Author: Fatimah Idera

Britain is set to invest more than £6 billion ($8.13 billion) to expand its submarine-building capabilities, with major support directed towards defence giant BAE Systems and engineering firm Rolls-Royce. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Finance Minister Rachel Reeves. The investment is part of a broader push by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to significantly ramp up the UK’s defence capabilities, responding in part to U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for Europe to shoulder more responsibility for its own security. Starmer has committed to the largest sustained increase in British defence spending since the Cold War. As part of this…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Merck’s new preventive antibody treatment, Enflonsia (clesrovimab), to protect infants up to 12 months old from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during their first RSV season, Merck announced on Monday. Enflonsia is a monoclonal antibody designed to offer protection against mild to severe RSV infections. It can be administered as a single dose to healthy pre-term, full-term, and at-risk infants, regardless of their birth weight. Until now, the only RSV preventive antibody available for infants and toddlers in the U.S. has been Beyfortus, developed by Sanofi and AstraZeneca. However, limited supply of…

Australian reporter was struck by a rubber bullet while covering protests against the U.S. immigration enforcement in Los Angeles (L.A), with the incident captured live on camera. Lauren Tomasi, the U.S. correspondent for Nine News, was reporting from the scene on Sunday when law enforcement authorities, including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and National Guard troops clashed with demonstrators protesting former President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Just moments before she was shot, Tomasi was broadcasting live, describing an escalation in the situation: “After hours of standing off, this situation has now rapidly deteriorated, the LAPD moving in on horseback,…

A federal judge on Friday granted final approval to a landmark $2.8 billion settlement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), paving the way for colleges to pay student-athletes for the first time for the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses. The decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland, California, resolves a long-standing legal battle between the NCAA and current and former student-athletes. In her ruling, Wilken described the agreement as offering extraordinary relief and enabling compensation that had never been permitted in the history of college sports. “This is a historic day for college…

ABC News has suspended senior national correspondent Terry Moran following a social media post in which he described former President Donald Trump and his top adviser, Stephen Miller, as “world-class haters”. The post, which has since been deleted, characterised Miller as “richly endowed with the capacity for hatred,” and suggested that his political motivations stem from personal animosity rather than intellect. In his remarks, Moran claimed Miller’s ability to turn Trump-era political impulses into policy was driven by “bile” rather than “brains,” and added: “You can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.” Moran also…

The Chief Executive of Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to move the green levy from household energy bills to general taxation, arguing that the current system places an unfair burden on consumers. Chris O’Shea said the UK’s transition to net zero requires substantial investment, and the costs should be more equitably distributed. He warned that, under the current approach, households are footing too much of the bill. Read also: UK’s largest gas storage facility faces shutdown Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House, O’Shea explained: “The cost of the energy transition is not…

British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves will allocate £86 billion ($116 billion) to research and development as part of this week’s comprehensive spending review, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced on Sunday. The investment package will support a wide range of initiatives from pioneering drug treatments and next-generation batteries to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. According to the DSIT, annual funding for R&D will grow to more than £22.5 billion by the 2029/30 fiscal year, with the goal of fostering innovation, job creation, and long-term economic growth. On Wednesday, Reeves is set to distribute over £2 trillion ($2.7 trillion)…

President Donald Trump’s administration announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Saturday, following escalating tensions between federal agents and demonstrators protesting immigration raids. Clashes broke out in the city’s Paramount neighbourhood, where federal agents faced off with hundreds of protesters and some waving Mexican flags during the second consecutive day of demonstrations. Later Saturday evening, a smaller protest of around 60 people gathered in downtown Los Angeles, chanting slogans such as “ICE out of L.A.!” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that the military was ready to mobilise active-duty troops if unrest continues, saying the Marines…

The NHS app is set to become the default way for millions of patients in England to receive healthcare information, as part of a government plan to modernise services and reduce costs. According to the Department of Health and Social Care, this shift is expected to save the NHS £200 million over the next three years. Backed by a £50 million investment, the move will see more test results, screening invitations, and appointment reminders delivered directly to patients’ smartphone reducing reliance on traditional methods like letters. Currently, around 50 million letters are sent to patients each year. For those unable…

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a central agency in President Donald Trump’s initiative to downsize the federal workforce, temporary access to extensive personal data held by the Social Security Administration (SSA), despite ongoing legal challenges. In a brief, unsigned order, the Court paused a ruling by U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, which had blocked DOGE from accessing sensitive records, including medical histories, financial data, Social Security numbers, and immigration files. Judge Hollander had found that unrestricted access likely violated federal privacy laws. The Court’s conservative majority (6-3) granted the emergency request from…