed: billionaire Reform donor was in business with foundation linked to Iranian regime

Exclusive: Sasan Ghandehari’s partnership with religious foundation raises questions about past dealings with republic criticised by Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage’s newest billionaire donor was in business with a powerful Iranian religious foundation under the authority of the country’s supreme leader, raising questions about his past dealings with the hardline republic.

Hossein Ghandehari, also called Sasan, was little known in the UK until he pledged to give millions to Reform UK this summer and donated £50,000 to Farage to cover the cost of two passes for the Davos World Economic Forum.

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© Photograph: Jeff Gilbert/Alamy

© Photograph: Jeff Gilbert/Alamy

© Photograph: Jeff Gilbert/Alamy

Trump says he called Google’s CEO to rename the Atlantic Ocean

22 October 2026 at 17:33
President Trump said Wednesday he asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to rename the Atlantic Ocean on the company’s Google Maps application — a request the tech executive denied. “We seriously looked at the Atlantic Ocean,” Trump said during a rally in Clemson, S.C. The president then praised Google Maps for changing the respective names of…

Trump says he called Google’s CEO to rename the Atlantic Ocean

22 October 2026 at 17:33
President Trump said Wednesday he asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to rename the Atlantic Ocean on the company’s Google Maps application — a request the tech executive denied. “We seriously looked at the Atlantic Ocean,” Trump said during a rally in Clemson, S.C. The president then praised Google Maps for changing the respective names of…

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