Business and economic news — companies, markets, trade, and corporate developments.
'Culture shift' needed in how UK does business, PM urges
# UK PM Calls for Business Culture Shift Amid Rising Operational Costs The Prime Minister is pushing for a fundamental culture shift in how Britain a…
They lost their jobs after posting about Charlie Kirk, but some have no regrets
# Workers Who Lost Jobs Over Charlie Kirk Posts Fight Back in Court Several employees across multiple industries have secured substantial settlements…
Oil, gas and borrowing costs surge as fears over Middle East escalate
Oil futures spiked to $105 per barrel on Tuesday as escalating tensions in the Middle East reignited investor concerns about potential supply disrupti…
More flight delays expected after hundreds cancelled by air traffic control glitch
# Air Traffic Control Glitch Triggers Hundreds of Flight Cancellations Across UK A technical failure at Nats, the UK's air traffic control provider, …
Trump threatens to stop sale of Canadian Bombardier jets in US
Donald Trump has threatened to block the sale of Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier's jets in the United States, escalating tensions between Wa…
Jaguar Land Rover to cut 4,000 jobs over next two years
Jaguar Land Rover confirmed plans to eliminate 4,000 jobs across its workforce over the next two years, marking the latest downsizing at the British l…
Faisal Islam: Chancellor's attempts to boost vibes may limit tax rises
# Chancellor Faces Balancing Act Between Market Confidence and Fiscal Reality The UK Chancellor confronts a familiar contradiction. Maintain investor…
Chancellor to say UK economy 'turning a corner' despite debt concerns
Chancellor John Healey plans to project optimism about Britain's economic trajectory in upcoming remarks, framing the UK as entering a recovery phase …
Minister to meet Jaguar Land Rover boss as thousands of job cuts expected
Britain's business minister will meet with Jaguar Land Rover executives as the luxury automaker prepares for mass layoffs linked to tariff pressures a…
Jaguar Land Rover confirms planned job cuts
Jaguar Land Rover confirmed a major restructuring plan aimed at slashing costs by £1.7 billion over the next two years, with job cuts forming a centra…
Flight price rises due to 'foolish leaders' starting wars, Virgin's Branson says
Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Group, has pinned rising airline ticket prices squarely on geopolitical conflict, claiming that "fo…
Controversial Jackdaw gas field set to be approved in weeks, sources say
# UK Government Poised to Approve Jackdaw Gas Field in Coming Weeks The UK government is preparing to greenlight the Jackdaw gas field off Aberdeen's…
Faisal Islam: Why bond market wildfire is keeping world leaders up at night
# Bond Market Volatility Surges as AI Spending and Middle East Tensions Collide Global bond markets are experiencing severe upheaval, with borrowing …
UK long-term borrowing costs highest since 1998 ahead of October Budget
Britain's borrowing costs have hit their highest level in over 25 years, creating a fiscal headwind for Chancellor Andy Burnham as he prepares his fir…
Sports Direct founder attacks Burnham's 'populist' High Street plans
Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has launched a scathing critique of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's High Street recovery policies, accusing the Labour…
Household energy bills to hit three-year high as Ofgem announces 4% rise from October
UK households face a sharp spike in energy costs from October as regulator Ofgem announced a 4% increase to its price cap, pushing bills to their high…
Winter energy prices expected to rise to three-year high
Ofgem has announced a winter energy price cap increase that will push household bills to their highest levels in three years, affecting millions of UK…
More than 70,000 social and affordable homes to be built across England
The UK government has approved funding for more than 70,000 social and affordable homes across England, with substantial allocations to major metropol…
Beyond China's humanoid robots, a quieter machine revolution is unfolding
# China's Factory Robot Revolution Extends Far Beyond the Headline Humanoids The flashy humanoid robots dominating tech headlines mask a deeper trans…
Scottish National Investment Bank makes 'painful' £138m net loss
Scotland's state-backed investment bank reported a £138 million net loss for 2024, driven by the collapse of portfolio companies and write-downs on tr…
Nearly three million Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles
Tesla initiated a sweeping recall of nearly three million vehicles in China over a defective door handle mechanism that can fail without warning, leav…
NI saw largest rise in disposable income of any UK region
Northern Ireland recorded the largest increase in disposable income across all UK regions in the latest figures, marking a notable shift in regional e…
CrossCountry cancels 'almost all' UK services after power cut
CrossCountry, one of the UK's largest train operators, suffered a catastrophic service collapse after a power cut knocked out nearly all of its operat…
Trump says Canada wants 'benefits' of being US state after trade talks collapse
Donald Trump escalated trade tensions with Canada on Wednesday, claiming during a Mar-a-Lago dinner that Canadian officials privately expressed intere…
Canada says it will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down
Canada's government announced retaliatory tariffs matching US duties dollar-for-dollar after negotiations collapsed over the incoming 50% levy on $20 …
Burnham economic adviser O'Neill rules out government job
Lord O'Neill, the former Goldman Sachs chief economist and key architect of the "BRICS" framework, has ruled out taking a formal government role withi…
UK borrows more than expected in July as Healey prepares for first Budget
Chancellor John Healey faces mounting pressure on the public finances as new borrowing data reveals the UK government spent substantially more than fo…
Why the US economy is ringing alarm bells
The US national debt has crossed a new threshold, triggering fresh warnings about the long-term health of the world's largest economy. The milestone a…
Millennials are struggling to buy a home - but is it actually getting easier?
Millennials continue to lag dramatically behind Gen X and Baby Boomers in homeownership rates, but recent economic shifts are finally creating opening…
Travelodge boss resigns as chain tackles security after sex assault at hotel
Travelodge's chief executive Jo Boydell has stepped down following mounting criticism over the budget hotel chain's security failings. The resignation…
How landscape gardening is being electrified
Electric landscaping equipment promises quieter neighborhoods and cleaner air, but adoption remains sluggish across the industry. Gas-powered leaf blo…
Walmart sales under strain as US shoppers pull back
Walmart's US sales growth has hit its slowest pace in six years, signaling a broader pullback by American consumers already squeezed by persistent inf…
Jump in energy bills drives UK inflation to highest rate for four months
Energy bills spiked across the UK in January, pushing inflation to 2.9 percent, the highest level in four months. The jump defied earlier forecasts su…
Founder of collapsed Chinese property giant Evergrande sentenced to life in prison
Hui Ka-yan, founder of China Evergrande Group, received a life sentence following the company's spectacular collapse. The sentencing represents a wate…
US national debt passes $40tn after doubling in a decade
The US national debt has crossed 40 trillion dollars for the first time, a milestone reached after the total doubled over the past decade. The Treasur…
I quit my £80,000 job to make ice cream - here's how
# From Corporate Salary to Ice Cream Empire A Little Moons co-founder walked away from an £80,000 salary to build what became one of Britain's fastes…
Inflation is heating up but don't expect another crisis
Inflation is ticking upward across the UK economy, putting fresh pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government as household budgets face renewe…
Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School investigated over 'drip pricing'
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority launched investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School over allegations of "drip p…
US retail giant receives $1bn boost from tariff refunds
A major US retail chain logged a $994 million pretax tariff refund in its second quarter, lifting operating income to $2.6 billion. The reimbursement …
81,000 warning letters sent to crypto holders in HMRC tax crackdown
The UK's tax authority has escalated its enforcement against cryptocurrency holders, sending 81,000 warning letters in a major compliance push. The fi…
Trump pauses new tariffs on Canada and says countries close to a deal
Trump delays imposing fresh tariffs on Canadian goods for 72 hours, signaling movement toward a bilateral trade agreement. The pause gives negotiators…
'Banned over a pair of £2 sandals': Why some sellers are complaining about Vinted
Vinted, the secondhand marketplace app, faces a growing backlash from sellers claiming they've been unfairly suspended or permanently banned over mino…
Chinese robotics giant Unitree soars in stock market debut
Unitree, the Chinese robotics manufacturer dominant in humanoid robot production globally, launched on Shanghai's Star market Wednesday with strong in…
Mobile payments on the rise but cash decline slows
Mobile wallet adoption continues to accelerate, with nine in ten users defaulting to their debit card for transactions, according to new data. The shi…
Wetherspoons bans customers playing music from phones in pubs
Wetherspoon pubs across the UK will no longer allow customers to play music from personal phones in their establishments. The chain made the decision …
US-Canada trade talks 'intense' as new tariff deadline looms
Negotiations between the US and Canada have entered a critical phase as the tariff deadline approaches. Mark Carney, Canada's point person in these ta…
Film commission backs Amazon MGM expansion of studios
Amazon MGM Studios has secured backing from the Berkshire Film Commission for an expansion of its studio facilities at a historic location once occupi…
Virgin takes step towards running Channel Tunnel rail services
Virgin Group has signaled its intent to operate passenger rail services through the Channel Tunnel, proposing up to 20 daily journeys connecting the U…
Ferrari's first ever electric car sold for record $40m at auction
Ferrari shattered auction records when its first production electric vehicle, the Luce, sold for $40 million at Christie's. The hypercar represents a …
If Meta loses this trial, Instagram and Facebook could change forever
Thirty US states are pushing Meta into a legal battle that could fundamentally reshape Instagram and Facebook. The lawsuit targets the company's desig…
Protein or pickled garlic? What's new in ice cream
Ice cream makers are locked in a race to engineer novel flavors while managing production costs, a tension that shapes everything from ingredient sour…
I got an £89 refund – how to cancel and avoid unwanted subscriptions
Britain's subscription trap problem enters the political arena. After the Prime Minister announced plans to crack down on unwanted auto-renewal scheme…
Electric vehicle sales targets could be cut after pressure from car makers
The UK government is mulling a sharp cut to its electric vehicle mandate, potentially slashing the 2030 sales target from 80% to 50% under pressure fr…
Bumble divides users by ditching its signature 'women-first' chat rule
Bumble jettisoned one of its core identity markers this week. The dating app removed its women-first messaging rule, which required women to initiate …
Selena Gomez sued for alleged fraud over mental health company
Selena Gomez faces a lawsuit from investors in her mental health startup over claims she failed to deliver promised involvement. The suit alleges Gome…