Browsing: featured

Cliff Notes – One of the raunchiest TV moments of 2024 could win a Bafta TV moments of 2024 could win a Bafta The Oscars…

Sky has announced that 2,000 jobs at its customer service centres are at risk, impacting 7% of its workforce, with the closure of three UK sites under consultation.

Cliff Notes A 50-year-old man was killed after a confrontation between two drivers led to one of them striking the other with a vehicle in…

UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarter-finals fixtures – English clubs Chelsea and Manchester City face-off at Stamford Bridge

Two teenagers aged 18 and 19 have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following a fatal crash in Edgware.

Happy Thursday! Today’s newspaper front pages are, unsurprisingly, dominated by yesterday’s Spring Statement. It’s a tough read for the chancellor this morning as the newspapers round on her plans with accusations that her time will soon be up as chancellor, that she’s returning Britain to austerity and that the poor will be hit the hardest – when it should be the wealthy taxed. 

Economic growth in doubt – Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement, several newspapers highlight the OBR’s warning that the Chancellor’s plans for economic growth could be wiped out by the global trade war as Donald Trump continues to issue further tariff threats.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has halved the 2025 economic growth forecast to 1%, down from 2%. Despite these austerity measures, the tax burden is projected to reach a record 37.7% of the GDP by 2027-28.

Recent welfare cuts are projected to push tens of thousands of children into poverty, disproportionately affecting low-income families and those with disabilities.

Spring Statement 2025 reaction – Thursday’s headlines are reacting to yesterday’s Spring Statement delivered by the chancellor. 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced significant measures to address the UK’s economic challenges. Key points include a £14 billion plan involving cuts to welfare payments (£4.8 billion) and departmental spending (£3.6 billion) to fix public finances. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has halved the 2025 economic growth forecast to 1%, down from 2%. Despite these austerity measures, the tax burden is projected to reach a record 37.7% of the GDP by 2027-28. Additionally, a £3.25 billion Transformation Fund was introduced to drive efficiencies across government departments.

Following the chancellor’s update on the economy, Donald Trump announced new import taxes of 25% on cars and car parts coming into America in a move that threatened to widen the global trade war.

Riek Machar, South Sudan’s First Vice President, was arrested by armed forces at his residence, sparking condemnation from his party over the government’s unconstitutional actions.

Unprecedented anti-Hamas protests in northern Gaza saw hundreds of Palestinians demanding an end to the war, chanting slogans like “We don’t want war” and “Out Hamas.”

Forth Valley Royal Hospital experienced a 70-minute power outage due to backup generator failure during Storm Eowyn, raising concerns over patient safety and hospital preparedness.

President Trump has announced a 25% tariff on all imported cars, set to begin on 2 April, which he terms “liberation day.”

Climate change and overfishing are making it harder to catch the anchovies essential to the condiment that underlies so much of Vietnam and southeast Asia’s food.

Kim Jong Un conducted tests of AI-enabled suicide drones and reconnaissance drones, highlighting North Korea’s emphasis on unmanned technology for military modernisation.

Zelensky urges US and allies to stand strong against Russia – defiant that Russia is the evil empire. He acknowledged the bipartisan support within the US for Ukraine but cautioned against the influence of Russian narratives on American officials that could undermine their stance.

Emmanuel Macron expressed concerns over Russia’s tendency to reinterpret ceasefire agreements, following a recent tentative deal involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia concerning strikes in the Black Sea region.

Network Rail will establish a new property company aimed at constructing 40,000 homes on its rail estate over the next decade to help meet the government’s housing targets.

Cliff Notes The US military confirmed the location of an M88 Hercules armoured recovery vehicle in Lithuania, linked to four missing soldiers who were training…

Cliff Notes Jaswinder Singh, a 51-year-old taxi driver, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old passenger in Falkirk on…

Cliff Notes – Spring statement 2025 key takeaways The Office for Budget Responsibility has halved the UK’s growth forecast for 2025 from 2% to 1%,…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the 2025 growth estimate for the UK has been halved to 1% from 2% by the government’s official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)

The United States, traditionally isolationist and safely sheltered by two vast oceans, has always decided and declared itself as a ruler, but never before has it pressed its claim so dramatically. 

Trumpism is here to stay and will outlive his presidency. The reason for that is that his policies have shifted the dynamics in US politics so severely that now Democrats will have to adapt. 

Washington is lifting sanctions on Moscow for the first time in over three years, indicating a significant shift towards US-Russia rapprochement under Donald Trump.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has announced plans to accompany his wife, Usha Vance, on a trip to Greenland this Friday. The visit, initially intended for Usha to attend Greenland’s national dogsled race and explore cultural sites, has been refocused to include both the Vice President and Second Lady visiting the U.S. Space Force’s Pituffik Space Base to assess Arctic security concerns.