HSBC shares rise as Georges Elhedery’s pivot East beats the noise October 28, 2025 HSBC’s pass through the third quarter was almost identical to the second. Despite another hefty hit to the firm’s bottom line, chief executive Georges Elhedery has quietly and effectively pushed ahead with his bold overhaul of the group. For the three months to September 30, HSBC took a 14 per cent profit beat falling to [...]
Wealthy Brits are failing to notice that they will be hit by IHT changes October 28, 2025 Many high net worth Brits are unaware that their pensions will soon be liable for inheritance tax, leaving families exposed to significantly higher levels of tax. Nearly 20 per cent of high net worth individuals (HNW) aged 55 and over reported having no knowledge that their unused private pension pot will fall under the scope [...]
Sweet relief: Ferrero’s Nutella biscuits remain VAT-free snack October 28, 2025 A Tax Tribunal ruled in favour of Ferrero UK, stating that their ‘Nutella Biscuits’ are zero-rated for VAT, in yet another food battle HMRC has had over the bizarre tax rules around food. The case centred on whether the ‘Nutella Biscuits’ were “biscuits… partly covered with chocolate or some product similar in taste and appearance” [...]
Reform UK pledges to ‘have legislation drafted’ before next election October 28, 2025 Reform UK has vowed to write draft legislation before entering government if it were elected into Downing Street, with sweeping changes to Whitehall and civil service codes to be among its top priorities. At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, policy chief Zia Yusuf and the backbencher Danny Kruger said the party “don’t come with [...]
NRL and Super League hold talks over rugby stake sale October 28, 2025 Rugby league discussions took place in London that could be instrumental in seeing the NRL purchase a stake in the Super League. Andrew Thirkill, Simon Moran and Mike Danson – owners of Hull FC, Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors – were reportedly part of the discussions with Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V’Landys and [...]
British businesses lead the world in risk management October 28, 2025 UK businesses lead global peers in risk oversight, with nearly eight in ten British businesses reporting that boards are directly involved, a figure significantly higher than global peers. According to Aon’s new ‘global risk management survey’, senior leadership in the UK is taking on greater responsibility for the risks their businesses face, as three-quarters of [...]
Will Big Tech earnings pop the AI bubble? October 28, 2025 This week, the world’s most powerful firms, Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon and Apple, will announce their quarterly results, which could either propel Wall Street to new highs or puncture the AI so-called ‘bubble’. Together, these five firms make up a quarter of the S&P 500’s value, and have collectively added over $6tr (£4.5tr) to their [...]
Street food vendors face confidence crisis ahead of Budget October 28, 2025 Grassroots vendors are rapidly losing confidence in their future ahead of the Autumn Budget, according to new data. Just one per cent of respondents in a new hospitality survey described the UK street food sector as having a strong, viable future, according to independent hospitality group Kerb. “There’s a clear message here for the government,” [...]
ChatGPT: OpenAI’s safety upgrade offers an illusion of care October 28, 2025 OpenAI has recently told users that its latest chatbot update aims to become a safer tool for users experiencing distress, particularly when showing signs of psychosis, mania, self-harm, and overall emotional over-reliance on AI. The company, known for its trigger of the AI boom in November 2022 and quasi-synonymous to conversational chatbots, said the changes were informed [...]
AI browser wars: How Gemini and Atlas are redefining the attention economy October 28, 2025 The new generation of AI browsers, from OpenAI’s Atlas to Google’s Gemini, aren't about search, but sense-making, writes Paul Armstrong.
