Author: News Desk

Games Inbox: Will Nintendo Switch 2 games be cross-gen? Multi-generational gamingI think the most interesting thing from that Pokémon hack is the information that the next game is going to be cross-gen, which is probably the only substantial news we’ve had about a Nintendo Switch 2 game so far. Unfortunately, because Game Freak are known for being so backwards in terms of technology, it’s hard to know whether this will be commonplace when the Switch 2 comes out or if it’s just for Pokémon. Other than that, what was it all for? To know about a bunch of movies that…

Vladimir Putin ordered Novichok attack on my life, Salisbury victim Sergei Skripal tells Dawn Sturgess inquiry Salisbury poisoning victim Sergei Skripal believes Vladimir Putin personally ordered the Novichok attack on him and his daughter Yulia, the former spy has told the inquiry into Dawn Sturgess’s death. In a new witness statement made public at the hearing in Salisbury on Monday, Mr Skripal said he believed the Russian president “must have at least given permission for the attack on Yulia and me” in March 2018. Mr Skripal, a former Russian GRU military intelligence agent convicted in Russia in 2004 on charges…

Rachel Reeves boosts big business as she caps corporation tax at 25% and woos investment in Britain Rachel Reeves announced her fourth big tax freeze on Monday, pledging to cap corporation tax at 25 per cent for the lifetime of this parliament as she made a bold offer to the world’s largest businesses to invest in Britain. It leaves her with little space to manoeuvre in this month’s Budget, having already promised not to raise income tax, VAT, or employee contributions on national insurance. And it will increase speculation that she will try to fill a £25bn gap in her…

Afghan special forces to be brought to Britain as minister finally admits troops were employed by UK Hundreds of Afghan special forces soldiers and their family members will be allowed to resettle in the UK after ministers admitted that new evidence has confirmed they were paid by the government. Luke Pollard, the armed forces minister, told the Commons on Monday that a Ministry of Defence review, sparked by campaigning MPs and a joint investigation by The Independent, Lighthouse Reports and Sky News, has found that members of Afghan specialist units were directly employed by the UK government, despite previous denials.…

Yvette Cooper jokes husband’s advice was to ‘shake it off’ after Taylor Swift police protection questions Yvette Cooper has joked her husband’s advice was to “shake it off” days after she faced questions over Taylor Swift’s VIP police protection at her London concerts. The home secretary also told journalists at Westminster that “haters gonna hate, hate, hate”. Last week ministers denied claims that a police escort for Ms Swift was the result of “undue influence” from senior politicians, including Ms Cooper. It followed reports the Metropolitan Police had initially been reluctant to give the pop star the kind of protection normally…

Children ‘doom scrolling’ on phones for hours a day causing widespread harm – MP Children who are “doom scrolling” for hours a day on smartphones are at risk of widespread harm, an MP has warned. The equivalent of “seatbelt” legislation is needed for children and their social media use to help them manage addictive content, according to former teacher Josh MacAlister. On Wednesday, the Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington will introduce a Private Member’s Bill (PMB) in Parliament on protecting children from harms caused by excessive screen time The Bill, which aims to empower families and teachers to cut…

Unemployed to be given weight-loss jab to help them back into work, government announces Unemployed people will be given weight-loss jabs to assist them back into work in a trial. The UK’s life sciences sector will receive £279 million from drugs giant Eli Lilly, to invest in developing new medicines and ways to deliver treatment. Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of the NHS praised weight-loss drugs as “game-changers” in supporting people to reduce their risk of life-threatening conditions. The plans with Lily, announced at the UK’s International Investment Summit, will include the first trial of the jab’s effect on unemployment, productivity and…

King Charles enjoys performance from Elton John at reception for UK’s international investment summit The King joined some of the world’s top chief executives and industry leaders at a reception that capped off the government’s first major summit to woo investors, and enjoyed a performance from Sir Elton John. Some 300 guests attended the exclusive reception at St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday where Charles spoke to a wide group of notable figureheads. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web, astronaut Tim Peake, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth, also spent time with Charles. Sir Elton…

Charities urge Government to target smaller websites under Online Safety Act A group of charities and online safety campaigners have written to the Prime Minister, urging him to ignore advice from Ofcom around which websites to categorise as the most dangerous under the Online Safety Act. The group of campaigners said the regulator’s advice that smaller websites should not be designated Category 1 – the rating which gives Ofcom the greatest scope of powers for oversight and regulation of that platform – left a number of “the most dangerous online forums” not fully in scope of the regulation. In guidance…

UK ‘dangerously underprepared’ for future energy crisis and price spikes, experts warn The UK is “dangerously underprepared” and vulnerable to another energy crisis that would see price rises, a group of experts have warned. The Energy Crisis Commission, which includes representatives from Energy UK, Citizens Advice and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said weaknesses in Britain’s energy system have been laid bare – supply, demand and targeted support for the poorest households. The commission was launched earlier this year to review the impacts of the recent energy crisis on UK households and businesses after Russia’s war in Ukraine caused prices to…