WORLD
Keir Starmer first UK PM to join EU meeting since Brexit

Baku, February 3, AZERTAC
Sir Keir Starmer is heading to Brussels to join a gathering of European Union leaders – the first time a British prime minister has done so since Brexit, BBC reports.
Starmer is heading over the English Channel for talks focused on defence and security co-operation and will also meet NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.
The trip is part of what he calls a "reset" between the UK and the European Union.
The government has promised the UK will not re-join the EU's single market or customs union, or sign up to freedom of movement.
But ministers do want what they see as a better relationship on defence and security, crime and trade.
They hope to sort this out by the spring and finalise it at a UK-EU summit, possibly in April or May.
Leaders of the European Union's 27 member states are gathering for what is described as an "informal retreat" at the Palais d'Egmont in Brussels - a 16th century palace in heart of the Belgian capital.