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Tech
Microsoft and Alphabet Earnings Split the AI Trade: Cloud Growth Meets a Cash Test
Microsoft and Alphabet earnings split the AI trade on 29 October 2026. Microsoft beat forecasts as Azure grew 48%, while Alphabet fell after negative free cash flow despite Google Cloud doubling. The contrast put cloud growth and cash generation on opposite sides of the same investment debate. Quick Reference CompanyHeadline resultCloud signalInvestor focusMicrosoftBeat forecastsAzure grew 48%Cloud growthAlphabetShares fellGoogle Cloud doublingNegative…
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U.K News / US News
Ofcom Sets Out Four Age Checks for UK Under-16 Social Media Ban
Ofcom has set out how age checks for the UK’s planned under-16 social media ban could work, after publishing a rapid assessment on Thursday, 29 October 2026. The regulator says four methods could be highly effective at showing whether a user is aged 16 or over, while warning that no system will stop every child from getting around the rules.…
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U.K News / US News
UK Defence Spending to Reach 3% of GDP by 2030 as Healey Sets Out NATO Funding Path
The UK will aim to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, Chancellor John Healey confirmed in his first Budget on Wednesday 28 October 2026, setting a target date for a pledge that had previously been promised without a firm timetable. The announcement, made in the House of Commons, also restated Britain’s NATO commitment to spend 3.5% of GDP…
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Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates at 3.75–4% in 10–2 Vote as December Hike Odds Climb
The Federal Reserve holds interest rates at 3.75% to 4% after its meeting on Wednesday 28 October 2026 in Washington, pausing one month after its first rate rise in three years. The decision keeps borrowing costs unchanged while inflation stays above the central bank’s 2% target, and it sets up a closely watched meeting on 8–9 December 2026 as the…
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U.K News / US News
UK Budget 2026 Energy Payment: £100 for 20 Million Households as Bank Surcharge Rises
Chancellor John Healey announced a £100 Household Energy Payment for about 20 million households in his first Budget on Wednesday 28 October 2026, funded in part by a temporary rise in the bank surcharge. The payment, worth £2.6 billion in total, will go to households in council tax bands A to D and will be paid directly into bank accounts.…
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Trump’s £7.5 Billion BBC Lawsuit at Risk as Judge Sets November 23 Documents Deadline
Donald Trump’s £7.5 billion ($10 billion) defamation lawsuit against the BBC is at risk of dismissal after a Miami judge warned that his legal team must produce the documents requested in the case by 23 November. The warning puts the Trump BBC lawsuit on a tight timetable, with a privilege log also due by 5 November. The case, brought in…
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UK Graduate Visa Stays at Two Years for High-Compliance Universities After Budget 2026
Chancellor John Healey used his first Budget on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, to soften one of the most closely watched changes facing international students in Britain. The UK Graduate visa will be set at two years for graduates of high-compliance universities where there are strong labour market outcomes, rather than falling to 18 months for everyone. The announcement lands just…
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RAJAR Q3 2026: UK Radio Listening Hits All-Time High at 51 Million
UK radio listening has reached a new record in RAJAR Q3 2026, with 51 million people listening each week, up 2% year on year, according to RadioToday. Global puts the all-time high at 51.2 million adults a week, or 87% of the population, with listeners tuning in for more than 20 hours a week on average. Digital listening continued to…
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UK Vehicle Production Jumps 36.3% in September as Factories Rebound From Cyber-Hit Year
Britain’s vehicle factories staged a sharp recovery in September 2026, with total vehicle production rising 36.3% year on year to 74,031 units, according to figures published on Thursday, 29 October 2026 by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The jump, the strongest growth since August 2022, was driven largely by a weak comparison: output in September 2025 had…
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U.K News / US News
Sizewell C Called a ‘Terrible Deal’ for Taxpayers as MPs Warn Costs Could Hit £48bn
The Sizewell C taxpayer deal came under fierce attack on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, when MPs on the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) called the Suffolk nuclear plant’s financing a terrible deal for the UK taxpayer. The committee warned that the cost of the Sizewell C reactor could spiral to almost £48 billion, leaving billpayers to carry billions…
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