All posts tagged: Reforms

Díaz-Canel Announces Economic Reforms to Attract Investment and Involve Cubans Abroad

Díaz-Canel Announces Economic Reforms to Attract Investment and Involve Cubans Abroad

Published by Sam Flores

HAVANA (AP) — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday announced a package of economic reforms aimed at attracting investment, expanding participation by Cubans living abroad in the economy and decentralizing parts of the country’s administration. The president did not provide details about the measures or a timetable for their implementation but said during remarks to state media that it is now “time to change” and that the country “simply cannot continue on its current course.” “Every opportunity in the midst of a crisis must be seized as a moment for takeoff, as a moment for growth,” Díaz-Canel said, according to a statement from the presidency that was republished by state-run media. “We have established a group of priorities to confront this situation,” he added without offering specifics. The announcement comes as Cubans have struggled with fuel shortages as a result of the U.S. oil blockade and food insecurity. In January, the United States tightened restrictions on Cuba’s oil supplies in an effort to pressure the island’s government to change its political and economic model, exacerbating …

Analysis:Japan governance reforms set to prise open .8 trillion cash hoard

Analysis:Japan governance reforms set to prise open $1.8 trillion cash hoard

Published by Sam Flores

TOKYO, June 11 : Proposed revisions to Japan’s governance code that stress the need for efficient use of cash have raised expectations among investors that corporate hoarders will start to mobilise their $1.8 trillion money mountain. The revisions, to be finalised in the summer, could see companies return more cash to shareholders or redeploy it for deal-making or growth investment, building on reforms over the past decade that have helped share prices reach record highs. Makita set out its cash allocation policy explicitly for the first time this year, saying it will hold cash and cash equivalents at two to three months of sales, with excess funds to be used for shareholder returns and investment. The tool maker pledged to return 50 per cent or more of profit to shareholders and took into account the evolving governance code and requests from institutional investors, said Ryota Maruyama of Makita’s general affairs department. “We recognise we are required to communicate with the market regarding the use of capital,” he said. The governance reforms, from the Financial Services …

Reform’s Nadhim Zahawi Slammed Over ‘Disgraceful’ Defence Of Kemi Badenoch Attack Ad

Reform’s Nadhim Zahawi Slammed Over ‘Disgraceful’ Defence Of Kemi Badenoch Attack Ad

Published by Sam Flores

Nadhim Zahawi on Trevor Phillips on Sunday. Sky News Nadhim Zahawi has been condemned over his “disgraceful” attempts to defend a Reform UK ad attacking Kemi Badenoch which has been widely criticised as misleading. The former Tory, who defected to Nigel Farage’s party earlier this year, insisted there was nothing wrong with the controversial social media post, which was produced following the jailing of Henry Nowak’s killed. The 18-year-old was handcuffed and arrested by police as he lay dying after being wrongly accused of racism by his killer, Vickram Digwa. Digwa, a British-born Sikh, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years at Southampton Crown Court last Monday. Farage has said the case is an example of “two-tier policing” and anti-white discrimination. The Reform ad showed a quote from 2020 in which Badenoch said “black lives do matter”, alongside a partial quote she gave this week in which she said “I don’t care about white lives matter”. However, her full quote, which she gave in an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, was: “I …

Wes Streeting Says Reform’s Response To Henry Nowak Murder ‘Has Echoes Of The 1930s’

Wes Streeting Says Reform’s Response To Henry Nowak Murder ‘Has Echoes Of The 1930s’

Published by Sam Flores

4 min read4 hr Former health secretary Wes Streeting has said Reform UK’s response to the murder of Henry Nowak “has echoes of the 1930s”. Speaking on Wednesday night, Streeting accused Nigel Farage’s party of “weaponising” the murder of 18-year-old Nowak to “stoke rage”. Nowak was fatally stabbed by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa in Southampton in December.  Digwa, who falsely claimed he had been racially abused and attacked by Nowak, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years on Monday. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the conduct of police officers who handcuffed Nowak after he had been stabbed and repeatedly told police he could not breathe as he lay dying. Farage has urged the public to respond to the case with “pure, cold rage”. Riots took place in Southampton on Tuesday night in response to the case, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday. At PMQs, Farage said it was “now clear to growing millions in this country that we …

Malaysia FA approves reforms after AFC criticism

Malaysia FA approves reforms after AFC criticism

Published by Sam Flores

KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 : The Football Association of Malaysia on Wednesday approved a sweeping overhaul to its regulatory structure, shortly after the regional governing body, the Asian Football Confederation, said it had found widespread weaknesses in the association’s governance and operations. The AFC in January said it would conduct a review into FAM after the association was accused by world soccer body FIFA of using doctored documentation to field seven naturalised players in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam last year. FAM has denied wrongdoing and said it was investigating a technical error. • In March, the AFC overturned Malaysia’s qualifying wins over Nepal and Vietnam, effectively ending the country’s chances of advancing in the tournament. • In an audit report released on Wednesday, the AFC said FAM scored less than two out of five in most major areas reviewed including governance, legal, finance and football development, and described the weaknesses as systemic throughout the organisation. • The association had also been operating without getting its budget formally approved since 2016, despite it being …

BBC’s Chris Mason Utterly Demolishes Reform’s Makerfield Candidate Over His Social Media History

BBC’s Chris Mason Utterly Demolishes Reform’s Makerfield Candidate Over His Social Media History

Published by Sam Flores

Robert Kenyon and Chris Mason BBC Reform’sMakerfield candidate had a car crash interview with the BBC’s political editor over his controversial internet history. Wigan councillor Robert Kenyon is running against Labour candidate, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, in the crunch by-election. While it is still seen as a two-horse race, Kenyon’s deleted social media posts have dominated much of the conversation during the campaign. As BBC political editor Chris Mason pointed out during an tense exchange, Kenyon once claimed Russia was “well within its rights” to invade Ukraine’s sovereign territory Crimea. “That will sound to some people that you’re sympathetic to Vladimir Putin,” the BBC journalist pointed out. Kenyon replied: “Absolutely not Chris, I’ve served in the Army Reserves since and I’m totally against illegal annexation of Crimea. Things have happened since, people change their opinions on things…” Mason replied: “Let’s talk about Brexit. You said that that the Leave campaign peddled ‘nationalistic pish’ during the Brexit referendum. Did you back Brexit?” “100%, hand on heart, I voted for Brexit,” Kenyon insisted. “So who was peddling ‘nationalistic pish’?” …

EU to release billions in frozen funds for Hungary amid Magyar reforms | European Union News

EU to release billions in frozen funds for Hungary amid Magyar reforms | European Union News

Published by Sam Flores

PM Peter Magyar called ​the agreement to unlock funds frozen under former leader Orban a ‘historic’ breakthrough. Published On 29 May 202629 May 2026 The European Union has announced it will unlock 16.4 billion euros ($19bn) for Hungary in a major win for the newly elected Prime Minister, Peter Magyar. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Friday that the bloc was ready to release the funds that were frozen when Viktor Orban was in power. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Under Orban’s rule, the EU froze about 18 billion euros ($21bn) in funds earmarked for Budapest due to democratic backsliding, corruption and the treatment of LGBTQ issues. Von der Leyen told reporters that the EU would unlock 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) from the recovery fund, called Next Generation EU, and 4.2 billion euros ($4.8bn) in cohesion funds, with a further 2.2 billion euros ($2.5bn) as the reforms are completed. “That is quite a sum, but … the Hungarian people deserve it. Again, many, many thanks …

EU to unlock 16 billion euros for Hungary as Magyar pushes ahead with post-Orban reforms

EU to unlock 16 billion euros for Hungary as Magyar pushes ahead with post-Orban reforms

Published by Sam Flores

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Friday the bloc would unlock more than €16 billion ($19 billion) for Hungary, as she praised early progress on reforms under the country’s new leadership. The European Commission president announced the release of funds frozen under the divisive rule of former prime minister Viktor Orban after talks with his pro-Europe successor Peter Magyar in Brussels. “We can already feel a strong wind of change across Hungary,” von der Leyen told a press conference. “In only a few weeks, you have driven forward long overdue reforms,” she told the conservative leader. Read moreDismantling Orban’s legacy: the reforms that lie ahead for Hungary The announcement is a big win for the conservative Magyar, who defeated longtime nationalist leader Orban in an election in April, and has been eager to show progress in securing the badly needed money. The EU froze around €18 billion ($21 billion) in funds earmarked for Budapest because of democratic backsliding, tackling graft and the treatment of LGBTQ issues under Orban’s rule. The money could help …

Lack of evidence could ‘challenge’ reforms, say EEF

Lack of evidence could ‘challenge’ reforms, say EEF

Published by skeptic

A lack of evidence on what works to support pupils with SEND could pose a “challenge” to reforms, the government’s go-to body for showing what works in education has warned. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has responded to the Department for Education’s SEND consultation, which closed on May 18. Proposed reforms would see mainstream schools support more SEND pupils, while education, health and care plans (EHCPs) would be reserved for pupils with the most complex needs. ‘Significant evidence gaps’ However, the EEF said there remained “significant evidence gaps” in terms what works for SEND pupils, with some research required that “does not yet exist”. “The DfE’s ambition to ensure that high quality evidence informs education decisions in relation to SEND is important. “However at present the gaps in the current evidence base mean that there are areas where that is likely to be challenging given the many practices for which high quality evidence does not yet exist.” The EEF also said there was a “practice gap”, and that it was important that teachers engage with …

SEND reforms risk ‘smothering’ schools, government warned

SEND reforms risk ‘smothering’ schools, government warned

Published by skeptic

The scale of proposed SEND reforms alongside other policy changes risks “smothering” the school system, the government has been warned. School leaders’ union NAHT, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), as well as teaching unions NASUWT and the NEU have published responses to the Department for Education’s SEND consultation which closed on 18 May. All responses welcomed the move to create more inclusive environments with early intervention. But they also warned that funding and resources may not match up to expectations. Here’s everything you need to know. 1. ‘System-level smothering’ Leadership unions have warned that the SEND reforms – alongside changes to curriculum, enrichment and suspensions guidance – will be overwhelming for schools. The NAHT and CST both said implementing everything at once represented a “cumulative burden”, while ASCL said it had “serious concerns about the scale of expectations being placed on schools”. CST described this as “system-level smothering”, while the NEU said reform was “unsustainable before it has got off the ground” without protected and …