United States President Donald Trump announced at the White House that he has turned down an offer from Iran involving the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz within seven days.
The Iranian proposal also included returning to nuclear negotiations in exchange for the termination of the American naval blockade targeting Iranian ports. Additional information is expected to emerge as this developing story progresses.
Earlier reports and follow-ups on the same developing story.
Alleged self-dealing by the president and his allies doesn’t look so good as corruption emerges as a key issue for midterm voters Government corruption a top issue for US midterm voters, exclusive poll finds Voters under 50 probably won’t remember the “ welfare queen ”. But she once embodied Republicans’ claim of the underlying reason for US societal decay: the poor are a bunch of fraudsters. Ronald Reagan introduced Linda Taylor to US voters at a rally during the Republican presidential primary season in 1976. A resident of Chicago’s South Side, Taylor had been arrested for welfare fraud. “She used 80 names, 30 addresses, five phone numbers to collect food stamps, social security, veteran’s benefits for four non-existing deceased veteran husbands,” Reagan said. “Her tax-free cash income alone has been running $150,000 a year.” The Qatari government gifted him a luxury jet , potentially
The tech mogul’s midterm donations backing Republicans have made him the largest single-cycle political donor in modern US history Elon Musk has poured so much money into US politics this midterms election cycle that his donations could fund half a dozen SpaceX rocket launches or buy thousands of Tesla Cybertrucks. At the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles , Musk could order more than 31.9m cheeseburgers with the money he has spent on the midterms. Musk, the world’s richest person, has funnelled at least $445.77m into Republican-aligned political action committees (Pacs) and groups since last year, according to US Federal Election Commission data as of 29 October. The contributions have made him the Republicans’ most prominent financial backer and the largest single-cycle political donor in modern US history. Continue reading...
Each new tech product is designed to make our lives easier and keep us mindlessly entertained. Switch off: embrace discomfort – and boredom Ever longed for your own personal assistant? In the ever quickening tech race, Meta has recently launched Muse, a new AI personal agent . Unlike traditional chatbots, this little AI tool will be able to fill out forms for you, organise calendars, pay bills and make reservations. Meta describes Muse as a personal agent “ built for everyone ”. The launch comes at a time when AI agents have been making headlines for hacking into government websites , public agencies and businesses. However, my immediate concern is a little closer to home. I work as a psychologist, and I’m often talking to clients about lifestyle habits that lead to short-term gain but incur long-term pain. Our brains have a beautiful way of preferring the path of least resistance, of do
John Healey’s budget offered a ‘sting in the tail’ for savers by raising tax rates but there are ways to ease the pain Savers were both winners and losers in Wednesday’s budget . In his first outing as chancellor, John Healey dropped a plan to cut the cash Isa limit for under-65s but surprised everyone with an extra tax charge on savings and property income. His predecessor, Rachel Reeves, had already announced a plan to increase the income tax rates for savers and landlords that was due to take effect in April 2027. But Healey went further, adding an additional two percentage points to each of the rates. Jason Hollands, managing director at wealth manager Evelyn Partners, describes the higher rates as a “sting in the tail” for savers. Continue reading...
Intercity train operator’s compensation bill likely to top £70m this financial year amid rise in claims across network Avanti West Coast paid out more than £20m to passengers in just three months this summer in refunds for disrupted journeys on Britain’s main intercity rail network. The intercity operator paid out almost as much in a four-week period to 25 July – £9.3m – as its annual profits for each of the past two years. It repaid a further £12.2m in the subsequent eight weeks. Continue reading...
Sellers in areas such as Belgravia and Mayfair face hundreds of thousands of pounds in losses as property prices fall Eight out of 10 properties in London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods – such as Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge – now sell below asking price, according to research by Coutts, which provides private banking services to wealthy clients. Property prices in “prime central London”, which covers the city’s most expensive postcodes, have dropped 5% in the third quarter of 2026, as the slowdown in the UK’s property market hits its wealthiest residents. Continue reading...