House | Common News Update

Apr42021 by adminNo Comments

Jordan’s Prince Hamza bin Al-Hussein says he’s been placed under house arrest

World

The half-brother of Jordan's King Abdullah has said he has been placed under house arrest, claiming he was being punished for taking in part in meetings in which the king had been criticised.In a video leaked to several broadcasters, Prince Hamza bin Al-Hussein said he was visited early on Saturday by the country's military chief and told "I was not allowed to go out, to communicate with people or to meet with them". He said his security detail was removed, and his phone and internet service had been cut.He accused Jordan's "ruling system" of incompetence and corruption, saying it had decided "that its personal interests, that its financial interests, that its corruption is more important than the lives and dignity and futures of the 10 million people that live here"."I'm not part of any c...

Mar132021 by adminNo Comments

House builders ‘should drop appalling gagging orders’

Business

James ThomasHouse builders that carry out repairs on newly built homes need to be more open about what work has been required, according to the chairman of Parliament's Housing Committee.Some home owners say they were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as a condition of repairs being done.The practice was "appalling" Clive Betts MP told Radio 4's Money Box programme.The Home Builders Federation said NDAs were "not widely used" by developers.Mr Betts said housebuilders should be obliged to inform home owners when systematic defects were identified that might affect their property, which he said would be normal practice in other areas."If this kind of thing happens in the car industry for example, car companies have to tell their customers, issue a recall, and get the problem fix...

Feb272021 by adminNo Comments

House passes $1.9T pandemic bill on near party-line vote

Technology

WASHINGTON -- The House approved a $ 1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill in a win for President Joe Biden, even as top Democrats tried assuring agitated progressives that they’d revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage.The new president’s vision for flushing cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities battered by COVID-19 passed on a near party-line 219-212 vote early Saturday. That ships the massive measure to the Senate, where Democrats seem bent on resuscitating their minimum wage push and fights could erupt over state aid and other issues.Democrats said the still-faltering economy and the half-million American lives lost demanded quick, decisive action. GOP lawmakers, they said, were out of step with a public that polling shows largely views the bill ...

Feb272021 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus: Biden’s $1.9tn Covid relief bill passes House vote

World

Getty ImagesPresident Joe Biden's $ 1.9tn (£1.4tn) relief plan to help Americans during the Covid pandemic has been approved in the House of Representatives.The vote was along partisan lines. Two Democrats joined Republicans - who see it as too expensive - in opposing it.The bill must now go to the evenly-divided Senate, which has already blocked a key element - doubling the US minimum wage to $ 15 an hour.The package seeks to boost vaccinations and testing, and stabilise the economy.Biden's Covid stimulus plan: It costs $ 1.9tn but what's in it?Can Biden succeed in economic rescue mission?How the pandemic has changed the world economyThe cash would be extended as emergency financial aid to households, small businesses and state governments. Unemployment is close to 10%, with some 10 milli...

Feb262021 by adminNo Comments

Dems near relief bill OK by House, ponder wage plan rescue

Technology

WASHINGTON -- A $ 1.9 trillion package aimed at helping the country rebuild from the pandemic seemed headed toward House passage Friday, even as Democrats searched for a way to revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage.A virtual party-line House vote was expected on the COVID-19 relief measure, which embodies President Joe Biden's push to flush cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities. The White House issued a statement reinforcing its support for the new president's paramount initial goal.“The bill would allow the administration to execute its plan to change the course of the COVID-19 pandemic," it said. “And it would provide Americans and their communities an economic bridge through the crisis."Republicans have lined up against the plan, calling it an overpr...