Zimbabwe rejects 'lopsided' US health aid deal over data concerns
Access to biological samples raised flags for Zimbabwe as the US did not want to share the benefits of its research.
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Commons speaker says he tipped off police before Mandelson was arrested – UK politics live
Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he told police he had heard that former US ambassador was planning to leave the countryThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published figures showing that local authorities in England dealt with 1.26m flytipping incidents in 2024/25 – 9% increase on the previous year.And there was an 11% increase in incidents involving a “tipper lorry load” amount of rubbish. There were 52,000 of these, up from 47,000 in 2023/24. Defra said these alone cost councils £19.3m.These figures show the equivalent of 142 monster landfills a day took place, confirming what communities across the country know all too well – our beautiful countryside is being used by criminal gangs as their personal landfill.For far too long, waste gangs have pocketed millions in illegal earning, poisoning our environment and our health without consequence. The Liberal Democrats are demanding an end to this environmental vandalism. Continue reading...
Ed Davey accuses care home trustee of embezzlement amid watchdog enquiry
Lib Dem leader says crisis at William Blake House is ‘one of my worst nightmares’ after Guardian revealed inquiry into financesEd Davey has accused a trustee of a learning disability care home of embezzlement and called for watchdogs to take over the charity to resolve a crisis he described as “one my worst nightmares”.The Liberal Democrat leader’s intervention at prime minister’s questions came hours after the Guardian revealed the Charity Commission has opened a serious inquiry into concerns around financial mismanagement and potential misuse of funds at William Blake House. Continue reading...
Diageo slashes dividend and vows to address Guinness capacity constraints in London
Drinks maker cuts annual sale and profit forecast for second time in four months amid weak demand in US and ChinaDiageo has slashed its dividend and cut its annual sales and profit forecast for the second time in four months, as the maker of Guinness warned of capacity constraints affecting drinkers of “the black stuff” in London pubs.The world’s largest spirits maker – which owns brands including Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker whisky and Don Julio tequila – reported weak demand in the US and China in the first results released under the new chief executive, Sir Dave Lewis. Continue reading...
Germany accused of ditching climate targets as it scraps renewables mandate
Coalition government agrees to remove parts of controversial law and allow homes to rely on fossil fuels Germany’s coalition government has been accused of abandoning its climate targets after agreeing to scrap parts of a contentious heating law mandating the use of renewables in favour of a draft law allowing homeowners to rely on fossil fuels.While the previous law required most newly installed heating systems to use at least 65% renewable energy, often with a heat pump, the reformed legislation will allow households to keep using oil and gas. Continue reading...
House speaker says he nearly ejected Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from Trump’s State of the Union address – US politics live
Mike Johnson criticizes congresswomen’s verbal protests during speech The ‘golden age of America’? Trump delivers the State of the Union address – podcastA newly revealed diplomatic cable calls on US diplomats to work against attempts by foreign nations to regulate how US tech companies handle their citizens’ data, as “data sovereignty initiatives” gather steam in Europe over security concerns.More from Reuters:President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts to regulate U.S. tech companies’ handling of foreigners’ data, saying in an internal diplomatic cable seen by Reuters that such efforts could interfere with artificial intelligence-related services.Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting to a more confrontational approach as some foreign countries seek limits around how Silicon Valley firms process and store their citizens’ personal information - initiatives often described as “data sovereignty” or “data localization.“ Continue reading...
Zelenskyy confirms US talks ahead of ‘trilateral meeting with Russia’, as Orbán doubles down on Ukraine criticism – Europe live
Ukrainian president says trilateral talks expected early in March, as Hungarian PM steps up attacks on EU and UkrainePresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was looking to repair the Druzhba oil pipeline but “it was not so fast,” Reuters reported.Shipments of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia have been cut off since 27 January, when Kyiv says a Russian strike hit pipeline equipment in western Ukraine. Continue reading...
Disputes over Hamas disarmament stall Gaza peace plan progress
Hamas to almost certainly reject plan described in Israeli press, say experts, as no guarantee Israel will withdraw on surrender of weaponsProgress in the Gaza peace plan has stalled over disagreements on how Hamas should be disarmed, with Israel threatening to go back to full-scale war if the condition is not carried out quickly.The second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, which Washington declared had begun in January, was meant to involve Hamas disarming, Israeli forces withdrawing, and a Palestinian interim administration moving into Gaza backed by a Palestinian police force and an international stabilisation force (ISF). Continue reading...
HSBC bankers to share $3.9bn bonus pot, the highest in more than a decade
Bank reports better-than-expected annual results and CEO signals overhaul of lender is almost overBankers at HSBC are to share a bonus pot worth $3.9bn (£2.9bn), the highest in more than a decade, after Europe’s largest lender reported better-than-expected annual results.The bonus pool for staff is 10% higher than a year earlier and the bank said it had determined it “based on a review of our performance against financial and non-financial metrics”, while the bank’s chief executive’s pay also rose. Continue reading...
Displaced Sudanese women caught up in war suffer wretched Ramadan
Women in Sudan’s Al-Sarraf camp face hunger and disease during a desperate holy month.