Amazon has stunned the tech world with a last-minute bid to acquire TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing platform currently facing a US ban over national security concerns linked to its Chinese ownership. The move comes just days ahead of a critical enforcement deadline. Under legislation signed into law in April 2024 by then-President Joe Biden, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, was ordered to divest its US operations or face a nationwide ban. The deadline, repeatedly...
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is set to step back from his advisory role within the Trump administration, according to reports from Politico. US President Donald Trump is said to have informed close aides that Musk will return his attention to his business ventures in the coming weeks, having overseen what has been described as an “unprecedented programme” of government cost-cutting during his time advising the White House. Despite recent speculation about tensions behind the scenes,...
Taxpayers have until 5 April 2025 to take advantage of a limited-time opportunity to top up their state pension by making backdated National Insurance Contributions (NICs), according to leading audit, tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg. The government previously extended the deadline to allow individuals to fill in gaps in their NIC records for any tax year from 2006 onwards. Ordinarily, taxpayers can only make voluntary contributions for the past six tax years. Robert Salter,...
The credibility of UK economic data has been thrown into doubt after senior officials at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the Bank of England raised serious concerns about the reliability of statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Speaking to MPs on the Treasury select committee, Richard Hughes, chairman of the OBR, warned that “trying to get a clear read” on the UK economy from current ONS data is “very difficult”....
For centuries, high-value assets like real estate, fine art, and private equity have remained largely inaccessible to average investors, locked behind high minimum investments and complex ownership structures. Today, that paradigm is shifting dramatically as blockchain technology enables the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), making them divisible, more liquid, and globally accessible. At the forefront of this transformation stands Eugene Ng, co-founder of OpenEden, a leading real-world asset tokenization platform that has rapidly established itself...
The Charity: Tackling loneliness through community connection A growing UK charity is making strides in combating loneliness among 20-30 year olds, launching with a brand new website to help spread its message and its growing community. The Great Friendship Projects, founded in 2021, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating spaces where young people can build real friendships and feel supported. Created in response to the rising epidemic of loneliness within this age group, the...
Andrew Draayer is a driven entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who thrives on competition, connection, and making a meaningful impact. Growing up as the ninth of ten children in a military family, he learned the value of discipline, adaptability, and perseverance from an early age. His competitive spirit was evident in sports, where he excelled in football, earning a state championship with Hamilton High School and becoming the school’s first-ever Mr. HHS winner. Andrew’s career is...
Actress Gillian Anderson has secured a nationwide retail deal for her new female-focused energy drink brand, G Spot, with the product now stocked in 370 Sainsbury’s stores across the UK. Launched in 2023, G Spot sets itself apart in the competitive energy drinks market by promoting a natural, caffeine-free formula featuring adaptogens such as maca and bacopa — ingredients traditionally linked to energy, cognitive support and stress reduction. The brand is aimed at women who,...
A growing skills gap is set to challenge small and medium-sized manufacturers across England in 2025, with nine in ten SMEs reporting shortages in key areas — particularly at entry level — according to new data from the Skills Horizon Barometer. Now in its third year, the report, launched by the Department for Education’s Skills for Life campaign, shows that 92% of manufacturing SMEs are anticipating a skills shortfall within their business over the next...
Jeremy Clarkson’s ambitions for his premium beer brand, Hawkstone, are anything but modest. What began as a local collaboration using barley from his Diddly Squat farm is now Britain’s fastest-growing privately owned brewery — and it’s just getting started. Launched in 2021, Hawkstone is brewed in partnership with the Cotswold Brewing Company and is now served in more than 500 pubs across the UK. The brand, co-owned by Clarkson and entrepreneur Johnny Hornby, posted sales...
