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Leaders will discuss how to respond to surging energy prices amid the war in the Middle EastEurope live – latest updatesEU leaders have welcomed the end of diplomatic deadlock over a long-awaited €90bn (£78bn) loan for Ukraine, after the bloc finalised the agreement along with a 20th package of sanctions against Russia.After weeks of delay, the EU signed off on the loan on Thursday, in time for summit talks in Cyprus that are scheduled to begin in the evening and will include talks over a dinner with the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...

• NATO members approved a €4.2 billion additional military assistance package for Ukraine on April 10, including air defense systems, ammunition, and electronic warfare equipment to counter Russian offensives. • Russian forces intensified bombardment across the Donbas region this week, launching over 850 artillery strikes daily and deploying newly mobilized forces toward Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian logistics hub 50 kilometers from the front. • NATO Secretary-General emphasized the aid reflects alliance commitment to Ukraine's defense, with additional commitments expected at the NATO summit scheduled for June 2026 in Madrid.

• Russia launched a major offensive across multiple fronts in eastern Ukraine on April 7, with forces advancing in the Donbas region and attempting to encircle Ukrainian positions near Pokrovsk. • The US State Department announced a $1.2 billion military assistance package including air defense systems, artillery ammunition, and counter-drone equipment to bolster Ukrainian defenses. • Ukrainian officials report heavy casualties but say their forces are holding key defensive lines; NATO allies expressed concern about Russian momentum and pledged additional support.

Chancellor says the government is looking at ways they can support people based on household income Good morning. Keir Starmer is giving a press conference this morning where, according to No 10, he will discuss the Iran war, and how the government is supporting people at home. Now we are in April, the new financial year is starting, and the government is highlighting measures it has introduced that will help people with the cost of living. The Conservatives have an alternative list, and they are claiming this morning that “Keir Starmer and his chancellor have piled on extra costs leaving families almost £1,000 worse off this year”.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has been doing her own media too. She is on the Jeremy Vine show later, but she has already given an interview to BBC Breakfast in which she gave a marginally clearer idea of what she is planning to do to help people with energy bills than she did when she made a statement to MPs last week.From July to September, gas usage, especially by families and pensioners, is the lowest of any months of the year because it is the summer months …It will be really from the autumn onwards that people’s gas usage starts increasing. So at the moment we are working on a range of contingencies. And we are looking at more targeted measures. We are looking at ways we can support people based on their household income.I want to learn the lessons of the past because when Russia invaded Ukraine, the richest, the best-off third of households got more than a third of the support. That makes no sense at all. Continue reading...

House of Representatives still needs to act before funded agencies such as airport security can reopen, CNN reportsThe US Senate has passed legislation that will finance most of the Department of Homeland Security but withhold funds from ICE and part of Customs and Border Protection, the office of the Senate Democratic party leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement.The agreement would fund DHS components such as the Transportation Security Administration and US Coast Guard, the statement said. CNN reported that the House of Representatives will still need to act before funded agencies within the department can reopen. Continue reading...

Surcharge, spurred by oil price spikes due to the Iran war, is set to take effect on 26 April and run until January 2027The US Postal Service (USPS) plans to introduce its first-ever fuel surcharge on packages to offset rising energy costs, according to a statement.The surcharge, set at 8%, is expected to take effect on 26 April and remain in place until 17 January 2027 under the current plan. Continue reading...