Reed Sheppard hits from way downtown
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez recently said that his country was responsible for creating half of all new jobs in the eurozone, but is this true?View on euronews
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19 minutes ago
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Voices: Why I am joining the Palestine Action protesters
Today, I will be in Parliament Square to demand that the UK government uphold our right to freedom of speech, and to denounce the genocide that the Israeli government is perpetrating in Gaza against the Palestinian people. As a human rights defender, a mother, grandmother and great-great grandmother who has denounced genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing throughout the world, I cannot remain silent, witnessing the genocide and the abhorrent starvation of the Palestinian people. I will be holding a sign that will read: 'The UK Government is in flagrant violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states 'Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.'' Volker Türk, UN human rights chief, stated that '[the proscription of Palestine Action] appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that are at odds with the UK's obligations under international human rights law.' Since 5 July, when the order proscribing the Palestine Action protest group under terrorism legislation came into force, hundreds of people have been arrested for holding up peaceful signs motivated by their consternation and horror at the genocide in Gaza. I was shocked to see 83-year-old Reverend Sue Parfitt on television being arrested on the day that Palestine Action was proscribed. Reverend Parfitt was attending a demonstration in Parliament Square, sitting in a camp chair around fellow protesters holding a placard stating her support of the outlawed protest group. While being carried away by police, Reverend Parfitt described the ban as "total nonsense", and went on to add that it symbolised a "loss of civil liberties in this country". Some have had their homes raided by the police. No one arrested seemed to pose any threat to the public. Türk has also said that the UK's counter-terrorism legislation 'misuses the gravity and impact of terrorism to expand it beyond those clear boundaries, to encompass further conduct that is already criminal under the law'. He added: 'The decision also conflates protected expression and other conduct with acts of terrorism and so could readily lead to further chilling effects on the lawful exercise of these rights by many people.' Yesterday, Amnesty International wrote to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, stating that arresting protesters would violate international law: 'The arrest of otherwise peaceful protesters solely for expressing the statement 'I Oppose Genocide – I Support Palestine Action' is a violation of the UK's international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. 'Further arrests [carried out on the 9 August demonstration] would violate international human rights law. As such, we urge you to instruct your officers to comply with the UK's international obligations and act with restraint in their response to any such protests that occur, by not arresting protesters who are merely carrying placards that state they oppose genocide and support Palestine Action.' The European Association of Lawyers for Democracy & World Human Rights recently wrote a paper, supported by numerous legal advocacy groups, that states: 'Evidence suggests active and sustained cooperation between the UK and Israeli armies. Concerns surround reports that the UK military has carried out over 500 surveillance flights around Gaza since December 2023, sharing intelligence with Israel – including during the ceasefire.' Only yesterday, further evidence emerged of the RAF's ongoing support for Israel: 'Britain continues to run near daily surveillance flights over Gaza with the help of a US contractor at a time of growing questions about how the intelligence obtained is used and shared with the Israeli military. 'Specialist flight trackers estimate that RAF Shadow aircraft have run more than 600 flights over the Palestinian territory from the Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus in an attempt to locate the remaining hostages held by Hamas since December 2023.' Palestine Action is being punished for exposing the crimes of the British government and taking action to uphold international law. We cannot turn a blind eye to the horrific crimes against humanity that are being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza. I will be joining the demonstration in Parliament Square to oppose genocide and defend human rights and freedom of speech. Bianca Jagger is the founder and president of the BIanca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, a Council of Europe goodwill ambassador, and a member of the executive director's leadership council of Amnesty International USA
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38 minutes ago
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The FTSE 100's at record highs! But is it about to plummet?
The FTSE 100 has enjoyed a stellar year, so far. Up 10.7% since 1 January, it's outperformed multiple other major blue-chip share indices including the S&P 500 (up 7.3%), Nasdaq (up 8.5%) and the Nikkei (up 3.2%). In that time, it's touched record highs, approaching 9,200 points over the past week. And it looks poised to hit new all-time peaks given strong demand for undervalued UK shares. Or does it? Data from IG suggests that investor sentiment may actually be turning against the Footsie — it shows shorting activity involving the index rose 34% last month. Shorting involves traders borrowing an asset and selling it, on the hope of buying it back more cheaply later on. But what are the chances of a full-blown correction? And what steps should I, as holder of FTSE 100 stocks, protect myself from such an event? Red lights flashing? On the one hand, the recent shorting boom will partly reflect investors looking to capitalise on a fall as individuals book profits. Short-term pullbacks are common during strong bull runs for this reason; they don't necessarily mark a broader reversal in market confidence. However, the red lights are flashing as trade tariffs bite and the global economy cools. Chief investment officer Mike Wilson of Morgan Stanley puts the chances of an S&P 500 correction at 10% by the end of the year, he told Bloomberg. Other brokerages and banks put the chances of a retracement still higher. On the one hand, this may reflect the sky-high valuations many US shares still command. Yet with a large contingent of cyclical shares (like banks, miners, airlines and energy producers), the FTSE may also decline if economic conditions worsen and sentiment sours. Correction? So what? Yet I'm not panicking about what may be around the corner. This is because stock markets have a habit of rebounding sharply from corrections. The Footsie is a prime example, recovering from multiple catastrophes like pandemics, banking sector meltdowns, wars and sovereign debt crises down the years, and culminating in July's record highs. This shows how patient investors are rewarded for not selling up and running for the hills. In fact, those that buy in when shares fall can enjoy supersized returns when the market recovers. It's a strategy that made me money when global stock markets fell sharply earlier this year. So I'm holding cash to jump in again and go bargain-shopping if they drop again. Ashtead Group's (LSE:AHT) one FTSE 100 share I'll be looking to buy if prices fall in the near future. I think it could be a strong contender to fall given the raft of patchy data coming from the US. The rental equipment supplier makes 92% of revenues from North America. It may drop heavily, in fact. But I'd expect Ashtead shares to recover strongly over the long term. The landscape's rich with opportunity as major new infrastructure projects come on stream. And the company has significant scope and financial strength to capitalise on this through further acquisitions. Over two-thirds of the US market's controlled by smaller companies (ie those outside the four largest operators). This leaves Ashtead's Sunbelt brand (which has an 11% market share) room for more significant expansion. The post The FTSE 100's at record highs! But is it about to plummet? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Royston Wild has positions in Ashtead Group Plc. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Ashtead Group Plc. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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an hour ago
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2 top ETFs that could turn £500 a month into a £1m retirement fund!
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a rapidly growing asset class the world over. They allow individuals to target market-beating returns while, at the same time, helping them to manage risk by spreading their capital across a basket of assets. Investors can choose from thousands of funds that match their investment goals and tolerance of risk. I myself own several in my Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). And I'm looking for more that could deliver strong capital gains and a reliable dividend income I can reinvest for growth. Here are two on my radar today. If they continue to deliver the returns of the last five years, they'll turn a £500 monthly investment into an impressive £1.2m over the next 25 years. Digging for huge returns Mining is notoriously unpreditable and fraught with risk for companies. Exploration disappointments, project delays, and production outages can play havoc with profits forecasts and decimate share prices. ETFs that invest in a basket of minerals producers don't completely eliminate this threat. Operational problems at one major holding can substantially impact overall returns. But on balance, I think funds are far less risky than purchasing individual mining stocks. I'm looking for a low-risk way to capitalise on a likely rise in copper prices over the next decade. And so I'm thinking of adding the Global X Copper Miners ETF (LSE:COPX) to my SIPP. As the chart shows, the copper market faces substantial shortfalls in the coming years, which I believe could drive up prices: In total, the fund holds shares in 40 red metal producers including First Quantum Minerals, Lundin Mining, and UK-listed share Antofagasta. Owning a fund that owns copper stocks instead of a fund that tracks metal prices can be more lucrative in bull markets — because copper miners have fixed costs, their profits grow faster than metal prices, delivering superior capital gains for investors. This leverage effect means that, since August 2020, this Global X copper fund has delivered a healthy average annual return of 10%. Emerging market opportunity As well as boosting my copper market exposure, I'm looking to improve my exposure to emerging markets. For this reason, the Franklin FTSE India UCITS ETF (LSE:FLXI) is on my list of possible funds to buy. India is the world's fastest growing economy — the International Monetary Fund is tipping GDP growth of 6.5% in the next two years. And it has significant scope for breakneck long-term growth, driven by its booming population, robust private investment, and rapidly rising personal wealth levels. These phenomena have already driven an average annual return of 17.1% for the Franklin FTSE India fund over the last five years. I like this ETF because of its excellent diversification. In total, it holds shares in 263 companies, from HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel to Tata Motors and Sun Pharmaceutical. This helps reduce risk and provide exposure to a wide range of growth and income opportunities. Future performance could be impacted by US trade tariffs and reciprocal action from India's government. But on balance, I think it's another top fund for me to consider. The post 2 top ETFs that could turn £500 a month into a £1m retirement fund! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Royston Wild has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended HDFC Bank. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025
