2 h. ago Government agency skewered by banking group for stern take on credit card rewards programs

The American Bankers Association argues against Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s claim that credit card issuers may be using bait-and-switch tactics in their rewards programs

Politics

3 d. ago New funding for space technology research as largest expo begins in Glasgow

Space-Comm Expo Scotland begins at the SEC on Wednesday, designed to showcase the UK space sector.

Technology

4 d. ago Heavy rain? Wear wellies! Government agency tells public to pack a flood kit in latest common sense advice

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) issued the advice on flood kits amid fears of 'significant impacts' as parts of the country were put on high alert by the Met Office for a month's worth of rain today.

Events

4 d. ago Rising levels of hate forcing women out of Swedish public life, says equality agency

Country seen as champion of equal rights faces reckoning after senior politician says she felt compelled to quitIncreasing hate, threats and harassment against female politicians are scaring women away from public life and forcing them to censor themselves, the Swedish government’s equality agency has said, warning that this poses a “big threat to democracy.”Women’s safety in politics has come under heightened scrutiny in the Scandinavian country since October, when Anna-Karin Hatt resigned as leader of the Centre party after only five months in office, citing hate and threats. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘Mansion tax’ valuation appeals will flood government agency, experts warn

Process will struggle to complete before surcharge is introduced in 2028

Events

8 d. ago Flash flooding in Sumatra kills 69 as rescue crews search rivers for survivors

Monsoon rains cause devastation on Indonesian island, sparking landslides and flash floodingFlash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island have killed 69 people, with 59 missing as emergency workers search in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and possible survivors.Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks in North Sumatra province on Tuesday. The deluge tore through mountainside villages, swept away people and submerged more than 2,000 houses and buildings, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Nearly 5,000 residents fled to government shelters. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Tom Phillips case: New Zealand to hold public inquiry into disappearance of fugitive father and children

Hearings will be held in private to assess ‘whether government agencies took all practicable steps to protect the safety and welfare of the Phillips children’, says attorney generalA public inquiry will be held into the authorities’ handling of the disappearance of fugitive father Tom Phillips with his three children, who hid in New Zealand’s wilderness for nearly four years, the government has announced. Phillips disappeared into the rugged North Island wilderness with his children just before Christmas in 2021, following a dispute with their mother. He did not have legal custody of his children.In August, he was killed in an exchange of fire with police after reports of a burglary in the remote town of Piopio, in the central North Island. A police officer was shot and required surgery. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago ‘That doesn’t exist’: Doge reportedly quietly disbanded ahead of schedule

Statement by Trump administration confirms longstanding suspicions that Musk-led agency is on its way outThe “department of government efficiency” (Doge) has apparently been dissolved with eight months still remaining on its contract, ending a drawn-out campaign of invading federal agencies and firing thousands of federal workers.“That doesn’t exist,” office of personnel management (OPM) director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month when asked about Doge’s status, adding that it was no longer a “centralized entity”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Why are energy bills going up when wholesale prices are down?

Here, the PA news agency looks at why the price cap is rising and what government measures experts think could be on the way.

Economics

2 w. ago Money laundering network active in UK ‘bought bank to fund Russian war effort’

The National Crime Agency said money launderers are operating in at least 28 UK cities and towns.

Economics

2 w. ago Government encouraged to give order to clean up ‘obscene’ illegal rubbish dump

An MP said the danger has intensified as heavy rain is carrying part of the 12-metre high waste dump towards the River Cherwell.

Politics

3 w. ago Canada says Russia and China are ramping up spy efforts in its Arctic region

Canada’s spy agency says it has observed intelligence threats targeting country’s government and private sectorCanada’s domestic spy agency says Russia and China have a “significant intelligence interest” in Canada’s Arctic, and are targeting both the country’s government and its private sector.In his annual speech on threats facing Canada, Dan Rogers, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), flagged mounting concerns over hostile nations growing increasingly emboldened in the Arctic. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Canada says Russia and China are ramping up spy efforts in Arctic region

Canada’s spy agency says it has observed intelligence threats targeting country’s government and private sectorCanada’s domestic spy agency says Russia and China have a “significant intelligence interest” in Canada’s Arctic, and are targeting both the country’s government and its private sector.In his annual speech on threats facing Canada, Dan Rogers, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), flagged mounting concerns over hostile nations growing increasingly emboldened in the Arctic. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Yes, New York will soon be under new management. But Zohran Mamdani is just the start | Carys Afoko

Lina Khan outraged corporates and conservatives as head of the Federal Trade Commission. Expect more of the same now she’s with the mayor-elect’s transition teamA relatively unknown thirtysomething parachuted on to the national stage and into high political office. Energising to some of the Democratic base but lacking support from the party establishment. Not Zohran Mamdani but Lina Khan, who Joe Biden appointed to chair the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2021 when she was just 32. Khan, who left her role at the FTC when Trump returned to the White House, is now one of five women appointed to the mayor-elect of New York’s transition team.Khan is the most exciting pick for a few reasons. She entered the FTC with an ambitious mandate to transform the government agency, broaden its focus to increase scrutiny of corporate mergers and do more to protect consumers – and got results. She brought down the price of inhalers (routinely being sold for hundreds of dollars) by tackling price ...

Politics

4 w. ago Belgian drone sightings could be linked to talks on using frozen Russian assets, says German minister – Europe live

Boris Pistorius warns that Russia continues to seek to ‘sow doubt, divide us and influence elections’ in EuropeBack to Belgium, news agency Belga is reporting that ministers have provisionally reached an agreement on the proposed €50m package of measures to strengthen the country’s anti-drone systems.The proposal still requires some finetuning before it can be formally adopted by the government, the agency added. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Alex Salmond died with debts of £350,000 and assets of only £2,282

The details of the former first minister's financial problems are on the website of a government agency.

Economics