Emergency declared in Crimea as oil spill reaches Sevastopol January 4, 2025 Officials in Moscow-occupied Crimea have announced a regional emergency after oil was detected on the shores of Sevastopol, the peninsula’s largest city. Fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers nearly three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, close to eastern Crimea – some 155 miles from Sevastopol, which lies on the south-west of the [...]
Tulip Siddiq reportedly given London flat linked to deposed Bangladeshi leader January 4, 2025 City minister Tulip Siddiq was reportedly given a London flat by a person with links to the deposed Bangladeshi leader. Siddiq, who serves as economic secretary to the Treasury with a brief including “countering economic crime, money laundering and illicit finance” was reported to have been given the two-bedroom property near King’s Cross in 2004, [...]
New car market in UK up 2.6 per cent in 2024, figures reveal January 4, 2025 The UK’s new car market recorded its second successive year of growth with a 2.6 per cent rise in registrations in 2024, new figures show. Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said around 1,953,000 new cars were registered last year, compared with 1,903,000 in 2023. Growth was delivered entirely by purchases [...]
Reform UK supporters to gather in Kemi Badenoch’s constituency as ‘gloves off’ January 4, 2025 Reform supporters will gather in Kemi Badenoch’s constituency on Saturday, after their leader promised “the gloves are off” in the next election bout against her. Nigel Farage will host a Reform UK rally at Chelmsford City Racecourse, his second this year after a similar event in Leicester. The MPs – who both represent areas of [...]
UK braced for heavy snow and freezing rain amid amber weather warnings January 4, 2025 Large parts of the UK will be hit by heavy snow and freezing rain which could lead to disruption this weekend amid two amber weather warnings. Stranded vehicles on the roads, delayed or cancelled rail and air travel and power cuts are likely as the country grapples with a week-long spell of wintry conditions, the [...]
Why we don’t know how much a ‘National Care Service’ could cost UK January 3, 2025 Health secretary Wes Streeting has unveiled the government’s latest move towards reform of the UK’s social care system. Taking the form of an independent commission into the issue, led by Baroness Louise Casey, the review – reporting in 2026 and 2028 – will aim to build “cross-party consensus” for the creation of a new National [...]
What went wrong for Fundsmith Equity in 2024? January 3, 2025 Fundsmith Equity, the largest investment fund in the UK, registered its fourth consecutive year of underperformance in 2024. Terry Smith’s £22.6bn fund returned just 8.9 per cent last year, compared to 20.8 per cent for its benchmark, the MSCI World Index. This drastic underperformance followed a similar trend from previous years. The fund underperformed its [...]
Top Hollywood Bowl bosses lined up for massive pay day January 3, 2025 The top bosses at Hollywood Bowl have been lined up to receive a bonus worth 150 per cent of their base salary if the FTSE 250 group continues to hit its financial targets. Chief executive Stephen Burns and chief financial officer Laurence Keen are eligible for a bonus up to the new total for the [...]
Monzo, Open AI, Revolut and Klarna: The IPOs to watch out for in 2025 January 3, 2025 While economic uncertainty prompted a cautious approach to IPOs in 2025, several high-profile companies are preparing to float in 2025. From leading fintechs such as Monzo, Revolut, and Klarna to global giants such as OpenAI and SpaceX, some of the most exciting growth companies in recent years could IPO this year. Here is a look [...]
Avoid Tesla, Intel, oil and German equities in 2025 say analysts January 3, 2025 Wall Street analysts have pencilled in strong gains for equity markets in 2025, following a robust performance in 2024. However, while analysts are optimistic about the outlook for the market as a whole, there are some assets Wall Street believes will underperform in the year ahead. Here are the four assets analysts are advising investors [...]