Trump announces ‘external revenue service’ to collect foreign tariffs
Trump said on social media that the new department would be created on his first day when he takes office on January 20.
From Greenland to Panama and Mexico, leaders are in shock – The Economist
- From Greenland to Panama and Mexico, leaders are in shock The Economist
- Why Trump Turned to Manifest Destiny The New York Times
- Trump’s “Americas First” Plan Isn’t All Bad American Enterprise Institute
- Trump Is Opening Pandora’s Box Foreign Policy
- Breakingviews - Trump and Musk’s ally-bullying weakens the West Reuters
Giving Tulip Siddiq anti-corruption job seen by insiders as own goal
Some in No 10 wish they had thought a bit more about how it looked before giving job to niece of ousted Bangladesh PM
The warning signs were always there. When a photo of Tulip Siddiq standing alongside Vladimir Putin and her aunt, the now ousted leader of Bangladesh, emerged in 2015, alarm bells rang within the Labour party.
At the time, Siddiq was the Labour candidate for the marginal seat of Hampstead and Kilburn. Yet she brushed aside concerns over her presence at the signing of a billion-dollar arms deal and nuclear power project at the Kremlin two years earlier.
Continue reading...Andrew Malkinson calls miscarriage of justice watchdog’s ex-head ‘shameless’
Helen Pitcher resigned from the CCRC saying she had been ‘scapegoated’ over Malkinson’s case
Andrew Malkinson has called the former head of the miscarriage of justice watchdog “shameless” as she resigned from the job saying she had been “scapegoated for entirely legitimate decisions” taken over his case.
Helen Pitcher handed in her resignation as chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) on Tuesday afternoon after learning that an independent panel had concluded by a majority of two to one that she was no longer fit to be chair.
Continue reading...Insurance firms are sending firefighters to defend homes amid LA wildfires
Private efforts to combat wildfires are not just for the superrich – many work for insurers seeking to minimize the policies they’d have to pay out
When a wildfire started spreading through the Pacific Palisades last Tuesday morning, employees of Wildfire Defense Systems, which provides “loss intervention services” to insurance companies, were already nearby, Dave Torgerson, the company’s founder, said.
Once they arrived at the scene, the private company’s workers stood back for a while, waiting for the government firefighters to complete the most urgent life-saving efforts. When they got clearance from public fire officials, they started their job, which focuses on protecting insured homes and businesses, Torgerson said.
Continue reading...How the Trump administration threatens internet freedoms
Trump picks to lead gov't agencies like FCC, FTC may censor speech and make the internet less free.
Ban on naming Sara Sharif care case judges would have ‘corrosive impact’, court told
Media organisations are challenging ruling that they cannot name three judges involved in proceedings relating to 10-year-old who was later murdered
A unprecedented ban on naming judges who oversaw proceedings related to the care of Sara Sharif before she was murdered is likely to have a “corrosive impact” on public confidence in the justice system, the court of appeal has been told.
Mr Justice Williams ruled in December that the media could not name three judges who oversaw three sets of family court proceedings relating to the 10-year-old schoolgirl over concerns they would be subject to a “virtual lynch mob”. He also said he did not believe the media could be trusted to report matters in a fair, accurate and responsible way.
Continue reading...‘I’m not perfect’: Pete Hegseth testifies on sexual assault and drinking claims
Trump Pentagon pick grilled by Democrats at Senate confirmation hearing amid concerns of his personal history
Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for US secretary of defense, defended his record in a contentious Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, acknowledging he was “not a perfect person” as Democratic lawmakers grilled the military veteran and Fox News host on allegations of sexual assault, excessive alcohol use and financial mismanagement.
Hegseth can only afford to lose the votes of three Senate Republicans, assuming every Democratic senator opposes his nomination, but none appeared ready to break ranks despite some having previously voiced concerns about Hegseth’s personal history and his views on women in the military.
Continue reading...More than half a million ‘TikTok refugees’ flock to China’s RedNote as ban looms
RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, rockets to top of US app stores, along with ByteDance’s Lemon8
New users have piled in to the Chinese social media app RedNote just days before a proposed US ban on the popular social media app TikTok, as the lesser-known company rushes to capitalize on the sudden influx while walking a delicate line of moderating English-language content.
In a live chat dubbed “TikTok Refugees” on RedNote on Monday, more than 50,000 US and Chinese users joined the room. Veteran Chinese users, with some sense of bewilderment, welcomed their American counterparts and swapped notes with them on topics such as food and youth unemployment. Occasionally, however, the Americans veered into riskier territory.
Continue reading...Estimated 20 million gather so far for India’s Maha Kumbh Mela
An estimated 20 million people have so far gathered in northern India for the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Ukraine Gets First RCH 155 Wheeled Howitzer, Boxer Fighting Vehicles May Follow – The War Zone
- Ukraine Gets First RCH 155 Wheeled Howitzer, Boxer Fighting Vehicles May Follow The War Zone
- Pistorius in Kyiv ahead of Trump's return and German vote DW (English)
- German defence minister arrives in Ukraine to send message of support Reuters
- Armored vehicles, shells, drones: Germany handed over new batch of aid to Ukraine Ukrinform
- German Defense Minister denies Scholz blocked proposal for $3 billion arms package for Ukraine, says decision awaits Kyiv Independent
Canada’s provincial leaders in disarray over response to Trump tariff threats
Responses range from conciliation to retaliation, including cutting off electricity and halting the purchase of US liquor
Canada’s provincial premiers are sharply divided on how to prepare for US trade tariffs, less than a week before Donald Trump takes office with a threat to dramatically reshape the relationship between the two countries.
Canadian officials have sought to defuse the crisis with personal appeals to the president-elect, multimillion-dollar advertising sprees and targeted threats, but the country remains gripped by uncertainty over how Trump’s tariffs might take effect. On Monday, Bloomberg reported that the incoming US administration is weighing hiking tariffs by 2%-5% a month to avoid spiking inflation.
Continue reading...Spain axes popular golden visa, plans 100% tax on foreign buyers in response to housing crisis – Fortune
- Spain axes popular golden visa, plans 100% tax on foreign buyers in response to housing crisis Fortune
- ‘Too many Airbnbs’: Spain’s prime minister wants up to 100% property tax on foreign buyers CNN
- Spain eyes tax hike for holiday rentals in bid to lower rents Reuters
- Spain’s Plan to Tax Foreigners’ Home Purchases Will Likely Struggle to Pass in Parliament Bloomberg
- Spain has killed off the British holiday home dream – here’s what to do about it The Telegraph
Chinese officials reportedly discuss sale of TikTok in US to Elon Musk
Tech company rejects as ‘pure fiction’ a report that a deal could take place if it fails to avoid an impending ban
Chinese officials have reportedly held preliminary talks about a potential option to sell TikTok’s operations in the US to the billionaire Elon Musk, should the short-video app be unable to avoid an impending ban. Another option is that Musk acts as a broker in a deal to sell the app.
Beijing officials prefer that TikTok remains under the control of its Chinese parent, Bytedance, but have discussed other options including a sale to Musk, Bloomberg reported. The Financial Times reported on the same day that the officials had discussed the preliminary possibility of Musk functioning as a go-between for Bytedance and any potential buyer that would prevent the app from being shut down.
Continue reading...Frasers Group says two-thirds of retail staff are still on zero-hours contracts
MPs examining plans for legislation were told 11,500 staff on the contracts, which do not guarantee weekly shifts
The owner of Sports Direct has confirmed that two-thirds of its retail workforce remain on zero-hours contracts ahead of new legislation designed to limit their use.
Frasers Group told MPs who are examining plans to strengthen protection for employees that 11,500 staff were on the contracts, which do not guarantee any weekly working shifts, and did not receive compensation even if shifts were changed at the last minute.
Continue reading...Families cautiously optimistic that Israeli hostages may soon be free
Relatives watch and wait as talks to broker ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar
The families of Israeli hostages held captive for 15 months in the Gaza Strip have voiced cautious optimism their loved ones may soon be free as talks to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continued in Qatar.
“The reports suggesting a potential deal to secure the release of our loved ones offer a glimmer of hope, though we remain cautious,” a statement from the families released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum headquarters said on Tuesday. “Our hearts are filled with both hope and apprehension as we await concrete developments. In these sensitive times, it is our shared responsibility to exercise care and consideration.”
Continue reading...Rescuers recover 36 bodies and 82 survivors from South African gold mine
Hundreds more survivors and dozens more bodies still underground, according to a miners rights group.
France must stand firm in face of ‘new world disorder’ embodied by Musk, says PM
François Bayrou said France must look global powers ‘face on’ in reference to Donald Trump’s return to office
The French prime minister has said the country must stand firm in the face of figures such as Elon Musk, who represents a “new world disorder”.
In his first policy speech to parliament on Tuesday, François Bayrou, a veteran centrist, said there was “a new world disorder, that threatens all equilibrium and all rules of defence. There are a certain number of people who embody this without complex, such as Elon Musk.”
Continue reading...Who is Nawaf Salam, Lebanon’s PM-designate amid political shift?
Pro-reform movement sees new hope with Salam's appointment as prime minister.
Ukraine launches largest attack of war so far, Kyiv claims
Officials in several Russian regions, some hundreds of kilometres from the border, reported strikes overnight.