Powerful earthquake and aftershocks strike western Japan

A powerful earthquake struck western Japan on Tuesday morning, rattling parts of Shimane and neighbouring Tottori prefectures, although authorities said it posed no tsunami threat.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that the tremor, initially measured at magnitude 6.2, originated inland in the western Shimane prefecture at a depth of roughly 10km. Strong shaking was felt in the prefectural capital of Matsue as well as in several nearby municipalities across the region, local media reported.

The Japan Times reported that there were several aftershocks as well following the major earthquake across Shimane and Tottori.

Officials confirmed that no tsunami warning was issued.

By late morning, the main tremor had been followed by six more earthquakes, including a magnitude 5.1 aftershock that produced lower-level strong shaking.

The Maritime Self-Defence Force said it would carry out inspections to assess any damage in the affected regions.

The tremors were felt well beyond the epicentral area, reaching cities such as Osaka, while emergency alerts were sent to mobile phones across a wide swathe of western Japan.

Television networks and local authorities issued early warnings, and footage circulating on social media showed earthquake alarms sounding over public loudspeakers in Shimane.

The magnitude 6.2 earthquake is the most powerful to strike Japan so far this year. It followed a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in Aomori prefecture in December that left several people injured, and the devastating magnitude 7.6 New Year’s Day quake in 2024 on the Noto Peninsula, which killed 698 people and caused extensive damage.

Train services on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line were temporarily suspended as well following the magnitude 6.2 earthquake on Tuesday.

Japan sits at the intersection of several tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically active countries in the world.

After last month’s Aomori earthquake, authorities issued a megaquake advisory for the country’s northeastern coast. The advisory instructed residents to stay away from the coast but did not call for evacuations.

Ayatollah Khamenei will ‘flee Iran for Moscow’ if protests overwhelm security forces

Iran’s supreme leader has a plan to flee the country for Russia if ongoing protests in the country overwhelm his security forces, according to a report.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, will escape Tehran with up to 20 aides and family if it becomes clear that the army and security forces tasked with suppressing the protests are defecting or failing to follow orders, an intelligence source told The Times.

“The ‘plan B’ is for Khamenei and his very close circle of associates and family, including his son and nominated heir apparent, Mojtaba,” the source said.

At least 17 people had been killed during the protests as of Monday, according to human rights groups. The protests have largely focused on the collapse of the country’s currency, with some demonstrators calling for the overthrow of the Ayatollah.

Mr Khamenei would likely flee to Moscow as it is his only remaining option, according to Beni Sabti, an operative who served in Israeli intelligence for decades after fleeing the regime eight years after the Islamic revolution in 1979.

The Ayatollah “admires Putin, while the Iranian culture is more similar to the Russian culture”, and he would therefore choose Russia if he were forced to flee the country, the source said.

His plan includes an “exit route out of Tehran should they feel the need to escape” and includes “gathering assets, properties abroad and cash to facilitate their safe passage”, according to the newspaper.

Tehran’s efforts to quell a wave of anti-government protests have so far been unsuccessful, and are now further complicated by Donald Trump’s threat to intervene on behalf of the protests. His warning was firmly underlined by the subsequent US capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, officials and insiders said on Monday. But the protests do not yet match the scale of unrest that swept the nation in 2022-23 over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the hijab law.

The protests have nonetheless expanded quickly from an economic focus to broader frustrations, with some protesters chanting “Down with the Islamic Republic” or “Death to the dictator”, a reference to Mr Khamenei.

Authorities have said protests over the economy are legitimate and will be met by dialogue, but security forces have reacted brutally. Human rights groups accuse them of “indiscriminate targeting of civilians”.

Widening disparities between ordinary Iranians and a privileged clerical and security elite, compounded by mismanagement, high inflation and corruption, have fuelled public anger.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged dialogue and promised reforms to stabilise the monetary and banking systems and protect purchasing power.

Inside the furious Amorim row that sparked the end at Man United

It was the second day of a new year, but the beginning of the end for Ruben Amorim. When he met Jason Wilcox on Friday, a meeting set off the chain of events that led to the Portuguese becoming the latest former Manchester United head coach. Or, Amorim would say, manager.

Wilcox, United’s director of football, was giving feedback. Amorim blew up. Not for the first time. A man who can be charming was also, as those at United could testify, emotional and erratic. But ever more had decided they could not put up with him any more. What Amorim probably did not realise, however, was that Wilcox was the last defending him, the last arguing he should be granted more time.

What he perhaps did not figure, too, was that Wilcox was not just expressing his own thoughts but those of others in the structure. In his remarkable valedictory press conference at Elland Road on Sunday, Amorim said everyone else needed to “do their job”. United see the head coach as part of a structure. Amorim’s inability to take advice or adapt led to relations breaking down and, ultimately, his dismissal on Monday.

As with much else over the last 14 months, it related to his fondness for a back three. Amorim had switched back to 3-4-3 for the match against Wolves, a couple of days before he and Wilcox met. They had failed to beat a winless team, been outmanoeuvred in midfield, and had too little attacking threat. United had thought they had seen progress when persuading Amorim to belatedly change shape. With a back four, they had scored four times in a 4-4 draw with Bournemouth. They had kept just their second clean sheet of the season to beat Newcastle 1-0.

Instead, Amorim reverted to a back three. He had told the club he would adapt, but an inflexible man did not. So United drew first with the bottom club and then against promoted Leeds. It left them with just three wins in 11 games. While Amorim departed with them in sixth, on course to meet their pre-season objective of European qualification, there is an awareness dropped points in what had looked a relatively easy run could yet cost them.

So while Amorim was dismissed the day after his explosive press conference at Elland Road, that was far from the only factor. It may well have ended up that way anyway. Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada conveyed the news on Monday morning: early but not so early that Amorim would not have been at the club’s Carrington training ground anyway. Even before Amorim’s outburst at Leeds, opinions shifted at Old Trafford; the frustration of the Wolves game was one turning point.

United know they could have sacked Amorim last summer after coming 15th, their lowest finish for half a century. Instead, they committed another £220m to buying players, taking their spend in his reign to £250m. Their view is that they gave him the tools and platform to succeed.

But they did want to see the team evolve and improve, which, in turn, required Amorim to change. After the chaotic nature of the end of Erik ten Hag’s reign, when football matches came to resemble basketball games as they became so open, United felt there was a logic to appointing a systems-and-structure manager. The intention, though, was that in due course Amorim would become more expansive. He had made a commitment to adapt and, while United scored more goals this season, they felt he otherwise did not.

Amorim’s frustrations with their January transfer business became apparent in his press conference on Friday. He had nevertheless bought into their data-driven recruitment last summer. United felt the best way to shoot up the table this season was to score more goals. They put the midfield on the back burner in the recruitment drive, targeting three forwards at a cost of £200m. The sense is that he would have preferred Viktor Gyokeres to Benjamin Sesko, who scored only twice for him, but his former Sporting CP striker chose Arsenal. Despite the seemingly glaring need for a midfielder, bolstering the attack remained Amorim’s priority, to such an extent that his top target in January was Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo.

Yet Amorim’s United often remained a tough watch: they certainly were in four of his last five home matches, against Everton, West Ham, Newcastle and Wolves. The issues were not purely systemic. The view at the club is not that a successor cannot play 3-4-3, but the demand will be to produce more exciting, entertaining football, whatever the formation.

With Darren Fletcher the latest interim, it remains to be seen who that successor is. United have not approached anyone yet. Their priority had been to try and prosper with Amorim. The view inside Old Trafford is that a manager who secured a mere 58 points from 47 Premier League games got enormous support and that Wilcox could not have done more for him. Amorim may well disagree with that.

But as United tired of him, and perhaps he of them, their own decision-making looks flawed in appointing him. And it is they who have to find a better successor.

Warning of unemployment rise as costs force ‘zombie’ companies to shut

UK unemployment levels hit the highest levels since Covid at the end of last year – but it could get even worse in 2026, experts have warned.

In the three months to October, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed unemployment hit 5.1 per cent – up from 4.3 per cent a year earlier – highlighting the rise of joblessness across the year.

That rate could now continue to surge in 2026 as a host of businesses coming under relentless cost pressures are forced to close.

Years of higher interest rates, rising employment costs, high energy bills and inflation pushing raw materials and service costs up have all contributed to making conditions extremely tough for companies.

That combination might “kill off” so-called zombie companies in the coming months, says one expert. Zombie companies is the term given to businesses which have struggled along and are unable to grow or adapt, but have not yet completely shut down as they earn just enough to keep surviving.

While businesses closing down is not generally seen as a positive, the closure of some firms leads to other newer, more innovative ones taking their place – which can, in time, lead to a productivity upturn and improve economic conditions in the long run. But, in the meantime, jobs will be lost from those shutting down.

Ruth Curtice, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: “There are early and encouraging signs of a mild zombie apocalypse, where higher interest rates and minimum wages have combined to kill off struggling firms and leave the door open for new, more productive ones to replace them.

“But while this is good news for our medium-term economic prospects, the short-term impact could be job displacement and higher unemployment. Policymakers will need to redouble efforts to address this problem.”

Two-thirds (67 per cent) of economists surveyed believe unemployment will be between 5 and 5.5 per cent come the end of 2026, a Times report shows.

That would be the highest since 2015 (5.6 per cent) if it reached the top end of that range when the unemployment rate was in the middle of descending from a 2011 peak of 8.4 per cent.

Many firms paused or cancelled plans to recruit new talent towards the back end of 2025 amid the uncertainty of Rachel Reeves’ Budget and the cost implications of hiring.

That came after rises earlier in the year to National Insurance contributions, as well as the minimum wage.

As an aside to overall job levels, there are several factors pointing towards young people bearing the brunt of the damage when it comes to finding work.

ONS data showed unemployed 18- to 24-year-olds increased by 85,000 across the three months to October, the largest such rise in three years.

The government’s pledge to create a single cost of employment for all adults, rather than the two-tier system currently in place where 18 to 20-year-olds are paid a lower minimum wage, has also seen business leaders predicting that companies will simply stop hiring inexperienced younger people as it will not be cheaper than employing experienced workers.

Scotland takes next step towards lynx reintroduction

The reintroduction of lynx to northern Scotland, a species which has been extinct in Britain for at least 500 years, is one step closer as a major consultation with local people has been launched to seek their views on the potential return of the animals to the wild.

The elusive medium-sized cats pose no threat to people, help maintain healthy ecosystems and prey on deer which have exploded in numbers in recent decades, reaching their highest levels in 1,000 years.

Charities supporting the reintroduction of lynx to their natural environment say their return to Scotland “could bring significant benefits for biodiversity, landscapes, communities and businesses”, including by helping to manage deer numbers, and through tourism.

They said potential unwanted impacts could be carefully managed, and that the region contains some of Scotland’s best lynx habitat, with enough woodland and wild prey to support up to 250 of the cats in total.

This month, dozens of events in the Highlands and Moray will offer information and gather local views on the benefits and concerns that would come with the species’ return.

Since 2020, the group Lynx to Scotland has assessed whether and how lynx could return to the Highlands through a carefully managed reintroduction process. The group is made up of Scotland: The Big Picture, Trees for Life, and The Lifescape Project.

Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life, said: “Northern Scotland can support a thriving population of lynx, but social acceptance is just as important – so we are exploring in detail how people feel about bringing back this important missing native species.”

Any reintroduction would begin with a small number of lynx, with up to 20 in total being released gradually over several years. Long-term monitoring via tracking collars and camera traps would be key, to track any negative impacts such as sheep predation, alongside benefits such as gains for biodiversity and tourism revenue.

“Scotland has lost more of its native wildlife than almost any other country. Reintroducing lynx could help restore balance and breathe new life into Highland and Moray landscapes, but it would be essential to do this in a considered, responsible way that addresses questions and concerns,” said Scotland: The Big Picture’s chief executive, Lisa Chilton.

Scotland is one of only a few countries in the lynx’s natural range where the cat is still missing. Hunting and habitat loss are believed to have driven lynx to extinction in the country several hundred years ago.

Meanwhile, the overabundance of deer is taking a negative toll on the environment. The surge in numbers – with populations doubling since the 1990s – has caused significant damage by preventing woodland regeneration, halting peatland recovery, and reducing biodiversity. The boom is now threatening Scotland’s climate goals by impacting carbon storage and creating conflict with farming and forestry. Their heavy browsing and trampling stops young trees from growing, damages existing forests and peatlands and leads to landscape degradation and worsening issues like soil erosion. Traffic accidents involving deer are also a significant road safety issue in Scotland, with around 1,850 incidents annually.

Lynx to Scotland is now inviting local people, organisations and land managers – including livestock farmers, foresters, gamekeepers and deer stalkers – to share their views and help contribute to plans to minimise any unwanted impacts and also maximise the benefits of a reintroduction.

“We are keen to hear from the people living and working in the regions where lynx could one day be reintroduced. Their views will help shape how a reintroduction might be managed, if it were to go ahead,” said Adam Eagle, Lifescape’s chief executive.

Details of all the public events are being mailed to 89,000 households across 37 postcodes, ahead of the first public information sessions on 26 January 2026.

The announcement of the plans comes a year after four lynx were caught in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park after apparently being released illegally, sparking a criminal investigation which is still ongoing. One of the animals died hours after being recaptured. Numerous environmental groups condemned the suspected release, saying it had undermined rewilding efforts. Experts told Scottish paper The Herald: “It’s not a good look for Scotland. It’s not a good look for legal and well planned reintroduction projects. It’s not good for any future possibility of lynx reintroduction into the UK.”

‘Tis the season to connect: How to maximise your mobile

Our mobile phones are a vital part of our everyday lives, providing us with connection, entertainment and information. We rely on the device in our pocket to help us work, socialise, learn and so much more – so we want to make sure we’re getting the most we can from it.

Tesco Mobile’s new Pay as you go Essentials tariff can help you do just that, offering increased flexibility and benefits. It keeps things simple and lets you add 30-day bundles of data, minutes and texts that best suit your needs.

The tariff will replace Rocket Pack, Triple Credit and Lite tariffs for all existing Tesco Mobile Pay as you go customers.

Customers who prefer traditional Pay as you go can continue to use top-up balance for calls, texts and data at the standard rate: 25p per minute, 10p per text, 10p per MB.*

So whether you’re an existing Tesco Mobile customer or thinking of making the switch, here’s seven reasons why Pay as you go Essentials is the perfect option…

We all use our phones differently. For some, it’s all about streaming favourite shows and music, so having enough data is vital. Others just want to be able to text and call friends and family whenever they want. Tesco Mobile make it easy to find the right Pay as you go Essentials bundle for your needs. New customers can choose the best bundle for their needs, with bundles auto-renewing every 30 days using available top-up balance.

Circumstances can change and you might find yourself needing more data or minutes some months than others. Depending on how much you use your phone, a bundle is often more cost-effective than using your top-up balance and being charged standard rates for calls, texts and data usage. Pay as you go Essentials is a flexible top-up tariff designed to give users full control over their spend, letting them add bundles of data, minutes and texts to suit specific needs. You can change your bundle as often as you like or cancel at any time. If you decide to opt-out of a bundle you can continue to use your top-up balance for calls, text and data at the standard out-of-bundle rate (25p per minute, 10p per text, 10p per MB).

Pay as you go Essentials offers a range of five great-value bundle options that all include data, minutes and texts. Pay as you go Essentials bundles start from just £5 for 30 days (minimum £10 top-up at activation), while every bundle from £10 and up includes unlimited calls and texts (subject to Fair Usage Policy) – making it easy and affordable to stay connected. If you’re an existing Tesco Mobile Pay as you go customer you’ll get a free 30 day Essentials bundle based on your previous use so you can see if its the right one for you.

The new Tesco Mobile app is packed with useful features to help you make the most of your Pay as you go phone. It’s a quick and simple way to manage or change your bundles, check usage, top-up your balance change auto-renew settings and more. You can easily see your remaining data, minutes and texts, so you know whether you need to add a new or different bundle. Need a hand with something? Chat with the customer care team via live in-app messaging. This is a new app for Pay as you go customers, and customers will no longer be able to use their old Tesco Mobile Pay as you go apps.

Phone calls cutting out, videos buffering, texts that don’t send… an unreliable phone signal can be hugely frustrating. Tesco Mobile shares O2’s network, which means 99 per cent UK coverage, and a better connection in hard-to-reach rural areas – so you won’t be searching for a signal. Tesco Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks are constantly being improved, and with Pay as you go Essentials, customers can use 4G Calling (also known as VoLTE) means you’ll use your 4G connection to make and receive calls, enjoying clearer calls. You can find this option in your network settings.

With Tesco Mobile, you get a Clubcard point for every £1 you spend. Just link your Clubcard to your phone (text the word CLUBCARD to 28578 free from your Tesco Mobile phone) and watch the points add up. You can then convert your points to vouchers to save on your weekly grocery shop or exchange the vouchers for Reward Partner codes to save money on meals out, entertainment, day trips, travel and more. For a limited time, Tesco Mobile customers can get 500 Clubcard points every time they add a £15 Pay as you go Essentials bundle when they link their Clubcard within the first 28 days of adding the bundle. Clubcard points will be automatically issued within 30 days.

For more information on Tesco Mobile’s Pay as you go Essentials, including all available bundles, visit Tesco Mobile

*Offer ends 01/02/2026. See Terms And Conditions for full terms.

Peers inflict new blow to Starmer on government’s Chagos handover deal

Sir Keir Starmer’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been dealt a humiliating blow in the House of Lords after peers backed demands for a renegotiation.

In a vote which left the government reeling, peers backed a demand to renegotiate the terms of the deal in order to ensure payments stop if the military base on Diego Garcia could no longer be used.

The amendment, which was led by former military chiefs, was backed by 132 votes to 124 in the House of Lords and represented the fourth defeat for the prime minister in the upper house on the controversial deal.

The amendment stated that the government must make arrangements for terms of payments “should environmental or other issues make the military use of the Base permanently impossible”.

The UK has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million annually during the 99-year agreement to lease back the site, a total cost in cash terms of at least £13 billion.

The government, however, estimates the bill will be lower at around £101 million a year while critics argue it will be much higher.

The Bill, which is needed to implement the treaty, has already been approved by MPs but has faced a bruising ride in the House of Lords.

Independent crossbencher Lord Houghton of Richmond, who served as chief of the defence staff from 2013-16, said: “Currently, the Bill makes no provision for the circumstances under which the requirement to pay an annual fee for the use of the Diego Garcia base is revisited in the event of the base becoming unusable for military purposes.”

In a veiled reference to US president Donald Trump’s intervention in Venezuela, Lord Houghton said: “Many in the chamber may think my concerns are drawn from the world of fantasy or nightmare, but do the last 72 hours not give serious cause for concern regarding our ability to predict with certainty the next two years of geopolitics, let alone the next 100?

“This treaty needs to cater far better for what the future might hold.”

Conservative shadow foreign minister Lord Callanan said: “It is unconscionable that British taxpayers should be forced to continue to fund the Mauritian government under the terms of the treaty in circumstances where the military base, which the treaty relates to and secures, has therefore become inoperable.”

Responding. foreign minister Baroness Chapman of Darlington said the treaty included a mechanism for dealing with developments relating to the base, while the deal was also covered by international law.

The Labour frontbencher added: “We are taking steps that are necessary to prevent the base becoming unusable and that, however hard hypothetical situations might be for us to imagine today, there are processes in place established by the treaty to resolve them.”

The government suffered a further setback as the Lords backed a Liberal Democrat measure requiring a referendum among the Chagossian community on whether the transfer deal adequately guarantees their rights to resettlement, consultation and participation in decision-making along with a government response to the result.

Up to 2,000 Chagossians were forcibly removed from their homes in the 1960s and 1970s, with many subsequently settling in Britain and some continuing to seek the right to return.

The upper chamber also backed a Tory demand for a detailed costing of the payments to be made to Mauritius under the agreement, including a full methodology used in calculating the total.

Another Liberal Democrat measure that would ensure parliamentary oversight over UK Government spending linked to the treaty, which would also allow MPs to halt payments if Mauritius was judged to have breached the terms of the deal was also backed.

The World Court urged Britain in 2019 to return the islands to Mauritius, and a deal was finalised in May after years of negotiations.

The amendments will likely be reversed by MPs when it is returned to the Commons, but the move will delay the formal agreement of the deal.

However, Tory shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said: “ Once again Labour have suffered a humiliating defeat on their shameful anti-British Chagos Surrender Bill. At every stage of this process, the Government has sought to silence and ignore the Chagossian people and dodge scrutiny for the outrageous handover of British territory and £35 billion of taxpayers’ money.

“Keir Starmer is weak and incapable of standing up for Britain at home and abroad. Britain’s defence and security are at risk because of this terrible legislation. Only the Conservatives will stand up for Britain on the international stage.”

Chagossians have pressed for the deal to be scrapped in favour for one where they are given sovereignty over the islands.

A spokesperson for the Chagossians said: “We will continue to help hold support in the Lords and press the government for compromise. The Chagossians must be heard, and world security and the Chagos environment must be protected.”

Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop collapse into administration

High street chains Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) are being put into administration, putting about 2,500 UK staff at risk of redundancy.

The two retailers had already undergone restructuring and were bought by investment firm Modella Capital last year.

Modella said it had made the “tough decision” to kickstart insolvency proceedings for the businesses after “last-ditch” measures had fallen through.

The 1,355 employees in the UK and Ireland at 154 Claire’s shops will be put at risk, and 1,220 staff across 140 TOFS stores.

Court records show that a notice of intention to appoint an administrator was filed in relation to both chains on Monday afternoon.

“We have worked intensively in an effort to save both businesses, having made last-ditch attempts to rescue them, but neither has a realistic possibility of trading profitably again,” a spokesperson for the company said.

“In these circumstances, administration is the only option.

“In both cases, the legacy effects of trading prior to our ownership left them highly vulnerable.”

Modella said tough retail conditions, including those from government policies, were causing British businesses to “suffer”.

“The climate on the high street remains extremely challenging, and TOFS and Claire’s are not alone in experiencing difficulties,” the firm said.

“A combination of very weak consumer confidence, highly adverse government fiscal policies, and continued cost inflation, is causing many established and much-loved businesses to suffer badly.

“It’s a simple fact that if retailers can’t make money, they risk having to close, and jobs across the country are lost.”

Modella bought more than 150 Claire’s shops last year, but 145 were not included in the deal, leading to their closure.

The fashion accessories chain had appointed administrators for its UK and Ireland business after filing for bankruptcy in the US.

TOFS, a discount department store chain, was sold to the investment firm in February.

Modella has become a significant force in the British retail industry, having bought WH Smith’s high street chain last year and taking over arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft in 2024.