💸 IMF Urges Against UK Tax Cuts - Warns of £30bn Funding Gap

The UK govt lacks scope for new tax cuts and will struggle to contain spending growth, the IMF has said.

The IMF also cautioned in January against new tax cuts due to the UK’s straitened budgetary circumstances, but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt went ahead anyway and lopped another 2p off national insurance in March.

In Tuesday’s report, the fund said the chancellor should not have lowered national insurance “in light of the medium-term fiscal challenge” facing the UK.

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❎ Less than 24 hours since the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, he is back bombing hospitals…

Israeli warplanes have now struck the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

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💥DragonFire Laser: UK Defense Sec Brags About State-of-the-Art Weapon

The laser can take out drones and missiles from miles away with pinpoint accuracy, Grant Shapps boasted last month.

The DragonFire is expected to be rolled out by 2027, but Shapps said earlier this year he wanted to "speed up" production and make it available sooner.

It follows a successful trial of the laser, carried out against an aerial target for the first time in January.

The directed energy weapon would also be successful in taking out helicopters, one would imagine.

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🤔 ‘Civilised World’ Must Refuse to Arrest Netanyahu – Tel Aviv

Israel has called on the “nations of the civilised world” to oppose the ICC prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants against its leaders and to announce that they would not honor any such warrant.

When asked if PM Netanyahu or Def Min Gallant would travel abroad to ICC-signatory countries in the event arrest warrants are issued, govt spox Tal Heinrich said “let’s wait and see.”

 Gallant described the request for an arrest warrant against him as “despicable and disgusting.”

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😳 Israeli Police Raid AP Offices, Seize Equipment - Take Down Live Shot of Northern Gaza, Citing 'Al Jazeera Law'

Al Jazeera is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news orgs – the Qatari-based channel has been banned in Israel since May 5.

The move by Israel has been denounced by AP.

The supposed ‘rules-based order’ of the ‘civilized world’…

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🔴 Israeli Govt Sponsors Militia Attacking Gaza Humanitarian Aid Trucks – Opposition Leader Lapid

Yair Lapid stated that the rioters were militias backed by Israel's ruling regime, in reference to Netanyahu’s govt – while speaking to Israeli Army Radio.

Far-right group - Tzav 9 - vowed to continue to block aid deliveries into the besieged Gaza Strip just last week.

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🔴 President Raisi’s funeral procession arrives at the holy Iranian city of Qom – mourners turn out in their masses

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⚡️ Moscow Begins Tactical Nuclear Weapons Drills – aimed at maintaining readiness to respond in order to ensure sovereignty of Russia (TASS)

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🤔 Ex-BBC Chief - Danny Cohen - probably isn't the impartial observer a news agency should be looking for...

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🤔 JUST IN: US Pressure Forces Netanyahu to Return Seized AP Equipment - Axios

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💵Interest payments totaled $514bn for the first seven months of the US fiscal year - outpacing defense by $20bn

This is fine…

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