CATEGORIES

Billionaire Gautam Adani charged in alleged $250m bribery plot

Gautam Adani, one of the world's richest men, has been indicted in New York over an alleged multibillion-dollar scheme to pay $250m in bribes and conceal it from US investors.

October's government borrowing exceeds forecasts at £17.4bn

The government borrowed more than expected in October as debt interest payments pushed the public finances deeper into the red, piling pressure on Rachel Reeves as she attempts to expand the economy.

Staff cuts ancl stamp price rises possible, says Royal Mail owner

The company that owns Royal Mail is considering j ob cuts and price rises on stamps and parcels as it blames the Labour government's first budget in 14 years for adding £120m to its costs.

'Irishness is changing Tent camp for asylum seekers divides small town

In the small town of Newtown Mount Kennedy, a holding centre for people who have just arrived in Ireland seeking asylum lies in the wooded grounds of Trudder House, a former convent.

Trans woman in China wins payout over electroshock treatment

A transgender woman in China has won a record amount of compensation from a hospital that subjected her to several sessions of electroshock conversion practices without her consent.

First arrest after New Zealand bans public wearing of gang insignia

New Zealand's gang members will need to hide their gang insignia or face prosecution after a new ban came into force yesterday - a move critics believe could risk breaching the country's bill of rights and do little to reduce gang membership.

Horse's head left at Sicilian home in echo of scene from Godfather

A severed horse's head has been discovered at the property of a Sicilian businessman in what local authorities believe may be a mafia intimidation tactic reminiscent of a scene from The Godfather.

Voice actor behind The Simpsons' Milhouse to retire after 35 years

Pamela Hayden, the actor behind beloved Simpsons character Milhouse, has announced her retirement from the show after 35 years and almost 700 episodes.

Brazil's Bolsonaro charged with plotting coup d'etat to violently dismantle state'

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro and some of his closest allies are among dozens of people formally accused by federal police of a criminal conspiracy to obliterate Brazil's democratic system through a coup.

Deus in machina: Swiss church installs Al-powered Jesus

The small, unadorned church has long ranked as the oldest in the Swiss city of Lucerne. But Peter's chapel has become synonymous with all that is new after it installed an AI-p0wered Jesus capable of conversing in 100 different languages.

Conflicts on the rise across world after Covid lull - report

The proportion ofthe world engulfed by conflict has grown 65% - equivalent to nearly double the size of India - over the past three years, according to a new report.

Merkel: I mistook Trump for someone 'completely normal'

Angela Merkel's first mistake with Donald Trump, she says in her keenly awaited new memoir, was treating him as if he were \"completely normal\", but she quickly learned of his \"emotional\" nature and soft spot for authoritarians and tyrants.

MSF suspends health services in Haitian capital after attacks

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said its aid workers are \"heartbroken\" after the medical NGO was forced to suspend all of its healthcare services in Port-au-Prince for the first time in three decades, leaving Haitians in the Violence-ravaged capital without a critical lifeline.

North Korea Moscow gift of lion, bears and 25 pheasants

Russia has transferred more than 70 animals, including an African lion, two brown bears and 25 pheasants to a zoo in North Korea.

Visas for Russians EU migration chief raises alarm over policy

The EU's top official in migration has said she is concerned about its visa policy that allowed nearly 450,000 Russians to Visit Europe in 2023.

Book review Lurid picture of wild wild Westminster

Does Nadine Dorries know, in Downfall, she's borrowing her title from a much-gifted film about the last days of Hitler?

Water firms' 'undeserved' bonuses to be paid for by investors

Investors in Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water will be forced to pick up the tab for executive bonuses after the regulator determined the sector had awarded \"undeserved\" extra payments worth £6.8m.

Tory flaws hindering leasehold system reforms, minister says

Long-awaited reforms to the leasehold system in England and Wales have been delayed for several months owing to \"flaws\" in legislation passed by the previous Conservative government, the housing minister has said.

Stage review Director's farewell show is nourishing for the soul

Elizabeth Newman's six-year tenure as Pitlochry's artistic director has been characterised by a spirit of generosity and an urge to connect.

MoD to cut 5,000 civil service jobs in drive to reduce costs

More than 5,000 civil service jobs are to go at the Ministry of Defence in a drive to cut costs, prompting alarm among trade unions.

Musk says MPs 'will be summoned to US' after riots row

Elon Musk has said British MPs \"will be summoned to the United States of America to explain their censorship and threats to American citizens\" in a fresh escalation of tensions between the world's richest man and Labour.

Gap in law exposed after council put dead man's belongings in skip

The brother of a 29-year-old man found dead in temporary council accommodation says he has been left bereft after his sibling's belongings were disposed of by council contractors.

KemiKaze the culture warrior targets Starmer's Cop29 trip - let's just drill, baby, drill!

It had been shaping up to be another sleepy Thursday in Westminster.

NHS cancellations during Covid were 'least bad' option, insists Hancock

Cancelling non-urgent treatment of patients during the pandemic was the \"least bad\" of a series of \"awful options\", Matt Hancock admitted yesterday.

Ban on social media for under-16s 'not on cards', says minister

A social media ban for under-16s is \"not on the cards at the moment\", the secretary of state for science and technology, Peter Kyle has said, after teenagers urged him to rethink plans to follow Australia and restrict access to sites such as TikTok and Snapchat.

'We're not BNP-lite' Reform UK attempts to patch up its image

It was the grand finale of Reform UK's September conference and Nigel Farage had a serious message to deliver: it was time for Reform to \"grow up\" and professionalize.

Blue plaque to mark childhood home of Cary Grant in Bristol

The humble West Country beginnings of one of Hollywood's most glittering stars is being commemorated by the unveiling of a Historic England national blue plaque at his beloved childhood home.

Heir to pie fortune found guilty of murdering friend at Christmas

The heir to a pie company fortune has been found guilty of the murder of his best friend on Christmas Eve.

Regulators inaction on gambler suicides 'will cost more lives'

The widow of a man who took his own life after becoming addicted to gambling says more people will die because the regulator will not investigate suicides linked to the addiction.

New respect orders to tackle antisocial behaviour

People who persistently indulge in antisocial behaviour will face up to two years in jail under Labour's respect orders, the home secretary will say today.