UK: Royal Mail takeover by Czech billionaire approved

The sale of Royal Mail’s parent company to a Czech billionaire has been cleared by the government. The £3.6bn takeover by Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group has been given the go-ahead…

Canada: Finance minister quits over Trump tariff dispute with PM Trudeau

Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has resigned from her post, citing disagreements with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on how to respond to incoming President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs. She…

USA: Bitcoin hits new record high of more than $106,000

Bitcoin has surged to a new record high, extending a rally that has seen the cryptocurrency’s price rise by more than 50% since Donald Trump’s victory in the 5 November…

Afghanistan: Authorities rescue twenty two from mine collapse

Twenty-two people have been rescued after a mine collapsed in Afghanistan, capping an hours-long effort to reach them. The mine in the Dara-i Sof Payin district of Samangan province in northern Afghanistan…

Canada: Government moves to end almost-month-long postal strike

The Canadian government is moving to end a nearly month-long postal workers’ strike that has disrupted mail delivery across the country ahead of the holidays. On Friday, Labour Minister Steven…

West Africa: Ecowas pins hopes on Ivory Coast to Nigeria superhighway

West African leaders are holding a crucial summit in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, focusing on the morale-sapping departure of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from their 15-member bloc Ecowas. Few think…

UK: Greenpeace and Shell settle over North Sea protest

The environmental group Greenpeace has reached an out-of-court settlement with Shell after protesters twice boarded one of its North Sea installations. The charity has agreed to pay £300,000 to the…

Russia: Two oil tankers sink in Black Sea – reports

Two Russian oil tankers with 29 crew members on board have sunk in the Black Sea amid bad weather and are now leaking oil, Russian authorities have said. Video posted…

USA: Broadcaster ABC News agrees to pay $15m to settle Trump defamation suit

ABC News has agreed to pay $15m to settle a defamation suit filed by President-elect Donald Trump over an inaccurate claim by the United States-based network’s anchor. The lawsuit stemmed from on-air…

USA: OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji found dead in San Francisco apartment

An OpenAI researcher-turned-whistleblower has been found dead in an apartment in San Francisco, authorities said. The body of Suchir Balaji, 26, was discovered on 26 November after police said they…