The union representing tens of thousands of dockworkers across the US has agreed to suspend its strike while negotiations continue.

Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) walked out on Tuesday at 14 major ports along the east and Gulf coats, halting container traffic from Maine to Texas.

The union says it has reached a tentative agreement on wages and will go back to work on Friday as talks continue until 15 January.

The action marked the first such shutdown in almost 50 years and threatened to wreak chaos amid the busy holiday shopping season and forthcoming presidential election.

The government will prioritise and increase investment in major projects at this month’s Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said.

In addition, she announced a nearly £22bn investment in two major new carbon capture schemes over 25 years.

She criticised plans she inherited from the previous government to cut investment as a share of the economy, saying she would not repeat “those mistakes”.

But the Conservatives said it was thanks to them that funding had already been announced for the carbon capture projects.

After weeks of hints about the chancellor changing her self-imposed borrowing rules to allow significantly more investment in major projects, Ms Reeves has given her strongest indication yet of a significant increase to levels of state investment.

The green schemes are two new carbon capture and storage projects on Merseyside and Teesside.

The government said they will create and support thousands of jobs, draw in private investment and help the UK meet its climate goals.

Funding of up to £21.7bn over 25 years will subsidise three projects once they start capturing carbon from hydrogen, gas, and energy from waste.

Oil and gas giants BP and Equinor will be among the firms providing private sector funding for the projects, she said, adding that other countries “would love to get this sort of investment”.

But Greenpeace UK’s policy director Doug Parr said more than £21bn “is a lot of money to spend on something that is going to extend the life of planet-heating oil and gas production”.

The chancellor said contracts such as this were never signed by the previous government because it did not prioritise capital investment – which is money spent on items such as buildings, equipment, and IT.

She directly criticised the fact that the UK’s capital budget is due to fall from 2.5% of the size of the economy to 1.6%.

However, Conservative shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said “it’s thanks to the Conservatives that funding was already announced for these projects in the spring of 2023”.

She added that the announcement “will not make up for the mass deindustrialisation pathway that Ed Miliband’s costly net zero and energy policies are leading us to, with the devastating impact of his zealotry on jobs already seen in steel-making, refineries and in the North Sea”.

But Ms Reeves said the previous government “were cutting back on investment at exactly the time we needed to be increasing investment in our economy”.

“I’m not going to make those mistakes,” she said.

Her words are the clearest confirmation of a shift in approach to spending on major projects at the Budget and Spending Review, connected with attempts to attract significant private investment at the upcoming International Investment Summit.

That summit will be a “massive opportunity for us to show what Britain has to offer to some of the biggest investors”, she said, including private equity, venture capitalists, and sovereign wealth funds.

She also denied suggestions that the government’s budget rhetoric had spread gloom among consumers and businesses, saying there would be a “drum beat” of major investments in the coming days.

MCDONALD’S has confirmed it is bringing back an iconic burger that hasn’t been seen in the UK for almost a decade – and fans will be delighted.

Social media has been awash with rumours over the past few weeks that the much-loved McRib was making a shock comeback.

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And now, the fast food chain has revealed the legendary burger will indeed be back on sale in just days for the first time since early 2015.

The menu item will be available across UK restaurants from October 16, just over a week away, for a limited time only.

The burger, which combines a pork patty with tangy barbecue sauce, pickles and onions, will be on sale for £4.49 as an individual item or £6.19 as part of a medium extra value meal.

The burger itself contains 509 calories.

Customers have long begged for the McRib, which first launched in the UK in 1981, to return to menus after it was abruptly removed almost a decade ago.

Thomas O’Neill, head of menu at McDonald’s UK, said: “We have heard our fans loud and clear – the fan petitions and pleas on social – and after almost a decade of anticipation, we are thrilled to bring back this iconic menu item.

“Knowing how well-loved the McRib is, we had very little choice – we had to make it happen.”

It comes after a mystery message appeared on dozens of McDonald’s customers MyMcDonald’s apps with a glitch that appeared to signify the McRib was returning.

Fast food fans took to X and Facebook two weeks ago sharing images that showed “page not found” and “McRib Test Notification” error messages that had cropped up on their phones.

Posting on X, one said: ” “Ummm excuse me McDonald’s, we all saw it. THE MCRIB IS COMING BACK!”

Another commented: “McDonald’s thought they could sneak this one by and I wouldn’t notice. McRib coming to the UK.”

Another said “McDonald’s just let everyone in the UK know the McRib is coming back with a broken text notification”, to which a fellow fan replied: “This isn’t an accident, it’s a marketing ploy. Rather clever!”

OTHER MCDONALD’S MENU CHANGES

McDonald’s regularly shakes up its menu or introduces games to keep customers on their toes.

The fast food chain recently announced it is adding mini hashbrowns to menus for the first time.

Customers will be able to get the twist on a classic menu item across more than 1,300 UK restaurants from October 16 – the same date the McRib is being relaunched.

Foodies can pick up a five-pack for £1.49 while a 15-piece sharebox will cost £2.99.

Remember though that prices do vary from restaurant to restaurant so you could pay more or less than these prices.

It is not yet clear whether the hashbrowns will become a permanent menu item, so if you want to give them a go, make sure you’re quick.

Six menu items will also be removed later this month when the McDonald’s Monopoly game comes to a close.

These are the six items that customers will have to wave goodbye to:

• Philly Cheese Stack
• Chicken Big Mac
• Mozzarella Dippers
• Galaxy Chocolate McFlurry
• Twix Caramel McFlurry
• Twix Latte

If you are curious about how the game works and what prizes you can win, read our article here. 

It is worth bearing in mind that McDonald’s regularly updates its menu,  so it is always worth reading updates online to avoid missing out.

The chain regularly posts on social media informing customers of any upcoming changes.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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The governor of the Falkland Islands has sought to calm concerns over the territory’s sovereignty, following the UK’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands.

In a historic move, the UK has agreed to give up ownership of the tropical archipelago to Mauritius, after decades of often fractious negotiations.

But in an attempt to assuage the fears of people on another strategically-important group of islands, Falklands Governor Alison Blake said the legal and historical context of the two territories are “very different”.

The UK commitment to the South Atlantic territory’s sovereignty is “unwavering” and “remains undiminished”, she said in a statement posted to social media.

In the message to residents, she said: “I would like to reassure you that the legal and historical contexts of the Chagos Archipelago and the Falkland Islands are very different.

“UK ministers have been very clear throughout the process that the UK will not agree to anything that runs the risk of jeopardising sovereignty in other Overseas Territories.

“The UK government remains committed to defending the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination, and the UK’s unwavering commitment to defend UK sovereignty remains undiminished.”

The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the islands.

Argentina invaded in 1982 in a bid to reclaim sovereignty and said it had inherited the Falkland Islands from Spain in the 1800s.

A brief but bitter war lasting 74 days followed – with 655 Argentinian, 255 British and three Falkland deaths – before British forces regained control on 14 June 1982.

Gov Blake’s announcement came after a deal which, after years of negotiations, saw the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

This includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, used by the US government as a highly-secretive military base for its warships and long-range bombers.

The treaty will also “address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians”, according to a joint statement from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

A DISCOUNT clothing chain store is set to close down despite 160 objections.

An Original Factory Shop in Ben Rhydding will close down on October 19, to make way for a controversial new development.

A drive thru coffee shop will instead be built on the corner of the A65 and Wheatley lane, after it was approved in August.

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The move has been criticised by locals, with more than with more than 160 people writing to Bradford Council urging the plans be refused, according to The Telegraph and Argus.

A further 61 people signing a petition against the application, which was submitted by The EG Group Ltd and Burley Developments Ltd.

It is currently not known which change will be moving on to the site, however EG Group, founded by the billionaire Issa brothers, operates other sites that include Starbucks, Greggs, and Krispy Kreme.

In a post on its Facebook page this week, the Original Factory Shop, Ilkley said: “We are sorry to let you know our store will close it’s doors on 19th October 2024.

They added: “We take this opportunity to thank all of the local community and our store colleagues for their support throughout our time here in Ilkley.”

Original Factory Shop has close to 200 stores located around the UK.

The sad news comes amid a wave of store closures across the UK.

Retailers are being squeezed by spiralling rents and mortgage rates as well as spikes in running costs.

That, combined with the rapid march towards online shopping as the dominant model in the sector, is leaving physical stores on the brink.

An outdoor clothing chain has also launched a huge closing down sale as Trespass closes its store in Coventry.

The activewear brand employs more than 1,500 people in the UK but has shut around half a dozen stores this year.

The date of the closure was not specified at the time, but local media reported that the shutters came down for the last time on September 13.

Retail woes

Other retailers, such as Homebase, Boots, and Clarks, have been reducing the number of their high-street branches.

Rising rents, energy bills, and the cost of living have also caused many retailers to fail.

Several big retailers have fallen into administration in the past year, including Wilko, Paperchase, and most recently, The Body Shop and Ted Baker.

The Body Shop collapsed into administration on February 13, putting its almost 198 branches at risk of closure.

Since then, it has closed down 82 locations.

Pascalina Nellan

Steeve Bancal

Isabelle Charlot

‘Genuinely historic’

ALAMY