🌏 POLITICA UK NEWS and 📰 COMMENTARY at the TTC: 🇬🇧 UK and 🇺🇸 USA headlines

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Keir Starmer refused to categorically rule out raising taxes beyond his manifesto pledges, during a heated session of House of Commons proceedings. Sky News
MPs voted down Nigel Farage’s motion to withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) by 154 to 96 votes. The Guardian

More than 100 business and charity leaders signed an open letter urging ministers to lead a shift towards a four‑day working week in England, following mixed early results from local council trials. The Guardian
The UK pharmaceutical sector warns of a crisis: a pricing standoff between government and industry has stalled research investment and threatens thousands of jobs. The Guardian

NHS Providers and NHS Confederation have confirmed plans to merge into a single representative body for frontline NHS organisations from April 2026. NHS Confederation

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple) in London marked its 30th anniversary with a visit from the King Charles III and the Queen Camilla. Religion Media Centre
Victims of romance‑scam fraud in the UK received only around 61% of lost funds back in the first half of 2025; losses from such scams have increased significantly. Today's Family Lawyer

(Although UK‑centric, the UK is closely watching) Vladimir Putin announced a successful test of a nuclear‑powered submarine torpedo capable of causing a “radioactive tsunami,” raising global security concerns. The Independent

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping held a meeting in South Korea, with Trump announcing immediate tariff cuts on Chinese goods and stating that a deal between the two countries was now “promising”. The Independent+2Wikipedia+2
The ongoing federal shutdown (begun 1 October 2025) has entered its 4th week, with over 900,000 federal employees furloughed and many still working without pay. Wikipedia+1

Nvidia became the first company ever to reach a market valuation of $5 trillion, driven by the booming AI‑chip demand. The Guardian
The Federal Reserve signalled that a planned rate cut in December is now in doubt, following mixed economic signals. Reuters
US business leaders are becoming more pessimistic about 2026: a new survey finds geopolitical risk, regulatory uncertainty and inflation topping their list of concerns. Business Wire
Oil prices slipped as markets weighed a potential US‑China trade truce and expectations of increased supply from OPEC+. Reuters

Researchers from the US and Japan achieved one of the most‑precise studies ever on neutrinos, advancing our understanding of how the universe came to be dominated by matter rather than antimatter. ScienceDaily
A new multi‑institution initiative, the NSF Center for Computer Assisted Synthesis at Carnegie Mellon University, is applying AI, computation and robotics to radically speed up chemical discovery and drug development. Carnegie Mellon University

(No major culture‑specific headline sourced today)
However, the extended government shutdown continues to impact workers nationwide, with many federal employees facing missed paychecks, increased financial stress and wider societal concern. Wikipedia+1

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its U.S. growth forecasts to ~2 % in 2025 and ~2.1 % in 2026, citing resilient consumer spending and investment — though it warns the boost is concentrated among asset-rich households and the broader population still faces wage stagnation and inflation. Financial Times
According to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the U.S. current-account deficit narrowed significantly in Q2 2025 to ~$251 billion (-43 % year-on-year), suggesting some improvement in trade flows and external balance. Bureau of Economic Analysis

The music industry in the U.S. contributes substantially to economic activity: a report by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) shows the U.S. music industries support approximately 2.47 million jobs and add around $170 billion annually to GDP. RIAA
More broadly, the arts & cultural sectors are growing rapidly — the National Endowment for the Arts reported the value added by arts and cultural production exceeded $1.2 trillion in 2023 (≈ 4.2 % of GDP), with growth at twice the rate of the overall economy. National Endowment for the Arts

U.S. equities continue to be supported by strong earnings and AI investment optimism, despite geopolitical tensions and interest-rate uncertainty. For example, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management, the long-term capital market assumptions reflect this buoyancy in risk assets. JPMorgan
Index tracking data shows some resilience: the main U.S. stock market index is slowly climbing, though bond markets are flat/weak as investors await clues on inflation and rate changes. Trading Economics+1