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Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

2 million UK households in poverty, unplugging fridges to save money

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 15 Nov 2023 13:27
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

Four out of five households on universal credit in the UK are going without food, turning off heat, not replacing worn-out clothing, and resorting to “desperate measures”.

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  • A basket of groceries a trolly at a supermarket in London, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP)
    A basket of groceries a trolly at a supermarket in London, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP)

According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) charity in the UK, around 2 million households have reached a point where they are turning their fridges off to save money amid a “frightening” level of hardship for the first time since May.

The JRF stated that four out of five households on universal credit were going without food, turning off heat, not replacing worn-out clothing, and resorting to “desperate measures”.

Its latest cost of living crisis tracker survey revealed that back in October, around 2.8 million UK low-income households accumulated debt to pay for food, while a third sold belongings for cash, and one in six used community “warm rooms”.

The JRF noted that although the government allocated over £12 billion for the cost of living support, 7.3 million households have still gone without food and other essentials in the last six months.

It is reported that ministers could freeze working-age benefits from next April, which would help procure billions for the Treasury, but leave about 9 million households with a loss of an estimated average of £460.

Read more: Young Brits seek opportunities elsewhere: Survey

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Balancing the equation

Peter Matejic, chief analyst at the JRF, said, “Millions of families unplugging their fridges and freezers is the latest chapter in a long-running story of hardship. People risk becoming sick from eating spoiled food and going without healthy, fresh food. This risks lasting harm to the health of millions,” adding: “The picture isn’t getting better for low income families even as inflation starts to come down. Too many are taking out loans to pay for food, selling their belongings and using warm banks to try and get by.”

He noted how “unconscionable” it is “that the government is reportedly considering cutting struggling families’ benefits to fund tax cuts. In the upcoming autumn, statement benefits must be increased in line with inflation, and local housing allowance must be unfrozen to support private renters with their housing costs.”

Charities believe that the fall in inflation still does close to nothing to improve living standards for the poor unless benefits are increased to balance food and energy prices and private sector rents.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said, “The cost of living payments have provided a significant financial boost to millions of households – just one part of the record £94bn support package we have provided to help with the rising cost of bills.”

Read next: The UK is now a poor nation, poorer than the US: Report

“This includes a 10.1% rise to benefits earlier this year, and we’re investing £3.5bn to help thousands into jobs – the best way to secure their financial security in the long term... Ultimately, the best way we can help families is to reduce inflation, and we’re sticking to our plan to halve it this year, taking the long-term decisions that will secure the country’s financial future.”

Back in August, it was found that lower-income households and those aged between 45 and 64 years old were found to be more likely to go without heating in winter, which prompted requests for the government to propose a discounted “social energy tariff” for those households.

  • Poverty
  • inflation
  • UK inflation
  • United Kingdom

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