First Billie - QuikReader

Vapes to be taxed for first time as tobacco and wine duty rise

New levy on e-cigarettes, which have soared in popularity, will take effect in 2026

World - Financial Times - October 30

H5N1 bird flu found in a pig in the U.S. for the first time

A pig in Oregon has tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday.

How could Trump allies challenge the US election result?

Former president refused to concede defeat in 2020 and there are signs he could do it again

World - Financial Times - October 30

Rachel Reeves’ first Budget leaves key economic challenges unresolved

OBR says announcements amount to one of the biggest fiscal loosenings of recent decades

Business - Financial Times - October 30

Chinese factory activity expands for first time in six months

Beijing set to unveil fiscal stimulus focused on struggling local governments next week

Business - Financial Times - October 31

Chinese EV maker BYD's quarterly sales overtook Tesla's for the first time

The milestone comes amid tough competition in China, the world's largest auto market, as well as higher tariffs on imports of Chinese EVs into the EU.

Business - CNBC - October 31

DoorDash Posts First Quarterly Profit Since IPO, Launches Partnership With Lyft

DoorDash reported its first quarterly profit since going public in 2020, and launched a partnership with Lyft, as the two companies combine forces against common rival Uber.

Business - The Wall Street Journal - October 30

GB News fined £100,000 in first financial sanction by Ofcom

Media watchdog found show featuring Rishi Sunak breached impartiality rules

Business - Financial Times - October 31

Graham to make first Scotland start since World Cup

Darcy Graham will make his first Scotland appearance in over a year against Fiji at Murrayfield on Saturday.

First Elon Musk changed Twitter to X — then he made it a MAGA haven

As Musk has quickly become one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters, he has transformed X into a MAGA mouthpiece.

West Indies beat England by eight wickets: first men’s one-day international – live

Evin Lewis’s coruscating 94 helped West Indies to an emphatic victory in a rain-affected game. 4th over: England 19-0 (Salt 8, Jacks 9) Seales continues and Salt again clips for two to midwicket, ...

World - The Guardian - November 1

Charli XCX to host "Saturday Night Live" for the first time

Charli XCX has been tapped to work a double shift on "Saturday Night Live" next month — playing host and musical guest in the same evening.

Not gossip, girl: Ed Westwick and Amy Jackson are expecting their first child together

'Gossip Girl' star Ed Westwick and his wife, actor Amy Jackson, are expecting their first child together, according to pregnancy photos posted Thursday on social media.

Entertainment - Los Angeles Times - October 31

Trump Had an ‘America First’ Foreign Policy. But It Was a Breakdown in American Policymaking.

A second Donald J. Trump presidency would almost certainly mark a return to an era of foreign policy decrees, untethered to any policy process, at a moment of maximum international peril.

World - The New York Times - November 1

Latest in First Billie