An Argyll-based manufacturing firm is targeting 20 per cent year-on-year growth in the global awards sector after investing nearly half a million pounds in new production technology. Midton, headquartered in Lochgilphead, has installed a biomass-powered autoclave as part of a £429,000 upgrade designed to increase output and improve efficiency at its foundry. The move strengthens its position as one of Europe’s leading producers of cast acrylic products and one of only a handful of specialist...
Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has been appointed a director of a new Middle Eastern-backed investment fund planning to deploy more than £1bn into luxury hospitality projects in London’s Mayfair. Evolution Investment Fund, launched in 2025 by the UAE-based Shanshal family, has acquired a leasehold interest in the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square alongside a development site near New Bond Street with full planning consent. The total capital commitment for the two projects, including development costs,...
Tracy Brabin has launched a five-day trade mission to Switzerland and Germany aimed at deepening economic ties, unlocking inward investment and creating new export opportunities for West Yorkshire firms. The mayor arrived in Zurich at the head of a 12-strong business delegation, marking the first leg of a visit that will also take in Karlsruhe, Heilbronn and Stuttgart. Organised by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and supported by KPMG, the mission focuses on three priority...
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has tightened control over Hezbollah in the Middle East amid looming prospects of potential U.S. strikes, according to reports. According to the Jerusalem Post, the tactical shift comes as Hezbollah and Iran prepare for military confrontation in the region, with analysts warning that if Washington specifically strikes the regime, Hezbollah is ready to be ‘activated.’ ‘If the regime in Tehran feels threatened, the likelihood of unleashing Hezbollah against Israel...
An emotional Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attempted to blame critics – and even President Donald Trump’s own off-the-cuff agility – for the backlash she received for her response to a question at the recent Munich Security Conference on American defense of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. ‘If you think I don’t understand foreign policy, because of out of hours of discourse about international affairs, I pause to think about one of the...
President Donald Trump called on Netflix to fire board member Susan Rice immediately or ‘pay the consequences.’ Trump’s comments followed remarks Rice made Thursday on the ‘Stay Tuned with Preet’ podcast, hosted by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. During the interview, Rice warned that corporations she said had ‘taken a knee’ to Republican pressure should not expect forgiveness from Democrats if they return to power. ‘This is not going to be an instance of forgive...
‘I can’t believe they just left!’ ‘Why didn’t they just stay until they fixed it?’ ‘Why didn’t they make them stay?’ I must have fielded forty questions last week from colleagues, friends and acquaintances. Even reporters and editorial staff from other news organizations. And that’s to say nothing of a few Congressional aides. Everyone had the same question. They were in disbelief that lawmakers just abandoned the Capitol a week ago Thursday and left the...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided an update Sunday morning, saying TSA PreCheck is operating normally Sunday following reports that it had been suspended amid the partial government shutdown. The suspension of the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs was first reported by The Washington Post, which noted the changes would begin Sunday at 6 a.m. EST. DHS says it will now be evaluating PreCheck on a ‘case by case basis.’ ‘At this time,...
Turkey’s massive military, trade, Islamic diplomacy and education expansion into Africa is, some analysts say, undermining U.S. goals, as Ankara capitalizes on wars and conflicts on the continent. Experts claim Turkey’s military sales appear to be based on maximizing profit, without worrying about what the arms sold do to the balance of power, particularly in Jihadist areas such as the Sahel. Recently, multiple reports claimed Turkish companies have sold military drones to both sides in the 3-year-long conflict...
President Donald Trump will deliver his first official State of the Union address of his second term Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, as viewers watch for viral moments and headline-grabbing exchanges like those that have defined past speeches. Here are the top five moments from past State of the Union addresses. 1. Reagan surprises the crowd with first-ever acknowledgment of a guest in the audience It’s become commonplace in...
