BBC News

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has denied claims that she misled the public over finances before this week's Budget - and that her party did not break its promise not to increase taxes.

In an appearance on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the chancellor says she didn't have any extra headroom as she rejects accusations of painting an overly gloomy picture of the economy.

Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, also made an appearance on the show calling for Rachel Reeves to resign following the decisions made in the Budget.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#UKPolitics #Budget #RachelReeves #KemiBadenoch #BBCNews

Model David Gandy has said there isn't enough examples of "good men" in a world where social media helps feed the "immature" and "wrong" ideas of people like Andrew Tate when it comes to masculinity.

Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, David discusses his involvement in a report which looks into the representations of men in modern media and how there's been "something wrong for many years."

He adds that in his own opinion, unregulated social media has a part to play promoting people like controversial influencer Andrew Tate's "immature" and "disruptive" idea of masculinity.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#Masculinity #DavidGandy #BBCNews

Today, Laura and Paddy look at claims that Rachel Reeves misled the public after it emerged that she knew the outlook for the government’s finances had improved before giving a downcast pre-Budget speech.

Downing Street has denied the allegations.

Luke Sullivan, Keir Starmer's former political director, is also in the Newscast studio to give his assessment on those accusations, and how the budget has been received inside the Labour Party.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

Asylum seekers will be banned from using taxis for medical appointments from February, the government has announced.

It comes after a BBC investigation found some people had travelled long distances by taxis or minicabs, with one asylum seeker saying they went on a 250-mile cab journey to a GP, costing the Home Office £600.

In response, the government launched an urgent review into the use and cost of taxis to transfer asylum seekers from their hotels to appointments in September.

Now the government has confirmed it has spent an average of around £15.8 million per year on transport for asylum seekers.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#BBCNews

Thousands of Airbus planes had to be grounded for a software update after it was discovered that intense solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers.

Around 6,000 A320 planes were thought to be affected - half the European firm's global fleet - but many were able to fly again within hours after undergoing the update.

Airbus said it discovered the issue after an investigation into an incident in which a plane flying between the US and Mexico suddenly lost altitude in October.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#Airbus #Travel #BBCNews

Hong Kong officials have held a moment of silence at the start of a three-day mourning period to remember those killed after the city's deadliest fire in nearly 80 years.

At least 128 people are now known to have died in the fire, which engulfed seven tower blocks on Wednesday. A further 79 were injured and dozens remain unaccounted for.

Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation works the blocks had been undergoing. Three others were detained on manslaughter charges.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but officials have said it spread up and between the blocks rapidly because of flammable materials placed on their exterior.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#HongKong #BBCNews

Are the changes to special educational needs and disabilities funding the big change from the budget that not enough people are talking about?

Adam, Chris, Alex and Faisal discuss some of the big consequences of the news this week which may have been initially missed. What do the changes to Send funding mean for children across the country? Why have Labour U-turned on a part of the Workers' Rights Bill? Are Labour giving themselves the room to cancel some of the tax rises later in the parliament? And, what does the big drop in legal migration mean?

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#BBCNews #Labour #UKPolitics #TheBudget

President Trump has vowed to make further efforts to reduce immigration in the US following Wednesday's deadly attack on members of the National Guard in Washington.

In a post on his Truth Social website, Mr Trump promised to remove anyone from the US "from any country who does not belong here".

On the same day, the US suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, saying the decision was made pending a review of "security and vetting protocols".

The BBC's Washington correspondent Nomia Iqbal has been telling the Global News Podcast more about President Trump's increasingly tough stance on immigration and how it is being viewed in the US.

Subscribe to the Global News Podcast wherever you get your podcasts or find more episodes here: https://bbc.in/GlobalNewsPodcast

#Trump #ICE

In this episode, Sarah and Anthony unpack one of the most surprising political moments of the year - when New York’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani met Donald Trump in the Oval Office. After weeks of insulting each other during the mayoral campaign, Republicans and Democrats are still reacting to what turned out to be a very amicable and friendly meeting.

Trump has promised to help Mamdani make New York City a success, and “great again”, but what does this actually mean, and will the US president do it? We also look at how Mamdani will be navigating the wider politics of being a mayor, particularly with midterm elections in 2026. In New York state, can Mamdani persuade his Democratic governor to put up taxes for the wealthiest? And how will he balance maintaining good relations with both Trump and Demoratic socialists in New York?

Meanwhile, with Trump’s ally Elise Stefanik running for governor, how will the Republican campaign deal with the president’s new attitude towards Mamdani?

Sarah and Anthony are joined by Nick Reisman, POLITICO’s Albany Bureau Chief and New York politics expert.

HOSTS:

- Sarah Smith, North America Editor

- Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

GUEST:

- Nick Reisman, Albany Bureau Chief for Politico

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has resigned following an anti-corruption raid on his home.

Yermak has been Zelensky's closest adviser throughout Russia's full-scale war, but has come under increasing pressure over an escalating scandal - even though he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Zelensky recently appointed his chief of staff to head crucial negotiations, with US President Donald Trump leading a new drive to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Zelensky said he would start consultations on Saturday on who would replace Yermak as his top adviser.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#Ukraine #BBCNews