Mandelson lobbying firm sought work with Russia and China state companies, Epstein emails show
Posted on Friday February 06, 2026

Former minister and Benjamin Wegg-Prosser met disgraced financier before formal foundation of Global CounselBoss of lobbying firm founded with Peter Mandelson quitsPeter Mandelson’s former lobbying firm sought work with companies controlled by the governments of Russia and China shortly after he left ministerial office, according to emails the disgraced former minister forwarded to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The emails show how Mandelson and Benjamin Wegg-Prosser scrambled to drum up high-paying foreign business after co-founding Global Counsel even as Mandelson remained a member of the House of Lords. Potential clients included the Russian state investment firm Rusnano and the state-owned China International Capital Corporation, the emails suggest. Continue reading...

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Amazon reveals plans to spend $200bn in one year the day after Bezos guts Washington Post
Posted on Thursday February 05, 2026

Tech giant reports $213bn in revenue after its founder, who owns the Post, lays off a third of newspaper’s employeesAmazon announced plans to spend $200bn on artificial intelligence and robotics this year, the latest tech giant to vow fresh enormous investments in the artificial intelligence arms race.The news of the investment comes one day after the Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced it was cutting approximately a third of employees. Continue reading...

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‘Quality really matters’: why the organic food market is booming again
Posted on Friday February 06, 2026

Greater awareness of healthy diets and concerns over ‘trusted’ food mean sales are growing at fastest pace in two decadesWhen household finances were plunged into turmoil during the credit crunch, one of the first things that Britons cancelled was their veg box delivery.But although the cost of living crisis persists, the organic market is enjoying its biggest boom in two decades, according to the veg box seller Riverford. It is not just fruit and veg, with a “massive” increase in sales of organic meat. Organic chicken was up 13% year on year, despite costing three times as much as other birds. Continue reading...

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Hail our new robot overlords! Amazon warehouse tour offers glimpse of future
Posted on Friday February 06, 2026

At its new Stone Mountain, Georgia, facility, Roomba-like robots shuffle between stacks, another adds shipping labels while another arranges packages in palletsOne of the reasons Amazon is spending billions on robots? They don’t need bathroom breaks. Arriving a few minutes early to the public tour of Amazon’s hi-tech Stone Mountain, Georgia, warehouse, my request to visit the restroom was met with a resounding no from the security guard in the main lobby.Between the main doors and the entrance security gate, I paced and paced after being told I would have to wait for the tour guide to collect me and other guests for a tour of the 640,000-sq-ft, four-story warehouse. Continue reading...

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TikTok could be forced to change app’s ‘addictive design’ by European Commission
Posted on Friday February 06, 2026

Preliminary EU ruling says app shifts brains of users into ‘autopilot mode’, with concerns for children and vulnerable adultsBusiness live – latest updatesTikTok could be forced into changes to make the app less addictive to users after the EU indicated the platform had breached the bloc’s digital safety rules.The EU’s executive arm said in a preliminary ruling that the popular app had infringed the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to its “addictive design”. Continue reading...

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Winter Olympics 2026: opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro and beyond – live
Posted on Friday February 06, 2026

• Milano Cortina Games to be opened on Friday evening• Schedule | Results | Medal table | Briefing | Email TanyaLindsey Vonn inspected the Olympic downhill course with other racers early this morning as she prepared to take part in the opening training session despite tearing the ACL in her left knee a week ago.The 41-year-old Vonn is planning to compete at the Milan Cortina Games with a large brace covering her injured knee. Continue reading...

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Leeds v Nottingham Forest: Premier League – live
Posted on Friday February 06, 2026

⚽ Premier League updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off⚽ Table | Follow us on Bluesky | Email DominicI’m not sure Peter Oh has high hopes for this evening’s footballing fare judging from this email.He says: “Given the various endearing nicknames that have garlanded these two clubs, could tonight be the Nasty/Dirty/Tricky derby?” Continue reading...

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