- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
UK economy stalls, dealing blow to new government
Britain's economy stalled again in July, official data showed Wednesday, dealing a blow to the new Labour government that has put growth expansion at the top of its priority list.
Gross domestic product showed zero growth in the reported month compared with June, when output also flattened, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
Analysts had predicted a slight uplift in growth for July, while previous data showed the UK economy grew at a slightly slower pace in the second quarter compared with the first.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government won power at the start of July, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
"I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge we face and I will be honest with the British people that change will not happen overnight," finance minister Rachel Reeves said in response to Wednesday's data.
"Two quarters of positive economic growth does not make up for fourteen years of stagnation.
"That is why we are taking the long-term decisions now to fix the foundations of our economy," she added in a statement.
Chancellor of the exchequer Reeves has pledged to impose "iron discipline" over public finances to claw back what she says is a £22-billion ($29-billion) black hole inherited from the previous Conservative government.
She has indicated that some taxes will be raised in her maiden budget at the end of October to help fund the gap.
The government has already announced a plan to end fuel benefits for millions of pensioners.
- Amazon win -
The government was boosted by news that US tech giant Amazon is to invest £8 billion ($10.5 billion) in Britain over the next five years, creating thousands of jobs via its web services arm
"We are taking the long-term decisions now to fix the foundations of our economy, including today's announcement... from Amazon Web Services, that will help rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off," Reeves added.
The investment -- to build, operate and maintain data centres in the UK -- could contribute £14 billion to the country's GDP and support more than 14,000 jobs annually across the supply chain, Amazon said.
The government "persuading players like Amazon to continue to invest in tech services is a sound strategy", noted Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell.
"But with so many rumours swirling about next month's budget, getting more businesses to inject cash into the UK will require a deft hand."
G.Stevens--AMWN