Budget

More than half of Britons holidaying abroad in 2022 are expecting to put more cash towards their spending at resorts this year. Some 53% of people plan to have a foreign holiday this year, up from 43% who said this in 2021. Nearly six in 10 (59%) families are expecting to travel overseas this year, the Post Office Travel Money report indicated. Among those expecting to travel abroad this year, 54% are planning to increase their budget for resort spending. Recommended By-elections show voters have run out of patience with Boris Johnson Nearly a quarter (23%) plan to spend money they saved during the Covid-19 lockdowns. But a significant proportion (24%) of those planning trips abroad said they will be cutting their holiday budget because they have less money to spend, rising to more than three in 10 (31%) of families. Researchers also found that seven in 10 (70%) people who set a budget on their last overseas holiday ended up busting it. On … [Read more...] about Sun, sea and spend: Holidaymakers expect to increase resort budgets this year

The free food grain for poor scheme PM-GKAY should not be extended beyond September as it could strain government finances, the Expenditure Department has said. The Department also said the high food security cover has already "created a serious fiscal situation" and is not needed in non-pandemic times. In March, the government extended the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) scheme for another six months i.e., till September 2022. The government has spent approximately ₹2.60 lakh crore till March and another ₹80,000 crore will be spent till September 2022, taking the total expenditure under PM-GKAY to nearly ₹3.40 lakh crore. The scheme covers nearly 80 crore beneficiaries. In its monthly report, the Department cited the adverse financial position of the Centre and said that recent decisions on continuation of PMGKAY, a huge increase in fertiliser subsidy burden (both urea and non-urea), re-introduction of subsidy on cooking gas, reduction of excise duty on … [Read more...] about Extending free food grain for poor scheme beyond September not advisable on fiscal ground: Expenditure Department

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced a 10% “super tax” on large-scale industries like cement, steel and automobiles, a move he said was aimed at tackling spiralling inflation and saving the cash-strapped country from going "bankrupt." High net worth individuals will also be subject to a "poverty alleviation tax," Mr. Sharif announced after chairing a meeting of his economic team on the federal budget for the next fiscal year 2022-23. “Our first motive is to provide relief to the masses and to reduce the burden of inflation on the people and facilitate them,” Mr. Sharif said in a video message to the nation. “Our second motive is to protect the country from going bankrupt," he said, adding that it has been devastated due to the "incompetency and corruption" of the previous Imran Khan-led government. The sectors on which this “super tax” will be levied include cement, steel, sugar, oil and gas, fertilisers, LNG terminals, textile, banking, automobile, … [Read more...] about Pakistan PM Sharif announces 10% ‘super tax’ on large-scale industries

PETALING JAYA: A short video produced by Malaysian visual effects content creator Mohamad Sofian Abdullah and starring actor Ryan Reynolds has received a mention by the Hollywood star on Twitter. “I think this sets an unfair standard for 4-minute junket interviews,” wrote Reynolds on Monday, retweeting Sofian’s original video. The 54-second video starring Reynolds is a special content Sofian made after a Zoom meeting with the star during the promotion of his Netflix movie The Adam Project. “It was an exciting moment, but also nerve-wracking,” Sofian said of his chance to direct Reynolds, adding that it was challenging as he couldn’t review the footage immediately. “Going in, I thought it doesn’t matter what happens at the meeting. “It’s up to me to come up with a solution if there’s a problem,” said the Kelantan-born, who moved to Kuala Lumpur four years ago. According to Sofian, who turns 26 in November, he submitted the storyline a month before the actual date of the Zoom … [Read more...] about Sofian making his mark with video starring Reynolds

Actors Aditya Roy Kapur and Mrunal Thakur’s upcoming crime thriller film has been titled “Gumraah”, the makers announced on Tuesday. The movie is the the Hindi remake of the 2019 Tamil hit “Thadam”, which featured Arun Vijay and Vidya Pradeep. Based on true events, the crime thriller features Aditya Roy Kapur will be seen in a double role for the very first time in two completely different avatars and Mrunal Thakur will be seen playing a Cop. This thriller film will showcase an intense face-off between Aditya Roy Kapur and Mrunal Thakur. Aditya Roy Kapur has completed the first schedule of the movie and will begin the second schedule on Tuesday along with Mrunal Thakur who has kick started the second schedule in Mumbai and Ronit Roy will be joining the shoot soon. Helmed by debutant director Vardhan Ketkar the film is being produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series and Murad Khetani’s Cine1 Studios. Meanwhile, Mrunal was last seen in Shahid Kapoor-starrer Jersey, which failed to do … [Read more...] about Aditya Roy Kapur And Mrunal Thakur’s Crime Thriller Titled ‘Gumraah’

JugJugg Jeeyo is finally here. The film hit theatres on July 24 and received a positive response from both, the audience and the critics. It also registered a decent start at the box office. As per the trade analyst Taran Adarsh, JugJugg Jeeyo earned Rs 9.28 crore on its opening day. While the film saw a slow start in the morning, the evening shows saw a jump in theatre occupancy. With the weekend ahead, the earnings of the film are expected to rise. “#JugJuggJeeyo opens on expected lines: Gathers speed in evening, after a lacklustre start in morning… Plexes of #Mumbai [select locations], #Delhi, #NCR very good… Mass pockets dull… Growth on Day 2 and 3 essential… Fri ₹ 9.28 cr. India biz,” the trade analyst wrote. #JugJuggJeeyo opens on expected lines: Gathers speed in evening, after a lacklustre start in morning… Plexes of #Mumbai [select locations], #Delhi , #NCR very good… Mass pockets dull… Growth on Day 2 and 3 essential… Fri ₹ 9.28 cr. India biz. … [Read more...] about JugJugg Jeeyo Box Office Day 1: Varun, Kiara Starrer Registers a Decent Start, Earns Rs 9.28 Cr

Consumer expert Martin Lewis has said he was turned down for a peerage - as he was too busy. The MoneySavingExpert revealed that he applied for a place in the House of Lords but said he had been "honest" that he might not have time to attend many debates. In an interview with the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, Mr Lewis said he was recently grilled by the House of Lords Appointments Commission over his bid for a crossbench peerage. But he said he told the commission he was "very busy" with his role as a consumer champion and looking after his daughter. Mr Lewis has become a formidable critic of the Government's efforts to tackle the cost of living crisis as pressures mount on household budgets. Money Saving Expert's Martin Lewis has been challenging the Government over the cost of living crisis ( Image: PA) But he said: "I never attack the Tories, I attack the policies of the Government." Mr Lewis told the podcast he was a member of the Liberal Democrats … [Read more...] about Martin Lewis says he was rejected by House of Lords as he was too busy

Air in urban Britain is filthy . Sometimes it can feel almost like breathing through the fug of second-hand smoke in a pre-smoking-ban boozer. It is the cause of asthma in children and a host of other respiratory complaints. It is deleterious to health generally. We really need to clean up. Councils have sought to do this by restricting, even banning, cars – particularly in streets near schools around pick-up and drop-off times in an attempt to discourage school run snarl-ups. This is not just with a view to cleaning up the air, or the fact that walking is good exercise when childhood obesity is a problem. The roads around schools can sometimes look like a fresh reboot of Mad Max . The sight of parents cussing each other, even coming to blows, is something we could do without. Proponents of such schemes often point to how nice car-free cities can be – Copenhagen is often cited – once people get used to the idea. There is academic research in their favour too. … [Read more...] about ‘Traffic-free’ is a marvellous idea – unless you’re disabled

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday instructed Forest Department officials from the rank of Principal Secretary to District Forest Officers to move out of their offices and stay in forests for 15 days in a month. The Chief Minister was speaking at a function to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Karnataka State Forest Development Corporation Ltd. headed by Tara Anuradha. “Senior officials sit rooted in Bengaluru. You are not coming out of your offices. Go to the forests, stay there for 15 days in a month. It will boost the morale of other personnel of the department. It will send the message that the senior officials are engaged in protecting the forests,” Mr. Bommai instructed officials at the event. No eucalyptus, acacia Mr. Bommai asked officials to work more vigorously to improve the forest cover in the State from the present 23% to at least 30% over the next five years. He suggested a change in the objectives of the corporation. “There is no need to focus on … [Read more...] about Forest Department officials asked to stay in forests for 15 days in a month

“India loses an estimated 5% to 7% of its GDP annually due to losses incurred from corrosion-related damages,” Gurmeet Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University, said. During a recently organised public lecture on “Electrochemistry in daily life”, Mr. Singh, who has specialised in corrosion and smart materials, also noted that households could save up to 30% of their budget if corrosion-related damages are controlled scientifically. Pointing out that “any unwanted decay” or, to put it another way, “losing electrons” was corrosion, the Vice-Chancellor said no pure metal could be immune to corrosion as they tend to decay naturally, unless stored in vacuum. “Therefore, every material is liable to get corroded as soon as it is exposed to air. Hence, protecting the metals from corrosion needs a basic understanding of science,” he said. According to Mr. Singh, several expenditures appear to be recurring, but with the appropriate usage of anodic and cathodic components, these … [Read more...] about Corrosion a heavy drain on GDP, says PU Vice-Chancellor