6 h. ago Linlithgow MSP welcomes extra funding to help secure future for Grangemouth workers

The First Minister confirmed to the Scottish Parliament that an amendment will be lodged to the Scottish Government’s 2025-26 Budget Bill to allocate an additional £25 million to establish a Grangemouth Just Transition Fund.

Economics

29 h. ago Apple removes advanced data protection tool in face of UK government request

Apple says removal of tool after government asked for right to see data will make iCloud users more vulnerableBusiness live – latest updatesApple has taken the unprecedented step of removing its strongest data security tool from customers in the UK, after the government demanded “backdoor” access to user data.UK users will no longer have access to the advanced data protection (ADP) tool, which uses end-to-end encryption to allow only account holders to view items such as photos or documents they have stored online in the iCloud storage service. Continue reading...

Politics

29 h. ago Trump says he ‘had very good talks with Putin’ and again criticizes Ukraine – live

US president also accuses Kyiv of talking ‘tough’ but having few bargaining chips in latest remarks in feud with Ukrainian president ZelenskyyNational security adviser Mike Waltz told a crowd of Donald Trump loyalists that he believes the president will receive the Nobel peace prize.“This is the presidency of peace. He’s going to end the war in Europe. He is going to end the wars in the Middle East. He is going to reinvest the United States and our leadership in our own hemisphere, from the Arctic to the border to Panama all the way down to our good friends in Argentina,” Waltz told the Conservative Political Action Conference.The pause comes after CNN reported on Wednesday that the mass terminations, which could affect over 50,000 civilian employees across the Pentagon, could run afoul of Title 10 section 129a of the US code. Following that report, Pentagon lawyers began reviewing the legality of the planned terminations more closely, the officials said.That law says that the secre...

Politics

30 h. ago Apple removes advanced data protection tool after UK government request

Users will now be more vulnerable to data breaches from bad actors, Apple says, after Home Office orderBusiness live – latest updatesApple has taken the unprecedented step of removing its strongest data security tool from customers in the UK, after the government demanded “backdoor” access to user data.UK users will no longer have access to the advanced data protection (ADP) tool, which uses end-to-end encryption to allow only account holders to view items such as photos or documents they have stored online in the iCloud storage service. UK users will now be more vulnerable to data breaches from bad actors, and other threats to customer privacy, Apple said. It will also mean that all data is accessible by Apple, which can share it with law enforcement if they have a warrant. Continue reading...

Politics

30 h. ago Senate passes budget funding Trump’s mass deportations; Pentagon reportedly delays firing civilians – US politics live

Republicans approve spending plan that will pay for hardline immigration policies; sackings on hold amid concerns they could hit military readinessMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsNational security adviser Mike Waltz told a crowd of Donald Trump loyalists that he believes the president will receive the Nobel peace prize.“This is the presidency of peace. He’s going to end the war in Europe. He is going to end the wars in the Middle East. He is going to reinvest the United States and our leadership in our own hemisphere, from the Arctic to the border to Panama all the way down to our good friends in Argentina,” Waltz told the Conservative Political Action Conference.The pause comes after CNN reported on Wednesday that the mass terminations, which could affect over 50,000 civilian employees across the Pentagon, could run afoul of Title 10 section 129a of the US code. Following that report, Pentagon lawyers began reviewing the legality of the planned terminations m...

Politics

31 h. ago Senate passes budget funding Trump’s mass deportations; federal workers brace for more firings – US politics live

Senate Republicans approve spending plan that will pay for hardline immigration policies; mass layoffs get all-clear after judge lifts blockMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsThe defense department will delay a plan to fire civilian employees on probation as it assess whether the move complies with the law and if it affects military readiness, CNN reports.The cuts were to be made as part of Donald Trump’s effort to dramatically downsize the federal government, which is being led by Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency”. Here’s more, from CNN:The pause comes after CNN reported on Wednesday that the mass terminations, which could affect over 50,000 civilian employees across the Pentagon, could run afoul of Title 10 section 129a of the US code. Following that report, Pentagon lawyers began reviewing the legality of the planned terminations more closely, the officials said.That law says that the secretary of defense “may not reduce the civilian workforce ...

Politics

33 h. ago Federal workers brace for more firings after judge lifts block on Trump administration job cuts – US politics live

Trump administration expected to continue its mass downsizing of the federal workforce amid warnings of unlawful terminations and a ‘monumental’ billMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsWe expect Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer to soon visit Donald Trump, at a moment when the American president is upending much of America’s foreign policy with his embrace of Russia’s position in the war in Ukraine. The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour looks at whether Starmer’s visit might reassure a rattled Europe:In November 1940, Winston Churchill sent a telegram to Franklin Roosevelt expressing relief both at the US president’s re-election and the victory of his anti-appeasement policy. “Things are afoot which will be remembered as long as the English language is spoken in any quarter of the globe, and in expressing the comfort I feel that the people of the United States have once again cast these great burdens upon you, I must now avow my sure faith that the lights by which we...

Politics

54 h. ago It’s time for Americans to withhold their taxes | Judith Levine

The point is not to deprive the government of funds. It’s to expose the regime’s criminalityPolitical power boils down to two things: votes and money. But when money buys presidents, senators and judges, votes are merely the sales receipts. What’s left is money, and the purpose of power is to get more of it.Trump’s non-billionaire followers appear thrilled that Elon Musk and his so-called “department of government efficiency” are burning down the government. “Imagine if Trump hadn’t met and talked with Elon Musk that all this progress on efficiency may not be taking place or at such a fast pace needed before the midterms,” comments holy666 on a Fox News story about the mass layoffs of federal employees. Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago All the things announced by the Welsh Government in the 2025

More money has been added to the 'brighter' budget announced by Mark Drakeford with £120m additional spending planned for Wales

Politics

60 h. ago Labour secures backing for Welsh budget with final details set to be announced

Labour's final Welsh budget spending plans for 2025/6 are understood to have won the support of Lib Dem Jane Dodds. The new plans are expected to include changes and some extra money being announced

Politics

3 d. ago Journalists launch legal action against Italian government over spyware claims

Union submits criminal complaint to prosecutors as ministers refuse to answer questions about alleged hacksItaly’s national union for journalists has submitted a criminal complaint to prosecutors in Rome after Giorgia Meloni’s government shut down questions in parliament over suspicions it had illegally used spyware technology to hack the phones of critics instead of criminals.The legal action on Wednesday was triggered by the absence of clarity from the government since revelations emerged in late January that a migrant activist and Francesco Cancellato, an investigative journalist, were among at least seven people in Italy whose mobile phones had been targeted by an entity using Graphite, a military-grade spyware produced by the Israel-based Paragon, which is intended for use on criminals. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Why is Spain’s economy booming? Thanks to migration – which proves xenophobia doesn’t pay | María Ramírez

With Spanish GDP growth leading Europe last year, diversity is making us richer – not only financially but culturally, tooThe world’s fastest growing major advanced economy last year was most likely Spain. According to preliminary official data for 2024, Spain’s GDP grew by 3.2%, almost five times the eurozone average and more than the US, which did pretty well too. In December, the Economist ranked Spain first among 37 mostly wealthy countries based on five indicators: GDP, stock market performance, core inflation, unemployment and government deficits. Forecasts for 2025 look good.Why is Spain doing so well? One key reason is immigration. Recent population flows, particularly but not only from Colombia, Venezuela and other Latin American countries, as well as Morocco, have boosted domestic demand and rejuvenated the workforce. According to the main labour national survey, nearly 90% of new jobs were filled by workers of foreign origin or dual nationality. Unemployment is at its low...

Economics

4 d. ago Universities in Wales given £18.5m government handout amid 'significant financial challenges'

The Welsh Government has announced an extra £18.5m for universities and £500,000 to encourage higher-paying international students as institutions warn of huge deficits and cuts

Economics

4 d. ago Musk’s rampage through government shows us how we can finally close the book on what Trumpism is all about | Osita Nwanevu

Trump, Musk and the Republican party are happily overriding parts of the constitution, and using means of questionable legality to cripple the federal governmentIt is humbling to realize, almost a decade into his tenure at the center of American politics and life, that Donald Trump still has the power to surprise us. As recently as inauguration day, the conventional wisdom on Elon Musk’s role in the administration was that he’d been given a meaningless post at a powerless agency whose name itself was a joke. From the “department of government efficiency”, or Doge, it was said, Musk would issue easily ignored recommendations the gullible would take as evidence that Trump was streamlining the federal bureaucracy – a promise reliably made and broken by countless presidents. Instead, in a turn of events magazine cover artists have delighted in, Musk as a “special government employee” has seemingly taken the reins of the executive branch – a de facto co-president or perhaps a vice, while...

Politics

5 d. ago Big announcement expected from Welsh university on jobs and courses

The University of South Wales will update staff on its plans this week

Politics

6 d. ago Trump under fire for likening himself to Napoleon amid attacks on judges

President posted ‘he who saves his country does not violate any laws’ quote attributed to French emperorCritics rounded on Donald Trump on Sunday for likening himself to Napoleon in a “dictatorial” social media post echoing the French emperor’s assertion that “he who saves his country does not violate any laws”.The post came at the end of another tumultuous week early in Trump’s second presidency, during which acolytes questioned the legitimacy of judges making a succession of rulings to stall his administration’s aggressive seizure or dismantling of federal institutions and budgets. Continue reading...

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