News – World and UK

The best-selling virtual building game Minecraft is to become a real-life destination in a deal with UK-based theme park owner Merlin. Merlin, the owner of Legoland, Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, has agreed on a deal with Mojang Studios, the creator behind the globally popular sandbox game, to invest more than £85 million in the first two Minecraft attractions in its existing UK and US parks between 2026 and 2027. […]

The Government is facing calls from farmers and opposition parties to scrap its changes to agricultural inheritance tax ahead of protests in Westminster. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is holding a mass lobby of MPs with 1,800 of its members – three times as many people as originally planned – to urge backbenchers to stand up to the Government’s plans to impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 […]

A competition to find innovative new solutions to how artificial intelligence can be used to help boost clean energy has been opened by the Government. As part of a new round within the existing Manchester Prize – a competition to find new AI innovations – academics, start-ups, entrepreneurs and others are being encouraged to apply for funding to develop solutions to help decarbonise the UK’s energy grid. It comes as […]

Allies must “come together” to back Ukraine and ensure Vladimir Putin “does not succeed”, the Defence Secretary warned as Britain announced further military aid for Kyiv on the 1000th day of the war. The UK will provide £7.5 million for new attack and surveillance drones, the Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. It comes as Russia’s invasion enters its 1,000th day and amid concerns about a potential change of US […]

Salmonella bacteria could be used to treat bowel cancer, scientists hope. Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK after lung cancer, with around 16,800 deaths per year. Scotland is “disproportionately” affected, with around 4,000 people being diagnosed each year, according to Cancer Research UK. Bacterial cancer therapy has been a focus of scientific interest since the 19th century but the health risks prevented […]

An Israeli airstrike hit a densely populated residential area in Lebanon’s capital near key government and diplomatic buildings late Monday, killing at least five people as the US pressed ahead with ceasefire efforts. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two missiles hit the area of Zoqaq al-Blat neighbourhood – where local UN headquarters and Lebanon’s parliament and prime minister’s office are located. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on […]

The UK will “double down” on support for Ukraine, fuelling speculation that British-supplied missiles could be used by Kyiv’s forces to hit targets deep inside Russia. Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike sites in Russia after months of pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The UK Government would not be drawn on whether restrictions on the use of Storm Shadow missiles it supplied would also […]

Ed Sheeran says his “permission” to use his vocals in the 40th-anniversary mix of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? was not given to the organisers. The Suffolk singer, 33, maintains he would have “respectfully” declined to appear in the new version of the charity song, and referenced another post criticising foreign aid in Africa. He had appeared in Band Aid 30 alongside One Direction, Sam Smith and Chris […]

Sir Keir Starmer has said he told Xi Jinping he wanted “respectful” relations with Beijing as he became the first prime minister to meet the Chinese president since 2018. The Prime Minister raised the case of detained pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in a sign he was prepared to challenge China over human rights abuses, but he also signalled a desire for greater business co-operation. Sir Keir also suggested a full […]