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US offers $225m backing for Cornwall tin mine in bid to secure supply

Britain’s only tin mine could end up exporting much of its future production to the United States after the American government signalled it is prepared to provide up to $225 million (£166 million) in financing to revive the historic South Crofty site in Cornwall. Cornish Metals, which is working to bring the South Crofty mine near Camborne back into production, has received a letter of interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Exim),...

New guidance aims to help small business owners cope with mental strain of late payments

Small business owners struggling with the stress caused by late or unpaid invoices have been offered new support, as fresh guidance is launched to address the mental health impact of cashflow pressure. Timed to coincide with Time to Talk Day, the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) has published new online guidance designed to help SMEs and freelancers access mental health support while also pointing them towards practical steps to tackle late payment issues....

Iran’s Khamenei stays away from talks as JD Vance says dynamic makes diplomacy ‘much more complicated’

As indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran started on Friday in Oman, remarks from Vice President JD Vance earlier in the week questioning the absence of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from talks have raised a core dilemma for Washington — the person with ultimate authority in Tehran is not sitting at the negotiating table. In the interview, Vance said, ‘It’s a very weird country to conduct diplomacy with, when you can’t even talk...

RNC rolls out ‘powerful’ new TikTok strategy to win over key demographic after Trump’s 2024 success

The Republican National Committee is upping its social media presence and following President Donald Trump’s lead by officially launching a TikTok account, marking a strategic shift for the party as it continues to look to connect with younger voters. The RNC’s plan to make an impact on the digital front lines involves the official launch of @Republicans on TikTok, which is designed to engage a critical demographic, voters under 30 who may not follow traditional...

Hegseth says US strikes force some cartel leaders to halt drug operations

War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that some cartel drug traffickers operating in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility have halted narcotics activity following recent U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean. ‘WINNING: Some top cartel drug-traffickers in the @SOUTHCOM AOR have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean,’ Hegsth wrote in a post on X. Hegseth credited President Donald Trump with directing the military...

Why Melania’s hit documentary terrifies critics who desperately wanted her to fail

The film ‘Melania,’ a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump, made nearly $8 million on its opening weekend, making it the highest-grossing documentary in a decade. It’s a huge win for the first lady and a crushing defeat for those rooting against her. The director of ‘Melania,’ Brett Ratner, has previously helmed Hollywood blockbusters such as ‘Rush Hour’ and ‘X-Men: The Last Stand.’ The fact that Ratner is already an established brand in Hollywood is...

Vauxhall owner takes €22bn hit after electric car u-turn

Stellantis, the European carmaker behind Vauxhall, Citroën and Fiat, has taken a €22bn hit after admitting it overestimated the pace of electric vehicle adoption and reversing its push towards an all-electric future. The Franco-Italian automotive group said the strategic U-turn would result in €22bn of future losses, write-offs and cancellation costs linked to electric models that will no longer be brought to market. Around €6.5bn of that charge will involve cash leaving the business. The...

Bank of England Governor ‘shocked’ by Mandelson leaks to Epstein

The Governor of the Bank of England has said he was “shocked” by revelations that Lord Mandelson leaked sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis, saying it was right that the matter is now being investigated by the police. Andrew Bailey made the comments as he paid tribute to the late former chancellor Alistair Darling, drawing a sharp contrast between Darling’s conduct during the crisis and the alleged actions of the...

NatWest to expand Accelerator community to 50,000 UK entrepreneurs in 2026

NatWest has announced plans to dramatically expand its Accelerator community, with an ambition to support 50,000 entrepreneurs across the UK in 2026 – a five-fold increase on the target it set for 2025. The move follows a standout year for the programme, during which the bank supported around 12,000 founders. That figure exceeds the total number of entrepreneurs the Accelerator had backed over the previous decade combined, highlighting the rapid acceleration in both scale and...

Bitcoin falls below $70,000, wiping out post-election gains

Bitcoin has slipped below the $70,000 mark, erasing the gains made after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, as weakening investor demand and regulatory uncertainty weigh on the world’s largest cryptocurrency. The digital asset fell to around $65,600 on Thursday, its lowest level since November 2024, amid a combination of hawkish signals from the US Federal Reserve, a slowdown in institutional buying and continued delays in crypto regulation. Bitcoin had rallied sharply following Trump’s...