Members of Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) unit were barred from entering a US government agency promoting economic development in Africa after a tense standoff with federal staff they had been sent to fire. Workers at the US African Development Foundation (USADF), which Donald Trump has ordered to be closed, refused to allow … Read more
Sesame Workshop, the non-profit behind Sesame Street, is cutting staff in an effort to “downsize significantly”, its president and CEO, Sherrie Rollins Westin, told employees this week. The news of layoffs at the organization came just shortly after more than 200 employees at Sesame Workshop revealed their plans to unionize and comes several months after … Read more
A former soldier has been found guilty of raping his ex-girlfriend before murdering her with a crossbow in a “final act of spite”. Kyle Clifford, 26, shot dead Louise Hunt, 25, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow and fatally stabbed their mother, Carol Hunt, 61, during a four-hour attack at their home … Read more
BP cut the pay of its chief executive after a chastening year in which the British oil company missed profit targets and ditched its green investment strategy as it came under pressure from a US-based activist investor. Murray Auchincloss’s pay decreased by 30% to £5.4m for 2024, according to the company’s annual report, published on … Read more
The Conservatives raised twice as much in donations as Labour at the end of last year, including £250,000 from Michael Ashcroft. Despite some Tory donors flirting with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and others switching to Labour at the election, the party managed to raise almost £2m in the last three months of 2024 as Kemi … Read more
Poundland is to be put up for sale as the owner of the UK cut-price retail chain said it faced tough competition and increased wage costs from next month under Labour’s tax-raising plans. The Poland-based Pepco Group said it was considering “all strategic options” to spin out the struggling 825-store chain from the wider group, … Read more
The Danish postal service has said it will deliver its last letter at the end of this year, instead focusing on packages to respond to changing forms of communication. PostNord said on Thursday it would cut 1,500 jobs in Denmark and remove 1,500 red postboxes, citing the “increasing digitalisation” of society. The company, formed in … Read more
Millions of people in Queensland have hunkered down while residents in parts of northern New South Wales have been ordered to evacuate as Australia’s east coast prepares for wild weather brought by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The slow-moving storm is now expected to make landfall in Queensland on Saturday morning, later than initially forecast after the … Read more
Maybe Australia’s boats just never turn up. To fanfare and flags, the Aukus deal was presented as a sure bet, papering over an uncertainty that such an ambitious deal could ever be delivered. It was assured, three publics across two oceans were told – signed, sealed and to-be-delivered: Australia would buy from its great ally, … Read more
HMV has put its UK expansion on hold and is to open stores in Ireland and Belgium instead, because of rising wage costs announced in last autumn’s budget that begin next month. Phil Halliday, the managing director of the entertainment retailer, said it had hoped to open up to 10 more stores in the UK … Read more