Creative Media News
Local authorities are pressuring Angela Rayner to scrap the Right to Buy legislation that allowed her to buy her council property to close a £2.2billion budget gap
Angela Rayner, the housing secretary, is prepared to potentially scrap the Right to Buy initiative, which allowed her to buy her council property, as local authorities face mounting pressure to close a £2.2 billion budget gap. Rayner is set to survey whether to scrap the landmark plan introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1980. According to the Telegraph, the deputy prime minister attended an 'urgent meeting' with local authorities last month to discuss housing reforms, but it is unclear whether specific measures were mentioned.
Jeremy Hunt warns economic watchdog against Chancellor Rachel Reeves ‘fiddling the fiscal rules’
Last night, Jeremy Hunt called on Britain's economic watchdog to prevent Labour from 'fiddling the fiscal laws'. The former Chancellor will introduce a Commons amendment today that would oblige the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to investigate the implications of Rachel Reeves's move to reform the fiscal rules that control government expenditure and borrowing. Ms Reeves has accepted similar regulations to the last Tory government, including provisions that require the national debt to decline as a share of income within five years.
Friends of 80-year-old grandfather ‘kicked to death while seconds from home’ say they are ‘sick’ at the tragedy as they honour ‘decent gent’
A friend of an 80-year-old man who died after being allegedly 'kicked in the neck and back by a bunch of children' paid tribute to the 'genuine gent'. Bhim Sen Kohli was walking his dog in Franklin Park in Leicester on Sunday evening when he was seriously assaulted by a 'gang of teenagers. According to post-mortem data, the grandfather died the next day in the hospital from a neck injury.
A shocking disclosure implies your phone is listening in on your talks
Millions of people have long assumed it, but a leak reveals that our phones are listening to us. An alleged pitch deck from one of Facebook's marketing partners describes how the company eavesdrops on user conversations to develop tailored advertisements. According to a slideshow, Cox Media Group (CMG)'s 'Active-Listening' software employs artificial intelligence to collect and analyze real-time intent data' by listening to what you say through your phone, laptop, or home assistant microphone.
Chinese artist criticising Cultural Revolution arrested
According to his brother and creative associate Gao Qiang, Gao Zhen, a Chinese artist known for his works critical of the Cultural Revolution, has been jailed by Chinese authorities. According to Gao Qiang, authorities raided the brothers' art studio in Sanhe, east of Beijing, on August 26th, confiscated many works of art, and arrested Gao Zhen after he refused to hand up his phone. He stated that authorities had received a complaint but did not provide further specifics. He said the Sanhe public security department informed Gao Zhen's wife the next day that her husband was suspected of slandering China's heroes and martyrs, a misdemeanour punishable by up to three years in prison.
Netanyahu demands Philadelphi Corridor authority in any truce
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for him to do more to ensure the release of Israelis held captive in the Gaza Strip after 11 months of fighting. Netanyahu is facing domestic outrage and pressure from US President Joe Biden after Israeli soldiers discovered the remains of six hostages over the weekend, including 23-year-old American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin. On Monday, however, he made it clear that he was unwilling to compromise.
Extremist settlers are rapidly acquiring West Bank land
Last October, Palestinian grandmother Ayesha Shtayyeh claimed a man put a gun at her head and ordered her to leave the location she had called home for 50 years. She said that the armed threat was the result of an increasingly aggressive campaign of harassment and intimidation that began in 2021 when an illegal settler outpost was erected near her home in the occupied West Bank.
Former Volkswagen CEO stands trial for ‘Dieselgate’ role
Following repeated delays, former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn's criminal trial in Germany for his role in the "dieselgate" scandal has begun. The trial began on Tuesday, nine years after Volkswagen admitted to falsifying emissions testing, causing worldwide industrial havoc. Winterkorn, accused of conspiracy to commit fraud, faces up to ten years in prison.
HP will sue for $4bn against late tech mogul Mike Lynch
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has revealed that it will seek $4 billion in damages from the estate of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch following his death in a yacht crash off the coast of Sicily. HPE had sued Lynch and his former CFO, Sushovan Hussain, for allegedly misrepresenting the worth of his software firm, Autonomy, before its $11 billion acquisition in 2011.
Foreign secretary declares UK arms sales suspension to Israel
David Lammy stated that the restriction was not an arms embargo, but there was a "clear risk" that some UK weapons would be used in violation of international law. The UK will halt some arms sales to Israel, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said. Mr Lammy stated that the decision was made following an examination of export licences for UK guns, which discovered a "clear risk" that they may be used to commit "a serious violation of international humanitarian law".
The government sets out more Having an anti-Israel stance
The new-ish government has taken a different stance on Israel and the Middle East crisis than its predecessor, the third time in two months. When David Lammy became foreign secretary in early July, he asked for an evaluation of whether the evidence suggested that Israel's approach to the conflict violated international law. As I understand it, the assessment was comparable to those requested by the previous government and carried out by the same officials.
Local media report Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei hospitalised after boyfriend allegedly petrol attacked her
Rebecca Cheptegei was attacked at her home in western Trans Nzoia County, Kenya. The 33-year-old finished 44th in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics in August, clocking two hours, 32 minutes, and 14 seconds. A Ugandan marathon runner was severely burned during an alleged attack by her lover.