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Hi this is ZipLaw! This is our Roundup Newsletter where we explain how the top news stories of the week impact law firms.

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Here’s what we’re serving today:

• 💸 Autumn Budget: All you need to know
• 🔋 Energy: £600M to power Geothermal Lithium
• 🏘️ Real Estate: China saves developers
• 🔍 Regs: What happened to Binance?
• 🚚 Trade: Why is China investing in Mexico?
• 🧑‍💻 15 law firms feature in the ZipTracker this week

Must-Know this Week

📄 Politics

• Dutch Election: Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom wins most seats in Dutch parliament, surprising mainstream parties.
• Israel-Hamas Truce: Israel and Hamas agree on a temporary truce for hostage release.
• Spain's Political Shift: Pedro Sánchez forms a minority government in Spain with Catalan separatist support.
• Argentine Election: Javier Milei wins Argentina’s presidency, promising to cut public spending and address inflation.

💸 Business

• Binance's Legal Woes: Binance pleads guilty to money laundering, facing $4.3bn in penalties; CEO Changpeng Zhao resigns.
• Zambia's Debt Dilemma: Zambia struggles with debt restructuring as China and France reject a deal with bondholders.
• OpenAI's Leadership Shuffle: Sam Altman reinstated as CEO of OpenAI amidst company turmoil and board restructuring.
• Nvidia's Profit Surge: Nvidia's revenues triple, but future sales to China may drop due to export restrictions.
• Auto Workers' New Contract: In the US, United Auto Workers ratify new contract with major automakers, securing jobs in electric vehicles and batteries.

📉 Economics

Autumn Budget: Key points to note

In short: The UK government is making temporary tax breaks for business investment permanent, while cutting National Insurance contributions for most workers, aiming to boost investment and economic growth.

What was announced?

• Economic Outlook: The UK expects moderate economic growth over the next few years, with a forecasted growth of 0.6% in 2023, rising to 1.4% by 2025. Inflation is projected to stabilize at around 2% by 2025.
• Minimum Wage Increase: The minimum wage will rise to £11.44 per hour from April 2023, with this rate now applicable to individuals over 21 years old.
• Benefits and National Insurance Adjustments: Benefits will increase by 6.7%, in line with September 2022's inflation rate. National insurance for employees will be cut by 2 percentage points, and changes will be made to national insurance for the self-employed.
• Pension and AI Investment: The state pension will increase by 8.5%, and £500 million will be invested in AI innovation centres over the next two years.
• Business and Tax Incentives: The government will extend a 75% discount on business rates for specific sectors and make permanent the full expensing scheme for firms investing in machinery and equipment.

⚖️ How does this impact Law Firms?