The UK’s advertising watchdog has issued a strong rebuke to brands that continue to rely on outdated and harmful stereotypes of older people, warning that many portrayals are offensive and fail to reflect the reality of ageing in modern society. In a report published today, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) singled out several high-profile adverts for depicting older people as grumpy, technologically inept, lonely or burdensome, and said the industry must do more to reflect...
HM Revenue & Customs is expected to net a significant tax windfall from this year’s Wimbledon Championships, as the tournament’s ever-increasing prize pot pushes more players into higher UK tax brackets. According to tax experts at Blick Rothenberg, Wimbledon is becoming an increasingly lucrative revenue stream for HMRC, thanks to the structure of international tax rules and the tournament’s soaring prize fund. In 2025, the total prize money will rise by a further 7%, capping...
The Bank of England has kept its benchmark interest rate at 4.25%, but hinted that a cut could be on the horizon as early as August, amid growing signs of a weakened UK economy and rising global risks. While Governor Andrew Bailey acknowledged that inflation is now on a gradual downward path, he warned that the world remains “highly unpredictable”, with escalating geopolitical tensions—particularly in the Middle East—threatening to derail the UK’s fragile economic recovery....
Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton has sold £1.8 million worth of shares in the Cambridge-based microcomputer company, reducing his stake just over a year after its high-profile stock market debut. The sale came as a 365-day lock-up period for directors and senior executives expired this week. Upton, 47, who launched Raspberry Pi in 2008, was joined by the company’s chief financial officer, Richard Boult, who offloaded £455,000 worth of shares. The transactions were disclosed in...
Shell’s chief executive Wael Sawan has warned that a worsening of the conflict between Israel and Iran could deliver a major shock to the global economy, as geopolitical tensions threaten to choke off one of the world’s most important energy supply routes. Speaking at an energy conference in Tokyo, Sawan said Shell had drawn up contingency plans should the conflict result in disruptions to oil and gas flows from the Middle East. He said a...
President Donald Trump appears to be downplaying talk that some of his long-loyal MAGA supporters are breaking with him over the possibility that the president will order a military strike on Iran. This amid the nearly week-long daily trading of fire between the Islamic State and Israel, America’s top ally in the Middle East. ‘My supporters are more in love with me today, and I’m more in love with them, more than they even were...
Lawmakers are debating what role Congress should play as the White House weighs its options in Iran. Does the legislative body have sole power to declare war, or should that power be ceded to the president? The back and forth comes as President Donald Trump mulls whether to join Israel in its campaign against Iran or continue pushing for a diplomatic end and return to the negotiating table to hammer out a nuclear deal with...
Companies House has removed more than 10,000 companies from the official register in a sweeping crackdown on fraud, corporate abuse and organised crime, after uncovering a network of just 30 entities responsible for incorporating up to 50,000 businesses suspected of being involved in illicit activities. The purge, conducted in collaboration with the Insolvency Service, is part of a broader effort to restore integrity to the UK’s business registry and close longstanding loopholes that have allowed...
The Fed should absolutely stop talking about being “data dependent”. That’s so far from the truth. If they were data dependent, we’d have either seen a rate cut today or Fed Chief Powell would have been discussing one for the next meeting. Inflation reports since the last Fed meeting have been benign. Economic reports, on the other hand, have shown weakness and are pointing to the need for lower interest rates. Powell was having none...
The Department of Health and Social Care’s handling of a £122 million PPE contract came under increasing scrutiny last week as three days of testimony in the High Court laid bare a string of apparent failings in oversight, documentation, and witness evidence. As PPE Medpro’s legal team continued its cross-examination of departmental witnesses, questions mounted over missing audit trails, contradictory statements, and key figures absent from the witness box. Day three began with the cross-examination...
