The UK economy is “doomed” under the Labour government, the boss of Ryanair has said before this month’s budget, as the airline revealed a jump in first half profits. “The UK economy under the current leadership is doomed,” he said. APD is a tax levied on flights departing from UK airports, though carriers typically pass on the cost to passengers through higher fares. The tax is expected to rise on 1 April, adding up to £2 to the cost of a short-haul economy flight. Ryanair flew 119 million people in the period, up 3%, thanks to more Boeing aircraft deliveries than expected and strong demand for travel.

The Oakley Meta Vanguard are new displayless AI glasses designed for running, cycling and action sports with deep Garmin and Strava integration, which may make them the first smart glasses for sport that actually work. That makes them some of the most expensive screenless AI glasses you can get, starting at a not insignificant £499 (€549/$499/A$789), sitting above the £399 Oakley Meta HSTN and £379 Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer. But for more advanced AI features the glasses need to be connected to an Android or iPhone running the Meta AI app. A free Meta AI app on your Garmin links to the Meta AI app on your phone so you can interrogate your stats in real time mid-activity simply by asking. View image in fullscreen The Meta AI app shows workout summaries and processes your auto-capture videos from the glasses.

White House Watch newsletter Sign up for your free, indispensable guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world. Trump tracker: US tariffs As the president launches a trade war, follow the latest on tariffs and executive ordersUS politics & policy Stay on top of the latest events in US politics with the FT’s trusted and impartial coverage.

The prospect of looming tax rises and a fall in business investment will restrict the UK’s economic growth rate next year to less than 1%, according to a health check of the economy by a leading consultancy. The Treasury’s independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility, is also expected to downgrade the UK’s potential growth when it reports on budget day, based on a reassessment of productivity growth. She urged Reeves to “strike a balance between managing the deficit and measures that stimulate growth” to maintain momentum. A survey by the Institute of Directors also indicated that growth would slow next year, following a steep decline in business confidence. Businesses are stalling on hiring and investment because they simply don’t trust Labour to keep their word.”

US government shutdown nearing record for the longest in history as Trump delays food benefits to millions23m ago 11.44 CET US government shutdown nearing record for the longest in history as Trump delays food benefits to millionsGood morning, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. Republicans have only 53 Senate seats, meaning they need at least seven Democrats or independents to reopen the federal government. View image in fullscreen Throughout the shutdown, Donald Trump has selectively reprogrammed federal funds to protect priorities central to his political agenda. He is resisting political and even federal court pressure to ease the burden on vulnerable Americans while protesting that he has no power to end the impasse. Trump has said he is waiting for clarification from the federal judges on where the money should come from.

Nigel Farage has rowed back from his party’s election promise to cut £90bn of taxes, accusing Labour and the Tories of “wrecking the public finances” and saying Reform UK would need to get public spending under control first. Reform’s manifesto committed the party to tax cuts worth about a third of the NHS budget, but economists said the plans – along with £50bn of spending commitments and £150bn of cuts – were “problematic” and cost far more than claimed. In his speech, Farage said: “I cannot tell you what the state of the economy will be as the next general election approaches. He ruled out any immediate major tax cuts should Reform make it to power, saying that he would introduce “relatively modest” savings at first, including reversing the inheritance tax on farms and raising tax thresholds. Farage claimed Reform could save £9bn by scrapping Pip payments for those with low-level anxiety, although the figure is disputed and it was unclear where it came from.

10.34 CET Farage to give speech on his 'economic vision', with Labour saying he backs austerity and Tories claiming he's leftwingGood morning. Even though Reform UK has had a clear lead over all other parties in opinion polls for much of the year, it has multiple vulnerabilities. Today Nigel Farage is trying to address this problem with a speech where, as he puts it, he will “set out our economic vision for a future Reform government”. Of the two lines of attack, Labour “austerity” one is more plausible, not least because of what Farage plans to say today about spending cuts coming before tax cuts. 11am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, gives a speech on economic policy.

As the New South Wales parliament draws to a close at the end of November, expect it to be dominated by feral horses, feral pigs and feral politics. But it faces obstacles in the upper house where a clutch of minor parties hold the balance of power. That would be a win for the Legalise Cannabis party’s Jeremy Buckingham, who is championing the bill in the upper house. Voluntary assisted dying is also one of those issues that will unite the conservatives in the upper house. Strap in for a feral lead-up into Christmas in the NSW parliament.

Also on the daily podcast: how AI is shrinking the “rip-off economy” and the decline of the questionnaire

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The PM also refused to rule out extending the freeze on the personal tax allowance threshold, which drags more earners into paying income tax. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Cabinet minister John Healey warned there will be “consequences” from recent weaker economic forecasts at this month’s Budget – and declined to repeat Labour’s promises on tax. Asked whether the government would stick to its manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT, Mr Healey declined to repeat the promise. Things do change, and we’ll have the announcements that are needed to deal with those challenges in the Budget.”

An analysis of Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) data by Watershed Investigations and partners found that the regulator had flagged Pfas issues in untreated water at hundreds of water treatment works, reservoirs, boreholes and supply systems serving more than 6 million people. Severn Trent Water, South Staffordshire Water and South West Water, who serve hundreds of thousands of customers, have also been told to act. A government spokesperson said UK drinking water was “of an exceptionally high standard and among the best in the world”. Dr Shubhi Sharma of Chem Trust said: “Drinking water is a major source of Pfas exposure. The current UK standards for Pfas in drinking water are not protective enough.

After Saturday night’s shocking knife attack on a train bound for King’s Cross from Doncaster, yesterday eyewitnesses started to tell their stories. It was my colleague who is in hospital who was the brave one.”The suspect | ‘I could hear him shouting: “Kill me, kill me, kill me”’Two men, aged 32 and 35, were initially arrested. The police arrive seconds later and I could hear him shouting: ‘Kill me, kill me, kill me’ to them. What else we’ve been readingView image in fullscreen Margaret Atwood photographed at her old college, Victoria College, Toronto University. The front pagesView image in fullscreen Photograph: GuardianThe Guardian splashes on “‘Heroic’ rail worker in fight for life after tackling train knife attacker” while the Times also hails “‘Hero’ train worker who protected his passengers”.

UK factories staged a recovery in October after the reopening of Jaguar Land Rover operations and a pick-up in consumer spending, according to a closely watched survey of the manufacturing sector. Jaguar Land Rover, Britain’s biggest carmaker, supported the recovery after it began reopening facilities hit by a cyber-attack that some experts estimated cost the UK economy about £1.9bn. A sub-index measuring factory output jumped sharply to 51.6 from 45.7 in September, signalling a return to growth. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy . We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tony Blair has said “history won’t forgive us” if the UK falls behind in the race to harness quantum computing, a frontier technology predicted to trigger the next wave of breakthroughs in everything from drug design to climate modelling. The value of quantum computing, when it arrives in a usable form, has been estimated at nearly $1.3tn alone to the chemicals, life sciences, automotive and finance industries. Fears centre on the potential for super-powerful quantum machines to break all encryption exposing national infrastructure to cyber-attacks. A report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change critical of the UK’s current quantum strategy warns that not only are China and the US “racing ahead” but Germany, Australia, Finland and the Netherlands are also making big strides. They said: “We have provided a first-of-its-kind 10-year funding commitment for the National Quantum Computing Centre.

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeAlmost 700 health workers and LGBT+ rights campaigners from 40 countries have written to Sir Keir Starmer, asking him to protect the UK’s contribution to the global fight against HIV. The government is currently deciding how much money to HIV prevention efforts around the world, amid deep cuts to overseas aid. The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) was the world’s largest funder of HIV programmes - and while it has been partially protected, it still faces major restrictions. It was signed by 686 people from Global South countries representing public health and LGBT+ activist organisations.

The Liberals are facing some pressure after the Nationals came out and scrapped their commitment to net zero. The Greens and Coalition have been pushing for a full inquiry into the incident. You can’t pretend in Australia that you care about the future of our country, the safety and security of Australia. Few in the Liberal party, who have been staunch net zero supporters, are concerned this could be the end for the Coalition. In regional centres, of 620 practices, 209 will be fully bulk-billing (33%) - an increase of 108 clinics.

Taylor, Cash and Paterson are understood to have called for net zero policies to be dumped. However, the MP said a “restraining factor” for Liberals wanting to retain a firm net zero position was concern it could destabilise Ley’s leadership. Bragg’s language confirmed he was open to a watered-down version of the net zero by 2050 commitment that Scott Morrison made in 2021. The Victorian Sarah Henderson said the Liberal party should support the Nationals’ position opposing net zero. “I don’t support net zero on behalf of my community, because they are paying the price.

The collective wealth of the top 10 US billionaires has soared by $698bn in the past year, according to a new report from Oxfam America published on Monday on the growing wealth divide. The report warns that Trump administration policies risk driving US inequality to new heights, but points out that both Republican and Democratic administrations have exacerbated the US’s growing wealth gap. “Inequality is a policy choice,” said Rebecca Riddell, senior policy lead for economic justice at Oxfam America. after newsletter promotionThese solutions can be tricky to carry out politically because of long-term stigmatization, particularly of social safety nets and taxation. “I love thinking about this moment as an opportunity to look around us and realize our broader power.”

DuPont shareholders of record as of Oct. 22 will get one Qnity share for every two DuPont shares they own. TXRH YTD mountain Texas Roadhouse YTD Texas Roadhouse reports third-quarter earnings after Thursday's close. Curiously, though, Texas Roadhouse shares were able to rise as beef prices hit their mid-October highs. As beef turned lower, however, Texas Roadhouse stock did, too. Beauty, Joby Aviation, DoorDash, Lyft Thursday, Nov. 6 Before the bell: DuPont, ConocoPhillips, D-Wave Quantum, Vistra Energy, AstraZeneca, Warner Bros.

The collective wealth of the top 10 US billionaires has soared by $698bn in the past year, according to a report from Oxfam America on the growing wealth divide. Ukrainian video game-style drone attack system goes ‘viral’View image in fullscreen Ukrainian soldiers operating drones. Drone teams competing for points under the ‘Army of Drones Bonus System’ killed or wounded 18,000 Russian soldiers in September. I don’t think so.” However, when asked if Maduro’s days as president were numbered, he replied: “I would say yeah. But the democratic socialist currently holds a double-digit lead in the race and looks like a shoo-in ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

Jennifer Lawrence has said she no longer feels it appropriate to speak out against the Trump administration, lest she exacerbate unhelpful debate and further divisions. But as we’ve learned, election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart.”Lawrence has previously been open about voting for both right and leftwing candidates for the presidency. In 2015, she said Donald Trump’s election to the White House would be “the end of the world” and endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Speaking at a press conference for the film in Venice, Lawrence said of Israel’s bombings in Gaza: “I’m terrified.

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeThe Conservative Party nearly went bankrupt after their worst-ever election defeat as donors considered pulling their funding, Kemi Badenoch has admitted. The Tory leader said she spent her first few months in office “working furiously behind the scenes", which she said led some to think she was “not doing anything”. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch (Lucy North/PA) ( PA Wire )Asked if there was risk that the Conservatives could have gone bankrupt, the Tory leader said: "Yes, there was." But Mrs Badenoch said: “This first year of my leadership has been about rebuilding.

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Asked whether he thought the minimum wage was too high, Mr Farage said: “There’s an argument the minimum wage is too high for younger workers. Mr Farage was also asked what his push to cut spending would mean for the triple lock on pensions and income tax thresholds. Mr Farage also said that his party “want to cut taxes” but they are “not realistic at this current moment in time”. Speaking at the event on Monday, Mr Farage said: “We want to cut taxes, if course we do.

MongoDB CEO Dev Ittycheria arrives at the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 9, 2025. Database software maker MongoDB said on Monday that CEO Dev Ittycheria is stepping down from the top job after an 11-year run. Chirantan "CJ" Desai, who has spent the past year as president of product and engineering at Cloudflare , is replacing Ittycheria, effective Nov. 10, MongoDB said. Before joining MongoDB, Ittycheria was president of BMC, which bought his company BladeLogic for $854 million in 2008. WATCH: MongoDB CEO Dev Ittycheria on Q2 results: The opportunity in front of us is massive

South Korea's national broadcaster KBS on Saturday entered into a media exchange and cooperation business agreement with Chinese state media company China Media Group. K-pop prospects have brightened after Seoul and Beijing signed a content exchange deal, potentially paving the way for South Korean entertainment to re-enter the Chinese market. According to the 2025 Overseas Hallyu Survey published by South Korea's Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, China's favorability rating toward South Korea stood at 73.5%, higher than the survey's overall average. Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, refers to the spread of South Korean content around the world. The survey also noted that interest in Hallyu content within China has not waned despite the restrictions on the direct distribution of Korean content.

India is celebrating after winning a first women’s World Cup title, drawing comparisons to the men’s memorable 1983 triumph. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to India’s women cricketers following their “historic” triumph in the World Cup final on Sunday, while team captain Harmanpreet Kaur hoped it would be a watershed moment for the women’s game in the country. At the end of the day, fans and the audience want to see their favourite team win. “Today, our women’s cricket team has done something truly special. “I’ve seen this dream for over two decades, to watch the Indian women lift that World Cup trophy,” she wrote on X.

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield to face his former side in the Champions League after a nearly immaculate start to life in the Spanish capital. While Premier League champions Liverpool have just two wins in their last eight games, Alonso’s Madrid are on a high, transformed from last season and improving weekly under the Basque manager. He was key to the 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul and won the FA Cup among other silverware before departing for Real Madrid. The last few weeks, every time that ball went in, now it didn’t.”Looking ahead to the clash with Madrid, Slot said: “You always look forward to a Champions League night. Florian Wirtz and Milosz Kerkez were benched for the Villa game, and it’s likely Slot will stick with their replacements Alexis Mac Allister and Andy Robertson for Madrid’s visit.

Chinese tech company Baidu announced Monday it can sell some robotaxi rides without any human staff in the vehicles. BEIJING — As Baidu ramps up its robotaxi operations worldwide, fully driverless weekly rides as of Oct. 31 have now surpassed 250,000 orders, according to a spokesperson for the company's driverless car unit Apollo Go. That's on par with what Waymo reported in late April for its weekly paid U.S. rides. For the quarter ended June 30, the company averaged about 169,000 rides a week based on CNBC calculations of the 2.2 million fully driverless robotaxi rides disclosed for the period. Apollo Go said it has received 17 million robotaxi ride orders to date, and that its cars have driven 240 million kilometers (149 million miles), with 140 million fully driverless rides.

That was some of what you could learn from Grokipedia, the AI-powered encyclopedia launched last week by the world’s richest person, Elon Musk. The problem was, as Prof Evans discovered when he logged on to check his own entry, all these facts were false. One post on X caught the triumphant mood among Musk’s fans: “Elon just killed Wikipedia. Evans, however, was discovering that Musk’s use of AI to weigh and check facts was suffering a more earth-bound problem. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, written to inform billions of readers without promoting a particular point of view.”xAI did not respond to requests for comment.

Kimberly-Clark announced Monday it's struck an agreement to buy Kenvue in a deal valued at $48.7 billion that would create a consumer staples giant. Shares of Kenvue surged 20% in premarket trading Monday, while shares of Kimberly-Clark plunged 14%. As of Friday's close, Kenvue traded at about $14 per share for a market cap of roughly $27 billion. Three Kenvue board members will join the Kimberly-Clark board upon the deal's closing. Kimberly-Clark and Kenvue expect about $1.9 billion in cost synergies from the transaction to be realized in the first three years following the deal's close.

Microsoft said Monday it has secured export licenses to ship Nvidia chips to the United Arab Emirates in a move that could accelerate the Gulf's lofty AI ambitions. The licenses enable the firm to ship the equivalent of 60,400 additional A100 chips, involving tech darling Nvidia's more advanced GB300 GPUs. watch now"While the chips are powerful and the numbers are large, more important is their positive impact across the UAE," Microsoft said in a blog post. Nvidia shares were up 1.97% in premarket trade at 7:41 a.m. There is a "very important" relationship between the UAE and U.S. governments that has spanned multiple administrations, Microsoft President Brad Smith told CNBC's Dan Murphy at the ADIPEC conference in Abu Dhabi.

For her work during the pandemic, Morawska was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in 2021. On Monday evening, she also received the top gong at the prime minister’s prizes for science, for her “pioneering research about the air we breathe”. Morawska described receiving the $250,000 prime minister’s prize as “an amazing joy”, but said importantly the award would bring attention to her field of research. “I extend that congratulations and thanks to all recipients.”In a category awarded for the first time this year, Prof Michael Wear received the prime minister’s prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems. “Prof Michael Wear’s work exemplifies the ongoing importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems to peoples, communities and place,” Ayres said in a statement.

The first phase of the deal will use existing AWS data centers, and Amazon will eventually build out additional infrastructure for OpenAI. Even before that, OpenAI forged cloud deals with Oracle and Google , but AWS is by far the market leader. "Scaling frontier AI requires massive, reliable compute," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in Monday's release. "They've committed to buying compute capacity from us, and we're charging OpenAI for that capacity. By diversifying its cloud partners and locking in long-term capacity across providers, OpenAI is signaling both independence and operational maturity.

Asked in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview that aired on Sunday why he pardoned the former crypto executive known as CZ, Trump said, "Okay, are you ready? I don't know who he is." Trump suggested that his decision to pardon CZ was motivated by a desire to make the U.S. more globally competitive in the nascent crypto industry. And he accused the government under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, of waging a "witch hunt" against CZ, even as Trump repeatedly denied knowledge of his case. Despite saying he didn't know who CZ is, Trump said Zhao "was treated really badly by the Biden administration."

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Since 2021, water companies have been required to monitor 47 of the most concerning forever chemicals in both household supplies and key water sources such as aquifers and reservoirs, reflecting growing global concern over the risks associated with these chemicals. According to the analysis, 23 sanctions are in place, and apply to seven water companies. These are: Affinity Water, Anglian Water, South West Water, Wessex Water, United Utilities, Severn Trent Water, and South Staffordshire Water. Forever chemicals is a term which broadly applies to a class of chemicals known as the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. Water UK – an industry body which works on behalf of water companies – said the production of forever chemicals must be banned, with the clean-up paid for by the companies which have produced them.

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Read our Privacy noticeFootballer Jonathan Gjoshe suffered injuries as one of the victims of the Huntingdon train stabbing, his club Scunthorpe United have confirmed. Gjoshe was hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries after the shocking attack on an LNER train bound for London King’s Cross on Saturday evening and remains in hospital. A man has been charged following a mass stabbing on a London-bound train and a separate attack earlier that day, appearing in court with charges of 10 counts of attempted murder. “Jonathan was an ever-present defender in Mu Maan’s side last season before moving onto professional football with Scunthorpe in the summer,” read a statement from the club. open image in gallery Police officers and a dog handler work on the platform alongside the LNER train at Huntingdon Station ( AFP/Getty )A 35-year-old man from London has also been arrested at the scene at Huntingdon railway station, but was released with no further action.

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Read our Privacy noticeA gardener who was paralysed after falling off a ladder at a multimillionaire couple’s mansion has lost a High Court battle for more than £1 million in compensation. Barry Relph cracked his spine in January 2021 after toppling from a step ladder at John and Joanna Meager’s “magnificent” £2.3m Surrey home. The 59-year-old had been using a mini chain saw to clear branches from a tree overlooking the tennis court. Mr Relph sustained catastrophic damage to his spine in the fall and he now uses a wheelchair. The court heard that Mr Relph has no memory of the accident, but his colleague said a branch fell from the tree and struck his step ladder, causing a disastrous “wobble” which unbalanced Mr Relph.

Read our Privacy noticeGiant Barrel jellyfish, identifiable by their huge size and frilly textures, have been increasingly sighted on British shores this year. The species of jellyfish has seen a 230 per cent increase in sightings compared to last year, according to the Marine Conservation Society’s annual wildlife sightings report. The surge in barrel jellyfish sightings is particularly interesting. While the moon jellyfish took the highest ranking in England, the barrel jellyfish was the number one spot in both Wales and Scotland. The report documented six per cent less total jellyfish sightings across the UK and Ireland between October 1 2024 and September 30 2025 than last year.