Violent anti-government protests erupt in Albania's capital
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Tirana on Wednesday to demand better university conditions and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Over several hours, police deployed water cannons and tear gas as demonstrators attacked government offices and set fire to multiple buildings.
Sally Rooney says she can no longer sell books in the UK because of Palestine Action support
Irish writer of Normal People says she can no longer receive royalties from British sales because of her support for group Sally Rooney has said she is being forced to withdraw her books from sale in the UK because of her support for the banned organisation Palestine Action. The Irish novelist, whose books include Normal People and Conversations With Friends, said her public support for the direct action group meant she could no longer receive royalties from UK sales. Continue reading...
Chancellor John Healey pledges to protect ‘resilience’ of UK economy after growth beats forecasts in August – business live
John Healey is speaking to UK journalists at the IMF annual meeting in Bangkok now Today’s better-than-forecast UK growth report is good news for chancellor John Healey as he hobnobs with other finance ministers at the IMF meeting in Bangkok. But it may encourage the Bank of England to raise interest rates as soon as its next meeting in November…. “While August’s unexpected uptick all but confirms that the OBR will raise its growth forecast for this year from 1.1% to 1.4%, the Chancellor still faces a major Budget headache, as elevated borrowing costs eat into fiscal headroom and increase pressure for tax rises. “These unexpectedly upbeat figures will further embolden hawkish sentiment among policymakers by reinforcing the view that the economy is strong enough to withstand a rate rise, making a November hike look highly likely.” “The latest GDP figures are encouraging, with the economy growing by 0.7% in the three months to August, its strongest growth rate since May. On its current trajectory, the UK is likely to record growth comfortably above 1% this year, which would probably be enough to make it the second-fastest-growing economy in the G7. “The UK’s growth performance has been a bright spot amid a less impressive run of economic news following events in the Middle East. Business investment has been an important driver, particularly spending on ICT hardware, likely linked to the build-out of AI infrastructure. The UK still lags the US in both the scale of that investment and the boost it provides to growth, but it is making progress and remains ahead of many of its European peers. Continue reading...
‘The world is falling apart’: Dominic Cooke plans boldly political first season at Almeida
Exclusive: London theatre’s new artistic director working with David Tennant and Caryl Churchill as he wrestles with Britain’s decline – and with smart glasses A spate of highly political plays will feature in one of north London’s most storied theatres next season, as its new artistic director says the world “is falling apart”. An exploration of Britain’s decline featuring David Tennant and a searing series of new plays by Caryl Churchill are planned for Dominic Cooke’s first season at the Almeida theatre. Continue reading...
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