Posts

Original title: Walmart Wants to Challenge Amazon as a Streaming Aggregator, Adds Peacock as Video Partner Walmart wants to take on Amazon Prime Video in the video aggregation space, overhauling its subscription offering with a new benefit called “Video Subscription Choice,” and adding Peacock as a partner. The retail giant on Monday announced its new plan, which includes an extension of its deal with Paramount+, originally signed three years ago. The new offering will see subscribers to its Walmart+ bundle be able to choose between a complimentary subscription to Peacock’s premium tier, or the Paramount+ essential plan. Subscribers can also switch between Paramount+ and Peacock every 90 days, if they so choose. The choice-based offering also leaves open the possibility of Walmart adding other streaming services as potential options in the future. “The additional option of Peacock Premium adds even more value and more choice to our membership, without raising the price,” said Deepak Maini, senior VP of Walmart+. “By offering the ability to switch between two top-tier video streaming service ...

Original title: International students warned to not overstay visas International students warned to not overstay visas Under the plans, about 130,000 students and their families in total will be sent a message telling them: “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. As part of the campaign, the Home Office has for the first time proactively contacted international students directly by text and email. The Home Office launched the new government campaign in response to what it has called an “alarming” spike in the number of international students arriving legally on student visas then claiming asylum when they expire. Tens of thousands of foreign students are being contacted directly by the government and told they will be removed from the UK if they overstay their visas. “If you don’t, we will remove you.” Ten thousand international students whose visas are due to expire have already been contacted directly by text and email - warning them they could be deported. Tens of thousands more will receive the message in the coming months ...

Original title: Swaps Pioneered by Credit Suisse Get Recast in Age of War Debt swaps pioneered by Credit Suisse to fund nature conservation are enjoying a second life, as bankers see an opportunity to apply the model to everything from post-war reconstruction to energy security. The swaps help governments refinance debt at more favorable terms and put any savings toward a pre-determined policy goal. After a drought in dealmaking since late last year, as many as four new swaps may be completed by the end of 2025, according to Jake Harper , senior investment manager, private credit at Legal & General Group Plc. But none of them has a nature-focused goal, he says. ...

Original title: Oil Drifts Higher With Focus on OPEC+ and US Policy on Russia Oil drifted higher as traders waited for fresh catalysts to move prices out of what’s been a relatively narrow band, with attention on an upcoming OPEC+ meeting and US moves on Russian supplies. Brent rose toward $69 a barrel, after the November contract gained 1% in the previous session, while West Texas Intermediate was near $65. OPEC+ will hold a meeting this weekend to decide on output for October, and most market watchers expect that the group will opt to keep supply steady. ...

Original title: Justice secretary to get power to veto sentencing guidance Justice secretary to get power to veto sentencing guidance Shabana Mahmood will be able to veto guidance proposed by the independent body Announcing the new measures, Mahmood said “policy must be set by parliamentarians, who answer to the people”. The change comes after a public dispute earlier in the year between the Sentencing Council and the government over pre-sentence reports for offenders from certain minority groups. Under the new rules, Shabana Mahmood will have veto powers over any new sentencing guidance issued by the independent public body, the Justice Department said. The government is changing the law to stop the Sentencing Council issuing new guidelines to courts in England and Wales without the explicit approval of the justice secretary. The new measure will be brought in as part of the Sentencing Bill, being introduced in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The Sentencing Council is a non-departmental public body that sets out guidance for courts in England and Wales. Bot ...

Original title: At least 1,000 killed in Sudan landslide, rebel group says At least 1,000 killed in Sudan landslide, rebel group says More than 800,000 Sudanese have fled Darfur, where the landslide occurred, since conflict erupted in 2023 A landslide has killed at least 1,000 people in the remote Marra Mountains in western Sudan, according to the rebel group The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army. Days of heavy rain triggered the landslide on Sunday, which left just one survivor and “levelled” much of the village of Tarasin, the group said in a statement. The movement has appealed for humanitarian assistance from the United Nations and other regional and international organisations. Many residents from North Darfur state had sought refuge in the Marra Mountains region, after war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forced them from their homes. ...

Original title: Scotland scraps peak rail fares - will the rest of the UK follow? Scotland scraps peak rail fares - will the rest of the UK follow? 13 hours ago Share Save Mitchell Labiak Business reporter, BBC News Share Save Ken Jack/Getty Images Train passengers no longer have to pay higher prices for peak time tickets on ScotRail, raising the question over whether the rest of the UK could follow suit. While some passengers told the BBC they would welcome the prospect of cheaper tickets, experts are divided over whether it could push prices up overall or result in overcrowded carriages. Why do we have peak times? The peak/off-peak system is designed to discourage passengers from getting on busier trains, by making it more expensive to travel during the commuter rush before 9am and between 5pm and 7pm. However, the pandemic working from home and rail usage has not yet returned to pre-Covid levels so peak travel times are less busy than they used to be. David Ross, chief operating officer at ScotRail - which is owned by the Scottish government - told BBC Radio 4’s ...

Original title: China-Led Bloc to Set Up Development Bank in Win for Xi Chinese President Xi Jinping secured an agreement from partner countries to set up a new development bank, realizing a longtime ambition in a display of Beijing’s growing influence. Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization agreed to establish the institution, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday at the end of the two-day SCO summit that gathered Xi’s closest international allies in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. ...

Original title: Emerging Stocks Rally as Alibaba Surges on AI Revenue A gauge tracking emerging-market equities notched its best session in a week amid thin liquidity due to a US holiday on Monday, boosted by artificial intelligence-related stocks in Hong Kong and China after Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. reported a surge in revenue from AI. The MSCI EM Index closed 0.6% higher Monday as Alibaba jumped 19% in Hong Kong — the most in three years — as the Chinese e-commerce giant reported a triple-digit percentage gain in AI-related product revenue as well as a better-than-anticipated 26% jump in sales from the cloud division. The rally marks a break from last week’s broader Asian market decline after a tech selloff hit Wall Street. ...

Original title: Japanese 10-Year Bonds Rise After Strongest Auction Since 2023 Japan’s 10-year bonds gained after a sale of the benchmark tenor saw its strongest demand since October 2023 and brought short-term relief to the market. The yield on the 10-year bond fell 1.5 basis points to 1.605% after touching 1.625% Monday, close to the highest since 2008, and bond futures climbed after the auction result. The bid-to-cover Bloomberg Terminal ratio jumped to 3.92 from 3.06 at last month’s sale, comfortably above the 12-month average. ...