Top World News

Apr 22, 2025 - World

Russell George, who is among 15 people under investigation, says he wants to focus on clearing his nameA Welsh politician who is among 15 people charged after bets were placed on the timing of the 2024 general election is to quit at the next Senedd election. Russell George, the Conservative member for Montgomeryshire, said he was withdrawing his candidacy to stand in next year’s election to focus on clearing his name. The Senedd member was one of a number of people linked to the Conservative party reported to have made bets on the election date, which was called by then-prime minister Rishi Sunak. Senedd Conservative leader Darren Millar withdrew the whip from George last week after the Gambling Commission announced the charges, meaning he now sits as an independent within the Welsh parliament.George, 50, said in a statement on Tuesday: “I was shocked and surprised to have been informed by the Gambling Commission that I am facing charges for cheating. “To be clear, I have never cheated. However, given the Gambling Commission’s decision, and my understanding of what will follow, this is likely to be a lengthy process that may not be resolved by May 2026. “In the circumstances, I feel I have no alternative but to withdraw my candidacy for next year’s Senedd elections so that I can focus on fighting to clear my name. “I will of course continue to serve the people of Montgomeryshire to the very best of my ability. “I am grateful for the many messages of support that I have received in recent days, particularly from constituents.” Among others facing charges are: Craig Williams, the former MP for Montgomeryshire; Nick Mason, a former chief data officer for the party; Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate for Bristol North West last July; and Tony Lee, the Conservatives’ campaigns director, who is married to Saunders. Continue reading...

Apr 22, 2025 - World

Dollar also recovers after Monday’s sell-off prompted by Donald Trump’s attack on Federal Reserve chair Gold has climbed above $3,500 an ounce for the first time while stocks on Wall Street and the dollar rose following Monday’s sell-off prompted by Donald Trump’s blistering attack on the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell.Spot gold reached the record price of $3,500.01 (£2,620) on Tuesday, extending a rally that has pushed bullion up from $2,623 an ounce at the start of this year. Continue reading...

Apr 22, 2025 - World

About 7.3m people have cast ballots over four days of advanced voting in sign of elevated interest in 28 April poll Canada elections: who are the key players and what is at stake?A record 7.3 million people have cast their ballots over four days of advanced voting in Canada’s election, official figures showed on Tuesday, in a possible sign of elevated interest in the 28 April poll.Elections Canada said its estimated tally for voting from Friday through Monday marked a 25% increase over the 5.8m advanced ballots cast in the 2021 vote. Continue reading...

Apr 22, 2025 - World

Elon Musk's affiliation with President Donald Trump has led to huge first-quarter profit loss for his electric vehicle company, Tesla, according to The Wall Street Journal.The Journal reported that Tesla's "net income slid 71% in the first quarter, as the company struggled to overcome competitive pressure overseas and a reputational hit from Chief Executive Elon Musk’s polarizing role in the Trump administration."In addition, the company reported "adjusted earnings-per-share of 27 cents, which missed analysts’ expectations of 41 cents."Musk has become a lightning rod of controversy ever since joining the Trump administration as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and an informal adviser to Trump.ALSO READ: 'Retribution or bust’: 'Secretary of Retribution' joins J6 leaders to demand mass arrests"Tesla’s core auto business is under pressure," wrote reporter Sean McLain. "The company’s global vehicle deliveries fell 13% in the first quarter, partly because of a consumer backlash against the brand in response to Musk’s role as President Trump’s cost-cutting czar. Tesla has faced protests across the U.S. and Europe, and some of its stores and charging stations have been vandalized or even set on fire."The article noted that Tesla is also dealing with 25% tariffs on auto imports. "While Tesla builds its U.S.-sold cars in Texas and California, it relies on neighboring countries for components, including Mexico, which supplies more than 20% of its parts, according to federal data," the report stated.Read The Wall Street Journal article here.

Apr 22, 2025 - World

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a member of the left-wing M-19 Democratic Alliance, claimed during a nationally-televised broadcast that he can't travel to the United States anymore because he believed the Trump administration revoked his visa. The Monday night broadcast was described as a Cabinet Meeting "presented as a 'presidential address,'" during which Petro made the "offhand remark," according to The City Paper Bogotá. “I can’t go anymore because I believe they took away my visa,” Petro said during the broadcast. “I didn’t really need a visa, but anyway, I’ve already seen Donald Duck several times, so I’ll go see other things." The paper reported that the comment, "delivered casually and seemingly out of context, caught his ministers off guard and comes as Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia is preparing to travel to New York to address the United Nations Security Council. At the same time, the country’s acting Finance Minister, Germán Avila, is already in the United States on official business." ALSO READ: 'We’ve made a mistake': Trump’s trade war sends GOP into frenzy A representative from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá told the paper that there has been “no formal notification of visa revocation.” The paper noted that Petro has been using social media to attack El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele over the treatment of Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration. In what the paper called a "rare English-language message," Petro wrote, “Fascism in Europe created a criminal idea and gave it legal cover,” Petro wrote. “It said that you could blame a social group for the crime of an individual. That is the path that led to the holocaust of the Jews. No democratic-minded person in Latin America can accept that all of the Venezuelan people in exile are criminalized because of the crimes of the so-called ‘Tren de Aragua.’” The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá called Petro's comments “deeply offensive” and urged "political leaders to avoid equating modern conflicts with historical genocides," the paper reported. Read the City Paper Bogotá article here.