Hamas releases three more Israeli hostages for dozens of Palestinian prisoners February 8, 2025 Hamas-led militants released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli civilian men they held for the past 16 months on Saturday, and Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners, as part of an agreement that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip. Before a crowd of hundreds, armed Hamas fighters led Eli Sharabi, 52, Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and [...]
Ousted CMA chair Bokkerink defends tenure February 8, 2025 Marcus Bokkerink, the sacked chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has given a staunch defence of his tenure at the regulator. Bokkerink was ousted by the government last month in what lawyers described as the “most overtly political” regulatory intervention of recent years. The move, which saw Bokkerink replaced by former Amazon exec [...]
Super Bowl: Calls for London to host NFL tournament for economic growth February 8, 2025 London should host a future NFL Super Bowl in a bid to supercharge the capital’s economic growth, politicians and hospitality groups have urged. Ahead of Sunday’s showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans, the climax to the NFL season, the potential future impact on the capital’s economy is being talked [...]
Hyper-personalisation: Has AI finally made retail’s ‘holy grail’ possible? February 8, 2025 Hyper-personalisation has long been the holy grail of retail: to recreate the customer experience of a local, everyone-knows-your-name store on a global scale. Now, with the combination of data tracking, AI and our ever-increasing tendency to consume online content, genuinely personally-tailored ads are just about within touching distance. These ads, introduced in their earliest form [...]
Bank of England Chief Economist: Job on inflation not done yet February 7, 2025 "I think that is a reason for caution, for carefulness in the way we proceed with removing monetary policy restriction and cutting bank rate," Pill said.
Shein set to slash target valuation for London Stock Exchange float February 7, 2025 Fast fashion giant Shein is poised to slash the target valuation for its planned float in London as it grapples with new trade barriers in the US and growing political concerns in the UK, according to reports. The Chinese founded retailer, which is expected to list in London later this year, is set to be [...]
‘Unproven’ green tech to have significant impact on energy bills, MPs warn February 7, 2025 Government investment into “unproven” carbon capture schemes is set to have a “very significant effect” on households’ energy bills, an influential group of MPs is warning. Ministers have backed investment into carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) schemes in a bid to achieve the UK’s legally mandated climate goals, including net zero by 2050. But [...]
‘Doing a day’s work seen as stressful’ by youth, Liz Kendall says February 7, 2025 The UK must avoid a situation where “doing a day’s work is in itself seen as stressful” by young people, Liz Kendall has warned. The work and pensions secretary has told ITV: “There is genuinely a problem with many young people, particularly the Covid generation, but we can’t have a situation where doing a day’s [...]
UK IPOs set to ‘spring back to life’ in 2025 February 7, 2025 The UK IPO market is set to “spring back to life” in 2025, according to City brokers Peel Hunt. “A number of issuers are currently monitoring windows in the second quarter, which we expect to be the first real test of the UK IPO market in 2025,” said Peel Hunt analysts. In 2024, the UK [...]
City split following Bank of England’s interest rate decision February 7, 2025 Analysts are divided about how far and how fast the Bank of England is likely to cut interest rates in the remainder of this year following yesterday’s decision. Rate-setters backed a third 25 basis point rate reduction, which brought the Bank Rate down to an 18-month low of 4.5 per cent. Every member of the [...]
