King says UK and Germany united to ‘bolster’ Europe against Russian threat

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Good morning and welcome to your daily news briefing from The Independent.

King Charles has said the UK and Germany are united to "bolster" Europe against Russia, the hidden scandal of NHS staff being exposed to a cancer-causing chemical has been revealed, and a doctor has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for selling ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry.

Top stories

1 | King Charles says UK and Germany united to 'bolster' Europe against Russian threat

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2 | 200,000 young children to die this year because of foreign aid cuts

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3 | Doctor sentenced to 30 months in prison over death of Matthew Perry

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4 | Hidden scandal of NHS staff exposed to chemical deemed the 'next asbestos'

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5 | Women's Institute expresses 'deep regret' as it bans trans women after court ruling

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Editors' picks

'Kick in the teeth': Readers say Budget 'punishes responsibility'

Scrapping the two-child cap is a reckless policy. Handing an average of £5,310 to 560,000 larger families rewards personal choices while ignoring other households under the same cost-of-living squeeze. It's unfair and risks encouraging inflation, making life even harder for everyone, including the poor.

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WATCH 

Activists pour manure under The Ritz' Christmas tree

STAT OF THE DAY

10,000

The number of new bladder cases in the UK each year. It comes as pioneering new research finds a link between BK virus and bladder cancer.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"We will expand its use so that forces can put more criminals behind bars and tackle crime in their communities."

Ministers have pledged to expand police use of facial recognition in a bid to track down dangerous criminals and are asking people how it should be used to form new laws.

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The Woodsman Scotch whisky is now under £20 at Amazon – cheers!

Give the gift of luxury socks and save 15% with code "SAVE15" at Peper Harow.

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