Nearly half of UK companies say tax increase is impacting hiring April 6, 2025 Nearly half of all companies across the UK are scaling back hiring plans in response to an increase in employment taxes and labour costs. New research has found that 46 per cent of firms thought recruitment decisions would be impacted, with many reporting that they were already not hiring or postponing recruitment, according to Reed. “Everyone understands that [...]
April’s cost hikes are ‘a step too far’ for the UK’s independent businesses April 1, 2025 Independent retailers have warned of job losses and cuts to staff hours due to rising business costs set to come in this April. Shops pointed to the ‘double whammy’ of increases to national insurance contributions (NICs) and the minimum wage. “As responsible employers we want to ensure we are paying a fair wage to our [...]
FTSE 100 and global markets slump and gold surges amid tariff panic March 31, 2025 The FTSE 100 dipped 0.7 per cent as markets opened on Monday, with the FTSE 250 down a further 1.28 per cent. The moves followed a sharp drop in Asian markets overnight. The Nikkei 225 plummeted more than four per cent overnight, amid a global market panic as investor and consumer confidence drops ahead of [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates amid low growth and trade tensions March 20, 2025 The Bank of England has held interest rates at 4.5 per cent as worries over a global trade war flare up. Rate-setter Swati Dhingra, an external member on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), was the lone wolf who voted for a 25 basis point cut. The decision saw Catherine Mann split from Dhingra after the [...]
Hannes Myburgh’s Meerlust Estate is wine tasting paradise March 18, 2025 Meerlust Rubicon was the first wine I bought en primeur. This is the process of buying wine while it is still aging, ahead of it coming to market. It means securing sought-after bottles at potentially lower prices while the winemakers receive an early cash flow. I felt very grown up and sophisticated and rather lucky [...]
Rory McIlroy hits $100m in PGA Tour prize money with Players win March 17, 2025 Rory McIlroy has taken his PGA Tour prize money to $100m with a St Patrick’s Day victory at the Players’ Championship. The Northern Irishman’s second win at the prestigious tournament earned him $4.5m and took his total prize money from events on the tour to nine figures. McIlroy has also banked more than $50m on [...]
The capital of Cambodia is underrated – but it’s as good as Bangkok March 4, 2025 It’s the last day of Khmer New Year as I disembark my vessel, step off the Mekong River and into the sweaty clutches of Phnom Penh. Cambodia’s capital is a playful cityscape of concrete and glass, reflecting the vast economic boom the country has experienced over the last decade, not to mention its strong ties [...]
AI-men: How Gen Z will join religions created by algorithms March 4, 2025 Bespoke belief systems like tarot and astrology are already gaining popularity with Gen Z – AI will take it further, offering bespoke doctrines, machine-learning-driven prophecies and virtual deities that evolve based on user data, says Paul Armstrong Spirituality is evolving, and Gen Z is leading the charge. Traditional religious affiliation is in freefall (43 out [...]
Rightmove hikes dividends amid confident outlook February 28, 2025 Rightmove has hiked dividends after issuing a confident outlook for 2025 despite wider uncertainties in the UK housing market. The property portal unveiled a 6.1p per share dividend in its full-year results on Friday, up five per cent and taking the total payout to 9.8p. Underlying operating profit increased four per cent to £273.9m in [...]
Why Melvyn Jaminet’s transfer to Toulouse could relegate rugby giants February 27, 2025 Everybody dreams of playing for Toulouse. But what is the story of Melvyn Jaminet, a €450,000 loan and a potential salary cap breach and forced relegation? Across much of the length and breadth of Europe you’ll struggle to find a city where football isn’t the primary sport. But in the Pink City of Toulouse, around [...]