4 h. ago West Lothian Council agrees motion calling for ban on manufacture and sale of loud fireworks

Conservative councillor Alison Adamson called on the council’s Chief Executive to write to both Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister and John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister urging a ban.

Economics

5 h. ago Blake Lively branded ‘a terrorist’ by Sony executive during It Ends With Us filming

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are set to go to trial in May

Events

5 h. ago Chief Exec who won £1.4m from Letby hospital reveals 'vindictive' Trust chairman paid staff 'bonuses' to find ways to oust her

Dr Susan Gilby, 62, took the Countess of Chester Hospital to court after being bullied out by chairman Ian Haythornthwaite.

Politics

6 h. ago Here’s how to fix America’s immigration system. Trump’s path is not the solution | Kenneth Roth

A grand bargain on immigration could address problems with both the old approach and Trump’s new approachImmigration is one of the most divisive issues facing the United States, as it is in many countries. An ICE agent’s killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis is only the latest outrage that has brought the issue to the fore.Facing a 30 January deadline to renew funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which houses ICE, Democrats are now insisting on limits on ICE, at risk of another shutdown. It may be a pipe dream, but it is worth asking whether now might finally be a time to forge the long-elusive bipartisan agreement on immigration.Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022), is a visiting professor at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. His book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, is published by Knopf and Allen Lane Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago ‘A cash advance on your death’: the strange, morbid world of Aids profiteering

In Oscar-shortlisted documentary short Cashing Out, a little-known industry that saw dying LGBTQ+ people sell their life insurance policies is rememberedDuring the summer of 2020, at the onset of the Covid pandemic, the documentary director Matt Nadel was back home in Boca Raton, Florida. He remembers one particular evening walk that he took with his father, Phil, as they weathered out those early months.As they strode through the neighborhood, Nadel, now 26, said that the prospect of a vaccine was exciting, but the idea of pharmaceutical executives profiting off a devastating virus left him feeling uneasy. Phil grew concerned by the complex ethical predicament that his son laid out, and Nadel could quickly tell that his father was acting strangely. Continue reading...

Economics

7 h. ago Snapchat’s parent company settles social media addiction lawsuit before trial

Snap’s chief executive had been due to testify in civil action also involving Meta, TikTok and YouTubeSnapchat’s parent company has settled a civil lawsuit shortly before it was due to start in California, but other large tech companies still face a trial under the case.Snap’s chief executive, Evan Spiegel, had been due to testify in a tech addiction lawsuit which also involves the Instagram owner, Meta; ByteDance’s TikTok; and Alphabet-owned YouTube – which have not settled. Continue reading...

Society

8 h. ago Micheal Martin ‘spends more time abroad than Elton John’, says Michael O’Leary

The Ryanair chief executive accused the Taoiseach of being ‘too busy on his worldwide tour’.

Politics

8 h. ago Devon dad found dead in water after failing to return from walk

Married 80-year-old Paul Fearns was found dead in the sea off a beach near Sidmouth after he failed to return for a walk with an inquest opened into his death at Exeter County Hall

Events

8 h. ago Brooklyn Beckham’s wild love life BEFORE Nicola Peltz as he accuses mum of ‘inviting women from my past into our lives’

EVER since Brooklyn Beckham's blistering attack upon his parents, speculation has been rife about the cryptic digs within the Instagram post. Among the most notable was his claim that mum Victoria had "repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives" in a bid to make him and wife Nicola Peltz "uncomfortable". But which exes...

Politics

8 h. ago Cheeky Katy Perry, 41, WINKS at politician boyfriend Justin Trudeau, 54, as she makes an unexpected appearance at World Economic Forum

The singer, 41, joined The Female Quotient lounge to support the former Canadian Prime Minister, 54, as he spoke during the event.

Politics

9 h. ago WRU bosses questioned LIVE: MPs grill governing body on crisis

WRU chief executive Abi Tierney and chair Richard Collier-Keywood face questioning by the Welsh Affairs Committee as fans' representatives also give evidence

Events

10 h. ago Everything we know about the Elon Musk spat with Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary

Elon Musk has suggested he could buy Ryanair and has called for the chief executive Michael O’Leary to be fired

Politics

10 h. ago Netanyahu to join Trump ‘board of peace’ despite previous objections

Israeli prime minister accepts position on US-proposed body with initial remit to oversee Gaza ceasefireIsrael’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Wednesday that he had agreed to join a US-backed “board of peace” proposed by Donald Trump, despite his office having earlier criticised the composition of its executive committee.The body, chaired by the US president, was initially presented as a limited forum of world leaders tasked with overseeing a ceasefire in Gaza. More recently, however, the initiative appears to have expanded well beyond that remit, with the Trump camp extending invitations to dozens of countries and suggesting the board could evolve into a vehicle for brokering conflicts far beyond the Middle East. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago ‘A grenade under her pillow?’: the Filipino journalist jailed for six years without trial

The arrest of Frenchie Mae Cumpio has been described as a ‘travesty of justice’. On Thursday a court will deliver its verdict, potentially sentencing her to 40 years in prison for alleged terrorismFor weeks before the police came for her, Frenchie Mae Cumpio had noticed odd incidents. The Filipino journalist – just 21 years old but already hosting a radio show and working as executive director of a local news website – told colleagues that a stranger had begun turning up and asking after her at the boarding house where she lived. She was sent a bouquet of flowers designed for a grave. She reported that two men had been following her on a motorcycle.Cumpio believed it was deliberate intimidation. She had recently published a series of reports after visiting poor rural farmers who said they were being harassed by army units in the region. Continue reading...

Events

11 h. ago London jobs crisis: Rachel Reeves has hit hiring and is driving posts abroad, warns Currys boss

Alex Baldock, chief executive of the technology giant, says the Chancellor has undermined the retail sector

Events

12 h. ago Fire crews help Army to test medical skills at Cambuslang training centre

The multi-agency exercise involved approximately 70 SFRS personnel and included crews from Cumbernauld, Clarkston in Glasgow, rope teams from East Kilbride, Command Support Unit from Bellshill and UKISAR.

Events

16 h. ago Even tiny tweaks to sleep, exercise and diet can give you a longer life, study finds

Researchers say combined effect of sleep, physical activity and diet larger than sum of individual behaviours

Events

16 h. ago World Economic Forum weighs moving flagship event from Davos

Organisation’s executives including chair Larry Fink discuss future of annual shindig for political and business elites

Economics

21 h. ago A variety of exercises could be the key to a longer life, study suggests

The study found that walking was associated with a 17% lower risk of death when comparing people who did the most walking with those who did the least

Politics

25 h. ago Chris Pratt demanded to be locked in an executioner’s chair in new movie Mercy

Pratt leads new sci-fi thriller alongside Rebecca Ferguson about a detective on trial for the murder of his wife

Politics