By THOMAS ADAMSONSea Shepherd founder Paul Watson, known for his decades-long fight against Japanese whaling and arrested in Greenland in July, has asked France's president for political asylum, Sea Shepherd France said Wednesday. Watson faces extradition to Japan, where he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. He was detained after a Japanese request to Interpol over his confrontational tactics aimed at disrupting Japanese whaling operations in the Antarctic. Jean Tamalet, a lawyer associated with Sea Shepherd France, emphasized that the call for political asylum is largely symbolic and aimed at securing his release. The arrest occurred when Watson's ship docked in Nuuk, Greenland, for refueling on its way to intercept a Japanese whaling ship.

SHOPPERS have been left fuming after Marks & Spencer confirmed the exact date it will close a fan favourite branch. Bosses have revealed the Crawley store will shut up shop for good on Saturday, November 16. Earlier this month, the exact closing date of the M&S store in the Belfry Shopping Centre in Redhill, Surrey, was revealed - August 17. M&S plans to operate 180 full-line (which include clothing, home and food) and 400 food halls in the next five years. Flagship M&S stores have popped up in several major UK cities this year, with more openings to come this year.

It has been nearly three weeks since Hurricane Helene began its devastating march across the Southeast, killing at least 230 people in six states. The storm’s most destructive impact was in western North Carolina, where entire communities were swept away and search crews continue to hunt for people who are still unaccounted for. Geoff Bennett discussed what the region is facing with Ryan Cole.

For decades, Tehran has used groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and others to counterbalance Israel’s military superiority. This situation increases the urgency of attempts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)[v], and prevent Iran from further nuclear proliferation. As the Israeli leadership’s warnings to Iran pick up the pace, Iranian officials are signaling a change in their nuclear doctrine. As far as Israel is concerned, targeted strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites are definitely on the table. Avigdor Liberman, Israel’s former defense minister, has urged the Israeli government to employ “all the tools”[xiv] it can amass to demolish Iran’s nuclear facilities.

John Swinney was left red-faced after his attempts to woo the business community at the UK Government's International Investment Summit ended up with him going home empty-handed. “It is this kind of growth, backed by the investment certainty that our green industrial strategy provides, which will help power progress on the Scottish Government’s priorities." But it has been revealed that none of the £63bn of investment announced at the summit would be solely focused on Scotland. Mr Swinney did manage to spend £14.5m of the Scottish Government's cash while in London, forking out the sum to help fund educational programmes in Africa. That foreign direct investment record is not to be sniffed at, but it is built largely on a collection of relatively small scale deals.

Florida Abortion Rights Group Sues Governor Over Ad Censorship Legal battle erupts as state officials threaten TV stations airing anti-abortion ban adsA group advocating for abortion rights in Florida is embroiled in legal battles with the state government over its attempts to halt advertisements related to the upcoming vote on Amendment 4. This amendment seeks to secure abortion rights within the Florida Constitution, and the campaign, called "Floridians Protecting Freedom," filed suit against state officials this week claiming censorship. Just weeks after the ad began airing, the Florida Department of Health, under the administration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, sent cease-and-desist letters to broadcasters. The ad's impact and the underlying controversies surrounding Amendment 4 reflect the heightened tensions surrounding reproductive rights since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year. At stake is more than just the future of abortion rights; it's a fundamental debate over government accountability, individual rights, and how far officials can go to influence the discourse surrounding such personal and impactful decisions.

BRITAIN will increase the rate of capital gains tax payable on sales of shares and other assets in an Oct 30 budget statement, the Times newspaper reported on Wednesday, saying the increase for share sales was likely to be several percentage points. The report, which did not cite named sources, also said capital gains tax rates levied on the sale of second homes would not rise, but some existing reliefs within the capital gains regime would be cut to help raise revenue. The current rate of capital gains tax for higher-earning taxpayers ranges from 20 per cent to 28 per cent depending on the type of asset. The rate for share sales is currently 20 per cent for those on higher incomes. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said a speculation about an increase in the rate of capital gains tax to as high as 39 per cent in this month’s budget was unfounded.

With three weeks to go until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris is in Detroit meeting with business owners and hitting the radio waves to make her case, especially to Black male voters. In Chicago, former President Donald Trump talked tariffs and tax cuts at an economic event and defended reported conversations he's had with Vladimir Putin since leaving office. Stephanie Sy reports.

Mr Hobson said: “Capital gains tax was equal to income tax when I set up Photobox. The think tank added that the majority of capital investments in the UK came from institutional investors that were largely exempt from capital gains tax. Pranesh Narayanan, the author of IPPR’s report, said: “The recent fearmongering from some that increasing capital gains tax will take the economy back to the stone ages is pure hyperbole. The rate of capital gains tax was equal to income tax between 1988 and 2008, when Labour’s Alistair Darling cut the levy to 18% for all taxpayers. Further changes followed, with different rates now applying for different assets and different income tax bands.

Liam Payne, a former member of the boyband One Direction , has died aged 31 after falling from a third floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, police have confirmed. “Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo,” Buenos Aires police said in a statement. The band, which consisted of Payne, Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, was known for hits like What Makes You Beautiful, Night Changes and Steal My Girl. One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016, and Payne signed a solo act, releasing his debut single, Strip That Down featuring Quavo, in 2017. Payne became a father in 2017, having a son Bear Grey Payne with his ex-partner, the X Factor judge Cheryl Cole.

Liam Payne has died at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, local officials said. AdvertisementPolice gather outside the Buenos Aires hotel where Liam Payne was found dead after falling from a balcony late Wednesday afternoon. Payne released his first single “Strip That Down” with rapper Quavo in 2017. AdvertisementLiam Payne, who was in France in March 2024, traveled to Buenos Aires to catch a concert from a former One Direction bandmate. One Direction failed to take home the “X Factor” crown, but the band’s momentum showed no signs of stopping.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will increase the rate of capital gains tax payable on sales of shares and other assets in an Oct. 30 budget statement, the Times newspaper reported on Wednesday, saying the increase for share sales was likely to be several percentage points. The report, which did not cite named sources, also said capital gains tax rates levied on the sale of second homes would not rise, but some existing reliefs within the capital gains regime would be cut to help raise revenue. The current rate of capital gains tax for higher-earning taxpayers ranges from 20% to 28% depending on the type of asset. The rate for share sales is currently 20% for those on higher incomes. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said a speculation about an increase in the rate of capital gains tax to as high as 39% in this month's budget was unfounded.

Concerns about the spending cuts have been raised across different Government departments, the PA news agency understands. Several senior ministers were reported to have voiced concerns at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting about Treasury proposals to reduce some departments’ spending by as much as 20%, according to the Times newspaper, and have since followed up with formal letters to the Prime Minister. Rachel Reeves told ministers during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that plans to fill what Labour calls a “£22 billion black hole” in the UK’s finances will be enough only to “keep public services standing still”. Experts have argued that ministers need to find £20 billion to avoid a squeeze on so-called “unprotected” departments pencilled in by their Tory predecessors, and billions more to prevent a sharp fall in investment spending. “We were honest with the British public, both during the election and since, about the scale of the challenge that we would receive.

I asked why that was the case, and he said simply that my book on the death of the original Rangers represented “thousands of hours of investigative work”. I worked on the Ranger’s financial story from the beginning of 2009 until the book was published in September 2012. I was reminded of this conversation when an NUJ colleague sent me this piece from the Hold The Front Page. I addressed this absence of genuine investigative journalism in the mainstream in this piece in 2018 after seeing The Post with Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. The Ibrox saga has proven that the local media in Glasgow decided long ago that journalism wasn’t for them.

The British government said that it has "full confidence" in Canada's judicial system and India's cooperation with the Canadian legal process is the "right next step. "“We are in contact with our Canadian partners regarding the serious developments outlined in the independent investigations in Canada.The UK has full confidence in Canada’s judicial system. The MEA also said that Trudeau's cabinet has included individuals "who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India." Canada has also invoked support from its "Five Eyes" intelligence partners and G7 nations , warning India of potential sanctions. “We have made it clear that we expect India to take these allegations seriously and cooperate fully with Canada.