Business

A Community Security Trust report says 40 antisemitic incidents were recorded on the day of the October attack at Heaton Park synagogue and another 40 the following day, and that the charity logged 3,700 incidents across the UK in 2025.

China's consumer prices rose 0.2% year-on-year in January while the producer price index fell 1.4%, the National Bureau of Statistics reported.

Katie Milligan has been named chief executive of Openreach, joining other recent female leaders at BT and Vodafone; Openreach is advancing fibre roll-out to 25 million homes and awaits Ofcom deliberations on further expansion.

Yemen's Houthi group has mobilized fighters and relocated weapons and equipment as regional tensions rise, and its leaders have warned the United States against military action while invoking Gaza in their public rhetoric.

Sir Tim Martin said in a stock exchange filing that Reform UK proposes allocating £3 billion and a 10% cut to hospitality VAT, which he described as creating tax parity with supermarkets and potentially transforming pubs' competitiveness.

Anna Podedworna has been found guilty of murdering her girlfriend, Izabela Zablocka; officers later located Ms Zablocka's remains in the garden and Podedworna is due to be sentenced at Derby Crown Court on Wednesday.

Some savers are choosing ethical ISAs to avoid funding companies linked to human-rights abuses, and providers such as Triodos report growing deposits while ethical options can deliver lower returns and carry fees.

The government will create 13,000 apprenticeship and T Level placement opportunities linked to school rebuilding projects, and construction firms on those projects will be required to provide local training places for apprentices and T Level students.

Spain's main rail unions called off a planned three-day nationwide strike after the Transport Ministry, Adif and Renfe agreed to steps on investment, staffing and safety procedures; some smaller unions said they would continue strikes until Wednesday.

John 'Johnny Q' Quinesso Sr. marked his 100th birthday aboard the Battleship New Jersey, where he has volunteered as a tour guide for more than 20 years after serving in the South Pacific during World War II.

The ruling LDP won a landslide and campaigned to suspend the 8% food sales tax for two years; investors reacted with government bond selling and pressure on the yen.

Superdrug said it will open 30 new shops across UK high streets as part of an expansion from its network of more than 780 stores, and the company cited strong customer demand and investment in larger-format and retail park locations.

A Washington state woman, Mandie Miller, was sentenced to 32 years after pleading guilty in the 2022 death of her eight-year-old adopted daughter; prosecutors say the couple transported the child’s body across state lines and the woman's former partner faces an upcoming sentencing on February 10.

Octopus Energy founder Greg Jackson said the UK should work with China to access renewable technology, after Octopus agreed a joint venture with Chinese firm PCG Power and plans to import wind turbine technology that the company says could be cheaper and create jobs.

Ministers announced reforms to speed up apprenticeship approvals from about 18 months to as little as three months and pledged £725 million to support 50,000 more apprenticeships.

The government will pilot a university-style clearing system to redirect near-miss apprenticeship applicants to local vacancies and launch an online platform showing earnings and progression data, backed by the Growth and Skills Levy to expand apprenticeship places.

The Friends of the Ivy group in Heddington has bought the Grade II-listed Ivy Inn after raising £436,000, and aims to reopen by Christmas while seeking further funds for renovations.

Anthropic has rolled out Claude Opus 4.6, coding tools and industry plug-ins while moving toward a large funding round and an IPO, drawing investor attention and a market reaction; the company reports that annualised revenue grew from about $1bn early last year to over $9bn by end-2025 and has guided it will exceed $30bn this year.

Organisers say the Grantham Rotary Swimarathon at Meres Leisure Centre has reached a £40,000 fundraising target in its 36th year, with around 1,400 swimmers taking part.

Brightly coloured kites filled Lahore's skies this weekend as the Basant festival returned after a 19-year ban and ran for three days under tighter safety measures.

A coalition of northern mayors launched 'The Great North' campaign asking the government to back future Olympic and Paralympic bids based in northern England and to work on feasibility studies and legacy planning.

Lidl will invest £29 million in staff pay and says the changes take effect on March 1, 2026.

Chesterfield, about half an hour from Sheffield and under 90 minutes from Manchester, is home to roughly 80 independent shops and a busy market; locals and business owners say recent town-centre improvements and cultural activity are reinvigorating the community.

British investors pulled a record £6.7bn from equity funds in 2025, a sum Calastone says was more than double the outflow recorded in 2016.

Eleven northern mayors and former athletes have written to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy requesting that any future UK Summer Olympic Games be hosted in the North of England, saying a northern Games could accelerate regeneration and rebalance the economy.

Meghan Markle attended a gala in a striking gown believed to be by Harbison Studio; Prince Harry is believed to have stayed at their Montecito home with their children.

Businesses and community groups have formed Manchester Village Pride CIC and contributed £120,000 to support this year’s event after Manchester Pride Events Ltd went into liquidation, and organisers say the CIC model will prioritise transparency and return profits to LGBTQ+ charities and grassroots groups.

Repeated Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy grid have forced many firms to rely on backup power and raised operating costs, and analysts say attacks on the energy system are a key short-term risk to GDP.

A funeral in Ireland remembered Capt Philip Gilbert Muldowney, 25, who died after an incident at Otterburn Training Area; the Army says the circumstances are being investigated.

Shaun Stephen wore his father's original 1995 tracksuit on BBC's Gladiators and said his father reached the semi-finals in 1995.