Reynolds to hold talks with bosses amid business budget backlash

Business News

The business secretary will next week hold talks with dozens of private sector bosses as the government contends with a significant corporate backlash to Labour’s first fiscal event in nearly 15 years.Sky News has learnt that executives have been invited to join a conference call on Monday with Jonathan Reynolds, in what will represent his first meaningful engagement with employers since Wednesday’s budget statement.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, unsettled financial markets with plans for billions of pounds in extra borrowing, and unnerved business leaders by saying she would raise an additional £25bn annually by hiking their national insurance contributions.An increase in employer NICs had been trailed by officials in advance of the budget, but the lowering of the threshold to just £5,000 has triggered forecasts of a wave of redundancies and even insolvencies across labour-intensive industries.Sectors such as retail and hospitality, which employ substantial numbers of part-time workers, have been particularly vocal in their condemnation of the move.

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On Friday, the Financial Times published comments made by the chief executive of Barclays in which he defended Ms Reeves.”I think they’ve done an admirable job of balancing spending, borrowing and taxation in order to drive the fundamental objective of growth,” CS Venkatakrishnan said.

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His was a rare voice among prominent business figures in backing the chancellor, however, with many questioning whether the government had a meaningful plan to grow the economy.Mr Reynolds held a similar call with business leaders within days of general election victory, and over 100 bosses are understood to have been invited to Monday’s discussion.

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A spokesman for the Department for Business and Trade declined to comment ahead of Monday’s call.

The Business Benefits Of Offering Faster Payments

Business News

Running a successful business has, arguably, never been tougher than it is today. Many sectors are fiercely competitive, and some are facing challenges that are both completely new and unexpected
There are also aspects that are within the business owners’ control which work alongside others that are not.
In these situations, it makes sense to take charge of what you can and manipulate it as effectively as possible to one’s own advantage.
In some situations, doing this can seem to be counterintuitive. A perfect example of this comes in the form of payments of money going out of a business. Traditional wisdom would suggest that the longer a business can keep hold of its money, the better for all concerned.
Not only does it mean maintaining a healthy balance in the business account. Hopefully it can also be gradually accruing interest.
However, in recent times the shifting shape of the business economy has led to a refocusing of attention.
So now more and more businesses are starting to see the advantage of paying promptly, whether it’s to settle a supplier’s invoice or to pay staff in a timely and efficient manner.
Why pay now?
There are a number of reasons why prompt payment is quickly gaining ground as a wise business strategy.
For example, businesses in the service sector can earn themselves an enhanced reputation as organisations who pay up promptly.
Insurance companies, for instance, often need to come to the rescue when some kind of calamity has occurred. It may be that building damage needs to be repaired or a body shop won’t fix a car smash until they are paid. By paying out promptly the insurance company gets a satisfied and grateful customer, and one who is more likely to remain loyal to them in the future.
Or, in the case of an online casino, a provider who has fast payout options is always going to give itself a competitive advantage over other, slower paying, casinos. And in a sector that is as competitive as theirs this can be a crucial business strategy.
It’s not just clients and customers who will benefit from prompt payments. Suppliers, themselves trying to run their businesses efficiently and profitably, will be greatly helped if their bills are paid promptly. It could even lead to them offering preferential discounts in exchange for speedy payment, creating the best kind of virtuous circle.
One also has to bear in mind the time, effort and investment that many businesses have to put into chasing up late payments and even using the services of invoice factoring companies to get their money – something that also sees them giving up a percentage of it just for the privilege of getting paid.
One could still argue that, for the payer, it is more valuable to have money in the bank earning interest for as long as possible. But with interest rates low, and set to become even lower in the future, it’s not really an argument that holds much water.
The Zero Hours situation
The last few years have seen the inexorable rise of staff being retained on so-called zero hours contracts. So the work may be there for them, but it may not. While this offers flexibility, it does little for employee loyalty.
With no contractual obligation to keep them, zero hours employees could always be on the lookout for the next gig.
But the one genuine incentive at their employers’ disposal is the offer of quick payment. So this might help to change their perspective of the grass being greener elsewhere.
How to manage faster payments
So, having provided some convincing reasons why faster paying can be good for business, what are the obstacles?
The main one is the slow pace of the traditional banking system. Even when a payment is authorised to be made it can still take up to three business days to move into the payee’s account.
However, a new generation of payment systems has started to appear. These promise to remove all the delays previously encountered, even when paying from one currency to another.
The Blockchain effect
Traditional banks are aware of the shift in the way that money is being moved around and seem to be very conscious that there’s the risk of business customers, in particular, looking for alternative ways to pay and receive money.
So most of the big names are said to be examining ways in which blockchain technology can speed up their own processes without compromising security.
This means that over the coming months and years we may well see a general shift in the time it takes even for big banking multinationals to process payments. Whether the business world will also become more prompt and efficient in its payments we’ll just have to wait and see.
Nov 1, 2024Chris Price

Lucky Baskhar Day 1 box office: Dulquer Salmaan’s film takes a huge leap

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Lucky Baskhar Day 1 box office collection: The period crime thriller film which marked the first onscreen collaboration of Dulquer Salmaan and director Venky Atluri, has opened to unanimously positive reviews. As expected, Lucky Baskhar has made a massive opening at the worldwide box office, with a Day 1 collection of around Rs. 12.7 crore. The movie is performing exceptionally well in the Telugu states, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu markets.Lucky Baskhar box office Day 1: Telugu collectionLucky Baskhar official poster.According to the latest updates from trade experts, the Telugu box office collection of Lucky Baskhar stands at RS. 4.4 crore. It is indeed an extraordinary opening for the Dulquer Salmaan starrer, which has been receiving excellent response from the audience. The leading man, who is just four-films-old in the Telugu industry, has undoubtedly made it big with the Venky Atluri directorial. While considering the massive advance booking rates, Lucky Baskhar will soon cross the Rs. 10 crore mark in Telugu.
Lucky Baskhar Kerala box office collections Day 1Dulquer Salmaan in Lucky Baskhar trailer.When it comes to Dulquer Salmaan’s home state, Kerala, things are no different. Lucky Baskhar, which hit the major parts of the state in its Malayalam-dubbed version, has collected around Rs. 2.05 crore from the Kerala box office on Day 1. It is indeed a massive achievement for the period crime thriller, which was originally a Telugu film. Notably, the movie didn’t have a massive release in Kerala and had just around 175 screens across the state on its release day.
Lucky Baskhar Tamil Nadu box office collections Day 1The Day 1 Tamil Nadu box office collection of Dulquer Salmaan and Venky Atluri’s film reportedly stands at around Rs 1 crore. Despite the lack of a massive pre-release hype, Lucky Baskhar has been showing a major improvement in its Tamil Nadu collections, thanks to the excellent reviews and word of mouth publicity. The movie is expected to make it even bigger on Day 2 in the state, owing to the increasing number of shows and advance bookings.

Lucky Baskhar Day 1 box office: Dulquer Salmaan’s film takes a huge leap

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Lucky Baskhar Day 1 box office collection: The period crime thriller film which marked the first onscreen collaboration of Dulquer Salmaan and director Venky Atluri, has opened to unanimously positive reviews. As expected, Lucky Baskhar has made a massive opening at the worldwide box office, with a Day 1 collection of around Rs. 12.7 crore. The movie is performing exceptionally well in the Telugu states, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu markets.Lucky Baskhar box office Day 1: Telugu collectionLucky Baskhar official poster.According to the latest updates from trade experts, the Telugu box office collection of Lucky Baskhar stands at RS. 4.4 crore. It is indeed an extraordinary opening for the Dulquer Salmaan starrer, which has been receiving excellent response from the audience. The leading man, who is just four-films-old in the Telugu industry, has undoubtedly made it big with the Venky Atluri directorial. While considering the massive advance booking rates, Lucky Baskhar will soon cross the Rs. 10 crore mark in Telugu.
Lucky Baskhar Kerala box office collections Day 1Dulquer Salmaan in Lucky Baskhar trailer.When it comes to Dulquer Salmaan’s home state, Kerala, things are no different. Lucky Baskhar, which hit the major parts of the state in its Malayalam-dubbed version, has collected around Rs. 2.05 crore from the Kerala box office on Day 1. It is indeed a massive achievement for the period crime thriller, which was originally a Telugu film. Notably, the movie didn’t have a massive release in Kerala and had just around 175 screens across the state on its release day.
Lucky Baskhar Tamil Nadu box office collections Day 1The Day 1 Tamil Nadu box office collection of Dulquer Salmaan and Venky Atluri’s film reportedly stands at around Rs 1 crore. Despite the lack of a massive pre-release hype, Lucky Baskhar has been showing a major improvement in its Tamil Nadu collections, thanks to the excellent reviews and word of mouth publicity. The movie is expected to make it even bigger on Day 2 in the state, owing to the increasing number of shows and advance bookings.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Twitter Review: Fans vouch for Kartik Aaryan’s film

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 receives thumbs up from fansBhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has been receiving good reviews from fans as some of them loved the triple fun featuring Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, and Madhuri Dixit while some appreciated the plotline and also the dance face-off between two Manjulikas.
Reviewing the film, one fan wrote, “The chemistry between the cast in #BhoolBhulaiyaa3 is fantastic, adding depth to the comedy! #BhoolBhulaiyaa3Review.” 
Another said, “From start to finish, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 keeps you laughing and engaged. A perfect weekend watch! #BhoolBhulaiyaa3 #BhoolBhulaiyaa3Review”One fan stated, “Every character in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 added something special to the story! Loved them all!” One of the reviews also read, “This film has the right balance of humor and spookiness—loved every minute!”Have a look at more Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 reveiews: One fan said that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is a must-watch and added, “#BhoolBhulaiyaa3 nailed the perfect blend of horror and humor! Kartik Aaryan knows how to keep us at the edge of our seats.”Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan had a ‘cameo’ in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 but it is not what you thinkOne scene in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 had the audience fall in love as there was a parody of Shah Rukh Khan’s entry scene from Jawan. Kartik’s Rooh Baba prepared to fight with a look-alike of SRK’s bandaged, revenge-thirsty anti-hero from Jawan. The scene won people’s hearts as the moment was perfectly crafted with a comedic twist.
Reacting to it, one fan wrote, “They did a parody of SRK’s entry scene from JAWAN in”Meanwhile, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 had a box office clash with Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again as both films released on November 1. 
Speaking about the big box office clash, filmmaker Anees Bazmee told ETimes, “It is the best birthday gift I could ever get. I am truly humbled by the audience’s love.” He also said that he does not consider Singham Again and Bhool Bhilaiyaa 3 releasing on the same day as a clash as both the films are good in his opinion.
“What clash? Both the films are doing so well. It is great for the industry only. The more, the merrier,” Bazmee added. 
Directed by Anees Bazmee, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 also cast Triptii Dimri as Kartik’s love interest. The film also features Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Mishra, Manish Wadhwa, Rajesh Sharma, Rajpal Yadav, Ashwini Kalsekar, and others in supporting roles. The film is bankrolled by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series Films and Cine1 Studios.
Have you watched Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3? Share your reviews on X by tagging us @ottplayapp! 

Mariah The Scientist Reacts To Young Thug’s Release From Custody: “This Sh*t Is So Unbelievable”

Science and Health

On Thursday (Oct. 31), Young Thug was officially released from custody after entering a non-negotiated plea agreement. The news sent shockwaves throughout social media, and one person who was priority in receiving the update was Thugger’s girlfriend, Mariah The Scientist.

Holding it down for the “Lifestyle” rapper was no easy feat, as the infamous RICO trial went on to officially become the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia history. However, Mariah never lost hope, regularly leading “Free Thug!” chants during her shows about and providing updates about him every chance she got. The singer live-reacted during her opening slot last night in Brooklyn on Latto’s Sugar Honey Iced Tea Tour.

“I just wanna thank God for the day, I wanna thank you for life, light, and love. I wanna thank you for out family and friends, I wanna thank you for Jeff and our relationship,” she said on the mic as the crowd roared. “I wanna thank you for covering us and keeping us safe, everyday.”

Then, she began to cry and continued by thanking the fans who encouraged her to stay strong. “This has really been a long time coming. It has been really hard. I’m appreciative that you kept showing up and supporting me. There was people who was telling me I would never see him again… making fun of us… Amen.”

After ending her prayer, she shifted her attention onto the people who sent negativity her way during the last two years. “All you motherf**kers who doubted me, and doubted this sh*t, and said this man was never coming back. F**k all y’all. Whatchu gon’ say now, b**ch?” she said before going into a “Thug Free” chant.

The “Spread Thin” singer concluded by letting fans know that she will be on the way to see her man shortly. “This sh*t is so unbelievable. Let’s just make it to the end so I can get on this jet,” she said coyly. Check out videos from the concert above and Thug’s shoutout to his lady below.

40 years of STR: Where to stream Silambarasan’s debut film Kaadhal Azhivathillai

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Fans of actor Silambarasan have been celebrating 40 years of their star onscreen. The actor, who had appeared as a child artiste in his father’s films, made his debut as lead actor in the 2002 Tamil romantic action film Kaadhal Azhivathillai. If you would like to stream the film, it is available on SunNXT and the OTTplay Premium app.
40 years of STR: Where to watch Kaadhal Azhivathillai?Silambarasan is one Tamil actor, who enjoys a massive fanbase. The actor has a particular and distinct style of acting. He is also known for his dance, and being multi-faceted as a director as well.Silambarasan in Vinnaithaandi VaruvaayaFans on social media have been celebrating 40 years of their beloved star. While fans can expect new updates about his upcoming project. Meanwhile, you can revisit Silambarasan’s Kaadhal Azhivathillai, the 2002 Tamil romantic action-drama film which marked his debut as lead actor. The film is available for streaming on SunNXT and OTTplay Premium app, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and App Store.Kadhal Azhivathillai is written, directed and produced by T Rajendar, Silambarasan’s father. The film also stars actor-producer Charmy Kaur as the female lead. The film revolves around a poor boy who falls in love with an affluent girl, and how he gets together with her, while her father tries to separate them. Karunas, Vadivelu, Nalini, and Radha Ravi are also part of the film, in which T Rajendhar too plays an important role.Simbu’s upcoming projectsSilambarasan, who was last seen in the Tamil film Pathu Thala, has announced a new Tamil movie. The film will be helmed by filmmaker Ashwath Marimuthu, who is currently working with Pradeep Ranganathan in Dragon. Silambarasan’s new film will be backed by AGS Productions. The upcoming project will mark the first time Ashwath will be working with Silambarasan. Other cast and crew details of the film have not yet been announced.
Silambarasan’s first look from Thug LifeMeanwhile, Silambarasan is also part of the upcoming Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan project, Thug Life, in which he plays a pivotal role.

40 years of STR: Where to stream Silambarasan’s debut film Kaadhal Azhivathillai

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Fans of actor Silambarasan have been celebrating 40 years of their star onscreen. The actor, who had appeared as a child artiste in his father’s films, made his debut as lead actor in the 2002 Tamil romantic action film Kaadhal Azhivathillai. If you would like to stream the film, it is available on SunNXT and the OTTplay Premium app.
40 years of STR: Where to watch Kaadhal Azhivathillai?Silambarasan is one Tamil actor, who enjoys a massive fanbase. The actor has a particular and distinct style of acting. He is also known for his dance, and being multi-faceted as a director as well.Silambarasan in Vinnaithaandi VaruvaayaFans on social media have been celebrating 40 years of their beloved star. While fans can expect new updates about his upcoming project. Meanwhile, you can revisit Silambarasan’s Kaadhal Azhivathillai, the 2002 Tamil romantic action-drama film which marked his debut as lead actor. The film is available for streaming on SunNXT and OTTplay Premium app, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and App Store.Kadhal Azhivathillai is written, directed and produced by T Rajendar, Silambarasan’s father. The film also stars actor-producer Charmy Kaur as the female lead. The film revolves around a poor boy who falls in love with an affluent girl, and how he gets together with her, while her father tries to separate them. Karunas, Vadivelu, Nalini, and Radha Ravi are also part of the film, in which T Rajendhar too plays an important role.Simbu’s upcoming projectsSilambarasan, who was last seen in the Tamil film Pathu Thala, has announced a new Tamil movie. The film will be helmed by filmmaker Ashwath Marimuthu, who is currently working with Pradeep Ranganathan in Dragon. Silambarasan’s new film will be backed by AGS Productions. The upcoming project will mark the first time Ashwath will be working with Silambarasan. Other cast and crew details of the film have not yet been announced.
Silambarasan’s first look from Thug LifeMeanwhile, Silambarasan is also part of the upcoming Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan project, Thug Life, in which he plays a pivotal role.

Is Netflix’s New Horror Movie, ‘Time Cut,’ Worth Watching?

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Netflix has put out a new horror movie that has landed at #2 in its top 10 list the day after Halloween, and unlike some actually pretty good Netflix original horror films, Time Cut is…extremely bad.

If you want to know whether or not Time Cut is worth watching, the answer is overwhelmingly no. It is very bad. Trust me. Or critics. Or audiences. Here’s the synopsis:

“A teen in 2024 accidentally time-travels to 2003, days before a masked killer murders her sister. Can she change the past without destroying the future?”

It’s a strange concept as this is clearly a movie aimed at teens where many of them weren’t even born in 2003, and people that were in high school in 2003, like me, think this looks too juvenile and also, is a terrible, half-hearted attempt at recreating 2003. You can throw in some Uggs and iPods but the vibes aren’t there. It just feels all wrong.

The film has a dismal 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, as close to as low as we see Netflix originals go, and an also-bad 40% audience score and a 5/10 on IMDB. The film feels like one of those “algorithmic” Netflix movies where they throw in actors from other popular projects and see if it works. In this case, that is Outer Banks’ Madison Bailey, Ginny and Georgia’s Antonia Gentry and Locke and Key’s Griffin Gluck. Like it’s just so obviously transparent that this was made by a focus group attempting to grab actors from its most popular teen-focused series and attempt to make this concept work. It does not.Time CutRotten Tomatoes

Here are some of the critic reviews about Time Cut:

AV Club – “It’s a glancing blow of a snoozy slasher far more interested in being a 2000s rewound comedy, meeting somewhere in the unenthusiastic middle.”
TheWrap – “The time travel stuff is mined for funny jokes for a few minutes and then the film shows zero interest in all the worms it’s uncanned. It’s a whole lot of ‘what ifs’ and not a lot of ‘then whats.’”
Guardian – “There’s far too much focus on the particulars of time travel, as if we expect or want a film like this to be rooted in any actual science, and… there’s a laziness to how it handles the simple slasher beats.”

It’s hard to make attention-grabbing horror movies in a crowded field. It’s hard to make time travel movies that are remotely coherent. It may be close to impossible to combine them, and this movie feels like it didn’t really have a chance. Skip it and watch the much better film, Woman of the Hour, still at #1 and with a 90% score on Netflix’s top 10 list.

Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

Is Netflix’s New Horror Movie, ‘Time Cut,’ Worth Watching?

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Netflix has put out a new horror movie that has landed at #2 in its top 10 list the day after Halloween, and unlike some actually pretty good Netflix original horror films, Time Cut is…extremely bad.

If you want to know whether or not Time Cut is worth watching, the answer is overwhelmingly no. It is very bad. Trust me. Or critics. Or audiences. Here’s the synopsis:

“A teen in 2024 accidentally time-travels to 2003, days before a masked killer murders her sister. Can she change the past without destroying the future?”

It’s a strange concept as this is clearly a movie aimed at teens where many of them weren’t even born in 2003, and people that were in high school in 2003, like me, think this looks too juvenile and also, is a terrible, half-hearted attempt at recreating 2003. You can throw in some Uggs and iPods but the vibes aren’t there. It just feels all wrong.

The film has a dismal 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, as close to as low as we see Netflix originals go, and an also-bad 40% audience score and a 5/10 on IMDB. The film feels like one of those “algorithmic” Netflix movies where they throw in actors from other popular projects and see if it works. In this case, that is Outer Banks’ Madison Bailey, Ginny and Georgia’s Antonia Gentry and Locke and Key’s Griffin Gluck. Like it’s just so obviously transparent that this was made by a focus group attempting to grab actors from its most popular teen-focused series and attempt to make this concept work. It does not.Time CutRotten Tomatoes

Here are some of the critic reviews about Time Cut:

AV Club – “It’s a glancing blow of a snoozy slasher far more interested in being a 2000s rewound comedy, meeting somewhere in the unenthusiastic middle.”
TheWrap – “The time travel stuff is mined for funny jokes for a few minutes and then the film shows zero interest in all the worms it’s uncanned. It’s a whole lot of ‘what ifs’ and not a lot of ‘then whats.’”
Guardian – “There’s far too much focus on the particulars of time travel, as if we expect or want a film like this to be rooted in any actual science, and… there’s a laziness to how it handles the simple slasher beats.”

It’s hard to make attention-grabbing horror movies in a crowded field. It’s hard to make time travel movies that are remotely coherent. It may be close to impossible to combine them, and this movie feels like it didn’t really have a chance. Skip it and watch the much better film, Woman of the Hour, still at #1 and with a 90% score on Netflix’s top 10 list.

Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.