News

Britain has lost its crown as Europe’s top destination for foreign investment in renewable energy and utility projects, as a sharp fall in new developments sees France take the lead, according to new figures from EY. The number of green energy and utilities projects backed by overseas investors in the UK dropped by 57 per cent in 2023, falling from 93 to just 39 in a single year. That slump saw the UK overtaken by...

The UK government has launched a £275 million investment in technical training and apprenticeships as the centrepiece of its long-awaited industrial strategy, aiming to tackle deep-rooted skills shortages and reclaim the manufacturing vote in Labour’s traditional heartlands. The funding package, unveiled by business secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Sunday, will support the creation of technical excellence colleges, deliver short courses in artificial intelligence and digital manufacturing, and finance capital upgrades to training centres across England. The...

Internet users are being urged to change their passwords and bolster their online security after cybersecurity researchers discovered 16 billion login credentials in publicly exposed datasets — a trove that could be used by criminals to hijack everything from social media accounts to email logins. The revelation comes from researchers at Cybernews, who uncovered 30 separate datasets containing credentials gathered through malicious software known as “infostealers”, as well as from historic data breaches. While many...

OpenAI has been forced to remove online content promoting its high-profile partnership with Sir Jony Ive’s hardware startup io, following a trademark dispute with AI earbud maker iyO. The ChatGPT developer confirmed it had taken down promotional materials from its website, including a dedicated page and a video featuring Ive and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman discussing their $6.4 billion (£4.8 billion) venture. The video, however, remains available on YouTube. The legal row stems from...

The BBC has issued a legal warning to US-based artificial intelligence company Perplexity, accusing it of reproducing BBC content without permission and demanding that the company stop using its material, delete existing data, and propose financial compensation. This marks the first time the BBC has threatened legal action against an AI company, as concerns escalate across the media industry over how generative AI tools use protected journalism. In a letter sent directly to Perplexity CEO...

The UK government will slash green levies on thousands of businesses in a major bid to reduce energy costs and revive the country’s manufacturing base, marking a key pillar of its long-awaited 10-year industrial strategy. Announced on Monday by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the policy aims to support more than 7,000 businesses by removing levies such as the renewables obligation, which helps fund historic renewable energy projects. The move is designed to ease financial pressure...

Labour ministers have quietly scrapped a flagship £950 million electric vehicle (EV) charging fund first announced by the Conservatives, redirecting a smaller sum of £400 million toward on-street charge points, primarily in lower-income and underserved areas. The move marks a significant shift in the UK’s EV rollout strategy, prioritising urban, residential charging access over the motorway-focused approach envisioned under the original Rapid Charging Fund (RCF). Introduced in 2020 by then chancellor Rishi Sunak, the RCF...