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Net zero reliance on China ‘puts 90,000 UK jobs at risk’, think tank warns

Britain’s heavy reliance on China for net zero technologies such as batteries could put as many as 90,000 manufacturing jobs at risk in the event of a major supply chain shock, according to a new report. Analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warns that a severe disruption to battery component supplies, lasting as little as a year, could cripple the UK’s automotive industry, sharply reducing electric vehicle production and threatening factory jobs...

US ambassador warns Iran at emergency UN meeting that Trump is ‘man of action,’ ‘all options are on the table’

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz warned Iran during an emergency meeting of the Security Council that President Donald Trump ‘is a man of action’ who has ‘made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter.’  Waltz said Thursday that, ‘We all have a responsibility to support the Iranian people and to put an end to the regime’s neglect and oppression of the Iranian nation.’  Iran has been plunged into turmoil amid...

Government to give cash payouts to people in financial crisis

The government is to roll out a new £1bn-a-year support scheme designed to give people on low incomes direct access to emergency cash when they face sudden financial shocks. The Crisis and Resilience Fund, which launches in April, will run for an initial three years and replace the temporary Household Support Fund that has been extended repeatedly since its introduction during the pandemic in 2021. Under the new scheme, individuals will be able to apply...

Starmer poised to ban under-16s from social media as government hardens stance on child safety online

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to back legislation that would ban under-16s from social media platforms, signalling a decisive shift in the government’s approach to online child protection. The Prime Minister, who had previously voiced doubts about adopting Australia-style age restrictions, has now dropped his opposition and confirmed that all options are being considered, including a mandatory ban for under-16s. Speaking on Thursday, Starmer said the government needed to “better protect children from social media”,...

Lindsey Graham returns to Israel for talks with Netanyahu amid Middle East tensions

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who visited with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem less than a month ago, said in a Thursday post on X he was going to Israel to meet with the foreign leader and his team. ‘I am traveling to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team at this crucial time in the history of the Middle East. The goal is to build on...

BBC close to landmark deal to produce original shows for YouTube

The BBC is close to agreeing a landmark partnership with YouTube, signalling a significant strategic shift as the public broadcaster looks to reach younger audiences on the platforms they increasingly favour. Under the proposed arrangement, the BBC would create original, bespoke programmes designed specifically for YouTube, with the option for successful formats to later migrate to its own platforms, including BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. The move is intended to ensure the corporation remains relevant...

Soho House secures funding to complete $1.8bn takeover deal

Soho House has secured fresh financing to complete its $1.8 billion take-private deal, stabilising a transaction that had been thrown into doubt just weeks ago. The London-based private members’ club group said it has now locked in alternative funding to replace a $200 million shortfall, clearing the way for a consortium led by MCR Hotels to complete the acquisition. In a regulatory filing, Soho House confirmed that Morse Ventures, owned by Tyler Morse, chief executive...

Trump’s pick for Iceland ambassador apologizes for joking about Arctic nation becoming 52nd state

Former Rep. Billy Long, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to be ambassador to Iceland, has apologized after privately joking to House lawmakers that the Arctic island would become the ’52nd state’ with him as its governor. Long, a Republican who represented Missouri from 2011 to 2023 and served a brief stint as IRS commissioner last year, said he was just joking with his former congressional colleagues. ‘There was nothing serious about that, I...

Trump’s tariffs could be undone by one conservative doctrine: ‘Life or death’

The Supreme Court is poised to rule soon on President Donald Trump’s use of an emergency wartime law to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs on most U.S. countries — and which brought to the fore key questions over the ‘major questions doctrine,’ or the limiting principle by which courts can, in certain circumstances, move to curb the power of executive agencies. During oral arguments over Trump’s tariffs in November, justices honed in on the so-called major...

Former Ukrainian PM accused of bribing politicians with US dollars to weaken Zelenskyy’s government

A former Ukrainian prime minister has been accused of plotting to bribe politicians with stacks of U.S. dollars in a scheme aimed at weakening President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government, a former political adviser has claimed. Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (UNACB) first confirmed Jan. 13 it uncovered an alleged effort by the leader of an unnamed parliamentary faction to offer illegal benefits to lawmakers, according to Reuters. Video released by UNACB showed stacks of U.S. dollars seized...