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‘Golden goodbyes’ for civil servants and staff at taxpayer-funded public bodies double to more than £300million after Whitehall headcounts soared by third, audit finds
An audit of Whitehall accounts by the Daily Mail has found that “golden goodbye” severance payments to civil servants and staff at taxpayer-funded public bodies more than doubled in a single year, rising to over £300million as departments moved to shed staff. The findings come amid separate criticism over rising Whitehall headcounts, and follow controversy…
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Why it matters that President Trump just dialed into a NASA news conference
US President Donald Trump unexpectedly dialled into a NASA post-launch news conference on Sunday at Kennedy Space Center, interrupting proceedings to congratulate staff on the successful launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The gesture is highly unusual, as presidents rarely engage with routine NASA briefings, and it underscores an increasingly close relationship between…
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Dinosaur Jr. Announce 2027 Tour
Dinosaur Jr. have expanded their North American tour into 2027, adding a fresh run of dates just days after launching a fall tour behind their new album, There’s Near, their first in five years. The additional shows, scheduled for February and March, will see the band supported by Los Angeles rock act Starcrawler across most…
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Tuskegee University president defends dress code amid criticism: ‘Raise the bar, students will reach it’
Tuskegee University’s president, Dr Mark Brown, has defended the historically Black institution’s renewed dress and conduct code, saying it is intended to prepare students for professional life rather than restrict personal expression. The policy requires business attire for classes and formal meetings and bars non-religious head coverings, a move that has drawn criticism from free-expression…
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Anthony Albanese’s scathing rebuke of One Nation’s historic WA by-election win paints Labor as taking the high road… the hypocrisy is breathtaking, writes PETER VAN ONSELEN
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has strongly criticised One Nation after the party won a historic by-election victory over Labor in a seat in Perth’s south, accusing it of misinformation, factual distortion and dividing Australians for political gain. Columnist Peter van Onselen argues this rebuke is deeply hypocritical, contending that Labor under Albanese has itself repeatedly…
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Musk’s faster path to more gas turbines comes with pollution problem
Elon Musk has confirmed that a secretive foundry SpaceX has been building in Bastrop, Texas, is intended to manufacture the turbine blades and vanes used in natural gas power plants, a move aimed at overcoming a key bottleneck slowing the rollout of AI data centres. The disclosure came after The Information published a report, based…
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Brewers’ Jackson Chourio enters legendary territory as he blasts 20th home run of 2026 season
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio hit his 20th home run of the 2026 season during a 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday, placing him among an elite group of players in MLB history. At just 22 years old, he became the 17th player ever to record three consecutive seasons of at least 20…
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Burnham excludes killer drivers from early release as Iran sanctions tighten, Nissan cuts Sunderland output
PM Andy Burnham has ruled unlawful killers out of his early-release scheme, keeping PC Andrew Harper’s killers jailed, as the US launches sweeping new sanctions on Iran; plus Nissan’s Sunderland plant runs at half capacity amid Brexit fallout, and a scam warning for Britons.
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Labour grandee tells Andy Burnham to call an early general election before next summer to prove his policies are popular
Andy Burnham is under pressure from within his own party to call an early general election, after former home secretary Alan Johnson said the new Prime Minister should go to the country before summer 2027 to secure his own mandate. Johnson argued that Burnham, who won the Labour leadership on a platform of significant policy…
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Trump just brokered a deal with the country sitting atop the world’s largest oil reserves
President Donald Trump has announced an oil agreement with Venezuela that could give the United States access to a stake in 17 Venezuelan oil fields holding an estimated 65 billion barrels of crude. The deal is being framed as a significant energy-security gain for Washington, though officials caution that American drivers are unlikely to see…