CMA must tackle Apple and Google duopoly to ‘unlock UK growth’ May 15, 2025 One of the UK’s leading left-wing think tanks has called on the government to strengthen the powers of the competition regulator to curb the dominance of tech giants like Apple and Google. It has warned that their stranglehold on app marketplaces is holding back innovation, investment, and growth in the British economy. In a new [...]
Trade deals set to boost Indian equities say analysts May 14, 2025 A fragile ceasefire with Pakistan and trade deal with the UK has left analysts hopeful for a stock market surge in India, as the government seeks to take a bite of China’s electronic manufacturing industry. On Monday following the peace deal, India’s ‘Nifty 50’ blue chip stocks recorded their best day in four years, and [...]
Google pays up as antitrust scrutiny heightens May 13, 2025 Google’s recent settlement of $1.38bn (£1.05bn) with the state of Texas marks a significant moment in the tech titan’s ongoing legal battles over both privacy violations and anti-competitive practices. The settlement, which resolves two major lawsuits filed in 2022, accused Google of secretly collecting biometric data such as facial recognition and local tracking, without user [...]
US-UK tech deal falls short: trillion-dollar talk, but little digital alignment May 13, 2025 The new US-UK tech pact may offer political optics of partnership, but falls far short of real digital alignment, exposing widening policy divergence and limited strategic substance, says Paul Armstrong The recently announced US-UK trade agreement was billed as a major reset in transatlantic cooperation, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer positioning the UK as America’s [...]
Tesla and Apple shares surge as US markets rally on trade deal May 12, 2025 Markets on Wall Street soared on Monday as investors welcomed the trade progress between the US and China. The S&P jumped over 2.6 per cent as markets opened and the Dow Jones 2.41 per cent. Amazon gained over seven per cent and Nike six per cent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rallied 3.5 per cent. Tech giants [...]
Apple looking at raising iPhone prices May 12, 2025 Apple is considering raising prices for its next iPhone lineup, with increases likely tied top new features and design changes, rather than ongoing US-China trade tensions. The current lineup ranges from $799 to $1,199. Yet analysts believe the newest model, Pro Max, could hit $1,900 if its pricing reflects upgrades and tariff costs. The Wall [...]
US-UK trade announcement: “this isn’t a deal, it’s an amuse-bouche” May 9, 2025 The morning after the US-UK trade agreement was announced, experts are beginning to wrap their heads around what the deal entails, and reactions are trickling in. The overriding sense is that in the absence of any granular detail on what the deal means for several industries, there is still hope that the UK government can [...]
Here We Are, National Theatre, review: Stephen Sondheim musical is more Severance than sing-a-long May 8, 2025 Here We Are review and star rating: ★★★★ Stephen Sondheim’s final musical is nothing like his most famous works – in fact, it’s barely a musical at all, but perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. As Here We Are writer David Ives remarked, the legend relished in challenging his loyal followers with reinvention. “Sondheim makes people crazy [...]
Alphabet slides as Apple eyes Google overhaul – and UK probe looms May 8, 2025 Alphabet – Google’s parent company – suffered its worst drop in shares since October on Wednesday, falling 7.5 per cent after the iPhone maker, Apple, revealed a historic sip in Safari search and hinted to a strategic shift to AI-powered rivals. This move may be the first signs of the end for Google’s long held [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell: Clients ‘cautious’ as S4 Capital’s income tumbles May 8, 2025 S4 Capital, Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising giant, recorded a sharp drop in revenue in its first-quarter trading update as geopolitical tensions weighed. The firm posted a 11.4 per cent slump in net revenue to £148.3m, which it said reflected the “continuing technology client caution” and headwinds from one “key client”. Takings from marketing services reduced [...]