A bitter trademark dispute over the Beckham name has emerged as a key factor in the growing rift between the Beckhams and their son Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz, underscoring how intellectual property law can collide with family relationships when a surname becomes a commercial asset. The row centres on control of the Beckham name, which has long been protected as a trademark across multiple commercial categories. While the dispute has played out...
Government borrowing fell sharply in December after a surge in income tax and national insurance receipts helped narrow the monthly deficit, offering short-term relief for the Treasury but little comfort over the longer-term health of the public finances. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics showed public sector borrowing fell to £11.6 billion in December, £7.1 billion lower than the same month a year earlier, a 38 per cent reduction. The improvement was driven...
The government is facing fresh calls to extend its business rates relief scheme for pubs to include hotels, as the accommodation sector grapples with sharp increases in taxes, wages and operating costs. The appeal has been made by leading audit, tax and business advisory firm Blick Rothenberg, which warned that hotels are under growing financial strain and risk job losses without targeted support. Darsh Shah, a partner at the firm, said ministers were planning to...
A Leeds-based technology start-up has raised £23 million to accelerate the commercial rollout of its light-powered computer chips, in a move that could strengthen the UK’s position in the global race to develop next-generation artificial intelligence hardware. Optalysys will use the funding to scale its photonic computing technology and expand operations into the United States. The investment round was led by Northern Gritstone, with backing from the UK government’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund. Optalysys...
Capital gains tax (CGT) receipts fell sharply last year, reinforcing concerns that higher taxes on investment gains are failing to deliver additional revenue while discouraging business activity. New figures published by HM Revenue and Customs show CGT receipts totalled £13.646 billion in 2025, down from £14.900 billion in 2024 — a decline of 8.4 per cent. Wealth managers said the fall suggests investors and business owners are increasingly deferring disposals in response to a tougher...
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a potential White House hopeful for 2028, said on Wednesday that he wants a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the president and people holding office in other branches of government. ‘You’re 75 years old: done,’ Emanuel, a Democrat, said at a Center for American Progress event. ‘And that would be in the legislative branch, it’d be in the executive branch — including the Cabinet — and it’d also be...
After President Donald Trump announced a new Greenland ‘framework’ had been agreed upon with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rhutte, the NATO chief told Fox News’ ‘Special Report with Bret Baier’ that U.S. forcibly taking control of Greenland, away from Denmark, was not discussed during meetings between him and President Donald Trump in Switzerland during the World Economic Forum. ‘That issue did not come up anymore in my conversations with Mr. President....
President Donald Trump dramatically reversed course Tuesday on a U.K. plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while warning it could jeopardize U.S. access to the Diego Garcia military base. Trump’s reversal highlights what a defense expert called a ‘new Trump Doctrine’ before linking the president’s opposition to the Chagos deal with his Greenland push and citing fears Mauritius could later back out. Writing on his Truth Social platform Tuesday, Trump called...
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will not impose tariffs that were set to take effect Feb. 1, citing a ‘framework of a future deal’ with NATO involving Greenland and the Arctic region. ‘Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,’ Trump wrote on Truth...
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said a personal experience with Big Tech has led him to change his thinking, and he now believes companies should be liable for the content posted on their platforms. Paul asserted that YouTube and its parent Google had refused to remove a video that falsely claimed that he had taken money from Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. ‘I’ve formally notified Google that this video is unsupported by facts, defames me, harasses me and...
