A centrepiece of today's UK-EU summit is a new defence and security pact that will allow British defence manufacturers to bid for contracts from the €150 billion (£126 billion) Security Action for Europe fund.

As part of this "reset" with the bloc, Keir Starmer is thought to have made "significant concessions" on European fishing rights in British waters, said The Times. Even so, France was "pressing hard" for a "Europe-first policy" on defence contracts, a diplomat told the newspaper.

What EU funding can the UK access?
The UK can still access EU funding through three major EU-run scientific programmes: Euratom, Copernicus and Horizon Europe. This is on "associated"  or "third country" terms, where the UK pays an "operational contribution" to each programme, based on the ratio of the UK's GDP to the EU's GDP. UK-based NGOs can access some EU development funds too, under "third country" rules.

The UK also participates in Peace Plus, a €1.1 billion (£926 million) programme with the EU and Northern Ireland to support cross-border peace.

How much money are we talking about?
British scientists received £500 million in Horizon grants in 2024 after being excluded for three years following a "bitter row" over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland, said Politico. After re-entry, the UK was "catapulted to the top of the league" of 19 non-EU participants by number of grants, said The Guardian.

With 3,000 grants worth €574.7 million (£500 million), the UK led all non-EU countries and was the fifth biggest grant beneficiary, behind Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and France. 

As for what will happen after 2027, the start of the next EU funding cycle, nobody knows. The bloc is "secretly" working on its strategy for future funding rounds.

Are we still paying the EU?
The UK still pays the Brexit "divorce bill" negotiated as part of our withdrawal agreement. There is no definitive cost to the settlement, but the latest Treasury estimate is that the net cost to the UK will be £30.2 billion, of which £23.8 billion had been paid as of December 2023.

From "quiet quitting" to "work personas", Gen Z are "paving the way" for new approaches to employment, said Harper's Bazaar. The latest career culture trend being pioneering: "conscious unbossing".

This younger generation, those up to the age of 28, are rejecting linear career progression by refusing promotions to middle-management in favour of a better work-life balance and more autonomy. And it should be a "wake-up call" for employers, said Business Insider.

'High-stress, low reward'
Gone are the "good old days" when the "workplace was a ladder" that young people eagerly climbed, said The Times. A survey last year by Robert Walters found that more than half (52%) of Gen Z professionals in the UK don't want a middle-management role, with 69% saying they were not worth the "high-stress, low reward".

Instead, these "20-somethings are steering away" from traditional corporate companies and managerial roles and towards more flexible, homeworking roles in industries that "didn't exist a decade ago", such as social media influencers, podcasters and online therapists.

'Strategic advantage rather than a liability'
This is an "existential moment for corporate leaders", said Business Insider. Leadership experts are saying that employers need to learn from Gen Z work preferences or "risk being left behind". Ways to keep this generation engaged might include flexible working patterns, opportunities to volunteer and offering career pathways that prioritise a "sustainable balance".

While Gen Z are "leading the charge", this shift away from management jobs "spans all generations", said behavioural expert Dr Diane Hamilton on Forbes. More and more people are "prioritising roles that align with their values and allow them to make an impact without the stress of hierarchical responsibilities".

This presents "challenges and opportunities" for employers. Fewer people seeking leadership roles can lead to "gaps in decision-making, team development, and operational consistency", but for some companies "breaking down rigid hierarchies" can lead to "disruptive innovation". If executed carefully, it can be a "strategic advantage rather than a liability".

Foodies used to fight over tables at the hot new restaurant in town, said Hannah Evans in The Times. "Now, it's £6 buns on the counter of their local artisanal bakery."

Britain is in the middle of a "bakery boom", as "cash-strapped diners" trade pricey meals out for "a coffee and a croissant". This year, for the first time, The Good Food Guide has compiled a list of the UK's top bakeries, sending out undercover inspectors to sample the country's best artisan breads and pastries. 

It seems "bakery pilgrims" are willing to travel vast distances "in pursuit of a fine loaf or bun", said Chris Marshall in The Guardian. The "siren call of the honey buns at Popty'r Dref bakery" drew my wife and me on a four-hour journey from our home in Oxfordshire to Dolgellau, Wales. "We tagged on a hike up Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) but it was really just a scenic spot to enjoy our bakery haul."

There's often a sense of "camaraderie" among "long-distance bakery-seekers", with people swapping recommendations in the queue. While the popular bakery chain Gail's has stores popping up everywhere, it's the "rarer treats" from smaller owner-bakers that lure in the "bakery tourists". These tiny, thriving shops offer an "upmarket twist on the classics", like the kimchi and egg Danish at Long Boi's Bakehouse in Manchester.

In Edinburgh, Lannan has developed a "cult-like following", with tourists travelling from far and wide to sample the bakery's custard slices and cardamom buns, while Mabel in Norfolk draws foodies with its "perfectly constructed rosemary and sea salt twists".

For "buns bigger than your head", go to Sticky Fingers in Stockport Market Hall, said Jenna Campbell in Manchester Evening News. At this authentic Polish bakery, husband-and-wife duo Adrian and Klaudyna specialise in enormous "brioche-style yeast cakes filled with cream", as well as eclairs, meringue and babka (a sweet, braided bread).

My favourite London bakery is Toad in Camberwell, said Evans in The Times. Tuck into one of their delicious saffron buns before moving onto their signature yuzu orange jaffa cakes: "drool".

The tragedy of Sir Keir? Even he doesn't believe what he's saying
Kamal Ahmed in The Telegraph
Keir Starmer said "lots of things about controlling immigration" last week that he "does not instinctively agree with", writes Kamal Ahmed. This week, he'll try to "repeat the trick" and say "lots of things about Europe he does not instinctively agree with". But the prime minister "should study his political history": voters "prefer principle" to "cold-eyed political calculation". The public are "well within their rights" to ask for the "real" Starmer to "please stand up".

Modern parenting rejects abusive ways of punishing children. Will England listen?
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett in The Guardian
It's "moving" to see parents trying to "break the cycle of abuse" that for decades has "masqueraded as discipline", writes Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett. The UK often feels like a place where you're more likely to get "tuts and judgmental comments" than "sympathetic looks" if your child starts crying in public. But "anti-fascism begins at home", and "living anti-authoritarian values means not forcing children to be obedient, shouting at, or hitting them".

Audiobook read by AI is the opposite of soothing
Sathnam Sanghera in The Times
When I can't sleep, "I do something strange", writes Sathnam Sanghera. I put on a "specific" audiobook that I must have listened to "more than 70 times". I can't "entirely explain its appeal" but I know "the soothing human narrator" is "important". I tried an audiobook "narrated by artificial intelligence" and it was "the nocturnal equivalent of downing an espresso martini", which convinces me that AI will "create a booming market" for "human-created content".