WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Population growth, Mencap donations, and blood minerals in DR Congo

 
today's immigration story

Population to hit 72.5 million by 2032

What happened
Net migration is expected to add almost 5 million more people to the population over the course of a decade, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The projection suggests that almost 10 million people will arrive in the UK between 2022 and 2032, while about five million will leave, bringing net migration to 4.9 million. The natural change, which is the difference between births and deaths, is forecast to be close to zero.

Who said what
The estimate "piles more pressure on the government to curb the number of people coming to the UK", said The Independent. A spokesperson for Keir Starmer said the PM wants to bring down the "staggeringly high migration numbers".

Post-Brexit changes to visas have "fuelled a sharp drop" in the number of European Union migrants, said The Times, but new visa rules have "led to a surge from India, Nigeria and Pakistan", often to fill health and social care vacancies.

What next?
Responding to the projection, No.10 ruled out setting "arbitrary" caps on the number of immigrants, but pledged to publish a white paper on the issue. "As the prime minister has previously said, we had a supposed cap in place before and it didn’t have any meaningful impact on reducing immigration."

Last year deaths exceeded births for the first time in decades due to declining birth rates. The ONS predicts that in the years ahead this trend will accelerate significantly.

 
 
today's international story

Judge blocks Trump's spending freeze

What happened
A US judge has temporarily blocked a sweeping White House order to stop trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans from taking effect.

Who said what
Trump's order, issued on Monday, aims to purge the government of what he calls a "woke" ideology. The president's plan is to bar spending on initiatives he disagrees with, including programs involving "diversity, equity and inclusion".

Democratic minority leader of the US Senate Chuck Schumer said the freeze would lead to missed payrolls and rent payments – and cause "chaos".

In her first ever briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the plan, which she said was about being "good stewards of tax dollars".

What next?
Trump's order "set off chaos and uncertainty for vast swaths of the federal government", said The New York Times. It also appears to "plant the seeds of a potential Supreme Court fight over how much power a president has to refuse to spend money that Congress has appropriated".

 
 
Today's Television story

Mencap sees mass donations from 'Traitors' fans

What happened
A star of "The Traitors" inspired more than £30,000 in donations to Mencap after he described its support for his deceased brother. Former diplomat Alexander Dragonetti (pictured above) told fellow contestants that if he won the BBC's hit show he would donate some of the prize money to the charity for people with learning difficulties.

Who said what
Dragonetti said his late brother, who had Global Developmental Delay and was autistic, would go to summer camps set up by the organisation, and that he would "love to put some money their way to keep it going".

Mencap is "really grateful to Alexander for courageously sharing his personal story", said its chief executive Jon Sparkes. Despite not winning on Friday, Dragonetti has "captured the hearts of the nation – he is our champion".

What next?
"These donations are needed more now than ever as people with a learning disability continue to face extensive inequalities every day," added Sparkes.

 
 

It's not all bad

A medieval toilet has helped archaeologists locate the long-lost palace of England’s last Anglo-Saxon king Harold II. Using ground-penetrating radar, historical sources like the Bayeux Tapestry and information gleaned from an ancient loo, researchers identified the site in Bosham, West Sussex. The palace, featuring a large timber hall and moat, served as Harold's political headquarters before his death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The discovery could also provide new clues about the king's elusive burial site.

 
 
under the radar

Blood minerals in DR Congo

"The source of misery for the people of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo lies in the vast natural treasures beneath their feet," said The Times.

The region boasts a "dizzying array" of riches, such as gold and diamonds, but the "most coveted are the lesser known" coltan, cobalt and other minerals, which are "crucial in the production of laptops and smartphones".

It is "no coincidence" that violence has increased alongside consumer demand for tech. But while the slogan "blood diamonds" helped to ease conflicts elsewhere in Africa, a "similarly murderous hunt for smart-tech minerals" has only intensified in the DR Congo, displacing seven million people and "condemning a region to perpetual chaos".

The DR Congo is the world's largest producer of coltan, said Ecofin Agency, from which tantalum – indispensable for manufacturing phones and laptops – is extracted. Nearly 70% of the world's tantalum comes from the DR Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, according to the US Geological Survey. Tin and tungsten are also abundant in the volatile eastern borderlands. Tin is used to solder metal components, and tungsten in the parts that make phones vibrate, said CNBC.

Amid growing global scrutiny, African countries, intergovernmental organisations and tech companies have "ramped up their efforts to clean up mineral supply chains", said CNBC. Apple, Microsoft and Tesla publish reports every year, usually saying there is "no reason to believe the minerals they source help to support armed groups".

But it is impossible for consumers to be sure that their electronics are fully conflict- and cruelty-free, added CNBC. Endemic corruption and instability in the region mean "there are no guarantees".

 
 
on this day

29 January 2002

In his State of the Union address, US President George W. Bush controversially described Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an "axis of evil". Iran and North Korea are now openly supporting Russia in Ukraine, while China has solidified its position as the dominant power in the so-called "Crink" alliance.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Wall Street has "steadied" and Silicon Valley "bounced back" following sharp losses driven by concerns over Chinese AI group DeepSeek, says the Financial Times. The Guardian leads on Rachel Reeves's pledge to create "Europe's Silicon Valley" in a push for growth. Meanwhile, the FBI was "handed a dossier" on Peter Mandelson's alleged China links, which could "further complicate" his chances of being accepted as ambassador to the US, says The Telegraph.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Slow and steady wins the chase

A shoplifter in a wheelchair was able to get away from officers on two occasions during a blue lights police chase in Sheffield. A South Yorkshire Police car was seen in video footage sounding its siren as the suspect fled on a three-wheeled motorised wheelchair. Loreto Valente, the manager of a shop near to where the chase took place, questioned why the officers didn't get out and run. "I don't know why they were trying to drive," he told the Daily Mail. "You could run faster than that."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Jamie Timpson, Ross Couzens, and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Alexander Spatari / Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images; Courtesy of BBC; Glody Murhabazi / AFP / Getty Images.