Politics

Pope Leo XIV met with relatives of Italian teenagers killed or injured in the New Year’s fire at a Crans-Montana bar and offered words of consolation; Swiss, French and Italian investigators have opened probes into the blaze.

Huntingdonshire District Council has decided to proceed with local elections in 2026, saying it is important to maintain democratic accountability while Local Government Reorganisation continues; nearby councils have taken different approaches.

President Trump will host María Corina Machado at the White House to discuss Venezuela's future after the US capture of Nicolás Maduro; the White House has recognised Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela's interim leader.

The Scottish budget 2026 pledges to raise the Scottish Child Payment to £40 a week for families with a baby under one; charities gave mixed responses and said most children will not receive extra support immediately.

Leeds City Council says work starting this month will improve 180 homes in Holbeck to make them easier and more affordable to heat, funded by part of a £15.9m Local Regeneration Fund grant.

Japan's Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito have agreed to form a new centrist political party, with Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito proposed as joint initial leaders. The announcement followed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's plans to dissolve parliament and call a possible snap election.

Donald Trump said he had been assured lethal force against Iranian protesters had stopped and that planned executions would not proceed; Iran's foreign minister likewise said executions were 'out of the question'.

King Charles III has awarded the Elizabeth Emblem to the parents of Alice Clark, a 21-year-old paramedic who died in an ambulance crash in January 2022. The emblem recognises next of kin of public servants who died in the line of duty.

The House GOP's new select committee held its first hearing to review the FBI's multi-year probe of pipe bombs found near party headquarters on Jan. 6, 2021, following an arrest last month; Republicans advanced alternative theories while Democrats objected to efforts to revise earlier findings.

An ex-Met officer says refusing to join the Freemasons damaged his promotion prospects, and the Metropolitan Police has begun requiring staff to declare membership while the United Grand Lodge of England has launched legal action.

A federal judge has barred the U.S. Department of Agriculture from withholding about $80 million in administrative funds for Minnesota's SNAP program while the state's lawsuit proceeds, saying the agency's 30‑day review deadline was likely unlawful.

The Department of Homeland Security announced a rule removing a one-year required departure for R-1 religious visa holders after five years, allowing them to apply to re-enter sooner; the change responds to green-card backlogs that developed after a 2023 processing change and has been welcomed by church leaders and advocates.

Talks between the government and bereaved families over how a duty of candour would apply to serving intelligence officers have broken down, and some Labour MPs say they may oppose the bill.

Renee Good's family has hired Romanucci & Blandin to investigate her fatal shooting by a federal immigration officer; the Justice Department said it sees no basis to open a federal civil rights investigation while an FBI probe continues.

The prime minister said the delay of Damien Egan's planned September visit to Bristol Brunel Academy, postponed because a pro-Palestine demonstration was planned to coincide with the end of the school day, was "very concerning".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told MPs that X is taking steps to comply with UK law after concerns about its AI chatbot Grok, and he said Ofcom's independent investigation will continue; new legislation on non-consensual intimate images is due to come into force this week.

MPs across parties have raised objections to plans for a large new Chinese embassy in London, and the government is expected to decide in the coming days; ministers say they will consider all material factors.

About 26 families from Ras 'Ein al 'Auja left recently after residents reported attacks, intimidation and property damage by settlers; the broader situation and any official next steps remain undetermined.

President Donald Trump said the US would 'take very strong action' if Iranian authorities begin executing arrested protesters, after reports that at least 2,571 people have died and more than 18,100 have been detained during nationwide demonstrations.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed to deepen cooperation during a summit in Nara, then briefly played drums together to K-pop songs in a surprise jam session.

Arizona designated the Ranegras Plain as an active management area requiring water users to track and report usage, citing land subsidence and falling groundwater levels; officials say the rules are intended to slow further depletion.

The government says it will consider extending hate‑speech protections to LGBTQ+ people, people with disability and some religious groups after the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill is debated in parliament next week.

Claudette Colvin, arrested at 15 in 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat in Montgomery and later a plaintiff in the Browder v. Gayle case that helped end segregation on public buses, has died at 86, her family spokesperson said.

The U.S. State Department welcomed the reported release of multiple Americans detained in Venezuela, saying it was an important step by interim authorities after U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro; Venezuelan officials and a rights group gave differing counts of those freed.

Mayor Sadiq Khan cited Metropolitan Police figures showing 97 homicides in London in 2025, the fewest since 2014; critics say other offences such as shoplifting, phone theft and sexual offences have risen during his tenure.

Officials say a fire at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson early Saturday was treated as arson and that a suspect is in custody; no injuries were reported.

Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus in 1955 at age 15, has died at 86, her foundation said. She later joined a successful lawsuit against segregated bus seating and had her juvenile arrest record expunged in 2021.

Sir Keir Starmer is reported as expected to accept an offer to join President Trump's proposed 'Board of Peace' to oversee Gaza redevelopment; officials say the group's first meeting is expected next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, while a government source said no formal invitation has yet been issued.

The Scottish government raised income tax thresholds, providing a small tax cut for the lowest earners while funding the package through reserves, spending cuts and increased borrowing ahead of May's Holyrood election.

A Cabinet minister said the UK and Nato allies are discussing steps to strengthen Arctic security; reporting has linked those talks to planning around Greenland after remarks by US President Donald Trump.