58 m. ago ‘Wait and see’ if Reeves ups income tax but I will cut it in Scotland – Sarwar

The Scottish Labour leader said taxes set by the Scottish Government are ‘too high’.

Events

3 h. ago ‘We don’t have enough to eat, to live’: how Milei’s ‘chainsaw’ cuts are driving homelessness in Argentina

Those hit hard by far-right leader’s zero-deficit policies fear worse to come after his election winArgentinians and tourists walking the streets of Buenos Aires are used to the large rubbish containers placed beneath the neoclassical and art nouveau buildings of the country’s capital and wealthiest city.A more observant passerby, however, might notice a recent addition: a red warning placed by the city government reading “Danger, do not enter”, accompanied by a pictogram showing a person halfway inside. Continue reading...

Society

3 h. ago Government has given up trying to ‘live within its means’, claims Badenoch

The Tory leader accused Labour of being ‘hypocritical’ for asking the public ‘to tighten their belts’.

Politics

4 h. ago There is a thriving shadow economy in Britain – but migrants are not to blame | Emily Kenway

While Labour is desperately trying to mimic Reform’s line on the cash economy, the blame lies solidly with ordinary people feeling the pinchAccording to politicians across all parties, something called the “hidden economy” – the shadowy nethers of the labour market, in which work goes unregulated and undeclared to the authorities – is a “menace”, full of migrants whose illegal working “undercuts British workers”, and even a threat to our national security. MPs have been so worried about asylum seekers delivering their Friday night pizza that they’ve spent parliamentary time discussing Deliveroo et al’s business models. In response, the government has repeatedly reassured us, in the somewhat Mills & Boon-style phrasing of Yvette Cooper, when she was home secretary, that it’s “surging enforcement” to tackle the problem.Solutions suggested include Keir Starmer’s digital ID cards, requirements for increased “right to work” checks, and new data-sharing agreements in which the Home Of...

Events

4 h. ago Forget petty bribes, ‘state capture’ is corruption so deep it is shaping the rules of democracy itself | Kenneth Mohammed

Beating the dangerous influence of private interests on governments requires independent judges, journalists and a courageous civil societyA global youth revolt is shaking the foundations of political power. In just a few months, millions of young people have taken to the streets across continents – from Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Madagascar, Peru and Paraguay – to denounce corruption and collapsing public systems. The spark is familiar: governments accused of looting public wealth while ordinary citizens face unemployment, rising costs, poverty and failing services. These digitally connected protest movements – leaderless, borderless and fast-moving – have toppled governments in Nepal, Peru and Madagascar. The anger is not abstract. It is directed squarely at political and economic elites who have turned public office into private estates. What they are confronting, often without naming it, is state capture – a form of corruption so de...

Politics

4 h. ago Man City have Premier League title race trump card as Arsenal face daunting question

Manchester City are second in the Premier League table and best placed to challenge leaders Arsenal, who hold a six point advantage at the top

Politics

4 h. ago UK lawyers warn of ‘race to the bottom’ after Tory MP issues deportation threat

Top lawyers call for change in rhetoric that has left minority ethnic Britons fearful as politicians target migrantsUK politics live – latest updatesLeading British lawyers have warned of a political “race to the bottom”, after a Conservative MP tipped as future party leader said large numbers of legally settled families must be deported.Katie Lam, a shadow Home Office minister and a Tory whip, said people with legal status in the UK should have their right to stay revoked, to ensure the UK is mostly “culturally coherent”. The Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, rowed back on Lam’s statement last Thursday, weeks later. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago European Union to reveal ratings for candidate countries – Europe live

Kaja Kallas to issue update this afternoon on progress countries are making towards becoming union memberIn other news, Czechs are mourning the archbishop emeritus of Prague, Dominik Duka, who has died overnight at the age of 82.Cardinal Duka – whose father flew in the British RAF during the second world war – was one of the most influential religious leaders in the Czech Republic, serving as a dissident priest under communism who eventually got imprisoned alongside playwright turned president Václav Havel. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Prince Harry needed late Queen's blessing to marry Meghan before carrying out a surprisingly simple garden proposal with candles and champagne

While most bachelors typically seek the 'permission' of their future wife's father, the prince had an all-important matriarch to ask: the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Politics

9 h. ago ‘They take the money and go’: why not everyone is mourning the end of USAID

When Donald Trump set about dismantling USAID, many around the world were shocked. But on the ground in Sierra Leone, the latest betrayal was not unexpectedEarlier this year, Donald Trump appointed a 28-year-old Doge alumnus, Jeremy Lewin, to oversee his administration’s approach to global aid. Lewin’s primary task has been to gut the US’s aid funding. In an interview with the New York Times, Lewin argued that the traditional approach, which he termed the “global humanitarian complex”, didn’t help poor countries “progress beyond aid”, instead keeping them dependent. The system, he continued, has “demonstrably failed”.This isn’t just the Trump administration’s view. For decades, there has been a robust debate in academic and policy circles, discussed over drinks by development practitioners, written about by critical economists and postcolonial independence leaders, and percolating into the broader consciousness, that aid isn’t working, or at least not as promised. When the news of T...

Politics

9 h. ago ‘Judges doing politics’: can Spanish PM survive corruption cases against family and allies?

Facing allegations he insists are politically motivated, Pedro Sánchez has cast doubt on independence of some members of judiciaryDespite spending the past 18 months variously defending his wife, his brother, his party, his attorney general and his government against a relentless slew of corruption allegations, Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has not entirely lost his sense of humour.Three weeks ago, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the opposition conservative People’s party (PP), rattled off the familiar litany of accusations and concluded by suggesting the man sitting opposite him in congress was neither “a decent or worthy prime minister” but rather a seasoned enabler of corruption. After the giddy applause that greeted Feijóo’s speech from the PP benches had died down, Sánchez rose to his feet and uttered two words. Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago DOMINIC LAWSON: Why can't our leaders be as hypocritical as Brazil, which is hosting the Cop climate summit

Almost certainly, no nation will be jetting out its plenipotentiaries in greater numbers than the United Kingdom has this week to Brazil.

Politics

16 h. ago Guinea’s junta leader decides to run for president four years after leading a coup

Guinea’s junta leader has submitted his bid to run for president in the election scheduled for December 28

Politics

17 h. ago Walmart CEO warns that each of its 1.6 million jobs will be changed by AI

The announcement also comes as corporate America is betting big on AI

Events

17 h. ago Emmanuel Macron makes impassioned plea for release of Aung San Suu Kyi amid health concerns

The former Burmese leader has been detained since the 2021 coup

Politics

17 h. ago Arsenal hope to move Everton fixture after Palace match set for 23 December

Premier League leaders face two matches in three daysEFL blames schedule for ‘undermining’ Carabao CupArsenal have called on the Premier League to rearrange their game against Everton after they were ordered to face Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on 23 December.In a strongly worded statement that blamed the expanded European schedules for “undermining” the reputation of the competition, the EFL confirmed on Monday that it had accepted Palace’s request to push the game back a week from its original date of 16 December that would have left Oliver Glasner’s side facing three matches in five days. Continue reading...

Politics

17 h. ago Couple break up in real life after Sims characters 'cheat' in game

The pair from Moscow in Russia had been together for more than three years when the man decided to create a digital version of himself and flirt with the women in the game

Politics

18 h. ago Faith leaders condemn a Pennsylvania Halloween parade float with an Auschwitz sign

Jewish and Catholic leaders have condemned a Halloween parade float in Pennsylvania that included a replica of the Auschwitz gate

Politics

18 h. ago Prince William praises inspirational young leaders during poignant engagement in Brazil

The Prince of Wales has told young people in Brazil that he wants to harness their 'courage and passion' for climate change, with the Earthshot Prize to 'be their legacy'

Politics

19 h. ago New York mayoral candidates campaign across city in final push before election

Zohran Mamdani walked across Brooklyn Bridge while Andrew Cuomo headed to the BronxThe candidates for New York City mayor spent a frantic final day campaigning across the city, as voters prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday in one of the most closely watched races in the city’s history.Zohran Mamdani, the race’s frontrunner, whose campaign has been centered on affordability, has maintained a commanding lead, with most polls showing him leading by double digits. Continue reading...

Politics