Business

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has not ruled out increasing pay offers to public sector workers, but warned that giving more money to teachers and nurses could entrench high inflation. Speaking as it was revealed the UK economy narrowly avoided recession in 2022, Mr Hunt also indicated he would resist pressure to cancel a planned cut to

Why do we always remember the arguments? If there’s a family spat at the Thanksgiving table, it’ll be remembered long after grandma’s gravy recipe is lost to the ages. Sharr White’s new play Pictures From Home drives that simple truth all the way home, and then makes so many return trips you imagine the ride

The economy narrowly avoided recession in the second half of last year, according to early official figures, despite growth going into a sharp reverse in December partly due to the impact of strikes and lack of Premier League football. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that output between October and December was flat at

The classic New York vs. Los Angeles tension is playing out on several fronts at the moment, much to the discomfort of those of us who align with both sides. The defection of Gustavo Dudamel from L.A. to conduct the New York Philharmonic reflects more than a switch in energy and show business muscle; the

Takeaway delivery platform Deliveroo has announced it is to cut roughly 350 jobs, equivalent to about 9% of the company workforce. Roles across the global Deliveroo business will be impacted, founder and chief executive Will Shu told staff, but it is understood that UK employees will be worst hit by the losses. The majority of

One of rock’s greatest albums has allegedly been rerecorded by one of its prime architects. Roger Waters claimed in an interview that he has rerecorded Pink Floyd’s classic rock epic Dark Side of the Moon without any of the other Pink Floyd members. Waters made the revelation in a Feb. 4 interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung. The interview

The company behind many popular consumer brands including Marmite and Magnum ice creams has said it expects price growth to ease later this year but not find a reverse gear. As the cost of living crisis continues to harm household spending power, Unilever forecast a €1.5bn (£1.3bn) impact from inflation during the first half of

Walt Disney is targeting $5.5 billion in cost savings, including $3 billion in non-sports related content, CEO Bob Iger said today on a meaty call after earnings where he detailed a company-wide restructuring. He said the other $2.5 billion are general operating costs, of which $1 billion is already underway. CFO Christine McCarthy, also on

The UK’s competition watchdog has moved a step closer to potentially blocking Microsoft’s planned $69bn (£56bn) takeover of Call of Duty gaming firm Activision. In a provisional ruling, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the proposed tie-up could lead to higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation for UK gamers. Activision responded by claiming

UPDATED: Joe Biden’s State of the Union included a number of gestures to Republicans, promotion of the spirit of bipartisanship and mention of a whole host of issues that garner backing from both parties. But there were plenty of outbursts among the GOP, signaling how unlikely it probably is that this Congress will see major

The UK will avoid tipping into recession this year but a greater number of homes – one-in-four – will struggle to pay elevated bills, according to an economic think-tank. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) said in a forecast that the squeeze on incomes from the energy-driven cost of living crisis and

Actor Elijah Wood is not a fan of AMC Entertainment’s latest move around ticketing that sets different prices for different seats inside its theaters. “The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher

BP has revealed it is to miss a key climate goal while announcing record annual profits. The London-based firm said its main earnings measure, underlying replacement cost profit, came in at $27.7bn (£23bn) for 2022. That is more than double the previous year’s sum despite weaker oil and gas costs knocking its performance in the

Despite repeated controversies over Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s views about the transgender community, it seems the wizarding world may have debuted its first transgender character. In Hogwarts Legacy, the open-world role-playing game debuting this Friday, Sirona Ryan is a witch who owns and runs the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade village. At one point, the

Consumer spending remained broadly below inflation last month but people forked out for holidays and entertainment as pent-up demand was released. Closely watched data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG, as well as from Barclays, showed spending rose by 4.2% and 9.7% in value terms respectively in January compared with a year ago.

Florida lawmakers unveiled a bill on Monday for state control of a special district set up to let The Walt Disney Co. largely self-govern much of the area around Walt Disney World. The bill, expected to be considered during a special session of the state Legislature this month, would allow Gov. Ron DeSantis to appoint

The bosses of Britain’s biggest housebuilders will hold talks with the chancellor this week as they face a multibillion-pound bill in the form of several new levies. Sky News has learnt that the executives from companies including Barratt Developments, Fairview and Persimmon will meet Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday. The Home Builders Federation (HBF), the leading

Backstreets, the respected Bruce Springsteen fanzine, is calling it quits to protest the “dynamic pricing” that has led to sky-high concert ticket costs. “After 43 years of publishing in one form or another, by fans for fans of Bruce Springsteen, it’s with mixed emotions that we announce Backstreets has reached the end of the road,” publisher and editor-in-chief Christopher

Administrators have selected a rival battery start-up based in Australia as preferred bidder for collapsed Britishvolt. EY confirmed on Monday morning that its team had chosen Recharge Industries – owned by US investment firm Scale Facilitation Partners – to acquire the “majority of the business and assets” of Britishvolt following its demise last month. The

Facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter and up to five years behind bars if found guilty, Alec Baldwin and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are about to find themselves face-to-face in court with the director of the troubled indie Western and many members of the crew as witnesses in the criminal case against the duo for