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Showing posts from February, 2024

India economy beats expectations with 8.4% growth

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The strong figures come just months before the country is due to hold a general election.

Could product passports revolutionise the way we shop?

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The EU is introducing digital passports for products that detail their composition and production history.

Issa brother to step back after 'fixing' Asda

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Mohsin Issa says the brothers are in it for the long term, but will appoint a boss to run the business.

US says falling trade with China could be positive

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US Trade Representative Katherine Tai says steep drop in trade with China "isn't necessarily negative".

US lawmakers reach deal to temporarily avert government shutdown

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The tentative budget agreement still needs to be voted on by the full House and Senate.

Catalonia's farmers demand more help over drought

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As Spain continues to be blighted by a lack of rain, farmers want more government assistance.

Apple unplugs self-driving electric car project, reports say

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The firm never acknowledged the project publicly but had recruited about two thousands workers.

Why Google's 'woke' AI problem won't be an easy fix

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The firm paused its AI image generation tool after claims it was over-correcting against the risk of being racist.

Ministers consider new vaping tax at Budget next week

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Ministers fear that the relatively cheap cost of vaping makes it more accessible for young people.

Reading-London Paddington route set for overhaul

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A spate of failures include broken rails, signal faults and passengers stranded due to damaged cables.

Top Disney movies boss steps down in shakeup

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Sean Bailey, the boss of the media giant's live-action film studio, stepped down after 15 years.

Hunt must spell out how tax cuts would be paid for - IFS

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank says the case for cutting taxes is "weak".

HS2: Midlands and northern England to get 'reallocated' funds

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Labour says the plans are a "reannouncement" of funds from scrapping parts of the high-speed line.

Why some cyber-attacks hit harder than others

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The British Library has been hobbled for months by a cyber-attack and experts warn of similar damage ahead.

Red Sea attacks delaying goods and pushing up costs, firms say

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Houthi attacks are increasing costs and causing delays, the British Chambers of Commerce says.

The staff shortage in India's special effects industry

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With international studios sending more work to India, the industry is struggling to train enough staff.

The 'mind-bending' bionic arm powered by AI

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BBC Click reporter Paul Carter tries out a high-tech prosthetic promising a 'full range of human motion'.

Reddit moves forward with share listing plan

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The filing offers a glimpse of the company's efforts to turn online popularity into profit.

Lloyds sets aside £450m for car finance probe

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An investigation into whether brokers charged people too much interest to buy a motor was recently launched.

Japan's main stock index closes above 1989 record high

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The benchmark Nikkei 225 closed at 39,098.68 on Thursday, surpassing the all-time high set 34 years ago.

Nvidia: Boss sees artificial intelligence 'tipping point' as sales soar

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The chip giant's shares have risen by more than 200% in the last year, driven by the AI boom.

More drug than drink-driving arrests by some forces

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Drug driving is becoming more prevalent in younger groups, says one of Britain's top police officers.

HSBC: Bank's pre-tax profits soar fuelled by high interest rates

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Europe's biggest bank, HSBC, has reported a jump of almost 80% in its annual profit in 2023.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos completes $8.5bn share sale plan

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The firm said this month that its founder would sell up to 50 million shares over the next year.

Families' shock as cost to take pets abroad hiked

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Some owners say they may have to leave their pets behind after a major travel firm raised its prices.

Woolworths: Australian grocery boss quits amid price-gouging claims

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The Australian grocery chief walked out on a reporter when questioned over alleged price-gouging tactics.

Baby formula milk investigated over high prices

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Parents could be saving up to £500 in baby's first year, according to the UK's competition watchdog.

Gloucestershire vertical farm is one of UK's 'most advanced'

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Salad crops are grown indoors under lights three times faster than in traditional agriculture.

Japan's discount store pioneer Hirotake Yano dies

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The billionaire owner of the so-called 100 yen store passed away at the age of 80, the firm says.

Cameron government knew Post Office ditched Horizon IT investigation

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Documents show the secret investigation may have helped wrongly accused postmasters prove their innocence.

Stats watchdog criticises Treasury tax cut claims

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Two Treasury ministers, Laura Trott and Bim Afolami, have been criticised over recent claims on tax cuts.

New controls on holiday lets to be introduced

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From the summer, planning permission may be needed to turn homes into new short-term lets.

Currys takeover battle looms as JD.com eyes bid

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The Chinese e-commerce firm joins US investor Elliot as a possible bidder for the UK retail group.

Lunar New Year: China tourism spending tops pre-Covid levels

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The figures mark some rare good news for the world's second-largest economy.

Post Office not asked to stall payouts, says government

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Claims by the ex-Post Office chairman that he was asked to delay compensation to help the government are denied.

Donald Trump launches own-brand shoes after $355m fraud fine

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The ex-president promoted gold-coloured shoes priced at $399 at a sneaker convention in Philadelphia.

Tata Steel workers to vote on strikes amid job peril

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Unions say they are "prepared to fight" in response to job losses at Tata Steel sites.

Xi Jinping's never-ending hunt for corruption in the Communist Party

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The latest phase of the anti-corruption drive targets the finance sector and elite nuclear rocket force.

The brewing secrets behind tastier no-alcohol beer

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There's huge demand for low and no-alcohol beer and breweries are competing for the best flavour.

Xbox, Nintendo or PlayStation: does it still matter?

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Why the war between the big games console makers may be coming to an end.

Offenders confused about ethics of AI child sex abuse

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A charity warns that creating or viewing such images is still illegal, even if the children are not real.

Pryzm nightclub boss blames lack of students for closures

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Peter Marks, who runs the UK's biggest club chain, says students are going out later and spending less.

What is GDP and how is it measured?

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A basic guide to how the health of the economy is measured, and why that calculation matters.

Bali: Foreign tourists to pay $10 entry tax from Valentine's Day

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Bali is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, attracting millions each year.

Abuse and attacks on UK shop workers rises to 1,300 incidents a day

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Violence against retail staff spiked to 1,300 incidents a day, says the British Retail Consortium.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos sells shares worth over $4bn

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The multi-billionaire moved to Miami last year, where there is no tax on share sales above $250,000.

What is the UK inflation rate and how does it affect me?

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The rate at which prices are rising has dropped from record highs, but still remains above the 2% target.

Pay growth slows but still outpaces rising prices

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Pay, excluding bonuses, grew by 6.2% in the last three months of 2023 compared with the year before.

AI: UK chip designer Arm sees shares almost double

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The firm's shares have soared since its earnings announcement last week and are now up more than 98%.

Squishmallows has launched a legal fight against Build-A-Bear

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The firm behind Squishmallows has kicked off a courtroom copyright fight.