WORLD

A record number of small firms could close in the next 12 months, says the Federation of Small Businesses. Without further government help to cope with the effects of the pandemic, more than a quarter of a million businesses could be lost, it said. The FSB said it had put forward ideas to help some of those firms, which it ...

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has shared with lawmakers plans to remove President Donald Trump from office before starting an impeachment process. The House of Representatives would vote on a resolution calling on Vice-President Mike Pence to remove Mr Trump’s presidential powers. If this move fails, Democrats will introduce a charge of “incitement of insurrection” against Mr Trump over his ...

Google’s plan to replace web browser cookies with a system that shares less data with advertisers is being investigated in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Google’s plan could have a “significant impact” on news websites and the digital advertising market. It had already raised concerns that publishers’ profits could sink if they were unable to run ...

Boko Haram militants have killed 14 people in an overnight attack in the town of Mozogo, in Cameroon’s Far North region. The jihadist group has in recent days staged several attacks in the same region despite the government’s claims of success against them. According to the mayor of Mozogo, Boukar Medjewe, local residents started fleeing to a nearby forest as ...

The US Congress has certified Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, hours after Trump supporters stormed the building in an attack that saw four people die. Lawmakers resumed the session after police managed to remove the mob, which had been encouraged by President Trump in a bid to overturn his defeat. The certification clears the way for Mr Biden ...

Rapper and producer Dr Dre, one of hip-hop’s most successful and influential stars, is being treated in hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm. The 55-year-old was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday, TMZ reported. In a post on Instagram, he said: “I’m doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team.” He is “resting comfortably” ...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States, a court in London has ruled. The judge blocked the request because of concerns over Mr Assange’s mental health and risk of suicide in the US. The 49-year-old is wanted over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011. The US claims the leaks broke the ...

With less than three weeks to take over the Oval Office as the president of the United State, Joe Biden has been making a number of crucial appointments across races in what has been described as a step in the right track for the biggest democracy in the world. The Democrat and former senator, 78, has appointed 100 people among ...

US President Donald Trump has been recorded telling Georgia’s top election official to “find” enough votes to overturn the election result. “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” Mr Trump told Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a recording released by the Washington Post. Mr Raffensperger is heard replying that Georgia’s results were correct. Joe Biden won Georgia alongside ...

President-elect Joe Biden has received his first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, saying he was getting the jab to show Americans it is “safe to take”. Mr Biden joins a growing number of political leaders getting the jab, including Vice-President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On Sunday, the roll-out began for a second vaccine, by Moderna, which ...