More than 400 UK businesses have been officially recognised by the government for paying their suppliers promptly and fairly, as part of the Fair Payment Code, a scheme run by the Office of the Small Business Commissioner. The code, launched in December 2024, is part of a national drive to combat Britain’s late-payment culture, which costs the economy £11 billion each year and leads to the closure of an estimated 14,000 small firms annually —...
It has been a turbulent yet inspiring year for Koreans. A declaration of martial law last winter plunged the nation into uncertainty, but what followed was not chaos – it was the reaffirmation of a people’s unshakable faith in democracy. The ‘Revolution of Light,’ culminating in the peaceful election of a new government, reminded the world that the Republic of Korea’s constitutional order rests not on the will of any ruler, but on the collective...
Agricultural technology startup Wild Bioscience has secured £45 million in Series A funding led by the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), the research organisation founded by Larry Ellison, chairman and chief technology officer of Oracle. The investment — joined by existing backers Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), Braavos Capital, and the University of Oxford — will fuel the company’s mission to revolutionise global agriculture through AI-driven genetic discovery and precision breeding. Ellison, one of the world’s...
Tottenham’s entrepreneurial scene is thriving. New data reveals that the concentration of small businesses in the North London district has doubled in just four years, coinciding with the transformation of the area into a hub for major international events. According to the research by GoDaddy’ sSmall Business Research Lab, Tottenham’s “microbusiness density” — the number of small businesses per 100 residents — has surged from 1.4 in 2021 to 2.8 in 2025, marking one of...
Capita has been fined £14 million by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for serious data protection failures following a major cyber-attack in March 2023 that compromised the personal details of 6.6 million people across the UK. The attack, which saw hackers infiltrate Capita’s systems and extract nearly one terabyte of sensitive data, affected customers, pension scheme members, and staff of one of Britain’s largest outsourcing firms. In its report, the ICO described the incident as...
President Trump continues to be hailed as a global peacemaker for freeing the Hamas hostages and brokering a ceasefire between Israel and the terrorist group. By assembling a coalition of countries to stop the two-year-old war, the president melded threats and diplomacy to end – at least for now – the bloody conflict that began with the heinous Hamas massacre of Oct. 7. Despite warning signs that Hamas may be unwilling to surrender its weapons,...
London-based healthtech startup Nila has raised an oversubscribed $2.4 million (£1.8 million) pre-seed round led by LocalGlobe, to expand its care management platform that helps immigrants manage healthcare for their elderly relatives back home. The funding will accelerate Nila’s rollout across India, the world’s largest remittance destination, and support its plans to enter other Asian markets, including the Philippines, within the next 18 months. The round also includes participation from Redbus Ventures and a network...
India’s exports to the United States — its largest trading partner — have plunged following the introduction of steep US tariffs on Indian goods, marking one of the sharpest trade shocks in recent years. According to government data, India’s goods exports to the US dropped 20% in September alone and nearly 40% over the past four months, as Washington’s 50% import duties came fully into effect. The tariffs, introduced on 27 August, include an additional...
The United States has accused China of betraying a fragile trade truce reached earlier this year, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric between the world’s two largest economies. In a rare joint appearance in Washington, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent condemned Beijing’s decision to tighten export controls on rare earth materials, describing the move as an act of “economic coercion” and a “power grab” aimed at dominating global supply chains....
The UK has announced sweeping new sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s energy revenues, targeting the country’s largest oil producers, state-linked tankers, and overseas partners helping to keep Russian crude flowing to global markets. Unveiled by Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of meetings with global finance leaders in Washington, D.C., the sanctions package includes 90 new measures and represents one of Britain’s most aggressive efforts yet to squeeze Vladimir Putin’s wartime economy. “We are sending a clear...
