Author: 5hspx

Getty ImagesCabinet ministers have written to the Treasury to complain about proposed departmental cuts ahead of this month's budget and spending review. Whitehall sources have suggested the Government faces a £40bn public service funding gap which is set to be made up through tax rises. There was considerable concern in Cabinet about the spending cuts required to meet the spending limits proposed by the Treasury.An agreement should have been reached on Wednesday evening as the last major measures of the budget were to be sent to the official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility. Closing the public service funding gap…

A South Korean court has acquitted Seoul's former police chief of negligence in the Halloween massacre that killed 159 people in 2022.Kim Kwang-ho was the highest-ranking police officer charged over the tragedy in the Itaewon nightlife district.In Thursday's verdict, the court said the prosecution's evidence was insufficient to show that Kim neglected his duties before the incident and during the preliminary response.A low-ranking police officer, Lee Im-jae, was sentenced last month to three years in prison for failing to prevent the stampede that shocked the world.The verdict sparked strong protests from the victims' families.Kim was not charged until last January,…

ReutersBahrain's controversial equalizer last week sparked online abuse from Indonesian fansThe Bahrain national football team has said it will not play a World Cup qualifying match in Indonesia to “protect the security” of the team.Players from the Gulf country were subject to online death threats from Indonesian fans following a controversial 2-2 draw between the two countries' teams last week, according to the Bahrain FA football (BFA).The second leg is scheduled to take place in Jakarta in March next year, but the BFA has asked Fifa to move the match to a venue outside Indonesia.Neither the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI)…

North Korea's constitution now defines the South as a “hostile state”, according to state media, in the first mention of Pyongyang's recent constitutional revisions.State newspaper Rodong Sinmun called the change “an inevitable and legitimate measure” at a time when tensions between the two Koreas are at their highest level in years.The North blew up roads and railways connecting it to South Korea on Tuesday, a move that state media described as “part of the step-by-step implementation to completely separate (the Koreas).”Some observers view the constitutional amendment as a largely symbolic move, given that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has…

The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has adopted a “click to cancel” rule, which aims to make it easier to cancel subscriptions.This will force companies to make signing up and canceling just as easy.Businesses, including retailers and gyms, will also need to obtain consent from customers before renewing their subscriptions or converting free trials to paid subscriptions.The new rule is expected to take effect in about six months.“Too often, companies force people to jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan. “The FTC rule will put an end to these tricks and traps,…

AFPThe blue houses of Brahmapuri have become a distinctive marker of Jodhpur's identityThe Brahmapuri district of the Indian city of Jodhpur lies at the foot of a famous hilltop fort. Built in 1459 by the Rajput king Rao Jodha – after whom the city was named – the walled and walled settlement rose in the shadow of Mehrangarh Fort and was eventually recognized as the ancient or original city of Jodhpur, with its azure-colored houses.Esther Christine Schmidt, an assistant professor at the Jindal School of Art and Architecture, says the iconic blue color was probably not adopted until the 17th…

BBCTuyet van Huynh (left) campaigns to track down scammersChinese communities are being targeted by scammers who trick elderly women into confiscating their valuables by convincing them their loved ones are in danger. After a spate of cases on the streets of the UK, US, Australia and Canada, police are investigating and victims' families are trying to track down the perpetrators.The blessing scam is an elaborate piece of criminal street theater. A group of usually three women performs a well-rehearsed script in Cantonese in front of an audience of just one person – the unsuspecting victim.Mungnee is a Chinese-Malaysian Londoner in…

Getty ImagesThe major messaging apps are all free, so what's in it?In the last 24 hours, I have written more than 100 WhatsApp messages.None of them were very exciting. I made plans with my family, discussed work projects with colleagues, and exchanged news and gossip with friends.Maybe I need to up my game, but even my most annoying messages were encrypted by default and used WhatsApp's powerful computer servers, hosted in various data centers around the world.It's not a cheap operation, and yet neither I nor any of the people I spoke with yesterday have ever spent any money to…

ReutersPolice cracked down on global Islamic group Ikhwan in September amid allegations of widespread child sexual abuseMembers of a Malaysian religious group accused of human trafficking and child sexual abuse continued to commit crimes even after a large-scale police crackdown, authorities say.The Ikhwan Global Islamic Group (GISB) made international headlines in September after police rescued 402 minors suspected of abuse from 20 nursing homes.Authorities arrested 171 suspects at the time, including teachers and guards, but hundreds more have since been arrested as new details emerge about the group's alleged crimes.These include allegations that, until October 1, five GISB members trafficked…

ReutersAslef members expected to strike on different days in NovemberLondon Underground train drivers are expected to strike next month over pay, union Aslef has announced.In addition to metro drivers, instructors, management staff and those in the engineering section must act. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has also announced industrial action by its members next month.Aslef said train operators and management staff would strike on November 7 and 12, as well as those in the engineering section for 24 hours from 18:00 GMT on November 1.Transport for London (TfL) said the action by Aslef and the RMT was “disappointing”…