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New Indian Express
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Tom Cruise on Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning success: ‘This weekend was one for the history books'
It has been just days since the global release of the Tom Cruise starrer Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, the eighth film in the iconic franchise and the actor's swansong as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. The film released in the USA on May 23, 2025, a week after its India release. On the special occasion, Cruise took to social media to show his gratitude to everyone who worked on the film and the audience for making it a success. Indirectly referring to the film's release in the USA, Cruise said that it 'was one for the history books!' He went on to thank 'every filmmaker, every artist, every crew member, and every single person who works at the studios' presumably for the role of such big-screen experiences in keeping the theatrical business alive. 'To every theater and every employee who helps bring these stories to audiences, thank you,' wrote the actor.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Reeves in standoff with ministers over proposed cuts to public services
The Treasury is in a standoff with some ministers over proposed cuts to public services including policing and social housing, as the International Monetary Fund suggested the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, could give herself more flexibility to hit her fiscal rules. Senior police figures have raised concerns about the upcoming spending review with ministers, the Guardian understands, with chief officers from some of England and Wales' biggest forces arguing they cannot take further budget cuts. A number of key departments are yet to agree their budgets with the Treasury, including the Home Office, the Department for Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Energy and Net Zero and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The IMF suggested on Thursday that Reeves could refine her fiscal framework, potentially giving the chancellor some political cover to ease off on spending cuts in response to changes in growth forecasts. It said the current system, inherited from the previous Conservative government, of twice-yearly assessments of the public finances by the Office for Budget Responsibility was ripe for an overhaul. It said the chancellor should examine ways to avoid having to make short-term savings when there is a downturn in economic forecasts But government sources said there were definitively no plans to change the government's 'ironclad' fiscal rules, pointing to the already high borrowing figures. One government source said there were clear costs to any further changes to the rules, which were evidenced in the market's reaction to changes to the borrowing rules at the last budget. Reeves has tweaked the rules already to allow more borrowing for capital investment – expected to equal £113bn. 'When people say, why don't you just change fiscal rules? Well, we did. We did make a choice to change fiscal rules, and that's £113bn pounds that wasn't there,' the source said. There were currently 'no plans' to change the number of forecasts by the OBR though the prime minister, Keir Starmer, is said to personally favour making the change. Key figures in Number 10 would like to see forecasts reduced to once a year, as the IMF recommended, which would allow Reeves to meet her commitment of just one fiscal event a year. The OBR's downgrading of growth forecasts, which wiped out Reeves' headroom in the spring, meant the chancellor had to make a number of cuts at the spring statement, including on welfare. Health and defence are expected to be the major winners when the spending review is published on 11 June, though there will be significant funding for energy infrastructure, including nuclear. Home Office sources have warned that real-terms cuts to the department's budget will make it near impossible to meet key pledges on increasing neighbourhood policing as well as halving violence against women and girls. The Home Office has been told that the Metropolitan police, the UK's biggest police force, is already facing a £260m shortfall and having to cut 1,700 officers, PCSOs and staff. 'Police forces are facing budget cuts already. To add to this will mean halting any progress made on some of the government's key policies, including halving knife crime and halving violence against women and girls,' a police source said. 'There has been some good progress on VAWG. But, realistically, more deep cuts would put that progress in jeopardy.' Concern has been compounded by plans by the Ministry of Justice to shorten the sentences of violent offenders in an effort to free up prison places, though there will be more cash for probation services. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion There are also clashes between the Reeves and the housing secretary, Angela Rayner, over funding for social housing. Reeves has previously said housing will be one of the key beneficiaries of the £113bn in capital spending, which the government will begin to set out at the spending review, but did not specify social homes. The Treasury has put £2bn into affordable housing to bridge the gap between a new programme set to be announced at the spending review, and the current affordable homes spending which is due to expire in 2026. At the time the funding was announced, the £2bn was described as a 'downpayment' on further funding to be announced at the spending review, which Reeves said would mark a generational shift in the building of council homes. However, Rayner is understood to be dissatisfied with the level of funding for the next phase of the programme. The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, is also understood to be still fighting to keep cash for a major programme of insulation which was a key part of the government's net zero strategy, though his department is expected to get significant capital investment in energy infrastructure including nuclear. Labour had previously doubled the previous Conservative government's warm homes scheme from £6bn to £13.2bn over this parliament. But sources say this was likely to be cut in the spending review. At the October budget, Reeves announced £3.4bn over three years for household energy efficiency schemes, heat decarbonisation and fuel poverty schemes. The government responded to concerns expressed at the time calling the sum the 'bare minimum' and promising a spending uplift at the review which now looks to have been cancelled. Charities have warned this will make it much harder to hit the UK's climate targets. Lily-Rose Ellis, campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: 'Cutting policies like home insulation, which provide solutions to lower people's bills for good, would be an absolutely terrible decision.'
India Today
2 hours ago
- Business
- India Today
Is the world's 4th-largest economy taking care of unemployment?
India is poised to become the world's fourth-largest economy by the end of 2025. But, is the country handling its unemployment menace equally well? The World Economic Outlook April 2025 report by the International Monetary Fund, which showed how India's economy will progress ahead, also showed that joblessness is decreasing in the country. In fact, India is better placed than countries like Brazil, China, Canada, Italy, France, etc. in this IN INDIAIndia, the world's most populous country with 144 crore people, has been consistently lowering its unemployment rate. From 8.9 per cent in 2018, unemployment nearly halved to 4.9 per cent in 2024. Notably, the IMF's estimates match those of the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation's Periodic Labour Force Survey. Unemployment cannot be discussed without looking at the labour force participation rate (LFPR). If people leave the labour market, the unemployment rate will automatically come down. However, this doesn't seem to be the case with LFPR is also on the rise, which means that more people are entering the labour market and more are getting jobs. It rose from 48.4 per cent in 2018 to 56.4 per cent in an improving employment situation, India is ahead of many of its peers. Against a 4.9 per cent unemployment rate in India, South Africa recorded 32.8 per cent, Spain 11.4 per cent, Turkiye 8.7 per cent, France 7.4 per cent, Brazil 6.9 per cent, Canada 6.4 per cent, and China 5.1 per the government has recognised small and medium enterprises as one of the greatest sources of employment generation and has been adding support to MSMEs in the Union Budgets in recent years.'Beyond their economic contributions, these MSMEs have generated substantial employment opportunities, providing jobs to over 25.18 crore individuals. This extensive employment generation underscores the sector's crucial role in driving economic development and enhancing social stability by offering livelihoods to millions across the country,' the Ministry of MSME said following the Union Budget this year. The budgetary outlay of the Ministry of MSME rose from Rs 7,011 crore in FY20 to Rs 17,307 crore in InTrending Reel
India Today
3 hours ago
- Business
- India Today
India wants Pakistan back on anti-terror watchdog grey list, to present dossier
India has launched a coordinated diplomatic campaign across several countries to spotlight Pakistan's alleged role in financing and supporting terrorism. As part of this initiative, India is preparing to submit a detailed dossier of verifiable evidence to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), urging the global watchdog to re-list Pakistan on its grey move comes amid concerns that Pakistan has failed to uphold its commitments to curb terror financing after it was removed from the FATF grey list in October is also lobbying international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to reassess their aid to Pakistan, citing concerns that foreign assistance is being diverted to fund TERROR LINKS The dossier India plans to present at the upcoming FATF meeting includes financial records, intelligence reports, and international inputs that prove Pakistan's continued support for terror groups targeting India. The document reportedly establishes clear financial links between Pakistan's state-controlled sources and banned terrorist say the evidence shows systematic, not isolated, instances of support, ranging from direct funding to logistical assistance for terror MILITARY SPENDINGIndia's data points to Pakistan allocating nearly 18 per cent of its national budget to defence, significantly above the global average for conflict-affected countries, which typically ranges between 10–14 per cent. India argues that this heavy military expenditure, especially in times of economic crisis, indicates misplaced priorities and undermines Pakistan's claims of peaceful has also been a sharp rise in Pakistan's arms imports during the years it received IMF assistance. Between 1980 and 2023, arms imports rose by 20 per cent in the years when IMF funds were disbursed — suggesting that aid meant for economic reform may have been redirected towards military OF AIDMacroeconomic indicators show a consistent rise in Pakistan's debt levels, even as its defence budget grows. India argues that this growing defence expenditure is not supported by domestic tax revenues but by external borrowing, raising concerns over financial mismanagement and lack of transparency in fund presentation to the FATF aims to prompt renewed international scrutiny of Pakistan's financial practices, particularly in light of its alleged support for terrorism and the misuse of international financial aid. By bringing these concerns to global forums, India seeks stronger action to prevent the funding of terrorism and uphold global financial SINDOOR DIPLOMACYWhile the government is planning to present its case in front of the FATF, Operation Sindoor delegations are also making the point Bahrain, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi, part of a delegation led by BJP's Baijayant Panda, referred to Pakistan as a "failed state". He urged Bahrain to support India's efforts to have Pakistan re-listed in the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) grey list, emphasising the misuse of financial systems for terrorist New York, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described Pakistan as a "revisionist power" during talks with US policy experts. He warned that any aggression from across the border would be met with escalating consequences, asserting that attacks on Indian citizens would no longer go Minister Salman Khurshid, speaking in Seoul, highlighted the transformation in Jammu and Kashmir, describing it as a region now focused on peace and growth. He argued that this stability threatens Pakistan's interests, prompting efforts to portray the region as unstable through orchestrated engagements with leaders from the UAE and Congo, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde conveyed India's uncompromising stance on terrorism. Both nations expressed support for India's position and acknowledged the importance of isolating state-sponsored terrorism on the world Watch
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' reminds us Ethan Hunt is a Wisconsin native
Among the many, many, many things going on in "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning," the eighth movie in the billion-dollar movie franchise that opened in theaters May 23, there's a reminder that the death-defying character played by Tom Cruise is, yes, a Badger. During a couple of scenes in "Final Reckoning," viewers get a flash of the dossier of Ethan Hunt, the character Tom Cruise has played in the "Mission: Impossible" movies since the big-screen reboot began in 1996. At the top of the first page visible in Hunt's top-secret file is his place of birth — Madison, Wisconsin. It's not the first time that Hunt's Wisconsin roots have come up in the "Mission: Impossible" movies, although they haven't been brought up all that often. In Cruise's first "Mission: Impossible" movie, released in 1996, Hunt is on the run after most of his team is killed. Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny), the head of the IMF, shows him documents from his parents' Wisconsin bank account, showing a huge inflow of money after his father's death and the family farm going into a form of receivership. Kittridge claims the money came from a Czech arms dealer. In the first of many, many, many times, Hunt manages to escape in a showy set-piece scene (this time by shattering a giant aquarium and flooding the restaurant where they're meeting). To smoke Hunt out, Kittridge stages an arrest — shown live on CNN — of his mother and uncle at a farm outside of Madison, who the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency claims were the kingpins behind a massive drug-manufacturing ring. (After things are all resolved — several chases and explosions later — the Justice Department apologizes to mom and uncle and lets them go.) The dossier on Hunt's background returns in 2018's "Mission: Impossible — Fallout." In a rarity for Wisconsin shoutouts in the movies, no cheesehead hats or beer jokes accompany any of these mentions. In its first weekend in theaters, "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" took in $77 million in North America and $204 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Is Tom Cruise character in 'Mission: Impossible' a Badger?
