LONDON: Britain&rsquo;s economy unexpectedly contracted again in October, official data showed Friday, dealing a blow to the Labour government&rsquo;s hopes of reviving economic growth. Gross domestic product fell 0.1% in October following a contraction of 0.1% in September, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement. Analysts had forecast growth of 0.1%. Manufacturing rebounded in the month as carmaker Jaguar Land Rover resumed operations after a cyberattack that had weighed on the UK economy in September. But analysts noted that businesses and consumers reined in spending ahead of Britain&rsquo;s highly expected annual budget.<figure id="isPasted"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/3167df24-30e1-4fce-a0a3-99f4aefa2b35-Untitled.jpg" alt="Untitled.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><figcaption>LONDON: Pedestrians walk past the Bank of England (L) and the Royal Exchange building (back R) at Bank in central London on December 12, 2025. -- Photo by AFP/Henry Nicholls</figcaption></figure>&ldquo;Business and consumers were braced for tax hikes and the endless speculation, and leaks have once again put the brake on the UK economy,&rdquo; said Lindsay James, investment manager at Quilter. Prime Minister Keir Starmer&rsquo;s Labour Party raised taxes in last month&rsquo;s budget to slash state debt and fund public services. At the same time, Britain&rsquo;s economic growth was downgraded from next year until the end of 2029, according to data released alongside the budget. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves raised taxes on businesses in her inaugural budget last year -- a decision widely blamed for causing weak UK economic growth and rising unemployment. She returned in November with fresh hikes, this time hitting workers. Analysts said that Friday&rsquo;s data strengthened expectations that the Bank of England would cut interest rates next week.

Business

Gross domestic product fell 0.1% in October following a contraction of 0.1% in September, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement; analysts had forecast growth of 0.1%.

UK economy unexpectedly shrinks in October

LONDON: UK police were probing on Sunday an assault involving pepper spray at a Heathrow Airport car park that disrupted travel and left 21 people, including a three-year-old girl, needing medical treatment. In a depature from an earlier account of the incident at Terminal 3&#39;s multi-storey car park, London&#39;s Metropolitan Police said it now appeared to have stemmed from a suitcase robbery by people known to each other. Commander Peter Stevens, who had previously characterised it as an argument that escalated into a fight, said investigators had pieced together the chaotic chain of events after reviewing CCTV and interviewing witnesses. &quot;At this stage, it&#39;s understood that a woman was robbed of her suitcase by a group of four men, who sprayed a substance believed to be pepper spray in her direction,&quot; he added. &quot;This occurred within a car park lift, with those in the lift and surrounding area affected by the spray. &quot;Our officers are working to determine the full circumstances around what happened but we do believe this to be an isolated incident with those directly involved known to each other.&quot; Armed officers arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of assault after responding to the scene shortly after 8am (0800 GMT). &quot;He remains in custody and enquiries remain ongoing to locate further suspects,&quot; police said in an update. Emergency responders treated 21 patients, with five taken to hospital, the London Ambulance Service said. The three-year-old received treatment at the scene, with all the injuries &quot;not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening&quot;, according to police. Firefighters provided &quot;specialist assistance&quot; at the scene, London&#39;s Fire Brigade said. Terminal 3 at Europe&#39;s busiest airport remained open throughout, but the incident prompted severe traffic and public transport disruption in the area, according to officials and reports. Passengers complained about having missed flights due to its impact. &quot;We were literally stuck for an hour-and-a-half,&quot; Jayesh Patel, whose family were headed to the airport for a flight to India, told AFP. &quot;We ran to the gate, and we missed the check-in by three minutes, and we were turned away. &quot;So we&#39;re gonna have to drive 100 miles back home.&quot;

Screengrab of London's Heathrow airport as London police say they have arrested a man for suspected assault with a "form of pepper spray" at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 3. (AFP)

United Kingdom

A pepper spray assault linked to a suitcase robbery at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3 injured 21 people, including a child, disrupted travel, and resulted in one arrest, while police continue searching for additional suspects.

Police probe pepper spray assault at Heathrow Airport car park

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The growing trend of &quot;scream clubs,&quot; which have recently gained popularity in London, offers an outlet for emotional release, but experts warn that while these events provide temporary relief, they may not address the deeper, underlying issues contributing to stress and emotional struggles.&nbsp;So-called scream therapy is a technique that is rapidly growing in popularity on TikTok and has made its way to Britain from the United States, according to AFP. Collective shout&nbsp;According to a YouGov survey published last month, two-thirds of young adults -- aged 16-25 -- in Britain are experiencing or have experienced mental health problems, particularly related to their studies or financial issues. Before the collective shout, participants discuss their loneliness or struggle to find their place in society. In the West, scream clubs are helping young people release emotional tension, but in Pakistan, where strong family bonds and cultural support systems already provide a space for emotional expression, such trends may face limited appeal.&nbsp;&lsquo;Instant relief&rsquo;Arsala Anjum, an Islamabad-based clinical psychologist, while speaking to Pakistan TV Digital on Thursday, said, &ldquo;The idea of scream club phenomenon helps vent suppressed emotions, but it does not have long-lasting effects.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;It provides an instant relief, thus preventing people from working on a deeper level, managing their hidden fears and insecurities,&rdquo; she warns. &nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I think scream clubs may not gain similar attention in Pakistan as our culture is already enriched with strong family and social ties, allowing people to express their emotions in a safe place,&rdquo; the clinical psychologist said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Entertainment

In the West, scream clubs are helping young people release emotional tension; so-called scream therapy is a technique that is rapidly growing in popularity on TikTok and has made its way to Britain from the US. 

Scream therapy: Trending in the West, will it catch on in Pakistan?

LONDON: London&#39;s Metropolitan Police on Monday said it had arrested 46 people in an operation to bust a global network suspected of smuggling nearly 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China. Police said it was the &quot;largest&quot; ever crackdown on phone theft in the British capital, where tourist hotspots are particularly plagued by snatchings. The police investigation, dubbed Operation Echosteep, was launched in December 2024 after a box with some 1,000 iPhones &mdash; most of which turned out to be stolen &mdash; bound for Hong Kong was found near Heathrow Airport. Police have made a total of 46 arrests connected to the operation, including 11 made while probing criminal gangs robbing delivery vehicles for the new iPhone 17. &quot;This is, without doubt, the largest operation of its kind in UK history,&quot; London mayor Sadiq Khan said, adding that police had targeted smuggling gang leaders as well as &quot;street robbers and snatchers.&quot; According to the Met police, over 80,000 mobile phones were stolen in London in 2024.

Europe

According to the Met police, over 80,000 mobile phones were stolen in London in 2024; Police say it was "largest" ever crackdown on phone theft in the capital.




London police arrest 46 in phone theft crackdown

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LONDON: A London court on Friday threw out a terror-related charge against a member of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap, basing his decision on a procedural technicality in the suit against the widely criticized band. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rapper Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam &Oacute;g &Oacute; hAnnaidh, had been charged with a single count for waving a flag of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, banned in Britain as a terrorist organization, during a London concert last year. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But chief magistrate Paul Goldspring sitting at Woolwich Crown Court said the case should be thrown out following a technical error in the way the charge against the rapper was brought. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;These proceedings were instituted unlawfully and are null,&rdquo; he said.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kneecap has faced criticism for political statements that seem to glorify militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Hungary and Canada have previously banned the group. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza. The band says it doesn&#39;t support Hezbollah and Hamas nor condone violence. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&Oacute; hAnnaidh, 27, had claimed the prosecution was a politically motivated effort to silence the band&rsquo;s support for Palestinians.

 person believed to be Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, aka Mo Chara, in a mask, a member of the Irish language band Kneecap, arrives at Woolwich Crown Court in London, Friday

A London court on Friday threw out a terror-related charge against a member of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap, basing his decision on a procedural technicality in the suit against the widely criticized band.

Articles tagged with "London"

UK economy unexpectedly shrinks in October

Police probe pepper spray assault at Heathrow Airport car park

Scream therapy: Trending in the West, will it catch on in Pakistan?

London police arrest 46 in phone theft crackdown

British court throws out terror charge against Irish band member Kneecap rapper

UK economy unexpectedly shrinks in October