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login sg777 login Cabinet ministers have been warned they must find more savings in their departments as the Chancellor said “every pound” of Government spending will be scrutinised in a major budget review. Secretaries of State are being told that any outgoings which are not contributing towards one of Labour’s “priorities” must be cut as Rachel Reeves vows to wield “an iron fist against waste.” In letters sent by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, departments will be told to brace for “difficult” spending decisions in order to restore trust in the Government’s handling of the public finances. The Chancellor will on Tuesday launch the next round of Government spending, and is expected to warn departments that they “cannot operate in a business-as-usual way when reviewing their budgets for the coming years”. She will insist that areas focused on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “plan for change”, which includes targets to improve living standards across the country and build 1.5 million homes, must be prioritised. Ms Reeves said: “By totally rewiring how the Government spends money we will be able to deliver our plan for change and focus on what matters for working people. “By reforming our public services, we will ensure they are up to scratch for modern day demands, saving money and delivering better services for people across the country. That’s why we will inspect every pound of Government spend, so that it goes to the right places and we put an end to all waste.” Under the Treasury’s plans, departments will ensure budgets are scrutinised by “challenge panels” of external experts including former senior management of Lloyd’s Banking Group, Barclays Bank and the Co-operative Group. These panels, which will also involve think tanks, academics and the private sector, will advise on which spending “is or isn’t necessary”, the ministry said. The Treasury said work has already begun, with an evaluation of the £6.5 million spent on a scheme that placed social workers in schools finding “no evidence of positive impact on social care outcomes”. “Departments will be advised that where spending is not contributing to a priority, it should be stopped,” it said. “Although some of these decisions will be difficult, the Chancellor is clear that the public must have trust in the Government that it is rooting out waste and that their taxes are being spent on their priorities.” Ms Reeves had already announced efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments in her autumn budget as she seeks to put the public finances on a firmer footing. In a speech in east London, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden hinted at a further squeeze. “At the Budget the Chancellor demanded efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments – and there will be more to come,” he said. “As we launch the next phase of the spending review at its heart must be reform of the state in order to do a better job for the public.”

The Ministry of Labour has been honoured with the Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Award during the AI Tour event organised by Microsoft yesterday in Doha. This prestigious award recognises the ministry’s exceptional efforts in innovation, excellence, and the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies to deliver creative and impactful solutions. These initiatives have significantly contributed to enhancing services and advancing digital transformation in the labour sector. The award ceremony was attended by HE the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed bin Ali al-Mannai; Assistant Undersecretary for Migrant Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Labour, Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman al-Thani; Regional Director for the Middle East and Europe at Microsoft, Ralph Hubert; and Director of Microsoft Qatar, Lana al-Khalaf. The Ministry of Labour embarked on a comprehensive digital transformation journey in mid-2022. This initiative included the development of 80 e-services, a full transition to cloud computing, and the launch of the ‘Continue’ platform, demonstrating the ministry’s dedication to providing advanced services. Related Story Qatar celebrates World Soil DayLuigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder and weapons charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO's deathHeavy ground game gives Anthony Richardson a chance to shine in Colts' latest victory

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I tried on black sparkly co-ord from Tesco starting at just €20 – it’s perfect for Christmas nights outBERKELEY — Berkeley and BART officials agreed to exchange the city’s air rights of one property for a piece of land owned by the transportation agency , moving forward plans to develop transit-oriented housing near the Ashby BART station . Berkeley officially relinquished rights over a 4.4-acre BART-owned parcel bounded by Adeline Street, Ashby Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in exchange for ownership of another 1.9-acre parcel bounded by Woolsey, Tremont, Adeline and Essex streets. The agreement, approved by the Berkeley City Council on Dec. 3, will enable the development of hundreds of housing units near the Ashby BART station. Half of the first 602 homes built on the parcel, known as the West Lot, will be listed at affordable prices and at least 35% of homes built on the city’s eastern lot will be affordably priced, according to the agreement. Berkeley is investing $26.5 million from its affordable housing fund into the projects with $18.5 million going to the West Lot development and $8 million to the East Lot. “In close partnership with the City of Berkeley, BART is laying the ground for an inclusive and vibrant [transit-oriented development],” the transit agency’s project website states. Advancing equity, particularly for Berkeley’s Black community after it was disproportionately harmed due to displacement during the construction of the Ashby BART Station in the 1960s and 1970s, is a key priority of the project. Additional community benefits promised under the agreement include providing the Berkeley Flea Market a permanent home and renting out 5,000 square feet of ground floor space at 50% market rate prices or below to nonprofits, community-based organizations, or minority-owned businesses, including Berkeley Flea Market administrators. Now that a binding agreement has been approved, the city and BART will begin seeking out developers for both properties. Development is expected to begin by 2026.(The Center Square) – The question before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday was whether a Tennessee law banning gender dysphoria treatment for minors is unconstitutional. Twenty-three other states have similar bans, but the Tennessee case is the first one to have made it to the nation's highest court. Behind the legal questions debated are medical questions that are in dispute. A transgender girl identified as "L Williams" is at the center of the case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and later supported by the Biden administration. In an article posted on the ACLU's website, L said she was emotionally distressed as she began puberty. “You're at a point where not only are you going through puberty, but you're also going through nightmare puberty,” L said. “I mean, obviously, nobody's 100% comfortable with [the changes,] but you're immensely uncomfortable with them.” L's parents sought puberty and hormone blockers in another state when Tennessee lawmakers passed its ban in 2023. They were on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court when the case was argued. Also on the steps was Dr. Jared Ross, a member of Do No Harm, a group of medical professionals who say their mission is to keep identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice. Ross has a story, too, about a blue-haired girl who came into an emergency room one night. She described herself as "gender-confused," Ross said in an interview with The Center Square. "She was cutting herself with a razor blade because voices were telling her to," Ross said. "Can you imagine if I had affirmed these voices, affirming what she was hearing? That would have been malpractice, that would have been criminal. I didn't affirm those voices. I also didn't affirm her gender confusion." Do No Harm filed an amicus brief challenging the medical evidence presented by the ACLU and the Biden administration. It points to a study called the "Cass Review," a multi-year project from the United Kingdom that said studies of the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones were uncontrolled observational studies subject to bias." The ACLU says it also has medical evidence on its side. The American Medical Association and the American College of Pediatrics are among the groups that support gender dysphoria treatment for minors. At least one medical organization is taking a second look at the treatments. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons said in April that it is reviewing the practice. "ASPS currently understands that there is considerable uncertainty as to the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions for the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria, and the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty. This patient population requires specific considerations," the organization said in a statement. Doctors who don't support treatments for gender dysphoria for minors are accused of discrimination and not caring about the patients. But that's not the case, Ross said. "The other side often plays this as we're neglecting these kids or we're minimizing their suffering that they're going through," Ross said. "I don't doubt that they're suffering. They're suffering tremendously. They need love and compassion and good evidence-based mental health care." Until the Supreme Court rules in 2025, the Tennessee law and others like it will stay on the books.

“There is a tremendous amount of momentum, says Jess Sinclair, Prairie Director for the Canadian Council of Innovators (CCI). “And my message to government right now is: let’s not squander that momentum, and let’s put some of the policies in place that are going to create some sustainability for the tech economy and for future innovators here.” Speaking with Digital Journal at the Launch Party during Innovation Week YYC, Sinclair, shared her thoughts on Alberta’s innovation ecosystem and the broader challenges facing Canada’s economy. From the rise of tech in Alberta to the national need for stronger industrial innovation policies, Sinclair provided a clear-eyed look at where the province stands and needs to go. Sinclair highlighted Alberta’s recent success, noting Calgary’s record-breaking capital attraction numbers, surpassing Vancouver for the first time. She also pointed out Alberta’s leadership in labour productivity and job creation, bringing people to the province in droves. While Alberta’s progress is encouraging, Sinclair underscored the need for more robust policies to support the transition from startups to scale-ups. She noted that Canada lags behind others in labour productivity and innovation. “It’s a big question, but I think Canada has systemically refused to ideate the innovation industrial policies that other jurisdictions have kind of done by reflex,” she explained. “We intervene in many other sectors of the economy, but when it comes to innovation, the economy of ideas, we think we want to let the market decide. But that’s not what our [OECD] peers are doing.” Sinclair highlighted areas where Canada is falling short, including privacy legislation, intellectual property commercialization, and government procurement policies that often favour incumbent contractors over innovative solutions. Sinclair emphasized that Canada needs to shift its mindset from a resource-based economy to one that prioritizes intellectual property and innovation as key drivers of growth. “Many of our OECD peers that are superseding us in terms of labour productivity are exploring supply-side solutions like government procurement in support of domestic innovation,” she said. “They have clear strategies around intellectual property commercialization and are supporting patents at the early stage with real money.” She also pointed out inefficiencies in programs like SR&ED, where too much funding is consumed by red tape and consultants instead of being directed toward entrepreneurs. “We know that we that we lose one quarter of our top STEM grads in Canada and it’s because frankly, the opportunity in certain contexts is not here,” Sinclair said. When asked for a report card on the prairies, Sinclair pointed to the region’s strong entrepreneurial spirit and the desire among governments to support technology. However, she emphasized that success depends on exploring granular policies that will enable companies to scale. “It’s just about exploring the more granular pieces that are really going to take our larger ecosystem to the next level,” Sinclair said. Curious about how Canada can tackle innovation challenges, retain top talent, and create a thriving tech economy? Watch the full interview with Jess Sinclair for insights into the policy shifts and actions needed to take innovation to the next level. Click below to watch the full interview. Digital Journal is the official media partner of Innovation Week YYC. Here’s how you can follow: This article was created with the assistance of AI. Learn more about our AI ethics policy here . Chris is an award-winning entrepreneur who has worked in publishing, digital media, broadcasting, advertising, social media & marketing, data and analytics. Chris is a partner in the media company Digital Journal , content marketing and brand storytelling firm Digital Journal Group , and Canada's leading digital transformation and innovation event, the mesh conference . He covers innovation impact where technology intersections with business, media and marketing. Chris is a member of Digital Journal's Insight Forum.Top 5 African countries where eating out is expensive

The Australian sharemarket is tipped to open weaker despite a rally from some of the world’s largest technology companies that spurred a rebound on Wall Street. ASX 200 futures were down 15 points or 0.2 per cent at 8.183 at 7.15 AEDT, after the S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 1.7 per cent on Monday to post its best session in six months. Overnight, US stocks recovered from a wobble that was fuelled by weaker-than-expected data on US consumer confidence. While most companies in the S&P 500 retreated, Tesla and Nvidia drove a gauge of the “Magnificent Seven” megacaps up over 1 per cent. However, it was a thin trading session at the start of a holiday-shortened week, with volume roughly 20 per cent below the average of the past month. Wall Street recovered from an early wobble as the heavyweight technology stocks spurred a rebound. Credit: Bloomberg “Primary uptrends remain intact for equities despite the recent profit-taking,” Craig Johnson at Piper Sandler said. “Given the short-term oversold conditions, we expect a ‘Santa Claus Rally’ to be a strong possibility this year.” To Morgan Stanley’s Michael Wilson, negative breadth — when falling shares outnumber those that are rising — may not matter as much for high-quality stock indexes with robust price momentum. Earlier, stocks lost steam momentarily after data showed consumer confidence unexpectedly sank for the first time in three months on concerns about the outlook for the US economy. “The economic outlook is deteriorating,” said Neil Dutta at Renaissance Macro Research. “This was true before the Fed’s December confab and remains true. The risk of the Fed flip-flopping is quite high.” The S&P 500 added 0.4 per cent. The Nasdaq 100 climbed 0.7 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average wavered. Qualcomm climbed after prevailing at trial against Arm Holdings’ claim that it breached a license for chip technology. Rumble soared on news that crypto stablecoin firm Tether will buy a stake in the video-sharing platform. Meanwhile, US retail giant Nordstrom is going private after the founding Nordstrom family, which owns a 33 per cent stake in the company, teamed up with Mexican retail investor El Puerto de Liverpool on the deal. Treasury 10-year yields advanced seven basis points to 4.59 per cent. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.3 per cent. The S&P 500 is on its way to record a stellar annual return and back-to-back years of more than 20 per cent gains. The index has risen about 25 per cent since the end of 2023, with the top seven biggest technology stocks accounting for more than half of the advance. “Last week’s action should mark the end of the recent pullback and allow a ‘Santa Claus Rally’,” said Jonathan Krinsky at BTIG. “We do think a deeper correction early in ’25 is likely, albeit from a new all-time high.” The prospect or not of a “Santa Claus Rally” during a seven-day period, which includes the last five trading days of the old year and the first two of the new one, continues to be a barometer of investors’ optimism into the new year. Bloomberg L.P.