Author: LoveWorld UK

CHINA SUSPENDS JAPAN SHOWS AMID TENSIONS – China halts Japanese concerts as diplomatic tensions rise {JC} At least a dozen concerts featuring Japanese musicians in major Chinese cities have been abruptly cancelled this week as a deepening diplomatic standoff between Beijing and Tokyo begins to spill into the cultural sphere. Chinese authorities warned music venues nationwide that shows by Japanese performers scheduled through the end of the year may be scrapped, and advised against submitting new applications for 2025, according to a concert promoter. Christian Petersen-Clausen, a Norwegian documentary filmmaker and concert promoter, told reporters that two Beijing performances by…

EPSTEIN FALLOUT PRESSURES US DEMOCRATS! – Document releases intensify scrutiny as Summers steps back following email revelations.  Former U.S. Democratic Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has resigned from the OpenAI board, he said, several days after Congress released documents that showed Summers shared a close relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Summers, also a former president of Harvard University, said on Monday he would step back from all public commitments, adding that the move was to allow him “to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.” Summers has been under fire after the U.S.…

HUNGARY QUESTIONS EU AID TO UKRAINE – Foreign Minister urges EU to “stop funding Kyiv amid corruption claims” Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has urged the European Union to halt all financial support to Ukraine, citing fresh corruption allegations inside Kyiv’s government. Speaking in Brussels ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers, Szijjarto said reports of a “war mafia” and a “corrupt system” operating in Ukraine should force the bloc to reconsider its funding. He criticised the European Commission for proposing an additional 100 billion euros in support, calling the move “insane.” His comments follow a major corruption probe…

WE WILL SUPPORT UKRAINE, SAYS UK – Britain’s Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reaffirmed their nation’s commitment to Ukraine  German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Britain’s Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reaffirmed their nations’ commitment to Ukraine, with Cooper raising concerns about a Russian spy ship recently identified in UK waters. Speaking during a joint news conference in Berlin, Cooper detailed the UK’s vigilance against Russia’s unconventional tactics, including espionage activities and sabotage threats.  Cooper described Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy as a deliberate attempt to destabilise Europe, adding that it has reinforced the resolve of the UK and its allies. “It will…

500 MIGRANT PER DAY SIGN UP for BENFITS – Foreign national benefit claims hit record highs as Universal Credit recipients surge.  Nearly 500 migrants a day are signing up for benefits, according to newly released official figures.  Last month, approximately 472 migrants per day began claiming Universal Credit, while the overall number of foreign nationals receiving it increased to nearly 1.3 million, a rise of 6.7 per cent in a year. The rise comes ahead of new laws that will tie migrants’ settlement rights to their avoidance of state benefits.   Under the changes, eligibility for indefinite leave to remain will…

UK INFLATION LAGS BEHIND EUROZONE – UK inflation in October dropped for the first time in five months Britain has become an “outlier” on inflation as minimum wage rises, pressure employers to pass on costs to consumers, economists have warned. UK inflation in October dropped for the first time in five months, official data showed on Wednesday, as energy prices rose at a slower pace than last year. The consumer prices index (CPI) rate of inflation dropped to 3.6pc in October, having been stuck at 3.8pc since July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Economists said this remained…

UK BOOSTS BANK DEPOSIT PROTECTION – Deposit guarantee rises to £120k from December Customers in the UK will soon see stronger protection for their savings if a bank collapses. From December, the deposit guarantee will rise from £85,000 to £120,000, the biggest increase since 2017. The Prudential Regulation Authority says the move reflects inflation and aims to boost public confidence, with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme assuring customers they need to take no action. Temporary high-balance protection will also increase to £1.4 million for six months, covering major life events like house sales or insurance payouts.

CLOUDFLARE OUTAGE HITS GLOBAL INTERNET – Cloudflare outage halts access to X, ChatGPT A major outage at web-infrastructure firm Cloudflare has caused widespread disruption globally, making platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and ChatGPT inaccessible for thousands of users this morning. Cloudflare, which handles approximately one-fifth of all web traffic, began investigating the internal service degradation. The company stated the incident was triggered by a sudden spike in unusual traffic. The outage temporarily prevented access to several high-profile platforms, including Canva and the AI service ChatGPT. Outage-tracking tool Downdetector showed reports peaking at nearly 5,000, though the numbers have since dropped…

POLAND BLAMES PRO-RUSSIAN SABOTEURS – Ukrainian suspects linked to Russian intelligence Poland says it has identified two Ukrainians responsible for a railway explosion on a key route to Ukraine — and claims they were working with Russian intelligence. Prime Minister Donald Tusk told lawmakers on Tuesday that the suspects fled to Belarus after carrying out the attack on the Warsaw–Lublin line, a critical corridor connecting Poland to the Ukrainian border. The blast is the latest in a series of arson, sabotage and cyberattacks reported across Europe since the start of the war in Ukraine. Tusk said the pair crossed in…

TICKET TOUT RESALES BAN – Britain’s plans to ban the resale of tickets for music concerts, shows and sporting events  Britain’s plans to ban the resale of tickets for music concerts, shows and sporting events at inflated prices were welcomed by industry body UK Music as the government said it planned to tackle the use of technology by touts to snap up tickets for popular events. UK Music’s Dan Gumble pointed to the hugely inflated ticket prices on resale sites for British band Oasis’ reunion concert last summer as an example of fans facing “exorbitant prices” and added, “It out-prices…