Briefly

UNITED NATIONS

Countries vote against US embargo on Cuba

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted overwhelmingly an annual resolution urging the United States to end its long-standing economic and trade embargo against Cuba. The resolution garnered support from 187 states, with only the US and Israel casting against it and Moldova abstaining. The General Assembly reiterated its call for all states to refrain from promulgating or applying restrictive laws and measures in line with their obligations under the UN Charter and international law. Though nonbinding, the result reflects the isolation of the US regarding its long-standing embargo policy, first imposed in 1960.

UNITED KINGDOM

Record tax increase announced in budget

Britain's new Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced the biggest tax increases in three decades in her first budget on Wednesday, saying she had to repair the country's broken public services with heavy spending. Reeves said she would raise taxes by 40 billion pounds ($52 billion) a year, blaming the Conservatives for leaving her Labour Party with a budget "black hole". She also changed the government's fiscal rules to increase borrowing for long-term investment to boost the economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility, whose forecasts underpin government budgets, said the economy was set to grow by 2 percent in 2025, slightly up from the 1.9 percent it had forecast in March.

UNITED STATES

Bird flu confirmed in swine for first time

A pig at a backyard farm in the US state of Oregon tested positive for H5N1 avian flu, the first such case in the United States, officials said Wednesday. The US Department of Agriculture, or USDA, said that the pig was found to be infected on Tuesday, four days after poultry on the same farm tested positive for the highly contagious virus. Authorities euthanized the pig as well as four others kept on the farm "to facilitate additional diagnostic analysis", USDA officials said.

Xinhua - Agencies