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 [...]
Super Bowl LIX: The adverts that cost $7m for 30 seconds February 8, 2025 Steve Howell of sports marketing agency Dark Horses takes us through this year’s Super Bowl LIX ads, featuring Beckham, Keoghan and Meg Ryan It’s a strange time for brands wishing to advertise. Technology designed to help consumers avoid commercials has never been more pervasive, whatever medium you choose. There are adblocker apps, browser extensions, unsubscribing [...]
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 [...]
Danske Bank shares surge after record profit haul February 7, 2025 Shares in multinational lender Danske Bank surged on Friday after the lender beat forecasts with record annual profits. In its full-year results, Denmark’s biggest bank said it had raked in profits of £2.6bn on the back of a boost in “customer activity” along with low loan losses . The bank, which has had offices in [...]
Stagflation: Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces mess of her own making February 7, 2025 The Bank now expects the UK economy to grow 0.7 per cent this year, cut from a previous estimate of 1.5 per cent. Inflation, meanwhile, will hit 3.7 per cent later this year.
Landlords granted reprieve by Labour as energy efficiency timeline extended February 7, 2025 The government has officially extended the deadline for landlords to tighten energy requirements in the privately rented sector by two years to 2030. As of 2030, all private landlords will be required to meet a higher standard of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C or equivalent in their properties – up from the current level of EPC E. [...]
Ashmore: Emerging markets giant stock jumps after beating expectations February 7, 2025 Emerging markets specialist Ashmore has once again beaten expectations despite recording yet more outflows, leading its stock price to rise 1.6 per cent. The FTSE 250 money manager’s half-year results revealed adjusted operating profit totalled £33.7m over the last six months of 2024, compared to the £31m forecast by analysts. Assets under management stood at $48.8bn (£39.2bn) [...]
Phone thefts: How are the Met Police tackling the crisis in London? February 6, 2025 If you live or travel in London, it’s fairly likely that you, or someone you live, work or socialise with, will – at some point or other – have had their phone stolen. Whether it’s slipped out of your pocket, or snatched from your hand, the experience has become commonplace – but remains stressful, frustrating, [...]
Why the Bank of England slashed its growth forecasts February 6, 2025 The Bank of England delivered Chancellor Rachel Reeves a mixed blessing on Thursday. Alongside cutting interest rates by 25 basis points, Bank officials halved the UK’s expected growth rate in 2025 to 0.7 per cent from a previous estimate of 1.5 per cent. This will come as a blow to Reeves, who has staked her [...]
‘The Round’: Huge Bankside wellness hub gets planning permission February 6, 2025 Southwark Council has granted full planning approval for a major mixed-use scheme on Blackfriars Road in Bankside, central London. Real estate investor Hines will develop a “largely vacant” site into a sustainable office and residential neighbourhood by 2030, with construction set to start later this year. It’s one of many developments in the city looking [...]