Business
Tax wealthiest to end rip-off Britain, says Green leader Polanski
Kate WhannelPolitical reporter
Newly-elected Green Party leader Zack Polanski has told his party’s conference a tax on the wealthiest would end “rip-off Britain” and make the country “an affordable” place to live.
Addressing members in Bournemouth, he said taxing the assets of the richest 1% would enable the government to fund universal free childcare, special needs education and rural bus routes.
He also defended migrants and refugees to loud applause from the audience and accused Labour of being “handmaidens” of Reform UK adding: “When Farage says jump, Labour asks ‘how high’.”
Polanski has described himself as an “eco-populist” and is seeking to shift the party to the left to take on Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.
The prime minister has sought to tighten immigration controls in recent months, in what is being seen by critics as a response to Reform leading national opinion polls.
But Sir Keir launched an attack on Reform leader Nigel Farage in his Labour conference speech this week, accusing him of sowing division and not believing in Britain – something denied by Farage.
Polanski described Farage as a “Trump-loving corporate stooge” and accused Sir Keir of jumping to his tune.
Unusually for a speech by a Green Party leader, Polanski did not focus primarily on the environment.
He told the conference: “You can not be an effective environmentalist without talking about the deep inequality in our society.”
Much of his speech centred on the problems posed by the cost of living, pointing to a rise in homelessness, tenants worried about their rent and families struggling to pay bills.
Polanski argued that the country’s problems were “rooted in an economic model built on austerity and privatisation” but that the Green Party would “break the shackles of poverty and hardship that lock so many in”.
“This is a country with so much going for it, but we have been failed time and time again by a political class poisoned by extreme wealth and you can see that poison everyday.”
“A country where a tiny few have taken our power and wealth. Things must change. It’s time to take it back.”
He said some voters might worry that they could be hit by taxes on the wealthiest being proposed by his party.
“Hairdressers and plumbers say understandably ‘I’ve worked hard all my life. Why are you taxing me? Why are you taxing my ambition?'”
However, Polanski said he was targeting people who “will make more money in one night than everyone in this room could probably earn in an entire year”.
In a 20 minute speech, Polanski told the conference his party’s “horizons” would not be “narrow” and that he would “not be silent” on “the mass slaughter in Palestine”.
“We must stop selling arms to Israel, we must stop sharing intelligence,” he said.
He also criticised what he called a “draconian crackdown on the right to protest”.
“From terrorist proscription against protesters, to banning journalists from their conference, to diving into a rushed evidence-free plan for digital IDs that are likely to discriminate against minorities – the alarm bells of authoritarianism are now ringing.”
In his defence of refugees and migrants, Polanski said it was the “economic system” that was a “threat to the places we love… not people arriving small boats”.
To loud cheers from party members he declared: “We’ll say it loud, we’ll say it clear migrants and refugees are welcome here.”
He said the Greens wanted to stop small boats crossing the Channel through “safe and legal routes”.
He also blamed “a politics that tries to divide us and points the finger at each other, instead of at billionaires”.
In a contrast with comments from Sir Keir earlier this year, who said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers”, Polanski said: “This is a nation of neighbours.”
He said defending migration was important to him because of his own “confused and muddled” Jewish ancestry, which saw his family flee from Latvia to Ukraine to Poland and eventually to England.
Taking a moment to mark Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in Manchester, where Polanski grew up, he said “my heart is with the community.”
In the past year the Green Party has built on its success at the 2024 general election – when it won four MPs – by winning 74 seats in the local council elections.
Last month, Polanski was overwhelmingly backed by members in a leadership contest against the less combative duo of Green MPs Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns.
Since the election the party says its membership has risen by 20% to an all-time high of 80,000.
Polanski, who is a member of the London Assembly but does not have a seat in Parliament, has expressed interest in working with the new party being set up by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Labour MP Zarah Sultana.
Speaking after the leadership election, he said it was “too soon to talk about joining electoral coalitions”, but he was interested in working with “anyone who wants to challenge a failing Labour government and take on fascism and the far right”.
Business
Bank holiday on Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary: Will banks remain shut on January 12? Check state-wise list – The Times of India
Bank holiday on Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary: Banks will be observing multiple holidays in January 2026, ranging from regional festivals to nationwide observances. On January 12, some banks will remain closed to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Keeping track of bank holidays is essential for planning financial activities, as physical banking services will be unavailable on these days and customers are advised to schedule branch visits accordingly.
Where are banks closed on January 12?
On January 12, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, banks will remain closed in West Bengal.
Upcoming holidays in January:
January 14: Banks in Gujarat, Odisha, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will remain closed on account of Makar Sankranti and Magh Bihu. January 15: Banks in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will shut for Uttarayana Punyakala, Pongal, Maghe Sankranti and Makara Sankranti. January 16 and January 17: Tamil Nadu will see additional banking holidays, in observance of Thiruvalluvar Day and Uzhavar Thirunal.January 23: Banks in Tripura, Odisha and West Bengal will shut to mark the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Saraswati Puja (Shree Panchami), Vir Surendrasai Jayanti and Basanta Panchami. January 26: Banks across the country will remain closed for Republic Day. In addition to these holidays, banks will also be closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, as per the standard banking schedule. While physical branches will not be operational on these days, customers will still be able to access online banking services, ATMs, mobile banking applications and UPI for routine transactions such as fund transfers and bill payments. However, services requiring an in-person visit, including large cash deposits, cheque clearances and the issuance of demand drafts, will not be available during closures. Customers are advised to plan essential banking activities in advance to avoid inconvenience and make use of digital banking options during holiday periods.
The launch of the first autistic Barbie doll has been welcomed by campaigners and charities as a step towards more “authentic, joyful” representation for neurodivergent children.
The doll features specific design choices intended to reflect some experiences to which autistic people might relate.
These include loose clothing to ensure less fabric-to-skin contact and an eye gaze slightly to the side, to represent the way some autistic people might avoid direct eye contact.
Each doll also comes with a pink fidget spinner to reduce stress and improve focus, and noise-cancelling headphones to block out background sounds and therefore limit sensory overload.
Creators Mattel said the doll “invites more children to see themselves represented in Barbie”.
The finished product was created with input from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) in an effort to hear first-hand from the autistic community on the kinds of features the doll should have.
The network described the doll as a “milestone” in representation and said it was “thrilled” to help with the design, adding: “It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is.”
Other features include moveable elbows and wrists to allow gestures which creators said might be used by some autistic people to process sensory information or express excitement, and a pink tablet symbolising the way some people might use digital tools to help with their everyday communication.
Ellie Middleton, an autistic writer who regularly shares her experiences online, described the doll as a “powerful symbol” for young girls in feeling accepted.
She said: “To now have an autistic Barbie doll makes me so emotional.
“Statistics show that young girls are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, so to have a powerful symbol like this autistic Barbie doll helps bring the conversation around neurodivergence in women to the forefront, so that autistic girls can feel accepted and seen.”
The National Autistic Society (NAS) cautioned that, given autism is a spectrum, it is “important to remember autistic people can be very different to each other, with different sets of strengths and challenges”.
The society describes autism as a “lifelong neurodivergence and disability” which influences how people experience and interact with the world.
It estimates more than one in 100 people are autistic and that there are at least 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.
NAS managing director of national programmes, Peter Watt, said: “Seeing more depictions of autism is key to understanding and autism acceptance.
“It’s really important that these representations are authentic and based on extensive consultation with autistic people, and we’re pleased Mattel involved the autistic community in the development of this doll.
“It is positive to see authentic autistic representation on TV and films, the arts and in play, as better public understanding of autism across society could transform hundreds of thousands of autistic people’s lives.”
Mattel has, in what it described as efforts to create a brand with a more inclusive reflection of the children who play with its products, previously created diabetic and blind Barbies and a doll with Down’s syndrome.
Business
Has Govt Proposed Measure To Force Smartphone Manufacturers To Share Their Source Code? Check Truth Behind The Claim
New Delhi: The government has refuted media report that said the center is proposing to force smartphone makers to share source code with the government.
A Reuters report has said that India has proposed to force smartphone manufacturers to share their source code as part of a security overhaul.
Fact-checking agency PIB has refuted the media claim. PIB has stated that the claim being made in this post is misleading.
A news report by @Reuters claims that India proposes forcing smartphone manufacturers to share their source code as part of a security overhaul.
_ This claim is #FAKE
__ The Government of India has NOT proposed any measure to force smartphone manufacturers to_ pic.twitter.com/0bnw0KQL9Q
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) January 11, 2026
“This claim is FAKE. The Government of India has NOT proposed any measure to force smartphone manufacturers to share their source code,” PIB has tweeted.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has started the process of stakeholders’ consultations to devise the most appropriate regulatory framework for mobile security. This is a part of regular and routine consultations with the industry for any safety or security standards. Once a stakeholder consultation is done, then various aspects of security standards are discussed with the industry.
No final regulations have been framed, and any future framework will be formulated only after due consultations, it added.
How to get messages fact-checked by PIB
If you get any such suspicious message, you can always know its authenticity and check if the news is for real or it is a fake news. For that, you need to send the message to https://factcheck.pib.gov.in. Alternatively you can send a WhatsApp message to +918799711259 for fact check. You can also send your message to pibfactcheck@gmail.com. The fact check information is also available on https://pib.gov.in.
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