Don’t force pension funds to buy British, Aviva chief warns ministers May 15, 2025 British pension funds should not be forced to invest in UK assets, the boss of one of London’s biggest insurance firms has said, in a rebuke of the government’s pension reforms plans. The Treasury this week helped seal a voluntary, non-binding agreement by pension funds, dubbed the Mansion House Accord, will see increased investment into [...]
Champ Rugby: English second tier gets rebrand and new format May 15, 2025 English rugby’s second tier will be rebranded Champ Rugby from next season and feature a six-team play-off system to determine a candidate for promotion. The rebrand sees the name of the competition change from the Championship and the introduction of a bold black, white and green visual identity. The division’s 14 sides will play each [...]
Starmer’s immigration plans dealt surprise blow by Albania May 15, 2025 Keir Starmer’s plans to “take back control” of immigration rules in the UK were dealt a fresh blow after Albania’s prime minister ruled out hosting failed asylum seekers, a proposal widely seen as acting as a deterrent to illegal migration. In a visit to the capital city Tirana, Starmer was told by Albania’s Edi Rama [...]
Holland & Barrett: Huge losses continue despite sales surge May 15, 2025 Holland & Barrett has suffered another year of losses despite its sales continuing to climb. The Nuneaton-headquartered health foods store chain has reported a pre-tax loss of £61.8m for the 12 months to the end of September 2024. The latest total comes after the retailer also lost £65.3m in the prior 12 months and £59.6m [...]
Fifa cheered by ECJ backing in agent fees row – but ‘far from unilateral win’ May 15, 2025 Fifa has welcomed the qualified backing of its plan to cap football agents’ fees from a top judge at the European Court of Justice following legal challenges. The opinion issued by AG Nicholas Emiliou is not binding but offers an indication of the verdict that the ECJ may ultimately reach in a case with profound [...]
Rents near Elizabeth line stations rocket up a third since opening May 15, 2025 Rents for homes near recently-added Elizabeth line stations have shot up by more than a third since 2022 as the housing crisis in the capital continues to intensify. In some locations, prices have risen by more than 70 per cent as demand for well-connected properties soars, according to lettings software firm Goodlord. This rise outstrips [...]
Cyber attack: Coinbase warns of $400m hit after data breach May 15, 2025 Crypto exchange Coinbase has disclosed a significant cyber attack that could cost the company between $180m (£135m) and $400m (£300m), after hackers breached account data belonging to a “small subset” of its users. The news sent shares down three per cent in pre-market trading on Thursday. Coinbase said it received an email from an unknown [...]
City veteran Lord Rose ‘horrified’ by slow growth under Labour May 15, 2025 Former M&S boss and current Asda co-chief executive Stuart Rose has hit out at Labour’s lack of strategy aimed at boosting the economy, claiming he has been “horrified” by the UK’s lacklustre performance despite Chancellor Reeves’ pledges to deliver growth at a “faster” pace. Reeves said her £40bn tax raid at last year’s autumn budget [...]
Allianz investment boss: US in ‘sentiment recession’ May 15, 2025 The US is currently going through a “sentiment recession,” as economic indicators fail to match the increasingly sour outlook from American consumers and businesses, a boss at Allianz’s investment arm has argued. Hard economic data in the country has so far managed to hold up despite significant uncertainty, as companies frontloaded buying inventory in advance [...]
Dior latest retailer to be targeted by cyber attack May 15, 2025 French luxury house Dior has confirmed a cyber attack resulting in a data breach that compromised personal customer information, primarily in China, as cyber security threats continue to plague the retail sector. The company said the breach was discovered on 7 May and involved ‘unauthorised access’ to a customer database. While no financial or banking [...]