The UK has said it will contribute drones, fighter jets and a warship to a joint mission aimed at safeguarding shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Defence minister John Healey announced the package at a virtual summit of defence ministers on Tuesday. It includes autonomous systems to detect and clear naval mines, drone boats and Typhoon jets for air patrols. More than 40 other nations are involved in the mission, which Healey said would begin when conditions allow. For months Iran has been controlling the Strait of Hormuz - one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels - in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks.

Romance and parenthood feel remote in Ukraine: 'I haven't had a date since before the war' Sitting in a wine bar in Kyiv on a Saturday night, Daria, 34, opens a dating app, scrolls, then puts her phone away. After spending more than a decade in committed relationships she's been single for a long time. I haven't had a proper date since before the war, she says. Four years of war have forced Ukrainians to rethink nearly every aspect of daily life. Increasingly that includes decisions about relationships and parenthood - and these choices are, in turn, shaping the future of a country in which both marriage and birth rates are falling.

Russia has used the Oreshnik ballistic missile as part of a massive overnight strike on Ukraine. Four people were killed and 25 others injured in Kyiv on Thursday night, where loud booms could be heard for several hours, setting the sky alight with explosions. It only the second time that Moscow has used the Oreshnik, which was first deployed to hit the central city of Dnipro in November 2024. Russia's defence ministry said the strike was a response to a Ukrainian drone attack on Vladimir Putin's residence in late December, which Kyiv denies carrying out . While the ministry did not specify what had been the Oreshnik's target, shortly before midnight (22:00 GMT) videos began circulating on social media showing numerous explosions on the outskirts of the western city of Lviv.

We trust you've had a suitably enjoyable week, especially those in the UK enjoying the hot weather. Let's journey back and look at some of the digital marketing stats you might have missed. The roundup includes news about GDPR, personalisation, AI, and lots more. As always, be sure to check out the Internet Statistics Compendium for further facts and figures. When it comes to digital experiences, personalisation is way down on the list of things consumers care about.

The UK's tech firms have attracted more venture capital funding than any other European country in 2017 putting it at the top of the list for global tech investors. France has now made steps in creating new tech businesses and encouraging entrepreneurs, with Paris's newly built Station F, a former railway station hosting multiple startups. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Matt Hancock has met with his French counterpart, Fracoise Nyssen, at the UK France Summit. He said the digital conference will take place this year and foster cross-channel collaboration between academics, industry and government. The summit's aim is to help both countries seize the economic and social benefits of fast-developing tech such as AI.

Britain and France's leading tech sectors will be brought closer together with plans for a digital conference - or digital colloque - to promote deeper integration in the digital economy, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured with his team) has announced. The UK tops the list in Europe for global tech investors, with its tech firms attracting more venture capital funding than any other European country in 2017. In December it was named by Oxford Insights as the best prepared country in the world for artificial intelligence (AI) implementation. France has made big strides in creating new tech businesses and encouraging entrepreneurs, with Paris's newly built Station F, a former railway station hosting startups, multinationals and investors, symbolising the country's ambition. Mr Hancock met his French counterpart, Françoise Nyssen, at the UK France Summit hosted by the Prime Minister and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, at Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.

The UK tops the list in Europe for global tech investors, with its tech firms attracting more venture capital funding than any other European country in 2017. In December it was named by Oxford Insights as the best prepared country in the world for artificial intelligence (AI) implementation. France has made big strides in creating new tech businesses and encouraging entrepreneurs, with Paris's newly built Station F, a former railway station hosting startups, multinationals and investors, symbolising the country's ambition. Mr Hancock met his French counterpart, Françoise Nyssen, at the UK France Summit hosted by the prime minister and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, at Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. He said the digital conference will take place this year and foster cross-Channel collaboration between academics, industry and government.

Britain and France's leading tech sectors will be brought closer together with plans for a digital conference – or digital colloque – to promote deeper integration in the digital economy, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock has announced. The UK tops the list in Europe for global tech investors, with its tech firms attracting more venture capital funding than any other European country in 2017. In December it was named by Oxford Insights as the best prepared country in the world for artificial intelligence (AI) implementation. France has made big strides in creating new tech businesses and encouraging entrepreneurs, with Paris's newly built Station F, a former railway station hosting startups, multinationals and investors, symbolising the country's ambition. "The UK and France are strengthening ties in technology and innovation," explained Hancock.

THE UK AND FRANCE have teamed up in the name of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity in a bid to boost future developments in these areas. Ministers from the two county's governments made the decision to join forces on Thursday in hope that the arrangement will foster cross-Channel collaboration between academics, industry and government and thus "help both countries seize the economic and social benefits of fast-developing tech such as AI". The UK's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary minister, Matt Hancock pioneered the initiative and to get the ball rolling on the deal, met his French counterpart, Françoise Nyssen, at the UK France Summit. It was hosted by the prime minister and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, at Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. Hancock said the two countries will establish "cutting-edge digital conference" as part of the new pact, which will take place later this year and "see our world-leading experts in cybersecurity, digital skills, artificial intelligence, data and digital government share their talent and knowledge".

Ministers have agreed a technology tie-up with Emmanuel Macron's government that will see the UK unite with France in areas such as artificial intelligence and cyber security. Matt Hancock, the Culture Secretary, will this morning announce the two countries plan to work together to pool industry and academic research. Britain and France will host a conference later this year to encourage cross-Channel investment, targeting work on AI in particular. It comes as France's new government tries to shake off its reputation for protectionism and onerous employment rules that has held back start-ups in the country and seen Paris lose out to London as a tech hub. Last year more venture capital deals were signed involving French tech companies than British ones, the first time this has happened in half a decade, although the UK raises far more money in total and dominates rankings of European "unicorns", start-ups with valuations of more than $1bn (£720m).