Donald Trump ushers in 2026 with series of white-collar pardons Legal US President Donald Trump has pardoned or reduced the sentences of 10 people convicted of fraud and other white-collar crimes over the past 10 days. Out of the 21 clemency grants Trump has issued since 15 January, 10 were for people convicted of fraud and white-collar crimes, according to the Financial Times. This follows his [...]
GSK strikes deal to cut drug prices with US government GSK has struck a voluntary agreement with the US government to lower the cost of prescription medicines and expand access to treatments for millions of Americans. The move comes as pressure mounts on global drugmakers over pricing, tariffs, and domestic investment. The London-listed pharma giant said the deal covers medicines used by over 40m US [...]
Is Netflix headed for the ‘Adobe effect’? Media Netflix, now the world’s most valuable streaming company, insists it is still in expansion mode. However, its $72bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery last Friday, and the rival, hostile counter-move from Paramount Skydance on Monday, have triggered an uncomfortable question in Hollywood and on Wall Street. Is Netflix wandering into the same trap that humiliated [...]
Will the land of the free take a dim view of my social media posts? December 11, 2025 Earlier this year one of our journalists booked a holiday to India, and I had to provide him with a letter confirming that he was travelling in a personal capacity and wouldn’t be doing anything as nefarious as journalism while in the country. Days later another of our reporters decided to follow suit, and I [...]
Advertising giants’ share prices tumble as Big Tech swallows up ad spend November 24, 2025 The scale of the difficulties facing the advertising market was laid bare on Monday after two London-listed industry titans saw their share prices plummet after they slashed profit and sales expectations. M&C Saatchi’s share price tumbled a staggering 11.9 per cent to 111p, with shares down 36.9 per cent this year to date, while shares [...]
Gold to glitter past $4,000 after year of political jitters October 2, 2025 In a year defined by geopolitical turmoil, gold has not stopped glittering. The yellow metal started the year near $2669 and has since soared to $3900 – a rise of over 45 per cent. The asset now looks set to cross the $4,000 landmark for the first time with the latest rally triggered by the [...]
Gold seals record high as Trump heads for government showdown September 29, 2025 Gold has once again smashed a record high, spurred on by tensions in the US as President Donald Trump heads for a showdown with congressional members. The yellow metal breezed past the $3,800 mark this morning with a 1.2 per cent gain as investors flocked to the safe haven asset whilst political tensions in Washington [...]
Peter Kyle defends UK free speech record after US report attacks Online Safety Act August 14, 2025 Tech secretary Peter Kyle has pushed back against a damning US government report accusing the UK of backsliding on human rights and curbing freedom of expression under Labour. The annual State Department dossier, published on Tuesday, warned that Britain’s human rights record had “worsened during the year” amid “serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, and [...]
Are nicotine pouches the future of Big Tobacco? August 14, 2025 Nicotine pouches are all the rage at the moment. Sometimes erroneously described as ‘snus’ – this only refers to tobacco-based products – the pouches are mainstay of Square Mile pubs, start-up offices and even Premier League football pitches. But are they a passing fad, or the new cornerstone of ‘Big Tobacco’? And, for an industry [...]
Reeves to say global trade should provide ‘security for working people’ April 24, 2025 Rachel Reeves will tell foreign finance ministers that global trade should provide “security for working people” as she prepares for talks with her US counterpart. The Chancellor is in Washington for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) spring meeting of finance ministers from the G7 and G20, and is due to sit down with US Treasury [...]