Rachel Reeves may have to find more money to fix public services, says IFS

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

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.

Final recount confirms Georgia ruling party victory says electoral commission

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

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, with Washington and Brussels demanding an investigation.

However, the pro-western opposition said Saturday’s parliamentary vote had been “stolen” by the ruling Georgian Dream party and it refused to recognise the results, plunging the Caucasus country into uncertainty.

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

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

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.

Trail of destruction after Spanish floods

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

At least 158 people were killed following flash floods in southern Spain.

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

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

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

UK politics live – latest updates

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.

Gaza paramedic realises woman killed in air attack is his mother

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

‘This is my mother!’ A paramedic responding to an Israeli strike on a Camp in Gaza realises his mom was killed.

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

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

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

At least 95 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.

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

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

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

Politics live – latest updates

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.

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

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

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.

Six dead as boat carrying Rohingya fleeing Myanmar arrives in Indonesia

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

Ninety-six Rohingya refugees, including seven children, are stranded on Sumatra island after escaping on a rickety boat.

The great British cheese heist: Who stole $390,000 of cheddar?

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

Some of the 'best cheddar cheese in the world' has been stolen from a distributor in London - but who dunnit and how?

India’s coach Gambhir blames flat wickets, T20s for poor Test batting

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

'The more T20 cricket is played, the less people start defending,' Gambhir says after his team's home series loss.

Ohtani-mania sweeps LA as Dodgers go on to win World Series

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

Ohtani fandom has boosted tourism in Los Angeles and more Japanese-language tours of Dodgers Stadium

North Korea missile test reaches record height and duration, says Japan

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

Test of apparent ICBM theoretically capable of striking US mainland comes amid warnings over North Korean troops in Ukraine

North Korea has test launched a long-range missile theoretically capable of striking the US mainland in another display of defiance by the regime amid growing warnings over its troops’ participation in the war in Ukraine.

US officials said they believed Thursday’s launch was that of an intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM] but did not say how they had reached that assessment. Japan’s defence minister, Gen Nakatani, said the missile had flown higher and for longer than others tested by North Korea.

Saudi Arabia World Cup bid report accused of ‘whitewashing’ rights abuses

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

Law firm AS&H Clifford Chance failed to include alleged abuse of migrant workers in assessment for Fifa 2034 bid, say rights groups

A report by the Saudi arm of a global law firm on Saudi Arabia’s 2034 Fifa World Cup bid has “whitewashed” the Gulf kingdom’s record of exploiting and suppressing the rights of migrant workers, rights groups have claimed.

AS&H Clifford Chance was commissioned to independently assess the human rights implications of the bid, but the report “contains no substantive discussion of extensive and relevant abuses in Saudi Arabia”, according to a statement released by 11 organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Lebanon, Israel could agree to ceasefire within days, Lebanese prime minister says – Reuters

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

Lebanon, Israel could agree to ceasefire within days, Lebanese prime minister says Reuters
Hezbollah agrees to withdraw beyond Litani, Iran's response to be 'definitive and painful' The Jerusalem Post
Lebanon truce proposal: IDF to withdraw within a week, retain freedom to attack Hezbollah Haaretz
Israel Discusses New US-Led Deal to End Hezbollah Conflict Bloomberg
Inverting its approach, US pursues calm in Lebanon that will then spread to Gaza The Times of Israel

Typhoon Kong-rey: biggest storm in decades makes landfall in Taiwan

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Admin

People warned to stay inside because of high risk of landslides, storm surges, destructive winds and flooding

Taiwan has shut down work, school and transport as the biggest typhoon to hit the island in decades made landfall on its east coast.

Kong-rey has been declared a “strong typhoon” by Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA), which said it was expected to be the largest storm to hit Taiwan since 1996.