Political News
Dick's Sporting Goods, US gun retailer, stops selling assault rifles
Dick’s Sporting Goods has announced the removal of assault-style weapons from its stores and has raised the age for gun buyers to over 21.
Government must share blame over nuclear clean-up contract failure, say MPs
The UK government has been accused of being partly to blame for shortfalls on a nuclear clean-up contract that wound up costing taxpayers as much as £122m in legal expenses.
EU plan assumes Northern Ireland will stay in customs union
The UK must accept the prospect of Northern Ireland staying in the EU customs union with oversight by the European Court of Justice after Brexit, a draft European commission treaty shows.
UN report says North Korea aided Syrian chemical weapons projects
A leaked report from the UN sanctions panel says North Korea sent Syria missile specialists and over 40 items used in ballistic missile and chemical weapons programmes between 2012 and 2017.
EU to guarantee Irish soft-border in first divorce bill draft
The European Union will release the first complete draft of its Brexit divorce bill this week, where it will spell out that Northern Ireland will remain part of the single market and customs union to secure a soft-border if no other agreement is made.
UK 'could back air strikes against Assad if chemical weapons use proven'
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said on Tuesday that the UK could join the US military strikes against the Syrian government if there is proof that chemical weapons have been used against civilians in the Eastern Ghouta region.
RBS reveals almost all top restructuring managers worked at GRG
Almost all senior employees at Royal Bank of Scotland’s current restructuring business worked at the bank’s notorious Global Restructuring Group before it was replaced, RBS has revealed to MPs.
US Supreme Court handicaps Trump's 'dreamer' plans
The US Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Trump administration on Monday as it declined to take up a lawsuit concerning the citizenship status of the children of illegal immigrants, known as 'dreamers'.
Corbyn's U-turn on customs union could spell danger for May
Jeremy Corbyn's speech on Monday, where he was set to outline his party's shadow Brexit policy, could see the Labour leader pave the way for a mutiny within Conservative ranks, led by a small number of pro-Europeans in Theresa May's cabinet, potentially derailing the PM's strategy if he was to echo sentiments made by his MP's and senior spokesmen of Labour lending their support to a post-Brexit customs union with the EU.
Sadiq Khan announces first-ever London National Park Week
In his quest to make London the world’s first National Park City with over half of the city's space green, Mayor Sadiq Khan announced the first ever London National Park City Week to celebrate the capital’s natural environment and encourage Londoners to make it even greener.
Trump announces 'largest-ever' set of sanctions on North Korea
The White House announced a brand new set of sanctions in its efforts to strip North Korea of its access to smuggling routes used by the regime to evade a United Nations embargo and fund its nuclear weapons programme.
Countries with restrictions on freedom of speech rank highest in annual corruption perception index
Transparency International's 2017 Corruption Perception Index reveals high levels of corruption in over two-thirds of countries, with the UK among the few that managed to improve their rating.
UK inequality projected to rise to record highs, poorest households to be hit the hardest
General income growth has slowed and is expected to continue on the same trajectory for the next 5 years, according to one of the UK's leading think-tanks.
Parliament to question Cambridge Analytica chief as part of 'fake news' inquiry
Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) is questioning Alexander Nix, CEO of Cambridge Analytica on 27 February as part of parliamentary enquiry into fake news to investigate if the public has been manipulated and been fed untruths.
Smart meter firm to axe 288 UK jobs citing Brexit pressures
Smart meter manufacturer Landis+Gyr is planning to axe 288 jobs and move production to Continental Europe and Asia, citing Britain's decision to leave the European Union, the GMB union said.
Mayor's office announces £110m investment into the Met
Sadiq Khan announced on Thursday that he would be investing an additional £110m into the Metropolitan Police over the next twelve months.
Non-EU migrants boost net migration as Britain sees drop in EU arrivals
244,000 more people entered the UK in the twelve months leading to 30 September than those leaving, despite falling numbers of net EU migration in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the Union.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Brexit, wages, GKN, ITV, Apple
The Cabinet did not agree to Theresa May's negotiating strategy for the transition period after Brexit before it was sent to EU nations, senior ministers have told Telegraph. The official strategy document, which was published on Wednesday, prompted a furious backlash after raising the prospect of an open-ended transition period after Brexit. - Telegraph.
CBI boss dismisses 'false choice' between EU and global trade
Britain’s relationship with Europe supports trade with the rest of the world and those who say the UK must decide between the two options present a false choice, the head of the CBI will tell business leaders.
Treasury committee launches cryptocurrency inquiry
The Treasury committee has launched an inquiry into cryptocurrencies and distributed ledgers such as blockchain amid continuing debate about the dangers and opportunities presented by the technologies.