News

Ministers have again refused to pay compensation to women affected by changes to the state pension age, triggering renewed anger from campaigners who say millions were left in the dark about reforms that upended their retirement plans. The government revisited the issue after a previously unseen document emerged, but concluded once more that compensation was neither justified nor affordable. Campaigners argue that around 3.6 million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed about...

When Patrick Drahi revived the sale of a stake in a German fibre network this month, the headlines focused on familiar themes. High leverage typical of the sector and asset disposals, reflecting a large debt position built during a decade of unusually cheap capital. It is a narrative that fits comfortably with how European telecoms is often described, as an industry shaped by capital intensity, long investment cycles and complex balance sheets. Yet, this focus...

Aldi has announced plans to open 40 new stores across the UK in 2026 as part of a £370 million investment programme aimed at expanding access to low-cost groceries. The German-owned supermarket said new locations will include Southam in Warwickshire, Hastings in East Sussex and Amersham in Buckinghamshire, as it targets communities where it currently has no presence. Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said the retailer had identified clear gaps in...

The National Wealth Fund has set out plans to sharply accelerate investment, committing up to £5 billion a year of public money into clean energy, industrial transformation and strategic infrastructure as part of a more focused growth strategy. Under the new approach, the fund will prioritise ten sectors, with clean energy at the core. These include energy storage, electricity networks, nuclear power, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage, alongside ports, green steel manufacturing, transport infrastructure,...

UPS has announced plans to cut up to 30,000 jobs this year as it continues to reduce deliveries for its largest customer, Amazon, which the parcel giant says have been weighing heavily on profitability. The world’s largest package delivery firm said the job reductions would be achieved primarily through voluntary buyout offers to full-time drivers and by not replacing staff who leave the business. The move forms part of a broader turnaround strategy aimed at...

YouTube has been criticised by broadcasters and advertisers after withdrawing from the UK’s main television audience measurement system, just months after agreeing to be measured alongside traditional TV channels and rival streaming platforms. The move follows legal action by YouTube’s owner, Google, which sent cease-and-desist letters to Barb and its research partner Kantar Media, blocking access to data used to attribute viewing sessions to individual content creators. The decision came after Barb began including viewing...