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ICO fines Reddit £14.47m over children’s data protection failures

The UK’s data protection watchdog has fined Reddit £14.47m after finding serious failings in how the platform handled children’s personal information. The penalty, issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), follows an investigation that concluded Reddit had failed to implement robust age assurance mechanisms and did not have a lawful basis for processing the data of children under 13. Under UK data protection law, children’s information must be given special protection. The ICO said Reddit...

To go or not to go? Supreme Court at the State of the Union

It goes against the very instincts of some of the most powerful officials in the U.S.: get all dressed up, appear before a national TV audience, but sit there like statues without betraying any words or emotion. For members of the Supreme Court, enduring the annual State of the Union address is a civic exercise in poker-faced discretion. As recent history has shown, that has not always been easy. Tuesday’s speech by President Donald Trump...

Federal court refuses to block new Utah congressional voting map that may favor Democrats

A federal court ruling Monday has essentially locked in a new Utah congressional redistricting map that would create a Democrat-heavy Salt Lake City-based seat, potentially flipping one of Utah’s Republican-held U.S. House seats. A special three-judge federal panel is allowing a revised congressional redistricting map in Utah to go into effect, rejecting an effort by state Republicans to block it. The judicial panel denied a Republican-led request for a preliminary injunction to put the new...

New study proposes major shift in US-Israel strategic partnership approach

A new study aims to jolt Israel’s security and technology establishment into embracing a new post-Oct. 7, 2023, business model that will advance the U.S.-Israel strategic partnership in the heart of the Middle East and across the globe. The Henry Jackson Society study titled ‘Israel 2048: A Blueprint for a Rising Asymmetric Geopolitical Power’ jumps into the future, with a view toward advancing American and Israeli security interests. Co-author of the report, Barak M. Seener,...

‘Bloated’ HR sector costing UK economy £10bn a year, claims Policy Exchange

Britain’s human resources sector has grown disproportionately large and is costing businesses billions of pounds a year, according to a new report from the think tank Policy Exchange. The centre-right research body claims that the UK’s HR industry is almost twice as large, proportionally, as that of the European Union and around 60 per cent bigger than in the United States. It estimates that this “misallocation of labour” is costing the economy roughly £10bn annually...

Most young Britons cannot name a single entrepreneur, survey finds

More than half of young Britons are unable to name a single entrepreneur, according to new research that campaigners say highlights a worrying disconnect between the UK’s startup culture and the next generation. A YouGov survey conducted for Enterprise Britain found that 56 per cent of 18 to 25-year-olds could not name an entrepreneur, founder or chief executive. Among those who could, Richard Branson was the most frequently cited, named by 16 per cent of...

Spring Statement 2026: what could Rachel Reeves announce?

Rachel Reeves will deliver her Spring Statement on March 3, just over three months after her November Budget, in what is expected to be a lower-key fiscal event focused more on forecasts than fresh policy announcements. Unlike the autumn Budget, the Spring Statement is not expected to contain tax rises or major spending cuts. Reeves has pledged to limit significant fiscal changes to a single annual event, giving herself £21.7bn of headroom in November to...

France restricts Trump ambassador’s access to officials after missed summons

France has restricted U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner’s access to senior government officials after he failed to attend a summons from the French Foreign Ministry over comments regarding the death of a French activist. Speaking Tuesday in an interview with public broadcaster France Info, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Kushner’s decision not to appear at the Quai d’Orsay ‘will naturally affect his ability to carry out his mission in our country,’ and demanded ‘explanations’ from...

New study proposes major shift in US-Israel strategic partnership approach away from aid

A new study aims to jolt Israel’s security and technology establishment into embracing a new post-Oct. 7, 2023 business model that will advance the U.S.-Israel strategic partnership in the heart of the Middle East and across the globe. The Henry Jackson Society study titled ‘Israel 2048: A Blueprint for a Rising Asymmetric Geopolitical Power’ jumps into the future, with a view toward advancing American and Israeli security interests. Co-author of the report, Barak M. Seener,...

Speechwriters from Reagan to Biden agree: Trump’s SOTU is a critical test for his second term

Former White House speechwriters from both parties say President Donald Trump must decide whether to double down on the rally-style politics that powered his campaign or broaden his message to unify a divided country around his governing agenda in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. As Trump prepares to speak to the nation and the world, a majority of Americans think the country is worse off today than it was a year ago,...