Austerity Rachel Reeves is at one with Osborne
There isn’t a formal definition of the policy known as “austerity”. The word was employed by George Orwell in the 1930s, but it first became a common political term during the life of the 1945 Labour government. It was used to describe the decision of the Labour chancellor Stafford Cripps to maintain wartime rationing. Cripps explained that he needed to hold down consumption, but he didn’t use the word austerity himself. Now, I think it is the right word to describe the policy that Rachel Reeves outlined in her spring statement last week.
Source:The Times
April 02, 2025 02:46 UTC
The end of Washington DC’s Black Lives Matter Plaza is a sign of the times
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Thousands gathered daily, even before the area was christened Black Lives Matter Plaza, with many establishing a constant presence as support tents and infrastructure materialized. Later that year, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the creation of Black Lives Matter Plaza, with official street signs and “Black Lives Matter” painted in giant yellow letters on a multiblock stretch of 16th Street. The move was symbolic, but the impact concrete: BLM Plaza became a magnet point for years of political activism. And the street signs reading Black Lives Matter Plaza have come down.
Source:The Times
April 02, 2025 01:35 UTC
Times letters: Effect of Trump tariffs on British economy
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, In making the difficult choices involved in responding to President Trump’s plethora of tariffs the government should be guided primarily by our free-trade principles (“What pain could America inflict and how can the UK respond?”, Apr 1). That means in the first instance deepening relations with other trade partners across Europe and beyond to seek to offset some of the economic damage. With regard to the US we should set out a clear public position of doing a deal only if it is demonstrably in the national economic interest and does not interfere with our sovereignty. Trade deals, particularly with larger players, involve difficult concessions, something ministers have rarely wished to acknowledge. Maybe it is worth sacrificing the digital
Source:The Times
April 02, 2025 00:34 UTC
Gujarat riots: HC upholds acquittal of 6 in killing of 3 UK men
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat HC has upheld the acquittal of six individuals in the killing of three British nationals of Indian origin near Prantij in Sabarkantha district during the 2002 riots . A special SIT court in Himmatnagar had exonerated the accused citing lack of evidence on Feb 27, 2015.HC comprising justices A Y Kogje and S J Dave stated it found no reason to interfere with the order passed by Sabarkantha principal district and sessions court. A local driver, Yusuf Piraghar, was also allegedly burned alive by a mob during the post-Godhra violence. Another visitor from the UK, Imran Dawood, sustained injuries, but managed to escape and later filed a complaint. The trial court rejected Imran's testimony and acquitted all the accused.Imran challenged the acquittal before HC, which noted in its verdict that the investigation was based on an anonymous fax message sent to British High Commission, and not on "evidence of any independent eyewitness".
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 22:12 UTC
Vodafone Idea shares soar 20% as govt converts Rs 36,950 crore dues into equity, raising stake to 48.99%
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Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 19:02 UTC
US confirms levies will go into effect immediately — as it happened
Levies continued to be at the forefront of investors’ minds before President Trump’s “liberation day” announcement tomorrow, in which tariffs are expected to be imposed on some of the US’s closest allies. Will Trump’s tariffs help the US? Read in full: Will Trump’s tariffs help the US? “American workers and businesses will be put first under President Trump,” she said. Myron Jobson, senior personal finance analyst for Interactive Investor, said: “President Donald Trump’s tariffs war could have far-reaching consequences for Britons, even if the UK manages to escape direct levies.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 16:55 UTC
Government urged not to ‘sacrifice’ British agriculture in US trade talks
Farming and food sector leaders said they were “very concerned” about the concessions ministers could make while trying to secure an exemption from Donald Trump’s tariffs. This would give US producers – who have lower standards and a competitive advantage – greater access to the UK market, putting struggling British farmers under further pressure. Mr Bradshaw said: “I think we’re very very concerned.”Mr Bradshaw said the sector has an “absolute expectation that (ministers) cannot sacrifice agriculture at this moment in time to the benefit of other sectors”. “The cost of that is simply unthinkable with the finances of the country as they are today,” Mr Bradshaw said. “The regime that we put in place in the UK, what we call our SPS regime, which is our food standards regime, that’s the red line for us,” he said.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 16:18 UTC
Cheer Force Knights Maryport Lady Royals set for Florida competition
Cheer Force Knights Maryport Lady Royals are gearing up for an exciting journey as they prepare to compete in the All Star World Championships in Florida and the Youth Summit in Tampa. The team are looking forward to showcasing their hard work and dedication on an international stage. The team are excited to once again get back to Florida (Image: Supplied) Lady Royals have gone undefeated to date at UK Competitions, a testament to their relentless dedication and teamwork. With their sights set on success, the Cheer Force Knights Maryport Lady Royals are ready to make their mark and represent their community with pride". The Cheer Force Knights returned home last April as Allstar World Championship in Florida this week after being crowned 2024 World Champions.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 16:07 UTC
The most dangerous place in Cumbria according to data
"There are safer parts of Cumbria, identified using the same Crime Risk measurement, starting with Cockermouth, which ranks as the safest area in Cumbria, followed up by Dalton Town with Newton in second place, and Windermere in third place. "This is an extremely short time period for crime trend analysis, and caution should be exercised when interpreting this figure. While potentially a good indicator of the overall risk trend, analysis should include further checks as above. "Drug offences have a crime rate of 3.79 reports per 1,000 people in Cumbria, which is 1.79 times the national average. "This figure is calculated from 1,895 crime reports logged by Cumbria Police during the 12-month period ending September 2024.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 16:07 UTC
Anthony Joshua v Jake Paul ‘FIVE TIMES’ bigger than Tyson Fury fight as deal moves closer after ‘multiple conversations’
ANTHONY JOSHUA has been told a fight with Jake Paul would be FIVE TIMES bigger than against Tyson Fury. Bidarian told SunSport: "Ultimately Jake versus Joshua is three, four or five times bigger than Joshua versus Fury, easily. Eddie Hearn lifts lid on Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul latest"We're not financially dependent on Jake having a fight against Anthony Joshua for 2025 for our business to flourish. "Mike Tyson, much more devastating knockout artist than Anthony Joshua in his career, but the Mike Tyson that Jake fought wasn't that same Mike Tyson, obviously. "And that will possess its own challenges for Jake Paul, but Jake doesn't say something if he doesn't feel confident about it.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 15:52 UTC
Jewish mother arrested after WhatsApp school row sparks police review
A Jewish mother and her partner were arrested and held for 11 hours after raising concerns about their daughter’s Hertfordshire primary school, prompting a formal police review. The arrest followed a long-running dispute with Cowley Hill Primary School. The couple had questioned the school’s leadership and the recruitment of a new headteacher and were later banned from the premises after sharing critical comments in a parents’ WhatsApp group. “We made a few inquiries, we had a bit of banter on a WhatsApp group and then we were arrested. “There has clearly been a fundamental breakdown in relationships between a school and parents that shouldn’t have become a police matter,” he said.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 14:17 UTC
England enjoys sunniest March on record thanks to long dry spell
Some 185.8 hours of sunshine were measured across England, 59% more than the long-term average, according to provisional figures from the Met Office. Last month was also very dry, with the UK seeing just 43% of its average rainfall for March. (PA Graphics)Wales experienced its fourth driest March on record, England its sixth and Northern Ireland its ninth, based on Met Office data for rainfall beginning in 1836. By contrast, Scotland saw nearly two-thirds (64%) of its average rainfall for the month. The long periods of high pressure meant temperatures were able to build during the day, before falling overnight as heat escaped under clear skies, the Met Office added.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 14:02 UTC
Prince Harry Resigns From Charity Amid Board Dispute: What to Know
Prince Harry announced on March 25 that he had stepped down as a patron of Sentebale, the charity he co-founded in memory of his mother, after a monthslong dispute between the charity’s chair and the board of trustees broke into the open. Harry and his fellow co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, said they had quit in solidarity with five board members who had resigned over a dispute with the chair, Sophie Chandauka. Both Ms. Chandauka and the group of former trustees have made allegations of wrongdoing against each other, and both parties said they had submitted claims and evidence of their arguments to Britain’s Charity Commission. Why did Prince Harry resign from the charity? Harry founded the charity with Prince Seeiso in 2006.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 13:12 UTC
The UK Government Wouldn’t Ban Smartphones in Schools. These Parents Stepped Up.
The idea of getting her eldest child a smartphone had long felt inevitable, said Daisy Greenwell. When she talked to other parents, “everyone universally said, ‘Yes, it’s a nightmare, but you’ve got no choice,’” recalled Ms. Greenwell, 41. Then Ms. Greenwell, who lives in rural Suffolk, in the east of England, posted her thoughts on Instagram. “What if we could hold off until they’re 14, or 16?” She added a link to the WhatsApp group. Today, more than 124,000 parents of children in more than 13,000 British schools have signed a pact created by Smartphone Free Childhood, the charity set up by Ms. Greenwell, her husband, Joe Ryrie, and Ms. Fernyhough.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 13:03 UTC
Women and the Church (WATCH) launches campaign to abolish the Five Guiding Principles
A CAMPAIGN to end the provisions that accompanied the women-bishops legislation of 2014, put in place to provide for those unable to accept women’s ministry (News, 28 July 2014), was launched by Women and the Church (WATCH) on Saturday. She was “fully behind the amazing work that WATCH undertakes to hold the Church to account with regard to its iniquitous treatment of women”, she said. The Principles were part of the package that accompanied the Measure that enabled the ordination of women to the episcopate. “What muddies the water is that, in many, if not most of those churches, ordained women’s ministry has not been welcomed or accepted. “The important thing is that it’s debated.”It is hoped that the diocese of Southwark may be the first to carry the WATCH motion.
Source:The Times
April 01, 2025 13:00 UTC