Stock Markets
Sadiq Khan wins re-election as London mayor in further boost for Labour
By Sachin Ravikumar
LONDON (Reuters) -Sadiq Khan was re-elected as London’s mayor, final results showed on Saturday, helping to cement the Labour Party’s commanding lead over the governing Conservatives in local elections ahead of Britain’s national vote later this year.
Khan’s victory, his third in a row, was widely expected despite some public anger over knife crime and the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which charges drivers of older, more polluting vehicles a daily fee.
London is the latest of dozens of English councils and mayoralties that Labour has won in the local elections that took place on Thursday, inflicting heavy losses on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives.
“It’s been a difficult few months, we faced a campaign of non-stop negativity,” Khan said in a speech after the results showed he had won 43.8% of the vote against 33% for the Conservatives’ candidate, Susan Hall.
“For the last eight years, London has been swimming against the tide of a Tory (Conservative) government and now with a Labour Party that’s ready to govern again under Keir Starmer, it’s time for Rishi Sunak to give the public a choice.”
Opinion polls predict that Labour will win the next national election, propelling Starmer to power and ending 14 years of Conservative government in Britain.
Khan, 53, who became the first Muslim mayor of the British capital in 2016, has pledged to build more social housing and work with a future national Labour government to boost police capacity.
Hall had made scrapping ULEZ a centrepiece of her campaign but the 69-year-old Donald Trump fan made a series of gaffes and faced accusations of racism after being found to have engaged with far-right content online.
remove ads
.
Campaigning against ULEZ had helped the Conservatives win a by-election to a parliamentary seat in London last year, while Sunak has also scaled back some of Britain’s national climate goals, arguing that such targets shouldn’t overburden voters.
Elsewhere in England, the result of the mayoral election in the West Midlands, which includes Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, was due later on Saturday.
The region’s Conservative mayor Andy Street was expected to be re-elected but media reports said a recount of some votes was taking place, suggesting a close race.
Street ran a campaign which emphasised his personal record on investment while downplaying his Conservative Party affiliation.
(Reuters) – An advanced U.S. military anti-missile system was used in Israel to try to intercept a projectile for the first time since President Joe Biden placed the system in Israel in October, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.
The THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, was used to try to intercept a projectile from Yemen sometime during the last 24 hours, and an analysis would determine its success, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel struck multiple targets linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including Sanaa International Airport, and Houthi media said at least six people were killed.
Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In October, Biden placed the THAAD system, built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE:), in Israel along with about 100 U.S. soldiers to help defend the country.
THAAD is a critical part of the U.S. military’s layered air defense systems and added to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile defenses.
(Reuters) – A bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report published on Friday criticized the CIA’s response to so-called Havana syndrome health problems among its workforce, saying many individuals “faced obstacles to timely and sufficient care.”
A declassified summary of the panel’s classified report also said the spy agency’s response “negatively affected” those who reported symptoms, leading to a “trust deficit” among some personnel.
While the CIA provided benefits and compensation to many of those reporting symptoms, the report said, the ease of accessing those programs has been inconsistent, affecting how the agency has been organized to deal with the matter.
Following these transactions, Saba Capital now holds 4,057,625 shares of Pioneer Municipal High Income Fund, reflecting its continued confidence in the fund’s performance. The fund currently offers a 4.53% dividend yield and maintains a conservative beta of 0.67, indicating lower volatility compared to the broader market. This move underscores Saba Capital’s strategy to enhance its position in the municipal bond market through this investment. InvestingPro analysis reveals several additional key metrics and insights about MHI’s financial health and market position.
Following these transactions, Saba Capital now holds 4,057,625 shares of Pioneer Municipal High Income Fund, reflecting its continued confidence in the fund’s performance. The fund currently offers a 4.53% dividend yield and maintains a conservative beta of 0.67, indicating lower volatility compared to the broader market. This move underscores Saba Capital’s strategy to enhance its position in the municipal bond market through this investment. InvestingPro analysis reveals several additional key metrics and insights about MHI’s financial health and market position.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.
Forex2 years agoForex Today: the dollar is gaining strength amid gloomy sentiment at the start of the Fed’s week
- Forex2 years ago
How is the Australian dollar doing today?
- Forex2 years ago
Unbiased review of Pocket Option broker
- Forex2 years ago
Dollar to pound sterling exchange rate today: Pound plummeted to its lowest since 1985
- Cryptocurrency2 years ago
What happened in the crypto market – current events today
- World2 years ago
Why are modern video games an art form?
- Commodities2 years ago
Copper continues to fall in price on expectations of lower demand in China
- Forex2 years ago
The dollar is down again against major world currencies
