3 d. ago Wes Streeting: We won't impose VAT on private healthcare in the autumn Budget

But Wes Streeting rules out the Government imposing VAT on private healthcare in the autumn Budget: ‘It’s not happening’

Economics

3 d. ago How to get the best and cheapest private healthcare: As demand soars amid NHS waiting list crisis and Budget VAT raid fears, here's everything you need to know before you switch

Private healthcare costs have risen by a typical 15% in the past year as the NHS struggles with rising waiting lists.

Economics

3 d. ago Streeting rules out Government imposing VAT on private healthcare

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has faced repeated questions about whether she will raise taxes, including VAT, when she delivers the Budget in November.

Politics

3 d. ago Streeting vetoes Treasury VAT raid on private health that could have hit millions of families as Rachel Reeves desperate struggles for ways to raise tax

Health Secretary Wes Streeting moved to crush the idea being mooted within government amid fears it would have hit eight million families.

Economics

3 d. ago Reeves plots VAT attack on private health that would hit EIGHT MILLION families after class war assault on school fees

Whitehall sources told the Daily Mail that the Treasury was examining options for adding VAT to currently exempt services - with private healthcare and financial services said to be in the firing line.

Events

7 d. ago Recognising statehood is the minimum – now the EU must protect Palestine with money

As Europe’s socialist leaders, we call for a trade deal and aid package for Palestine – along with sanctions on Israel to halt the genocideApplause rang out through the UN general assembly this month after it endorsed the so-called New York declaration on the revival of the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Adopted by a large majority, 142 countries, this initiative from France and Saudi Arabia offers a rare glimmer of hope in one of the most devastating crises of our time.Separately, the conclusions of the UN commission of inquiry have echoed what human rights organisations and genocide experts have been warning for months: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. As the ground invasion of Gaza City intensifies, the international community has a legal and moral obligation to act. This includes the immediate imposition of sanctions on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to halt war crimes.Pedro Sánchez is the president of the Socialist International, secretary general of PS...

Politics

7 d. ago Madagascar imposes nighttime curfew after violent protests over water and power cuts

The government of Madagascar has imposed a nighttime curfew following protests over ongoing water and power cuts

Events

1 week ago WES STREETING: Jess's Rule will help save lives and boost NHS cancer care

Jessica Brady should be alive today. At just 27, this bright young woman died of cancer after her GP surgery failed to diagnose her condition despite more than twenty appointments over five months.

Science

1 week ago With or without a ceasefire, humanitarian aid must enter Gaza. We managed it in previous wars | Moazzam Malik

Global powers ensured aid during civil wars in Syria and Sudan. We need a ‘Lifeline Rafah’ before more people starveMoazzam Malik is CEO of Save the ChildrenAs the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens, world leaders gathering for the UN general assembly face a grave moral and political test – one that has implications for the conduct of war and the supply of humanitarian aid in the decades to come.The use of humanitarian aid as an instrument of occupation by the Israeli authorities dates back almost 20 years. As a British official, I led a review of the humanitarian situation in Gaza in 2008 when the then government of Israel had just imposed a blockade. I advised UK ministers that this was not in line with international humanitarian principles, that we wouldn’t accept this in other humanitarian contexts, and we should not do so in this case. The UK government ignored my recommendations on securing independent access for humanitarian aid for Gaza.Moazzam Malik is CEO of Save the...

Events

1 week ago Chatbot site depicting child sexual abuse images raises fears over misuse of AI

Child safety watchdog calls for child protection guidelines to be built into AI models from the outsetA chatbot site offering explicit scenarios with preteen characters, illustrated by illegal abuse images has raised fresh fears about the misuse of artificial intelligence.A report by a child safety watchdog has triggered calls for the UK government to impose safety guidelines on AI companies, amid a surge in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) created by the technology. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago John Swinney calls on UK Government to impose more sanctions on Israel

Mr Swinney has also reiterated calls for a ceasefire.

Politics

2 w. ago Boris Johnson after No 10: files reveal troubling secrets of the ex

In his international dash for cash, Johnson appears to have repeatedly broken ethics rules as he tried to trade on relationships made in Downing StreetBoris Johnson started the day with a jog. He had the kind of schedule that would be familiar to any occupant of Downing Street. From 8.44am, he talked with his aides, then chaired cabinet, ate lunch, prepped for prime minister’s questions, took a briefing on security threats, and got ready for an interview with one of Rupert Murdoch’s reporters.The entry for 5.48pm in the official log for Tuesday 26 April 2022 contains one of several privileged interactions that he would later seek to exploit for financial gain. Johnson was in his office, the log notes, “alone texting MBS”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Mexico proposes new import taxes on 1,400 products to boost national production

Mexico's government has submitted a budget proposal to impose new import taxes on over 1,400 products, mainly from Asian countries

Politics

3 w. ago Who should you smile at in the street? Here are my rules – from dogs to babies | Zoe Williams

I’ll acknowledge young people in love, anyone in hi-vis and a dad who seems to be pulling his weight. The rest of the time, I have a face like thunderI just smiled at a middle-aged woman on a pushbike, and she looked at me as if to say, “do we know each other?”, and I thought, good point, we don’t know each other, why am I smiling?That was a straight solidarity smile – you are on a bike, I also have a bike. I wouldn’t just smile willy-nilly at anyone the same age as me, they would have to be doing something that not all of us do: vaping; cycling; whistling. I’ll always smile at a baby in a pram, but I won’t smile at the mum, because I remember how much I used to hate it when people assumed that, just because I had a baby, it meant I was nice. You’ve already lost so much identity, so fast. I will, however, smile at a dad, because if he’s pushing a pram, he’s pulling his weight. I know that walking to the nursery is the absolute bare minimum and doesn’t tell you anything about the dis...

Politics

3 w. ago At least 19 killed in ‘gen Z’ protests against Nepal’s social media ban

Many demonstrators say they are also on the streets over corruption and nepotism they allege is rampantAt least 19 people have been killed during protests in Nepal over a government ban on dozens of online platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and X.The government has faced mounting criticism after imposing a ban on 26 prominent social media platforms and messaging apps last week because they had missed a deadline to register under new regulations. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago At least 19 people killed during protests against Nepal’s social media ban

Free speech demonstrations come after government said Facebook and others failed to follow new regulationsAt least 19 people have been killed during protests in Nepal over a government ban on dozens of online platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and X.The government has faced mounting criticism after imposing a ban on 26 prominent social media platforms and messaging apps last week because they had missed a deadline to register under new regulations. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Florida surgeon general says he didn’t study whether ending vaccine mandate would increase diseases

Joseph Ladapo has compared vaccinations to government-imposed ‘slavery’

Politics

3 w. ago Florida surgeon general Ladapo's vaccine mandates opposition goes against medical mainstream

Dr_ Joseph Ladapo, a Nigerian-born physician with impeccable U_S_ medical credentials, says that requiring vaccinations for diseases like measles, polio and chickenpox amounts to government-imposed “slavery.”

Science

3 w. ago ANDREW NEIL: The rise of State capitalism. Politically motivated vendettas. Rule by executive order. The National Guard on the streets... How Trump's America is getting more like China

Imagine a powerful president who grabs chunks of private enterprise for the state and forces companies to invest more at home by threatening penal tariffs if they don't.

Politics

4 w. ago ‘Slap on the wrist’: critics decry weak penalties on Google after landmark monopoly trial

Judge said tech giant had monopoly but let it keep Chrome and Android; critics cried foul while Wall Street cheeredA judge ruled on Tuesday that Google would not be forced to sell its Chrome browser or the Android operating system, saving the tech giant from the most severe penalties sought by the US government. The same judge had ruled in favor of US prosecutors nearly a year ago, finding that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly with its namesake search engine.Groups critical of Google’s dominance in the internet search and online advertising industry are furious. They contend the judge missed an opportunity to enact meaningful change in an industry that has suffocated under the crushing weight of its heaviest player. Tech industry groups and investors, by contrast, are thrilled. Shares in Alphabet, Google’s parent company, have risen 9% since Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Politics