New York City extreme cold weather leaves 18 dead, Mamdani says

President Donald Trump has called for US defence spending to be increased to $1.5tn (£1.1tn) in 2027 for what he called “these very troubled and dangerous times”. That would be more than 50% higher than this year’s $901bn budget, which was approved by Congress in December. “This will allow us to build the “Dream Military”…

Russia has welcomed Donald Trump’s new US National Security Strategy, calling it “largely consistent” with Moscow’s vision. The 33-page document, unveiled by the US administration last week, suggests Europe is facing “civilisational erasure” and does not cast Russia as a threat to the US. Combatting foreign influence, ending mass migration, and rejecting the EU’s perceived…