All posts tagged: Govt

‘Extremely embarrassing’ for govt but no reprimand for Ben-Gvir over flotilla video

‘Extremely embarrassing’ for govt but no reprimand for Ben-Gvir over flotilla video

Published by Sam Flores

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the treatment of detained Gaza flotilla activists by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”, after a video of Ben-Gvir taunting the detainees sparked international outcry. However, while “extremely embarrassing” for the Israeli government, there has been little in the way of reprimand for Ben-Gvir, says France 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky. Source link

Stop concert tickets being sold above face value, govt told | UK News

Stop concert tickets being sold above face value, govt told | UK News

Published by Daniella Wilson

The government has been urged to ban the resale of concert tickets above face value after fans reported feeling “neglected and ripped off”.  A review of live and electronic music commissioned by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee also calls for a government and industry-backed Music Fan Association, similar to one set up for football fans. Review chairman Lord Brennan said: “Over the last year we’ve given a voice to fans of all different music types and genres from across the country, and they’ve told us loud and clear that often they feel neglected and ripped off. “Sharp commercial practices and impersonal service are now all too prevalent in the music world and point to an industry that fails to treat its fans, the lifeblood of the sector, with respect.” The report called on the government to commit to a fans’ charter made up of 50 recommendations to improve the live music industry. Speaking at a launch event at the Le Pub live music venue in Newport, south Wales, Lord Brennan added: “From establishing a …

Axel Springer given UK govt approval for Telegraph takeover

Axel Springer given UK govt approval for Telegraph takeover

Published by Sam Flores

Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner. Picture: Robert Downs/INMA Axel Springer’s planned £575m takeover of Telegraph Media Group has been approved by the UK Government. It is still awaiting regulatory approval in Ireland and Austria (due to there being a lower threshold for competition concerns in those countries although there is no expectation of any impact there). The publisher said it expects the deal to completed by the end of June. Axel Springer chief executive Mathias Döpfner said: “We are pleased to have received UK government approval to proceed with this acquisition. “After a long period of uncertainty, we can confirm that we will invest significantly in The Telegraph’s editorial excellence and international growth.” Axel Springer added that The Telegraph will keep “its distinct editorial voice and British identity”. Axel Springer owns Politico and Business Insider, which both have journalists in the UK, as well as German newspapers Bild and Die Welt. The Telegraph reported that the news was “greeted with relief” in its newsroom after almost three years of being in ownership limbo or, as …

Ex-Times environment editor launches legal campaign against Govt

Ex-Times environment editor launches legal campaign against Govt

Published by Sam Flores

Ben Webster’s crowdfunding campaign page on 13 April 2026. A former environment editor of The Times has launched a legal claim against the Government for withholding documents that he claims should be publicly accessible. Ben Webster has alleged that the Government is not carrying out its duty to proactively publish environmental information as stipulated by Regulation 4 of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). Webster, now working as a freelance, spent two years trying to access reports that he claims should have been published proactively. He first requested the reports, which relate to the subject of future availability and cost of hydrogen for heating homes, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in August 2023. Webster said he required the reports as part of an investigation into the viability of hydrogen to heat homes and whether this is a false solution being promoted by the gas industry. The DESNZ initially refused to release all four reports, claiming they were part of an ongoing decision-making process, but has now released three of them. The …

Cuba Begins Releasing Prisoners Under Scrutiny of Rights Groups, U.S. Govt

Cuba Begins Releasing Prisoners Under Scrutiny of Rights Groups, U.S. Govt

Published by Sam Flores

By Dave Sherwood and Mario Fuentes HAVANA, April 3 (Reuters) – Cuba began releasing prisoners from ⁠its ⁠jails on Friday just hours after its communist-run ⁠government announced a sweeping amnesty coinciding with the most intense pressure campaign applied by the U.S. in ​decades. More than 2,000 prisoners are slated to be released as part of Cuba’s state-run media on Thursday called a “sovereign and humanitarian” gesture, the largest such amnesty ‌in 10 years. The U.S. said it was ‌closely monitoring whether those it deems to be political prisoners would be among the liberated. “It is unclear how many, if any, political prisoners will ⁠be released,” the ⁠spokesperson said. “We continue to call for the immediate release of the hundreds of other brave Cuban ​patriots who remain unjustly detained.” The question of political prisoners has long been a major sticking point in negotiations between Washington and Havana. The release of all, or the majority, of political prisoners would be seen as a major concession on Cuba’s part in ongoing talks between the two countries. A steady …

Govt reviewing flagship EV sale quotas after biggest car production fall in 73 years | Politics News

Govt reviewing flagship EV sale quotas after biggest car production fall in 73 years | Politics News

Published by Sam Flores

The government is reviewing its electric car sale quotas – one of its flagship green policies. With 2025 having the lowest vehicle production in the UK since 1952, ministers are now looking at how to change the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, the government confirmed. If it decides to lower the quotas, it would represent a U-turn on one of the government’s – and specifically Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband’s – flagship green policies. After coming to power in 2024, the Labour government introduced the mandate, which requires carmakers to meet annual quotas of zero-emission car and van sales, with the aim of banning new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030. The percentage is to increase each year to get to a 100% target by 2035, with strict fines for non-compliance. The 2026 target is 33%, while it was 28% in 2025 and 22% in 2024. A government spokesperson told Sky News: “We recognise manufacturers are facing challenges, but we’ve shown we are adaptable before, and are beginning conversations to inform the planned review …

United States: ICE agents patrol airports amid govt shutdown

United States: ICE agents patrol airports amid govt shutdown

Published by Sam Flores

US immigration agency began deploying to major airports on Monday, as officials scrambled to ease mounting travel disruption during a prolonged, partial government shutdown. The move places Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel – already under intense scrutiny after fatal shootings linked to immigration operations – in highly visible roles at crowded transport hubs across the country. Keywords for this article Source link

Israel’s Supreme Court allows aid groups facing govt ban to keep working in Gaza

Israel’s Supreme Court allows aid groups facing govt ban to keep working in Gaza

Published by Sam Flores

Israel’s Supreme Court decided in a ruling published Friday that a government ban on 37 foreign NGOs working in Gaza and the occupied West Bank will be frozen until it reaches a final decision. “Without taking any position, a temporary interim order is hereby issued,” the court said in a ruling responding to a petition from more than a dozen NGOs, seeking to reverse the ban after Israel’s government revoked their status in Israel. The decision theoretically allows the NGOs to continue working in Gaza and the West Bank until the court issues a final ruling, though aid groups expressed uncertainty as to how the freeze would be implemented. Read moreAid groups petition Israel’s top court to halt ban on Gaza, West Bank ops The organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE were notified on December 30, 2025 that their Israeli registrations had expired and that they had 60 days to renew them by providing lists of their Palestinian staff. If they failed to do so, they would have …

UK govt mulls removing ex-prince Andrew from line of succession

UK govt mulls removing ex-prince Andrew from line of succession

Published by Sam Flores

The British government on Friday mulled passing a law to remove former prince Andrew from the line of succession, as police stepped up investigations into his conduct, quizzing the disgraced royal’s former protection officers. The former prince was arrested on Thursday at his new home on the king’s remote Sandringham estate in eastern Norfok on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Keywords for this article Source link

UK govt considers removing ex-prince Andrew from line of succession

UK govt considers removing ex-prince Andrew from line of succession

Published by Sam Flores

COMMERCIALLY SENSITIVE In a November 2010 email from the US documents, seen by AFP, Mountbatten-Windsor appeared to share with the US financier reports on his visit to several Asian countries, among other communications about investment possibilities.  Epstein had already been convicted in the United States in 2008 of child prostitution. Official guidance is thought to stipulate that trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive commercial or political information related to their official visits. The ex-prince has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. But one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, last year recounted in shocking detail in her posthumous memoir claims that she had been trafficked three times to have sex with Andrew, twice when she was 17. The ex-prince settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre, while not admitting liability. Source link