Author: News Desk

Labour chancellor will try to attract overseas investment at World Economic Forum meeting this week while row rages at home over tax changes for millionaire foreign nationals living in the UK Reeves blasted over Davos investment drive while millionaire non-doms desert the UK  Labour has been accused of trying to have it both ways as Rachel Reeves jets off to Davos to try to attract foreign investment while new figures show a millionaire leaves the country every 45 minutes. The chancellor will travel to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort this week hoping to attract…

Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners on Monday after Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages, completing the first exchange under a long-awaited truce aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in Gaza. Live: Israeli hostages, Palestinian detainees freed on first Gaza truce exchange

  Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s youngest son, Nikolai, has been appearing ever more frequently in the media lately. The 20-year-old, who used to accompany his father on state visits, now appears to be influencing national politics. Young Nikolai Lukashenko is currently touring the country to play piano concerts for a “unity marathon”—propaganda events to gain support for the nomination of his father to another term in office. The elder Lukashenko has ruled the country for 30 years. An early presidential election is to be held in Belarus on January 26. When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared earlier this year that Lukashenko…

An advert promoting the controversial Scientology religion at a London Tube station has caused shock and disbelief among commuters. The poster, which encourages Londoners to find out more about the group, was spotted over the weekend at a Tube platform. Scientology has been labelled a ‘cult’ by critics, and has been criticised for its claims about mental health, its finances and even abusive practices. The Tube advert says in large writing ‘I’m a Scientologist’, accompanied by the picture of a cinematographer called Robert. The billboard hopes to spark the interest of commuters, asking ‘Curious?’ before directing them to the religion’s website.…

Exhausted firefighters in Los Angeles prepared for more dangerous gusts on Sunday, as California battled wildfires that have claimed 27 lives. Governor criticised “hurricane-force winds of misinformation.” Two major fires, consuming nearly 40,000 acres and devastating parts of the city, are over half contained. Forecasters warn of critical conditions with gusts reaching 80 mph starting Monday. The two largest fires, which have obliterated almost 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) and razed entire neighborhoods of the second biggest US city, were both now more than half contained, officials announced. But the National Weather Service warned that powerful winds and very low humidity…

  In Kazakhstan, the penalties for so-called bride kidnapping are to be toughened up. The local parliament is working on changing laws to try to eradicate what is now considered an outdated custom. Almost every young woman in Kazakhstan is only too well aware that she too could become a victim of bride kidnapping. If that happens to a young woman, it puts paid to any personal plans for her future. This is what happened to Gulmira K., a nurse from Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. Gulmira, who doesn’t want to use her full name in the media, was kidnapped when…

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, stated this Sunday that “Spain is going from strength to strength” in employment and social and territorial cohesion and has promised a new increase in the interprofessional minimum wage (SMI) this year. At the closing of the 15th congress of the PSOE of Extremadura, in which Miguel Ángel Gallardo revalidated his position as general secretary, Sánchez focused his speech on boosting the economy in the face of an opposition that only makes noise, which if it goes out will remains “in absolute nothingness.” “When the opposition gives up, it means we are doing…

The long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza has come into force after a delay of nearly three hours, and thousands of Gazans are beginning to return home. The first three Israeli female hostages are expected to be freed later – Hamas has named them as 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher, dual British-Israeli Emily Damari, 28, and 24-year-old Romi Gonen.

Several thousand Pro-Palestinian supporters have taken part in a demonstration in central London. The rally – the latest UK protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) since the war in Gaza began in 2023 – comes as Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

TikTok has gone offline in the US, hours before a new law banning the platform was due to come into effect. A message appearing on the app for US users said a law banning TikTok had been enacted, meaning “you can’t use TikTok for now”.

A roundup of last night’s Premier League matches dominates the UK news. Arsenal threw away a 2-0 lead at home to draw 2-2 with Aston Villa, potentially throwing away any chances of winning the title. Liverpool beat Brentford 2-0 yesterday, going six points clear at the top of the table.

World-first urine test ‘detects lung cancer’ Scientists have created a first-of-its-kind urine test which they say catches lung cancer early, potentially improving outcomes for the millions of people who will go on to develop the disease. Created by the University of Cambridge, England, the test identifies ‘zombie’ cell proteins in urine. These proteins can be markers of tissue changes that occur long before lung cancer becomes visible through scans or physical symptoms. Researchers developed an injectable sensor that interacts with the ‘zombie’ cell proteins and releases an easily detectable compound into urine, signalling their presence. Traditional techniques used for early…

UK economy: Interest rate cut a ‘certainty’ in February after weak data A February interest rate cut is a “certainty” after new data suggests that inflationary pressures are weaker than previously thought, but the path beyond remains unclear. Economists expect the Bank of England to back a third rate cut next month after two important pieces of economic data were published this week. Figures out on Wednesday showed that the headline rate of inflation fell to 2.5 per cent in December, down from 2.6 per cent previously and below expectations. Rate-setters will likely have been paying particular attention to services…