Oct 29, 2026, 04:00 PM UTC

UK Chancellor John Healey will outline his tax and spending plans in the House of Commons on Wednesday, targeting cost-of-living pressures and promising to cut energy bills "for good."

Faced with international economic instability, Healey and Prime Minister Andy Burnham aim to provide households with "breathing space" through measures likely to include fuel duty freezes, targeted energy bill assistance, and possible minimum wage increases. Analysts and political figures have noted a shift in tone from previous budgets under former Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Ahead of the announcement, Scottish First Minister John Swinney called for "substantial support" regarding energy costs, warning against repeating past fiscal missteps.

Sources: BBC Northern Ireland, STV News, The Guardian, The Herald, The Scotsman

Emergency operations across northwestern Turkey and Antalya continue following severe flooding, with the confirmed death toll in Istanbul reaching seven. Local governorship officials confirmed the latest fatality after emergency teams retrieved a missing person's body from the Golden Horn.

Earlier official statements by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Environment Minister Murat Kurum had cited three fatalities, while regional reporting detailed specific deaths from electrocution and rising floodwaters in Istanbul districts. Minister Kurum stated that response units addressed over 7,800 urgent situations among nearly 9,800 incoming calls across Istanbul, Sakarya, Kocaeli, and Antalya. Search operations remain active for several individuals still reported missing in Ayazağa and Kocaeli. Weather authorities have maintained active rainfall warnings, particularly for Istanbul's Anatolian side.

Sources: Anadolu Ajansı, Bianet, Cumhuriyet, TRT Haber.

A court in Chengdu, China, has sentenced Yi Huiman, the former chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), to death with a two-year reprieve following a major corruption trial.

Judges found that Yi abused his administrative positions at the CSRC and the Xinjiang regional government between 1998 and 2025 to accept cash and real estate bribes totaling 436 million yuan ($65.4 million). Alongside the conditional death penalty, the court permanently stripped Yi of his political rights and ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets.

Sources: Anadolu Ajansı, Cumhuriyet.