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Labour’s Tax Rises Will ‘Largely’ Fall On Working People, Leading Economists Say

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Working people will end up paying for Rachel Reeves’ huge tax hike, according to a leading think tank.

The chancellor unveiled a plan to raise a record-breaking £40bn in her Budget today, but maintained that she had stuck to her promise not to bring back austerity.

Labour also claims to have honoured their manifesto pledge not to increase taxes for “working people”.

Although that exact definition is still not clear, the government said they would not put up the income tax, VAT or National Insurance that they pay.

However, Reeves did raise the NI rate paid by for employers to 15% from April next year.

According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, three-quarters of the impact of that will be felt by employees through lower wage rises.

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) director Paul Johnson said: “Somebody will pay for the higher taxes – largely working people.”

Johnson also issued a warning about the way the chancellor had “front-loaded” the government’s spending plans over the next five years.

“A government splashing the cash in the short term and promising to be more austere in future? Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before,” he said.

He added: “The challenge will be to make sure the money is spent well enough to make those costs worth bearing.”

Accountancy outsourcing specialists Advancetrack said the increase to employers’ NICs is a “big blow to UK businesses of all sizes who are already grappling with a range of escalating costs”.

Meanwhile, accountancy firm Menzies LLP warned that this Budget was focused on “quick fixes rather than meaningful reform”.

European Movement UK CEO and former Lib Dem minister, Sir Nick Harvey, suggested there was something missing from the Budget: Brexit.

“The chancellor can tinker around the edges, but addressing the economic damage done by Brexit must become a priority,” he said.

Social mobility charity Sutton Trust thought it was educational support that was lacking from the Budget, saying: “The government has clearly identified the need to increase the national minimum wage due to cost of living pressures, so why does student maintenance remain inadequate?”

Meanwhile, Generation Rent’s chief executive Ben Twomey said: “The lack of clear support for the half of renters who don’t have savings and are really struggling is a big concern.”

Resolution Foundation’s interim chief executive Mike Brewer said the Budget engages with the country’s economic challenges – but it’s only the “first step of what will be needed”.

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How Technology Will Change The Future Of Stroke Diagnosis And Treatment

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Anyone who has an Apple Watch or an equivalent will tell you it’s made them more acutely aware of their health. With features such as heart rate and rhythmn detection, fall detection and even medical ID included, wearable health technology gives users a real-time idea of their wellbeing.

Now, Nirave Gondhia, founder of House of Tech has said that he believes the lasting legacy of Apple will be the Watch.

In an article for Digital Trends, Gondhia said: “The Apple Watch is the most important device that Apple sells right now.

“Of all the products on Apple’s shelves, it’s the one that markedly improves your life. There’s a suite of health features that could save your life, including high and low-heart-rate notifications, EKG, fall detection, and blood pressure monitoring.”

He also added: “The suite of Apple Health features available today is already incredibly strong. Looking down the road for the next few year, it only stands to get better.”

Medical experts are also excited for the future of digital technology for health

Neurosurgeon Richard D. Fessler M.D said: “Wearable technology can look for possible stroke risk factors, such as sleep apnoea, that may be affecting a patient without them realising it — something that an annual check-up would never detect.

“And it can constantly monitor things like body temperature that, when elevated, may trigger a stroke. The patient’s provider has access to all of the information gathered by the wearable, and can reach out to the patient if they see anything that needs to be addressed.”

Dr. Anne Lepetit, Chief Medical Officer at Bupa said: “The potential for digital healthcare to transform stroke prevention and recovery has never been clearer.

“Wearable devices connected to health apps can track vital signs in real-time, analysing trends and flagging risk patterns, so you can take preventative action. Remote consultations make it easier for patients to access expert advice, and personalised health programmes to help patients stay engaged with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, that lower stroke risk.”

Hopefully, these revelations will make wearable tech more accessible and affordable to patients.

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I Just Learned Why Horror Movies Make So Much Money And I Had No Clue

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I’m not someone who enjoys, or even knows how to enjoy, horror.

So to think that some titles can creep close to a billion dollars in box office sales is pretty wild to me ― but they can, and do.

In a recent episode of insider showbiz podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, co-host Marina Hyde said it’s Hollywood’s “most successful genre bar none,” adding that a third of the 50 most profitable (not highest-grossing, but best return on investment) movies in Hollywood history are horror.

Even I can accept that some people like the spooky scenes I so loathe ― but why is horror such a money-maker when people love action, comedy, and romance too?

Part of it has to do with production costs

Marina mentioned The Blair Witch Project, which mainly used “found footage” (video shot from one of the actors’ camcorders), and Paranormal Activity, which made use of CCTV clips.

Blumhouse, a big-name horror production company, are “ruthless” with their budget and don’t want to really go over $20 million, the journalist said.

“Horror is thriving, really thriving,” Marina added, suggesting that fans of the genre will drop a bit more dosh than, say, a rom-com lover.

“Audiences go to cinemas for horror… Horror fans want to see stuff in theatres, she said, later adding: “People want to be scared together.”

Then, there are the casts to consider ― you’re simply less likely to see a high-budget A-lister in a horror, meaning you can save on actors’ salaries.

Blumhouse movies “don’t have big stars,” for instance, Marina’s co-host Richard Osman said. “You don’t need to be spending $25 million on actors.”

After all, what truly makes a movie scary ― mystery, suspense, scary noises, and dim screens ― aren’t exactly budget-busters.

Anything else?

The American Film Market crunched the numbers on horror movies and said that while “on average, documentaries stay in theatres for almost 5 weeks… horror movies are gone in half that time.”

They add that “What this means in practice is that horror films are much more reliant on their opening weekend to make money than other genres, and therefore much more reliant on good marketing, and a measure of luck.”

Still, they say, horror seems to be the most profitable ― bad news for me personally, but great news for studio execs.

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Noticing This While Walking May Be An Early Sign Of Dementia

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You may already know that shuffling your feet while walking can be an early sign of dementia, affecting someone’s ability to, say, go up the stairs.

But scientists may have identified another possible early symptom that shows up in your stride.

A 2022 study, published in JAMA Network Open, didn’t look at walking on its own; they compared older people’s hiking styles to their memory.

The changes in walking didn’t mean much without a decline in certain cognitive skills, they say.

But those who notice differences in their walk alongside cognitive changes, referred to by the study as “dual decliners,” had a higher risk of developing dementia than the rest of the participants.

How did it work?

Researchers looked at data from 16,855 older participants in Australia and the US.

They examined gait speed in two-year intervals across seven years, and again in the final year.

They also looked at cognitive changes (in memory, verbal fluency, mental processing speed, and “global” cognition) at years 0, 1, 3, 5, and at the close-out of the test.

They found that people who both saw a slowing of their walking speed and a decline in their cognitive ability (especially memory) were far more likely to have dementia.

“Association between domains, such as processing speed and verbal fluency, with gait have been explained by the crossover in the underlying networks or pathology,” the paper says.

It continues, “Of domains examined, the combination of decline in gait speed with memory had the strongest association with dementia risk. These findings support the inclusion of gait speed in dementia risk screening assessments.”

Does this mean walking more slowly over time is a dementia sign?

No ― again, it was only relevant when paired with cognitive changes.

If you suspect dementia in yourself or a loved one, the NHS advises you to see a GP as soon as possible.

Bringing up the topic with a loved one can be hard, they say, so be sure you approach the topic gently, in a situation they’re familiar with, and without rushing.

“A diagnosis of dementia can also help people with these symptoms, and their families and friends, make plans so they’re prepared for the future,” they add.

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JD Vance Declines To Label Russia’s Vladimir Putin An ‘Enemy’ Of The US

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Senator JD Vance (Republican, Ohio) would not concede that Vladimir Putin is an “enemy” of the United States during an interview broadcast on Sunday, claiming that the country needs to be strategic about the way it speaks about the Russian president.

The Republican vice presidential nominee told NBC’s Meet The Press Putin is “clearly an adversary” and a “competitor,” but suggested it would be wrong to antagonise him by using stronger language against him that could hinder diplomacy efforts when it comes to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Well, we’re not in a war with him, and I don’t want to be in a war with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. I think that we should try to pursue avenues of peace,” he said.

Vance noted the US “obviously” has “adversarial interests” with Russia.

“We can condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and I have, and of course the president has. But we also need to engage in some smart diplomacy if we’re ever going to get out of the mess that [Vice President] Kamala Harris has left us in and get back to a posture of peace,” he continued.

Former President Donald Trump has blamed both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Joe Biden for the war breaking out. He has also said negotiating a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine would be one of his first orders of business as president-elect if he secures reelection.

Trump has also criticised the Biden administration’s efforts to continue sending assistance to Kyiv, while reportedly maintaining a cozy relationship with Putin, fuelling concern among Democratic lawmakers and US allies about the future of US aid to Ukraine in the event that he wins in November. The two men allegedly spoke on the phone several times since he left office, and Trump reportedly sent Putin Covid tests for his “personal use” in 2020, according to journalist Bob Woodward’s new book War.

While Trump’s campaign has denied the allegations contained in the book, the former president refused to answer whether he has spoken to Putin since January 2021.

“I don’t comment on that,” Trump told Bloomberg’s editor-in-chief John Micklethwait earlier this month. “But I will tell you that if I did, it’s a smart thing. If I’m friendly with people, if I can have a relationship with people, that’s a good thing and not a bad thing in terms of a country.”

Meanwhile, in the NBC interview, Vance insisted that the US would remain in the NATO military alliance under a Trump presidency.

But he also went on to say Americans “can’t be the policemen of the world,” claiming some NATO members, including Germany, need to spend more on defense, echoing Trump’s words.

“I think a very significant difference between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is Kamala Harris would like to use our tax dollars and our troops to subsidise Europeans not taking care of their own security,” Vance said. “Donald Trump wants Europe to step up big time to become a real ally of the United States and not just a dependent.”

This year, Germany met NATO’s target for members to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence spending for the first time since the end of the Cold War in response to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, according to Reuters.

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