Tourism, hospitality, retail, farming and housing representatives in Devon and Cornwall gave mixed responses to the Budget. They welcomed some household support and business rates relief but raised concerns about staffing costs, limited support for rural industries and taxes affecting farmers and landlords.
Key Facts
The Budget included a one-off £100 Household Energy Payment for people in council tax bands A to D in England, funded by an extra tax on banks.
The government extended a VAT cut on electricity bills and a freeze on fuel duty until July.
Devon is due to get an elected mayor in 2028, while Cornwall was named as the only area on a pathway to become a Foundation Strategic Authority.
The business rates threshold for high street shops in England will rise from £12,000 to £18,000; a Cornwall Chamber of Commerce representative estimated the change could benefit about 900 more businesses in Cornwall.
The legal minimum wage is due to rise by 3.9% in April. A Cornwall tourism representative said businesses had cut staff because of costs.
A Cornwall farmer said the Budget made no change to inheritance tax on farming assets worth more than £2.5 million, which face a 20% rate.
A mortgage services executive pointed to a proposed First Time Buyer ISA, with a 25% government bonus on annual contributions of up to £4,000, and raised concerns about higher taxes for landlords.
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Finnish police have opened a criminal investigation into possible environmental law breaches tied to forest clearing and drainage for a planned Google datacentre in Muhos. Authorities previously ordered work paused at the Muhos and Otanmäki sites because environmental impact assessments had not been completed before land was cleared.
Key Facts
Authorities allege that Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary, cleared and drained 330 hectares of forest at the Muhos site before required environmental assessments were complete.
Police said the investigation will examine possible shortcomings in drainage and water management at the construction site.
Earlier this month, Finland’s Supervisory Agency ordered Google to halt preparatory work affecting the environment at sites in Muhos and Otanmäki.
Campaigners estimate that 250,000 trees were cut at Muhos and 150,000 at Otanmäki.
Google Finland country manager Antti Järvinen apologized for the forest clearing and said the company acted on its understanding of the law at the time.
Finnish authorities are considering applications for 145 datacentres at different planning stages.
Google has described its planned €13 billion Finnish artificial intelligence infrastructure project as its largest investment in Europe.
More than 93,000 people have signed a petition calling for tighter datacentre regulation and compensation for environmental damage.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia from his role as the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s strategy, planning and policy chief, according to reports. The article says the Pentagon has not announced a successor or publicly explained the decision, which comes amid other senior military departures and plans to reduce the number of generals and admirals.
Key Facts
Sylvia, a former 101st Airborne Division commander, served as the Joint Chiefs’ strategy, planning and policy chief, known as the J5.
The Associated Press reported Sylvia’s removal; an anonymous source told ABC News it was due to a lack of confidence.
The Joint Chiefs’ spokesperson thanked Sylvia and his family for more than three decades of service.
The article says Lieutenant General Joseph McGee previously held the J5 role and left it a little over a year earlier.
Hegseth said last month that he would cut one-fifth of U.S. generals and admirals by the start of 2027.
The article lists the departures of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and Air Force Vice Chief Gen. James Slife in February 2025.
The article reports that the Trump administration is weighing whether to resume military operations against Iran.
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A train crash in Spain’s Toledo province on Wednesday killed 69 people, the country’s second deadly rail crash this year. The crash has hurt Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s campaign ahead of a national election and renewed claims that the government has underinvested in rail infrastructure.
Key Facts
The crash occurred in Toledo province on Wednesday.
The accident killed 69 people.
It was Spain’s second deadly train crash this year.
The crash happened nine months after another deadly crash on the same rail line.
Experts and members of the public have accused Sánchez’s government of underinvesting in railway infrastructure.
The accusations come after years of rapid expansion of Spain’s rail network.
Spain began three days of mourning after the crash.
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A Gallup poll found that more than half of respondents said they were more enthusiastic than usual about voting in this year’s midterm elections. Thirty percent said they were less enthusiastic, while 11 percent said their enthusiasm was about the same.
Key Facts
The survey was conducted by Gallup.
Fifty-six percent of respondents said they were more enthusiastic than usual about voting.
Thirty percent said they were less enthusiastic than usual about voting.
Eleven percent said their enthusiasm was about the same as usual.
The poll asked about enthusiasm for voting in this year’s midterm elections.
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President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama campaigned for their parties on Wednesday, less than a week before U.S. midterm elections. Voters will decide control of Congress, with analysts favoring Democrats in the House and viewing the Senate race as close.
Key Facts
Trump and Obama were not candidates in the election but took prominent roles on the campaign trail.
The congressional elections are scheduled for next Tuesday.
Thirty-five of the 100 Senate seats are being contested.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are being contested.
Nonpartisan analysts generally favor Democrats to win a House majority.
Analysts view the contest for control of the Senate as very close.
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France is considering raising the minimum wage one month earlier than planned and adding an extra increase. The government is weighing the move as it seeks to ease cost-of-living concerns before demonstrations planned for the weekend.
Key Facts
The minimum wage increase was scheduled for January 1, 2027.
Officials are considering moving the increase to December 2026.
The government is also considering an additional boost to the increase.
The proposals come ahead of planned weekend demonstrations over the cost of living.
The government says it is seeking ways to calm social unrest.
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Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation into Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign after reports that it appeared to help recruit a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who shares a name with Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The order followed President Donald Trump’s call for Peltola’s criminal prosecution and his direction to the Justice Department to sue to block certification of the election if the other Sullivan remains on the ballot.
Key Facts
Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation into Peltola’s Senate campaign.
The investigation concerns reports that Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has the same name as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.
President Donald Trump called for Peltola and her campaign to face criminal prosecution.
Trump directed the Justice Department to sue to block certification of the election.
Trump said Alaska should be prevented from certifying a Peltola victory if Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. remains on the ballot.
The Senate race is among several contests expected to help determine control of the chamber.
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U.S. gross domestic product grew at a 3.4 percent annual rate from July through September, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The article says continued investment in artificial intelligence and consumer spending supported growth despite persistent inflation.
Key Facts
The BEA reported preliminary third-quarter GDP growth of 3.4 percent at an annual rate.
The reporting period ran from July through September.
The article links growth to continued investment in artificial intelligence.
Consumers continued spending despite persistent inflation.
The data came from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
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The article says high mortgage rates and weak home sales have kept the U.S. housing market slow in 2026, adding to voters’ concerns about the cost of living ahead of the midterm elections. Surveys cited in the article show broad concern about housing costs and suggest that housing affordability could influence how some people vote.
Key Facts
Realtor.com economist Joel Berner described the U.S. housing market as being in hibernation, with several years of very low sales.
Freddie Mac reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7.32 percent on October 22, compared with 6.19 percent a year earlier.
The article says mortgage rates rose above 7 percent after briefly falling below 6 percent for one week in late February.
The National Association of Realtors reported a September median existing-home price of $417,500, up 1.3 percent from a year earlier.
September existing-home sales were down 2.2 percent from the same month in 2025, while housing inventory reached 1.60 million units.
A Pew Research Center survey found that 66 percent of U.S. adults were very concerned about housing costs.
In the Pew survey, concern about housing costs was reported by 76 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 53 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
A Hometap survey of 1,000 homeowners found that 77 percent said a candidate's plan to lower homeownership costs would affect their vote.
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France 24’s Perspective program examines a deadly train collision in Spain that killed at least 68 people on Wednesday. The program features Nicholas Kingsley, executive editor of Railway Gazette International, discussing questions raised by the crash.
Key Facts
The collision happened in Spain on Wednesday.
At least 68 people died in the collision.
France 24 published the program on October 29, 2026.
The report is part of the Perspective program.
Nicholas Kingsley, executive editor of Railway Gazette International, joined the program.
The segment focuses on questions raised by the collision.
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The article examines scrutiny of Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s faith and family as he campaigns against Republican Mike Rogers. El-Sayed denies ever belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, while reporting cited in the article describes his mother’s former workplace and old social media posts by his half-sister; the article says his mother was not accused of wrongdoing.
Key Facts
El-Sayed is a Democrat running against Republican Mike Rogers for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan.
If elected, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim U.S. senator, according to the article.
President Donald Trump and Rogers have highlighted El-Sayed’s identity in campaign speeches.
El-Sayed said he has never been and will never be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sayed’s mother, Fatten Elkomy, worked as a nurse for the Islamic American Relief Agency in Missouri.
Federal authorities raided the agency in 2004; the Treasury and Justice departments shut it down that year for violating sanctions and aiding al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
The article says Elkomy was not accused of wrongdoing.
El-Sayed’s half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, posted years ago that their mother had been involved with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
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A New York Times/Siena poll shows Democrat Annie Andrews and Republican incumbent Darline Graham tied at 48% in South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race. Other recent polls also show a close contest, though most give Graham a narrow lead.
Key Facts
South Carolina has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998.
Donald Trump won South Carolina by nearly 18 points in 2024.
Graham was appointed to the Senate seat after her brother, Lindsey Graham, died in July, and entered the race at Trump’s urging.
In an August debate, Graham said she was “not that informed on national security” when asked about U.S. policy toward Taiwan.
In the New York Times/Siena poll, 51% of voters said Graham lacked the right experience to be an effective senator.
Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston, supports a public option and lower prescription drug prices, but opposes Medicare for All.
Independent voters in the poll favored Andrews over Graham, 57% to 37%.
A South Carolina Policy Council survey gave Graham a one-point lead, within the poll’s margin of error.
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At least 69 people died when a Renfe high-speed train rear-ended a stopped Iryo train near Toledo, Spain. Investigators will examine the signaling failure, the controller’s instruction to resume at normal speed, and the technical and human factors that allowed the collision.
Key Facts
Both trains had stopped after a signaling system failed.
A controller told the Renfe driver to restart the journey under normal operating conditions, according to audio released to Spanish media.
The front carriages of the Renfe train and the rear of the Iryo train were destroyed, and other carriages derailed.
Investigators will seek to establish why the Renfe train proceeded while the Iryo train remained stopped.
The article says Spain’s government will want to show the crash was unrelated to a January head-on collision on the same line near Adamuz.
Railway unions had planned a drivers’ strike to protest what they describe as under-investment in railway staff and infrastructure.
The article says rail fatalities in Europe have generally fallen since 2010.
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FRANCE 24 interviewed journalist Ava Luquet about the Jeffrey Epstein records and their possible impact on President Donald Trump during the U.S. midterm election campaign. The report says the Justice Department published court records on January 30 and that Luquet and journalist Samia Metheni examined three million documents; the excerpt does not describe specific findings from their review.
Key Facts
The article was issued on October 29, 2026.
The report focuses on the Epstein records and their relevance to Donald Trump during the U.S. midterm campaign.
The article says the U.S. Department of Justice published court records related to the Epstein case on January 30.
Journalists Samia Metheni and Ava Luquet examined three million documents, according to the article.
Ava Luquet discussed the records in an interview with François Picard.
The provided article excerpt does not state what specific findings the journalists made.
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A New York Times investigation reported that Democratic operatives tried to recruit a candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against Alaska Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, potentially confusing voters or drawing votes away from him. The recruited man, retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., says he entered the race independently; Mary Peltola’s campaign and national Democrats deny recruiting him. Alaska’s Supreme Court let him remain on the ballot, and the reported effort has prompted a state investigation, but the article says the allegations do not establish criminal wrongdoing.
Key Facts
The investigation said Democratic operatives spent months seeking candidates who could confuse voters or siphon support from Senator Dan Sullivan.
The reported candidate was Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, Alaska.
Sullivan Jr. says he entered the race independently.
Mary Peltola’s campaign and national Democrats deny involvement in recruiting Sullivan Jr.
Alaska’s Supreme Court allowed Sullivan Jr. to remain on the ballot, and the two candidates are identified differently.
Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation into the allegations.
President Donald Trump called for Peltola to be prosecuted.
The article notes that reporting and political accusations alone do not establish criminal wrongdoing.
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Catherine Fisher, a career expert at LinkedIn, appeared on “CBS Mornings” to discuss common networking mistakes. She offered advice on networking, but the article listing does not specify the mistakes or recommendations.
Key Facts
Catherine Fisher is identified as a career expert at LinkedIn.
Fisher appeared on the CBS program “CBS Mornings.”
The segment focuses on failures people encounter when networking.
Fisher offered advice about networking.
The video is listed as 4 minutes and 23 seconds long.
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The article proposes that Congress create an independent fund to support Social Security. The fund would accept company shares, invest them across a diversified portfolio and direct its returns to the Social Security trust funds.
Key Facts
The article calls for Congress to establish an independent fund.
The proposed fund would accept contributed equity from companies.
The fund would hold the shares in a diversified portfolio.
Returns from the portfolio would go to the Social Security trust funds.
The title frames the proposal around AI founders giving shares to the public.
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U.S. Army personnel at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, practiced creating temporary mass burial plots for a conflict with high casualties. The Army said the training would help preserve remains for later identification and repatriation while combat operations continue.
Key Facts
Soldiers from the 3rd Corps Sustainment Command and 20th Engineer Brigade took part in the drills.
Military chaplains and other religious support personnel also trained in temporary battlefield burial procedures.
The Army said it has not needed large-scale temporary burials since the Korean War.
A standard temporary burial plot has five trenches and can hold up to 100 casualties.
The Army said crews filled one plot in an average of one hour and 15 minutes.
With eight bulldozers and four military excavators, the Army estimated that crews could temporarily bury up to 2,400 soldiers in 24 hours.
The Army said the Fort Bragg exercises were the first in more than 20 years to train chaplains and religious affairs personnel in this work.
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