George Osborne's plan to devolve the 'Northern Powerhouse' could be awful for the north | ||
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In his first speech since the Tories' shock election victory, chancellor George Osborne today set out his vision for empowered cities, calling for the devolution of power to local mayors. Greater Manchester will take control over things like housing, transport, planning and policing when it elects a mayor in two years time and Osborne said the city should become a blueprint for others. Goldman Sachs' legendary economist Jim O'Neill today also joined the Treasury as an advisor and will help push the devolution agenda. Devolution fits into Osborne's dream of lessening the UK's reliance on London by creating a "northern powerhouse", but there could be another important reason for why the Chancellor wants to cut down his own power. Morgan Stanley's Jacob Nell and his team today put out a note considering how the Tories might pay for all the costly election promises they made. Some estimates put the government's balance sheet black hole is as big as £30 billion ($47 billion). One money spinning policy that Morgan Stanley proposed was an overhaul to the council tax system — in effect a back door mansion tax — but another idea was devolution. By putting local councils in charge of more service and more taxes, it shifts the spending commitments from the Treasury's balance sheet. Devolution could also cut administrative costs as issues are dealt with closer to the source. Here's what Morgan Stanley said in its note: "We do not expect benefit for the national budget at the point of transfer, but over time the national Exchequer may benefit if additional future costs are met through raising revenue locally, or if local expenditure management is more efficient." Manchester is already in charge of its £6 billion ($9.5 billion) health and social care budget, and Morgan Stanley thinks tax collection could be localised for things like business rates. This is good for the Conservatives as it helps them balance their books. However, there is a danger of devolved cities becoming ghettoised. Poorer areas are often the ones that need the most investment and by putting cities in charge of both raising and spending money, it could entrench economic inequalities. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's what 'Game of Thrones' stars look like in real life  | ||
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Pope creates first Palestinian saints at Vatican mass | ||
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Vatican City (AFP) - Two nuns on Sunday became the first Palestinians to gain sainthood during an open-air mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St Peter's Square attended by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. The pontiff urged the faithful to follow the "luminous example" of the two 19th-century sisters and two others, from France and Italy, who were canonised along with them on a sunny spring morning. Marie Alphonsine Ghattas was born in Jerusalem in 1843, and died there in 1927. She was beatified -- the final step before canonisation -- in 2009. Mariam Bawardy was born in Galilee, now in northern Israel, in 1846. She became a nun in France and died in Bethlehem in 1878. She was beatified by pope John Paul II in 1983. Around 2,000 pilgrims from the Palestinian territories, Israel and Jordan attended the mass as well as Abbas, who had a private audience with the pope on Saturday. The other two new saints are Jeanne-Emilie de Villeneuve (1811-1854) and Maria Cristina dell'Immacolata (1856-1906). Giant portraits of the four women hung from the facade of St Peter's Basilica facing the square. Although there are several saints who lived in the region during Christianity's early days, Bawardy and Ghattas are the first to be canonised from Ottoman-era Palestine. The canonisation of a third Palestinian -- a Salesian monk -- is still under review by the Church. Francis urged the faithful to "follow in the footsteps" of the four women whom he called "models of sanctity." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Cate Blanchett lesbian love movie is leading Cannes contender | ||
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Cannes (France) (AFP) - A leading contender for the Palme d'Or, "Carol", starring Cate Blanchett in a lesbian love story, gets its world premiere at Cannes on Sunday. Early reviews for the film, set in New York in the 1950s and directed by American film-maker Todd Haynes, have been so glowing that it is already generating Oscar buzz -- at the very least for Australian actress Blanchett, 46. Blanchett, who already has two acting Oscars, for "The Aviator" and "Blue Jasmine", is "incandescent" in the role of a socialite who begins a relationship with a shopgirl (played by Rooney Mara) despite the personal and societal hazards that poses, according to Variety magazine. It has "supreme intelligence, breathtaking poise and filmmaking craft of the most sophisticated yet accessible order," Variety said.
- 'Criminal' love -
Reviewers were nearly unanimous over Haynes's "masterful" restraint, which drew the audience along until the end, when a stately yet powerful climax brought tears to the eyes of even hardened film critics. Movie website Indiewire called it "a love story that starts at a trickle, swells gradually to a torrent, and finally bursts the banks of your heart". The movie is based on a book by Patricia Highsmith, who wrote crime thrillers including "The Talented Mr Ripley". Here, there is no "crime" committed -- although the women's relationship is viewed as such in the reproving period in which it is set. "The almost-pathological paranoia that is usually defined as criminal is, in this case, romantic," Haynes, who is gay, explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "Even before it became a story about lesbian love -- which was, of course, criminal, as defined by the world at that time -- it was just about love itself as something criminal."
- Universal story -
Ultimately, though, it seeks to tell a universal love story built around themes of sacrifice and defiance, and pursuing love with dignity. That it is filmed with superlative costumes, intricate attention to detail, and irreproachable performances heightens the impact. Haynes and Blanchett had worked together before, on "I'm Not There", in which Blanchett is one of a cast of actors who play Bob Dylan. If "Carol" ends up winning Cannes's Palme d'Or trophy in a week's time, it won't be the first time a sensitive picture about a lesbian couple has won over the jury. "Blue is the Warmest Colour", a French lesbian drama, picked up the top prize in 2013. In an unusual step, the award was given not just to the director but also to the two female leads, in order to bypass a Cannes rule that the Palme d'Or and acting trophies cannot go to the same film. "Carol", which is financed by British and American companies, is scheduled to be released in the United States in December -- a key point in the calendar for films seen with Oscar potential. The rest of the world will likely only get to see it in 2016. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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US raid in Syria killed 32 IS members, including 4 leaders: monitor | ||
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Beirut (AFP) - A US special forces raid in eastern Syria killed 32 members of the Islamic State jihadist group, including four leaders, a monitoring group said Sunday. "The US operation killed 32 members of IS, among them four officials, including IS oil chief Abu Sayyaf, the deputy IS defence minister, and an IS communications official," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. US officials have said "about a dozen" people were killed in the operation. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Burundi president makes first official appearance since coup attempt: AFP | ||
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Bujumbura (Burundi) (AFP) - Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza on Sunday made his first official appearance since an attempted coup against him this week, AFP reporters said. The president smiled and appeared relaxed as he greeted the press at the presidential palace in Bujumbura. He made only a brief statement to journalists with no mention of the country's political crisis. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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