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British News |
More than 130 Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches to close |
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Lloyds Banking Group is to close a further 136 branches. Britain’s biggest mortgage lender said it will shut 61 Lloyds, 61 Halifax, and 14 Bank of Scotland sites between May this year and March 2026. Lloyds blamed the move on customers shifting away from banking in person to using online services, meaning there is less need for physical sites. It made the announcement just weeks after taking the decision to allow its customers to access on-site services across any of the group’s branded branches. Lloyds also revealed the planned closure of two major offices – in Liverpool and Dunfermline – affecting more than 1,000 staff. |
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves announces backing for third Heathrow runway |
The government supports a third runway at Heathrow, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced. The chancellor said there had been “no progress in 80 years” and that a third runway was “badly needed”. Ms Reeves’s decision will likely put her at odds with Climate Secretary Ed Miliband, who has said airport expansions will not go ahead if they cannot meet climate targets. Ms Reeves’s decision will likely put her at odds with Climate Secretary Ed Miliband, who has said airport expansions will not go ahead if they cannot meet climate targets. |
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Europe’s Silicon Valley’ at heart of government’s growth plans, Rachel Reeves to announce |
Rachel Reeves will unveil Labour’s plans to grow the UK economy on Wednesday, warning it “will not come without a fight”. The chancellor is expected to announce a raft of measures including developing Oxford and Cambridge – which she says has the “potential to be Europe’s Silicon Valley” – building nine new reservoirs and the redevelopment of Old Trafford. The speech is considered a key moment for a chancellor who has struggled with sluggish economic headwinds since her first budget last autumn. Despite intense speculation, the government has not yet announced whether they will back a third runway at Heathrow, or further developments at other airports. |
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World News |
Far-right vote on asylum rocks German parliament |
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The AfD’s highly controversial top candidate in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, hailed a “historic victory” |
Germany’s parliament descended into heckles and recriminations on Wednesday after a “firewall” against working with the far-right cracked. A non-binding motion calling for tougher border and asylum rules passed with support from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). During the stormy session, politicians of various parties hurled criticism and blame at each other. Conservative CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who tabled the plans, defended his actions as “necessary”. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz slammed the move as an “unforgivable mistake”. Merz now plans to propose actual legislation on Friday – again with possible AfD backing – aimed at curbing immigration numbers and family reunion rights. |
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Sydney police uncover cache of explosives, with indication target was synagogue |
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New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson briefs reporters about a caravan of explosives found in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, with ‘indications’ that they were meant to target a synagogue, January 29, 2025. (Screen capture via Australian Broadcasting Corporation, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law |
Police in Sydney found a trailer containing explosives, with “some indication” it may have been intended to blow up a synagogue, Australian media reported on Wednesday. The trailer was discovered on January 19 in Dural, a suburb some 36 kilometers (22 miles) northwest of the center of Sydney, New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson said. “That caravan contained an amount of explosives and some indication that those explosives might be used in some form of antisemitic attack,” he told a news conference. “Investigations over the last ten days have progressed — however, there is a lot to do,” he said, explaining police have made “made arrests on the periphery of this job.” Hudson did not disclose how many arrests were made or what the charges were, if any. He did say, however, that police “believe there is some connection between some of the targets we’ve charged under Strike Force Pearl” — the NSW initiative, launched last month, to address antisemitic hate crimes — “and this particular investigation.” “We are still looking for assistance in relation to anyone who saw that caravan parked on the road from December 7,” Hudson said, noting it “was parked in a hazardous position prior to it being moved by a local resident.” Addressing concern in the community about potential attacks, the deputy police commissioner said, “We believe that we have contained, appropriately, this current threat.” New South Wales police kept the discovery secret for nine days before it was leaked to the media. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said over 100 officers were investigating the incident, under a joint counter-terrorism operation involving state and federal police. “This is the discovery of a potential mass casualty event. There is only one way of calling it out, and that is terrorism,” he said. |
American airline Passenger jet collides with military Black Hawk 60 Killed |
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Flight tracker shows the moment American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter. |
A tragic midair collision shook Washington, D.C., as an American Eagle flight from Wichita crashed into a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport. The jet, carrying 60 passengers, was on final approach when it struck the military aircraft, sending both plunging into the Potomac River. A fireball lit the night sky as emergency crews raced to the scene. Rescuers battled freezing waters, recovering 18 bodies, with hopes fading for survivors. The airport remains closed as investigators piece together the disaster. President Biden, calling it a “terrible accident,” extended prayers for the victims and their families. |
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Sydney police uncover cache of explosives, with indication target was synagogue |
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New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson briefs reporters about a caravan of explosives found in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, with ‘indications’ that they were meant to target a synagogue, January 29, 2025. (Screen capture via Australian Broadcasting Corporation, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law |
Police in Sydney found a trailer containing explosives, with “some indication” it may have been intended to blow up a synagogue, Australian media reported on Wednesday. The trailer was discovered on January 19 in Dural, a suburb some 36 kilometers (22 miles) northwest of the center of Sydney, New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson said. “That caravan contained an amount of explosives and some indication that those explosives might be used in some form of antisemitic attack,” he told a news conference. “Investigations over the last ten days have progressed — however, there is a lot to do,” he said, explaining police have made “made arrests on the periphery of this job.” Hudson did not disclose how many arrests were made or what the charges were, if any. He did say, however, that police “believe there is some connection between some of the targets we’ve charged under Strike Force Pearl” — the NSW initiative, launched last month, to address antisemitic hate crimes — “and this particular investigation.” “We are still looking for assistance in relation to anyone who saw that caravan parked on the road from December 7,” Hudson said, noting it “was parked in a hazardous position prior to it being moved by a local resident.” Addressing concern in the community about potential attacks, the deputy police commissioner said, “We believe that we have contained, appropriately, this current threat.” New South Wales police kept the discovery secret for nine days before it was leaked to the media. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said over 100 officers were investigating the incident, under a joint counter-terrorism operation involving state and federal police. “This is the discovery of a potential mass casualty event. There is only one way of calling it out, and that is terrorism,” he said. |
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Israel News |
Hostages Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, Gadi Mozes to go free Thursday, along with 5 Thais |
The three Israeli hostages slated for release by Hamas on Thursday were named Wednesday as IDF soldier Agam Berger, 20, and civilians Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Gadi Moshe Mozes, 80, in addition to five Thai captives. The names of the three Israelis were given to Israel by Hamas via mediators Egypt and Qatar, and their families were notified of their loved ones’ imminent release, Israeli officials said. In addition, five Thai hostages will be freed by Hamas tomorrow, Israeli officials confirmed, without naming them. There are eight Thai hostages still in Gaza, along with one Nepalese and a Tanzanian. However, two of the Thai citizens have been declared dead by Israel, as has the Tanzanian. The extra batch of hostages to be released this week — in addition to three others set to go free on Saturday — was added to the schedule after a dispute over the implementation of the truce deal with Hamas in Gaza that was resolved early Monday. Seven former hostages — three civilians and four IDF soldiers — have been released so far under the ceasefire and hostage release deal that began on January 19. The hostages were among 251 Israelis and foreigners kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, amid rampant acts of brutality and overt targeting of civilians. In exchange for these hostages, Israel will free 110 Palestinian security prisoners — 30 for each civilian, and 50 for Berger including 30 terrorists serving life sentences. The 30 inmates released in exchange for Mozes include three who are also serving life sentences. |
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