Europe

Oct 21 (Reuters) - UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to propose a stealth rise in income tax after the next elections to fill a fiscal hole of 40 billion pounds ($45.21 billion), the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing two government sources briefed on his plan.

Hunt will extend the current freeze on income tax thresholds and allowances into the next UK parliament, raising around five billion pounds per year by 2027-28, the FT report said, citing government sources.

Oct 22 (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday its forces had prevented an attempt by Ukraine to break through its line of control in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, where it is evacuating civilians in anticipation of a wider Ukrainian counter-offensive.

"All attacks were repulsed, the enemy was pushed back to their initial positions," the Defence Ministry said, adding that Ukraine's offensive was launched towards the settlements of Piatykhatky, Suhanove, Sablukivka and Bezvodne, on the west side of the Dnipro river.

BERLIN/DUESSELDORF, Oct 22 - Tens of thousands of protesters in six German cities gathered on Saturday to demand a more just distribution of government funds to deal with rising energy prices and living costs and a faster transition away from fossil fuels.

Protesters marched in Berlin, Duesseldorf, Hannover, Stuttgart, Dresden and Frankfurt-am-Main, holding signs bearing slogans on everything from lowering inflation to switching off nuclear power and more energy price subsidies for the poor.

BRUSSELS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of European Union (EU) member states on Friday agreed on a 'roadmap' of measures to protect European consumers from soaring energy prices.

The agreement was reached after several hours of discussions over proposals to lower energy bills, which have skyrocketed due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The summit agreement sets out a "solid roadmap to keep on working on the topic of energy prices," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference.

LONDON (AP) — In Romania, protesters blew horns and banged drums to voice their dismay over the rising cost of living. People across France took to the streets to demand pay increases that keep pace with inflation. Czech demonstrators rallied against government handling of the energy crisis. British railway staff and German pilots held strikes to push for better pay as prices rise.

ROME (AP) — Giorgia Meloni, whose political party with neo-fascist roots secured the most votes in Italy’s national election last month, was sworn in Saturday as the country’s first far-right premier since the end of World War II. She is also the first woman to serve as premier.

Meloni, 45, recited the oath of office before President Sergio Mattarella, who on Friday formally asked her to form a government.

LONDON (AP) — The lightning-fast race to replace Liz Truss as British Prime Minister got even wilder Saturday as former leader Boris Johnson jetted back to the U.K amid speculation he will run to reclaim his former job.

Johnson was ousted by a series of ethics scandals just three months ago, but boarded a flight back to London from his vacation in the Dominican Republic, days after the dramatic resignation of his successor, Liz Truss.

He remains a divisive figure among fellow Conservative lawmakers.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up on Saturday to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire, as Ukrainian air defense tried to shoot down drones and incoming missiles.

Russia has intensified its strikes on power stations, water supply systems and other key infrastructure across the country, the latest phase of the war as it nears the eight-month mark.

New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Pakistan has been taken off from the grey list of the FATF, the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, four years after the country was put in the infamous categorisation.

Significantly, for the first time, the FATF put Myanmar in the "high risk jurisdictions subject to a call for action", often referred to as the watchdog's black list.

22 October 2022; MEMO: "Tears of the Seine", an animated short film, has received attention in France and globally, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The film was awarded a bronze medal on Thursday at the Student Oscars in Los Angeles.

It sheds light on the bloody police crackdown on the demonstration by Algerians in Paris on 17 October, 1961, in which hundreds of people were killed on the directives of Maurice Papon, then-in charge of the Paris police.