Manx Newscast

The health minister says the Isle of Man would probably match the UK when dealing with the immigration health surcharge. 

Currently, the fee across is £1,035 per year for adults and £776 per visa for those aged 18 and under. 

Immigration Lawyer Maria Bridson says the surcharge might have a negative impact on the number of applications to the Island, but for businesses, it's just an additional cost when recruiting someone outside the common travel area. 

Isle of Pride is officially back.

Three years after wrapping up, a new board has been formed to take over the running of the charity going forward.

It stopped operating in 2022 after unplanned protests at its last Pride event and also amid questions about LGBTQ+ representation on its previous committee.

New director, James Cherry, has been telling Amy Griffiths more:

The Iconic Victory Cafe on the slopes of Snaefell at the Bungalow has been put up for sale by owners Benn and Vicki Quirk.

Simon Richardson's been speaking to Vicki to find out more.

A new campaign is hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of becoming a so-called 'Money Mule'.

This is when someone receives money from a third party in their bank account and transfers it to another, or takes it out in cash and gives it to someone else, and then gets paid a commission for it.

It's a method of money laundering and vulnerable people are often targeted by scammers and organised crime groups in person or over social media and email.

The new awareness project is a collaboration between the Isle of Man Bankers Association, Financial Crime Partnership, Isle of Man Constabulary, and Cyber Security Centre.

Chris Till, Secretary for the IOM Bankers Association, has been speaking to Lewis Foster.

The Chief Executive of Isle of Man-based Conister Bank has written to the UK Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Budget Statement, calling for urgent and targeted support to unlock the growth potential of Britain’s small and medium-sized enterprises.

In an open letter addressed to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Douglas Grant highlighted research from parent company Manx Financial Group which found nearly one in three SMEs in the United Kingdom have had to halt or suspend parts of their operations due to a lack of finance.

The study also found that one in 10 businesses had been unable to access funding despite actively seeking external capital.

Mr Grant sat down with Christian Jones to explain.

A South African couple is hosting a fundraising for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute this weekend. 

On 4 August 1991, Charmaine and David De'ath were on a Greek cruise ship, MTS Oceanos, just off the Wildcoast in South Africa when it began to sink. 

The Dean of Cathedral Isle of Man has been targeted by hateful messages and phone calls after displaying a Palestinian flag on the cathedral grounds.

Nigel Godfrey says the flag was raised to show solidarity with the civilians caught up in the conflict in Gaza and suffering from starvation.

Within days, however, the flag - one of many artefacts on display in the gardens - was stolen.

The two MHKs for Onchan have hit back at the village's local authority after it cancelled its quarterly meetings due to two board members being civil servants.

MHK Rob Callister, who’s also the Chair of Public Service Commission, says he is ‘extremely disappointed’ at the decision.

It was agreed by the board because members Scott Wilson and Gabriella Corkish felt they would be going against the civil servant's code of conduct and would be 'conflicted' on a number of matters. 

A vote was held and it was agreed by four votes to three to cease holding them and instead contact the representatives directly if there is an issue.

Mr Callister says the meetings are 'needed' and are important for both parties to challenge decisions made in both the House of Keys and at the local authority.

 Fellow Onchan MHK Julie Edge says she would like to see them reinstated as a meeting rather than a surgery.

Ms Edge says it was an 'opportunity' for her to bring up issues that residents have contacted her about, for example social housing, and what support she can give them in Tynwald.

Local Democracy Reporter Emma Draper has been speaking to them.

The treasury minister says additional funds from income tax is a result of economic growth and changes to the government sector on the Isle of Man. 

Over the last financial year government recorded £21.3 million more from income tax than expected - it's lead to the Manx Taxpayers Alliance calling for the extra money to be returned to tax payers. 

But Alex Allinson says it will go back to the reserves.

The Isle of Man FA says England's recent success at the UEFA Women's EURO's will help the growth of girls' football on the Isle of Man. 

England went back-to-back at the Euro's after beating Spain in the final on Sunday.

Jamylea Ferns says the game is already bigger now than it was four years ago.