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Trump to head to Davos as Greenland dispute sparks rising tensions with NATO allies

President Donald Trump is expected to head to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum this week — on the heels of threatening tariffs against NATO members as he seeks to acquire Greenland, a Danish territory.  The Davos World Economic Forum is an annual summit bringing world leaders together to discuss global issues related to politics, business and society.  Other world leaders who are expected to attend include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Federal Chancellor of...

Elon Musk floats Ryanair takeover amid public spat with Michael O’Leary

Elon Musk has raised the prospect of buying Ryanair in the latest escalation of a public war of words with the airline’s outspoken chief executive, Michael O’Leary. The exchange follows a disagreement over whether Europe’s largest low-cost carrier should install Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system across its fleet of more than 650 aircraft. O’Leary has repeatedly dismissed the idea, arguing that the required antennae and hardware would add unnecessary weight and drag, increasing fuel burn...

Toy sellers watch social media curbs as UK market returns to growth

UK toy sales rose for the first time in five years last year, offering rare optimism for a sector that has struggled since the pandemic, but industry leaders are now watching closely for any fallout from potential social media bans aimed at under-16s. The value of UK toy sales increased by 6 per cent in 2025, according to data from Circana, marking the first year of value growth since 2020. The total market was valued...

Hotel industry chiefs urge chancellor to extend business rates relief beyond pubs

More than 130 senior hotel and holiday park executives have written to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, warning that Labour’s planned changes to business rates represent the most serious threat to the sector’s viability and must not be limited to pubs alone. In a letter coordinated by UKHospitality, industry leaders said the government’s proposed relief package for pubs risks leaving large parts of hospitality “hung out to dry”, despite facing similarly sharp increases in costs. Signatories...

House Speaker Mike Johnson tells British Parliament he came to ‘calm the waters’

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed Britain’s Parliament on Tuesday, telling them that he had come to ‘calm the waters,’ as tensions between Washington and its European allies have intensified in recent weeks over President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland. Johnson’s address — the first ever delivered by a sitting U.S. House speaker to the British Parliament — came on the eve of the United States’ 250th anniversary and against a backdrop of strain...

Trump fires off late night Truth Social posts doubling down on Greenland ambitions

President Donald Trump, who has been pressing for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, continued to beat the drum on the issue early on Tuesday. ‘I had a very good telephone call with Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, concerning Greenland. I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland. As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back —...

LIZ PEEK: Trump’s first year: The good, the great and the foolish

Donald J. Trump was inaugurated for a second term as president exactly one year ago. It is safe to say the country, and the world, will never be the same.  President Trump has engaged in energetic and bold governing and diplomacy, fulfilling campaign promises like boosting domestic energy production, while also seeking peace in turbulent parts of the world and attempting to follow through on long-term ambitions, like acquiring Greenland. He has engaged with the...

Unemployment stuck near five-year high as wage growth cools

Unemployment remained stuck at a near five-year high in the run-up to Rachel Reeves’s November Budget, while wage growth continued to ease, reinforcing expectations that interest rate cuts are edging closer. Figures published on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics showed the UK unemployment rate holding steady at 5.1 per cent in the three months to November. That is the highest level since early 2021 and broadly in line with economists’ forecasts. Joblessness has...

MPs back UK innovators as Britain steps up fight against plastic pollution

MPs have thrown their weight behind calls for greater Government support for British businesses developing alternatives to plastic packaging, as Parliament steps up its focus on tackling the global plastics crisis. At a Westminster briefing hosted by the Natural Polymers Group, parliamentarians heard how UK-led innovation in nature-based materials could form a £4.2 billion industry and create more than 35,000 high-skilled green jobs across the country. More than a dozen MPs, peers and civil servants...

Solomon Asamoah and the Evidentiary Turning Point in the Sky Train Trial

The resumption of the Sky Train trial this week signalled a significant development in the proceedings, particularly as the court entered a phase that is often crucial in complex financial cases. A turning point was marked by the court’s decision to admit key email correspondence into evidence, despite the prosecution’s unexpected objections. This shift underscored the importance of documentary records and highlighted the vital role that contemporaneous materials play in evaluating institutional decision-making in large-scale...