By Eniola Amadu  A U.S. federal judge has refused to block the President Donald Trump administration from terminating more than 1,600 research grants issued by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF, widely regarded as the world’s leading funder of basic and cutting-edge science and engineering, had enjoyed bipartisan backing until Donald Trump’s second term. The agency’s peer-review system has long been celebrated globally as the “gold standard” for research…

By Eniola Amadu  Belarus released 52 prisoners of various nationalities on Thursday following an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump, with the freed detainees transferred to Lithuania alongside a U.S. delegation that secured their release, the American embassy in Vilnius said. The move came after Trump urged President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to release individuals he has repeatedly described as “hostages.” Belarus later confirmed…

By Eniola Amadu  Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, was dismissed on Thursday after leaked emails revealed extensive contact with the late U.S. financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Prime Minister Keir Starmer ordered his removal following the disclosures, which officials said showed Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different” from what was known when he was appointed to the role. Mandelson, a veteran Labour figure and…

By Eniola Amadu  President Donald Trump on Thursday used a Pentagon memorial service marking the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to announce that slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Kirk, who was fatally shot on Wednesday during a campus event in Utah, was described by Trump as “a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an…

A 16-year-old boy has died after being stabbed at Seaford train station in East Sussex. British Transport Police (BTP) said officers were called to the station following reports of a stabbing. Emergency services, including Sussex Police and paramedics, attended the scene where the teenager was found with serious injuries consistent with being stabbed. Despite efforts by passers-by and medics to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Another…

Engineers have finished construction of Britain’s longest railway bridge, the Colne Valley Viaduct, built for the controversial HS2 high-speed rail line. The viaduct stretches 2.1 miles between Harefield in north-west London and Denham in Buckinghamshire, making it 450 feet longer than the Tay Bridge in Scotland, which has held the record since 1887. Designed and built over a decade, the structure crosses the River Colne, Grand Union Canal, lakes, and…

Dame Emily Thornberry has pulled out of the race to become Labour’s next deputy leader after failing to secure enough support from fellow MPs. The senior Labour MP and chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee announced her withdrawal on Thursday, saying it had been a privilege to take part in the contest but that she had decided to withdraw. As of Wednesday evening, Dame Emily had secured backing from…

Pensions Minister Torsten Bell has refused to rule out possible new taxes on pensioners in the upcoming Budget, despite growing concerns that the Government may cut the tax-free lump sum retirees can withdraw. Speaking at an event in London, Bell praised last year’s tax rises on wealth and the middle class as difficult but fair choices, arguing they were needed to fix what he described as Britain’s economic doom loop.…

By Eniola Amadu  More than 100 South Korean women who were forced to work as prostitutes for American soldiers stationed in the country have filed a lawsuit accusing the United States of abuse. The case is being described as a landmark step in a decades-old issue that has received little international attention. Historians and rights activists estimate that tens of thousands of South Korean women were compelled to work in…

Contactless card payments in the UK could soon go above the current £100 limit and may even become unlimited under new plans from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). If approved, shoppers could pay for bigger purchases, such as a weekly supermarket shop or a large family meal, with just a tap of their card instead of entering a PIN. The changes could be introduced as early as next year. When…

Four people, including two children, have died in separate attempts to cross the Channel to the UK in the past 24 hours, while three others remain missing. On Tuesday night, three people died off the coast of Sangatte, France, after a dinghy carrying 38 passengers ran into trouble. In another incident near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, three people went missing from a boat carrying 115 people. Earlier on Tuesday, a woman was airlifted…

The University of Kent and the University of Greenwich are set to merge in 2026 to form what is being described as the UK’s first super-university. Operating under the proposed name London and South East University Group, the new institution will span multiple campuses across Kent, Medway, Greenwich, and south-east London, with a student population of nearly 50,000. It will be led by Professor Jane Harrington, current vice-chancellor of Greenwich,…