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Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has criticised Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s cost of living and retail policies as “populist reactions”.In a letter to Burnham, Ashley accused him of “jumping on ‘everyday fixes’ or bandwagons” while businesses struggled with the government’s “disastrous” business rates policies and higher employment costs.He also described a previous proposal of increasing business rates on large warehouses to help reduce them for pubs and clubs as “delusional”.A Downing Street spokesperson said Burnham would “build a new economy that backs British business, delivers growth in every postcode and ensures the essentials in life… are affordable again.”Promises including cutting…
Friday marks six months since the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes on targets across the Gulf and sparking a new war in the Middle East. What was initially expected to be a weeks-long conflict has evolved into a standoff that geopolitical analysts say has no end in sight. But the nature of the war has also shifted, with the White House turning its focus to ramping up financial pressure on Iran and its trading partners, a strategy President Donald Trump labeled “economic D-Day.”But the conflict’s trajectory remains deeply uncertain. Ships attempting to transit…
Zack Polanski has called for a freeze on the approval of new data centres in England because of concerns about the amount of water and energy they use.The Green Party leader said the government should introduce stricter environmental rules and give communities more say on whether the centres are built in their area.Data centres can use significant amounts of water to cool their systems, although there are no official figures on how much water they consume in the UK.The government said a pause would lead to the UK losing investment and being dependent on overseas computing for sensitive data processing.A…
Iceland Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir participates at a listening session on a referendum in Reykjavik, Iceland, on August 24, 2026.Jonathan Nackstrand | Afp | Getty ImagesIcelanders on Saturday will vote in a knife-edge referendum on whether to resume negotiations to join the European Union, reopening a debate that has taken on deeper significance in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Arctic saber-rattling.The question put to the Nordic nation of nearly 400,000 is simply: “Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?”Opinion polls indicate the advisory vote is likely to go down to the wire, with the country effectively…
U.S. Navy sailors work on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as it transits the Arabian Sea to support U.S. military operations in the war with Iran Aug. 20, 2026.U.S. Navy | Via ReutersIran has set out its conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying that ending the wars in the Middle East was among them.Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Lebanese media outlet Al Manar TV that any understanding on the strait with the U.S. will include an end to wars and military operations in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria. He…
There was also a fall in the number of family members coming to the UK to join someone already legally in the country, while asylum claims were also down by a fifth.Some 38,000 illegal arrivals were detected in the year to June – 33,000 of them on small boats across the sea from France. More up to date figures show the trend in small boat arrivals has continued to be lower than last year. Correspondingly, claims for asylum have also fallen.Some 86,000 people sought asylum – down a fifth on the previous year. About half of those applications for help…
Investigators specialising in rape and sex offences will be introduced to every police force in England and Wales by the end of 2027, the government has said. Ministers are speeding up the rollout of the scheme, previously announced by Sir Keir Starmer’s government, by 18 months as part of efforts to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG). They are also offering more money for some forces to boost protection orders. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the previous plans were “too slow” and ministers should be “laser focused” on tackling such crimes. One charity has welcomed the measures, but says…
People carrying out home renovations will gain greater protections against “cowboy builders” through a new database of trusted traders and a payment system offering more safeguards, the government has said. Traders signing up to the scheme launching next month will need to demonstrate certain standards of customer service, transparency and dispute resolution.Prime Minister Andy Burnham said unscrupulous tradespeople “leave families with months of stress” as well as unfinished work.The National Federation of Builders said the changes would not stop rogue operators while the Tories suggested there would be added paperwork for firms already operating legitimately.Citizens Advice has said home renovations…
United Arab Emirates national security advisor, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, meets with President Donald Trump at the White House, March 18, 2025.Courtesy: Donald J. Trump | Via Truth SocialThe powerful United Arab Emirates official known as the “spy sheikh” is behind the largest stake in the holding company for the Trump family’s planned crypto bank, further deepening his financial ties to President Donald Trump’s business empire, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security advisor and brother of its president, and his co-investors are behind StringZ Holding RSC, which owns a…
The family of a woman killed after a high-speed race through residential streets says it is a “relief” the government was considering changing the law around defendants who are considered unfit to stand trial.Sophie Brimble, 20, died after her boyfriend, Jay Bayliss, crashed into a lamp-post in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, in July 2017, while driving at almost three times the speed limit. He was deemed too badly injured for criminal proceedings.The family launched a petition to give courts greater powers in similar cases, after Bayliss was again declared unfit in 2026.The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it “agrees the law…