Year: 2024

Several of Friday’s front pages lead on the mess of Thames Water – Britain’s largest water provider. Lawmakers across the political spectrum have criticised the company’s bosses for the financial mess it is in amid talks that the company could be nationalised.

Several papers lead on UK political news, with PM Rishi Sunak and Labour’s Angela Rayner both reportedly ‘coming under fire’ recently, Sunak for honouring a top Tory donor and Rayner for her controversial property dealings. There’s also a look ahead to the upcoming general election. 

Russia has terminated a United Nations expert panel responsible for overseeing sanctions against North Korea, a group that has operated for several years. Last week, the panel announced an investigation into allegations that Russia violated regulations by procuring North Korean weaponry, including ballistic missiles, for deployment in Ukraine.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the co-founder of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for defrauding customers and investors of his now-defunct firm. The once-billionaire was a prominent face of cryptocurrency until the company’s sudden collapse in 2022.

Authorities in South Africa report that forty-five have died after a bus veered off a bridge, plummeting approximately 50 meters (165 feet) into a ravine. The sole survivor, an eight-year-old girl, sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital.