Bills

The poorest households are bearing the brunt of rising prices, with inflation of almost 11% driven by rising energy bills, experts have warned. Official statistics showed Consumer Prices Index inflation hit a 40-year high of 9% in April, but analysis by economic think tanks showed the squeeze on budgets faced by the poor was even greater. Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) analysis indicated the bottom 10% of the population in terms of income faced an inflation rate of 10.9%, while for the richest 10% it was 7.9%, a full three percentage points lower. The Resolution Foundation (RF), which focuses on living standards, estimated that the poorest households faced a rate of 10.2%. Recommended Coleen Rooney to resume evidence in Rebekah Vardy court battle - live ‘Putin likely to have lost third of troops in Ukraine’ – follow live The difference is largely due to soaring energy bills, with the price cap increasing by £693 for the typical … [Read more...] about Poorest ‘face almost 11% inflation’ as energy bills fuel cost-of-living squeeze

Children are suffering from food poisoning because parents are turning off fridges to save money , staff at a food bank say. Truro Food Bank in Cornwall said it had been told that other appliances were also not being used to save electricity as the cost of living crisis deepens. Staff said they knew of some children going to school in unwashed clothes as people used washing machines less. The government said £22bn was being made available for support nationwide. Truro Food Bank manager Simon Fann said demand had increased with contributions decreasing. He said: "We have had reports of children having upset stomachs or in worst cases food poisoning because some parents are turning their fridges and freezers off overnight." Truro Food Bank manager Simon Fann said demand had increased with contributions decreasing ( Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror) "The level of need we're experiencing is now going up and outstripping the donations we're getting at the … [Read more...] about Children getting food poisoning as parents turn off fridges to save amid soaring bills

Appearing on CBS News’ Face the Nation on April 14, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Newtown families have told him they know the bill he and Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) have crafted would not have prevented the heinous crime at Sandy Hook Elementary. In other words, Manchin’s expanded background check “compromise” bill, being pushed in response to Newtown, does not do anything that would have stopped the Newtown tragedy from happening. Manchin said the families to whom he’s spoken just keep urging him to do something in hopes that somewhere down the road new gun control legislation will “prevent one family from…going through what [Newtown] families went through.” Senator Toomey was also on Face the Nation. And he said: “I acknowledge, there’s no single bill that is a panacea for [gun crime], nothing guarantees that a committed criminal isn’t going to find a way to get a gun.” Connecticut had the 5th most stringent gun control laws in the nation when Adam Lanza committed his … [Read more...] about Manchin: Gun Control Bill Wouldn’t Have Stopped Newtown

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Several state legislators won't be returning to the North Carolina General Assembly next January after primary losses, while former lawmakers had mixed results in trying to get back to the House or Senate. At least six incumbents — four Republicans and two Democrats — lost in Tuesday's primaries for seats in their current chamber. Three of those sitting Republicans ran against fellow GOP incumbents who lived in the same district due to redistricting changes. As of Wednesday, the Associated Press had not called a similar head-to-head race between two Senate Republicans. Two Senate Democrats — Sens. Kirk deViere and Ernestine Bazemore — and Republican Rep. Pat Hurley — also lost primaries for their seats. In addition, two current House members — Democrat Raymond Smith and Republican Lee Zachary — failed to win Senate primaries. Each attempted to make the jump … [Read more...] about Several incumbents lose N. Carolina legislative primaries

The hotel name Zoetry (in Zoetry Montego Bay Jamaica) has an umlaut mark over the letter “e.” For some travelers, all-inclusive hotels conjure up images of flavorless food served under a heat lamp in lush and vibrant destinations where guests never actually leave the resort grounds. Lower-tier liquor flows freely (the good stuff will cost you more), as the few overindulgers put a damper on the trip. That image is changing, as hotel companies expand their offerings, while redefining what all-inclusive means. HOTELS ARE GROWING THEIR ALL-INCLUSIVE BRANDS Many hotel companies are rapidly adding all-inclusive resorts to their portfolio. Hyatt’s acquisition of Apple Leisure Group in November 2021 made it one of the largest owners of luxury all-inclusive resorts in the world. That acquisition included the luxury-focused AMR Collection, which has beachfront properties in Mexico and Central America. That means there are now more than 100 new resorts for visitors (and where World of … [Read more...] about 2022 is the year of all-inclusive travel, and here’s why

After inflation hit a 40-year high of 9 per cent today, Conservative MPs, including some ministers, are again pointing the finger of blame at the Bank of England and its governor Andrew Bailey for raising interest rates too slowly. Worryingly, some senior Tories are even raising the question of whether the Bank should lose its operational independence on monetary policy,  threatening the 25-year consensus since Gordon Brown ceded the politicians’ control of interest rates to the Bank. Liam Fox, the former cabinet minister, argues the Bank should stick to its “day job” of hitting the government’s 2 per cent inflation target, rather than worrying about political matters such as climate change (though Rishi Sunak added that to the Bank’s mandate last year). Fox said : “There is a distinct feeling that those who should be protecting us from the debasement of our currency, the erosion of our earnings and the devaluation of our savings, have had their minds too much … [Read more...] about Giving the government control over interest rates would be a disaster

After a crowded primary night, some of North Carolina and Pennsylvania ’s races are still too close to call this morning. Former president Donald Trump saw many of his preferred candidates triumph in both states, but others flopped or are in races that are too tight to call; we can expect plenty of arguments about who triumphed and who truly lost. Meanwhile in some races, progressive and moderate Democrats duked it out while in others, the field was clear. Here are some of the top takeaways from the events of last night. Firstly, it’s clear that while Trump’s endorsement helps, it isn’t a guarantee. As of Wednesday, it is still too early to determine whether Dr Mehmet Oz , the former television host that Trump endorsed, won or lost the Senate primary in Pennsylvania. But the fact that the ex-president’s backing failed to slingshot him far ahead of the pack shows that a Trump endorsement won’t override reservations conservatives have about a candidate – as many did with Dr Oz, … [Read more...] about From Madison Cawthorn to Dr Oz, who really won and lost on Trump’s big primary night

Tenants are staying put for longer rather than being potentially hit with record rents by moving elsewhere, research from a property website suggests. The average monthly rent being advertised across Britain (excluding London) was a record £1,088 in the first quarter of 2022, marking an 11% annual increase, Rightmove said. In London , average asking rents have shot up by 14% annually to £2,195 per calendar month. There are also more than triple the number of tenants inquiring as there are rental properties available, making the market highly competitive, according to the website. The lack of stock stems from longer tenancies, coupled with demand from people who had previously put plans temporarily on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, it suggested. Recommended Coleen Rooney to resume evidence in Rebekah Vardy court battle - live ‘Putin likely to have lost third of troops in Ukraine’ – follow live The Royal Institution of … [Read more...] about Tenants staying put for longer as rents rocket

The U.S. has now reached the once unthinkable toll of 1 million deaths from COVID-19 . How could this happen in the wealthiest country in the world? In a word, because of poverty—and the policy choices that perpetuate it. Our task now is to make different choices. Americans across the country have suffered during this pandemic. But new research by the Poor People's Campaign strongly suggests the poor and low-income have suffered the most. Even controlling for vaccination rates, they found that COVID-19 death rates in poorer U.S. counties were nearly double those in wealthier counties. During the deadliest phases of the pandemic, it rose to five times as many. White Americans still make up the largest share of America's poor and those who've died from COVID-19. But Black, Hispanic and Indigenous Americans are significantly overrepresented in America's poorest counties, and COVID-19 casualty rates run significantly higher for many communities of color. Poor Americans are … [Read more...] about One million COVID-19 deaths is a searing indictment of inequality in America | Opinion

A woman in California gouged the eyes of a mountain lion as it attacked her pet dog, which had just saved her from the predator. The attack took place at around 3 p.m on Monday in Trinity County, according to wildlife officials. The woman, Eva Wilson, who lives in a rural part of the county, was taking the dog for a walk alongside the Trinity River. But the peaceful walk quickly turned into horrific ordeal when a mountain lion pounced on her, resulting in an injury to her left shoulder, according to a statement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Wilson screamed for her dog—a Belgian Malinois named Eva—who was standing a few yards away. The dog came running to defend her owner by attacking the cougar. But the much larger cat managed to grab the dog by the head in its jaws. "They fought for a couple seconds, and then I heard her start crying. That's when the cat latched on to her skull," Wilson told The Sacramento Bee . The woman tried to do … [Read more...] about Woman gouged mountain lion’s eyes as it attacked her ‘hero’ dog