“Genocide as Colonial Erasure”: U.N. Expert Francesca Albanese on Israel’s “Intent to Destroy” Gaza – Democracy Now!

  1. “Genocide as Colonial Erasure”: U.N. Expert Francesca Albanese on Israel’s “Intent to Destroy” Gaza  Democracy Now!
  2. UN should consider suspending Israel over ‘genocide’ against Palestinians, says special rapporteur  The Guardian
  3. At Columbia’s Barnard, UN expert with history of antisemitic remarks justifies Oct. 7  The Times of Israel
  4. International legal responsibilities for preventing…  Welcome to the United Nations
  5. Opinion | Antisemitism Goes on a College Tour  The Wall Street Journal
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Stellantis reports slump in car sales as European demand falls

Owner of Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot brands pushes back against rules that force sale of more electric vehicles

The owner of car brands including Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot has reported a steep fall in sales, blaming production delays and flagging European demand.

Stellantis reported revenues on Thursday of €33bn (£27.6bn) for the July to September quarter, a drop of 27% compared with the same period a year earlier.

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EU launches action against shopping website Temu over illegal products

Formal investigation opens amid concerns Chinese shopping website is breaching Digital Services Act

The EU has launched formal proceedings against the Chinese shopping website Temu amid concerns it is failing to halt the sale of illegal products online.

A formal investigation was opened on Thursday with the European Commission citing concerns over the platform, which is a cut-price rival to Amazon.

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Scientists rebuild the face of 400-year-old Polish ‘vampire’ Zosia – NBC News

  1. Scientists rebuild the face of 400-year-old Polish ‘vampire’ Zosia  NBC News
  2. Archaeologists reconstruct face of 400-year-old "vampire" buried with iron sickle across her neck  CBS News
  3. Exhuming Dracula’s Ancestors: What Vampires Reveal About Our Latent Fears  Literary Hub
  4. ‘Real-life vampire’ considered so dangerous she was padlocked inside grave with a sickle at her neck: archaeologists  Yahoo! Voices
  5. 'Vampire' returns from the dead: Scientists in Poland rebuild the face of 400-year-old woman  Sky News
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Hamas rejects proposal for 30-day Gaza ceasefire – Semafor

  1. Hamas rejects proposal for 30-day Gaza ceasefire  Semafor
  2. Israeli Strike in Iran Should Mark End of Tit For Tat Between Two Nations  Department of Defense
  3. U.S. Officials Try to Advance Israel’s Cease-Fire Talks With Hezbollah and Hamas  The New York Times
  4. Hamas rejects any hostage deal that doesn’t end war, despite mediators’ efforts  The Times of Israel
  5. Hamas rejects ceasefire proposal that would keep Israeli troops in Gaza  Middle East Eye
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Rachel Reeves may have to find more money to fix public services, says IFS

Institute for Fiscal Studies says budget allows for rise in public service spending this year and next, but not thereafter

Rachel Reeves could be forced to find more money to fix public services after her budget made a start at reversing the “unrealistic” and irresponsible spending plans of the Conservatives, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said.

Britain’s leading experts on the government’s finances said the chancellor’s tax measures on Wednesday had allowed for a substantial short-term increase in public service spending this year and next, but not thereafter.

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Final recount confirms Georgia ruling party victory, says electoral commission

EU and US demand investigation as opposition and pro-European president cry foul

Officials in Georgia said a partial recount confirmed the ruling party had won its disputed election, while a global research and data firm called the official results reported by the electoral commission “statistically impossible”.

The pro-western opposition on Thursday repeated its earlier assertions that the parliamentary vote had been “stolen” by the ruling Georgian Dream party and it refused to recognise the results, plunging the Caucasus country into uncertainty.

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Lloyds shareholders could take £1bn hit over car finance crisis

Analysts forecast bank will have to halve £2bn buyback plan, as ex-boss of City regulator blames watchdog for crisis

Lloyds Banking Group could give almost £1bn less to shareholders this year as a result of the car finance crisis, analysts have said, as the City regulator’s former boss blamed the watchdog for the chaos.

The estimated size of a multibillion-pound compensation bill for motor lenders has grown after a shock court of appeal ruling last Friday, which said customers could not consent to motor loans that involved “secret commission” payments to brokers and car dealerships.

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Ed Davey: care sector will be ‘pushed to brink’ by national insurance hike and should be exempt

Lib Dem leader says rise in employer’s contribution risks worsening NHS crisis

The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to exempt the social care sector from the increase in national insurance in Labour’s budget, as an organisation representing many smaller care providers warned that the impact would be substantial.

In the biggest fiscal measures of Wednesday’s budget, raising an additional £25bn a year by the end of the parliament, Rachel Reeves announced an increase of 1.2 percentage points on the national insurance paid by employers, with the salary threshold at which this begins falling from £9,100 a year to £5,000.

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Why were the floods in Spain so bad? A visual guide

Scores of people have died as country is hit by deadliest floods in decades

At least 150 people have died in Spain after torrential rains triggered the country’s deadliest floods in decades, unleashing a deluge of muddy water that turned village streets into rivers, destroyed homes and swept away bridges, railways tracks and cars.

An unknown number of people remain missing, while thousands of others are without electricity or phone service. The majority of those killed were in the coastal region of Valencia, where the state-run agency said that nearly a year’s worth of rain had fallen in just eight hours.

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Budget 2024: what the UK papers said about Rachel Reeves’ statement

Headlines featured numerous ‘nightmare’ allusions for budget delivered the day before Halloween

After Rachel Reeves‘ first budget as chancellor, which included £40bn in tax rises, newspaper headlines in the UK featured “nightmare” and “horror show” allusions as it came a day before Halloween.

The Financial Times’ front page featured a picture of smiling Reeves headlined “Reeves unveils £40bn budget tax rise”. The paper reported the chancellor’s aims of fixing public services, and the “broken” finances, saying businesses and the wealthy would “bear bulk” of the “heaviest fiscal burden” in a generation.

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Business leaders keep quiet on Trump – what are they saying in private?

Experts say top chief executives are treading a fine line to avoid any backlash in the event of a Trump victory

After the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, America’s business leaders came out strongly in their criticism of Donald Trump. Now – as the Harris campaign brands Trump a “fascist” and Trump threatens retribution against “the enemy within” – there appears to be a conspiracy of silence.

In fact, as the nation heads to the polls in an election that is too close to call, some of America’s most powerful chief executive appear to be cozying up to Trump again.

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The Wildly Entertaining Tale of How Día de los Muertos Got Its Iconic Sugar Skulls – Fodor’s Travel

  1. The Wildly Entertaining Tale of How Día de los Muertos Got Its Iconic Sugar Skulls  Fodor's Travel
  2. Pets join Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, as Fido and Tiger get their own altars  The Associated Press
  3. 12 ‘megaofrendas’ to visit during Day of the Dead weekend in Mexico  Mexico News Daily
  4. Political protest is deeply embedded in Day of the Dead, a crossover U.S. tradition  USA TODAY
  5. US residents travel to Mexico to visit their dead  WWLP.com
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What is Diwali, the Festival of Lights? – The Associated Press

  1. What is Diwali, the Festival of Lights?  The Associated Press
  2. Happy Diwali 2024: 50+ wishes, images, SMS, greetings, WhatsApp and Facebook status to share on Deepawali  Hindustan Times
  3. What is Diwali and why is it celebrated? What to know about the Hindu festival of lights  USA TODAY
  4. Happy Diwali 2024: November 1 Lakshmi Puja timings and 60+ best wishes, WhatsApp messages to share with your loved ones  Business Today
  5. Indians celebrate Diwali by lighting a record number of clay lamps  The Associated Press
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US election: EU wants Kamala Harris in the White House – DW (English)

  1. US election: EU wants Kamala Harris in the White House  DW (English)
  2. It’s not just Democrats who fear a Trump victory – it would be a disaster for Europe too  The Guardian
  3. It doesn’t matter if Trump or Harris win. Europe has already lost.  POLITICO Europe
  4. America’s European allies face challenging times, whoever wins the presidential election  The Associated Press
  5. Trump or Harris? MEP surrogates take sides  Euronews
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