17 h. ago French PM proposes scrapping national holidays and freezing spending to cut deficit

François Bayrou stakes his political survival on unpopular measures to repair degraded public finances

Politics

18 h. ago Slovakia blocks EU move to impose new sanctions package on Russia – Europe live

EU foreign policy chief says ‘ball is in Slovakia’s court’ after leader Robert Fico blocked ‘imbecile’ proposal to ban Russian gas imports from 2028 French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters that he hoped the new language from the US and more sanctions from the EU will force Russian president Vladimir Putin “to face the facts: he has gone too far and he is now at an impasse.”He said he was hoping for more alignment between the US and the EU on sanctions, as he met with American senators last week in Rome to discuss their proposed bipartisan bill on Russia.“So we have some progress. We have some positive developments. It’s true that we have trucks that are able to enter, but we don’t know exactly how many. And what is clear is that the agreement is not fully implemented. Continue reading...

Politics

22 h. ago New call to scrap tax and National Insurance deductions on overtime for emergency service workers

Nearly 6,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the UK Government to make the change.

Economics

4 d. ago How a handful of Republicans learned to stop worrying and love the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ after switching their votes

Republicans who thought the spending cuts were insufficient or that the bill cut too much into Medicaid suddenly seem at ease with their vote, Eric Garcia writes

Politics

7 d. ago Brits demand cuts to spending as £30bn Rachel Reeves tax raid looms

The public is demanding spending is cut, not taxes hiked, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves facing a battle to balance the books, fresh polling has found

Economics

1 week ago Celtic cut losses on £4m man as Nicolas Kuhn to turbocharge transfer spending spree – Parkhead news bulletin

The Hoops are set to lose two first-teamers but are on the verge of clinching their fifth summer signing

Economics

1 week ago What to know about buying electric vehicles after the federal tax incentives end

The massive tax and spending cut bill that Congress passed Thursday ends federal tax incentives for electric vehicles

Economics

1 week ago Trump’s sweeping tax cut and spending bill heads to House – US politics live

Vote expected to be tight after so-called ‘big beautiful bill’ cleared the Senate by the narrowest of margins with JD Vance breaking a tieSenate Republicans pass Trump’s sweeping policy billWhat’s in Trump’s major tax bill?Legally mandated US national climate assessments seem to have disappeared from the federal websites built to display them, making it harder for state and local governments and the public to learn what to expect in their back yards from a warming world.Scientists said the peer-reviewed authoritative reports save money and lives. Websites for the national assessments and the US Global Change Research Program were down Monday and Tuesday with no links, notes or referrals elsewhere. The White House, which was responsible for the assessments, said the information will be housed within Nasa to comply with the law, but gave no further details. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago 'Bonfire of the health quangos': Health secretary Wes Streeting vows to axe NHS groups employing 7,000 staff to cut wasteful spending and bureaucracy

As well as the Health Secretary creating clearer lines of accountability, the public will be asked to flag emerging issues by submitting reviews after each appointment through the NHS App.

Society

2 w. ago Key inflation gauge rose last month while Americans cut back on spending

A key inflation gauge moved higher in May in the latest sign that prices remain stubbornly elevated while Americans cut back on their spending

Economics

3 w. ago GOP plan to sell more than 2 million acres of federal lands is found to violate Senate rules

A plan to sell more than 2 million acres of federal lands has been ruled out of Republicans’ big tax and spending cut bill after the Senate parliamentarian determined the proposal by Senate Energy Chairman Mike Lee would violate the chamber’s rules

Politics

3 w. ago Supermarkets suffer 'dismal' May as Brits cut spending on food and booze amid economic gloom with retail sales diving by biggest rate in a year

The Office for National Statistics said the total volume of retail sales fell by 2.7 per cent in May.

Economics

3 w. ago New call to scrap National Insurance deductions for working people aged over 60

National Contributions are no longer taken from wages when someone reaches State Pension age.

Politics