‘Unsustainable’ gaps in policing of franchise businesses must end, MPs say
Posted on Wednesday February 11, 2026

House of Commons business and trade committee calls for changes after series of scandals in sectorThe UK government needs to eradicate “unsustainable” gaps in the policing of franchise businesses after a series of scandals to hit the sector, a parliamentary committee has found.The conclusion forms part of the business and trade committee’s small business strategy report and follows a Guardian investigation in December which revealed claims that Adrian Howe, a former Vodafone employee who had agreed to become a franchisee in 2018, drowned after becoming convinced his deal with the multinational company would prove financially disastrous. Continue reading...

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BP halts share buy-backs as annual profits slide
Posted on Tuesday February 10, 2026

Pressure mounts on oil and gas company as it aims for turnaround under new chief executiveBusiness live – latest updatesBP has halted share buybacks after reporting weaker annual profits as it prepares to continue a plan to resuscitate its fortunes under a new chief executive.The company became the first large oil company to suspend its buybacks after its underlying earnings fell to just below $7.5bn (£5.5bn) for 2025, down from almost $9bn for 2024. Continue reading...

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UK sleepwalking into joblessness epidemic, Tesco boss warns
Posted on Tuesday February 10, 2026

Ashwin Prasad says far fewer people in work than there could be with ministers just ‘tinkering at the edges’ of problemThe UK is “sleepwalking into a quiet epidemic” of joblessness with millions of people out of work and on benefits, the boss of the nation’s biggest supermarket chain has warned.Ashwin Prasad, who runs the UK arm of Tesco, said he believed far fewer people were in work than should be and that taxpayers were spending “an ever increasing proportion of our national income on out-of-work benefits”. Continue reading...

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Apple and Google pledge not to discriminate against third-party apps in UK deal
Posted on Tuesday February 10, 2026

Critics brand deal with regulator as ‘lightweight’ with ‘no legal bite’ as tech giants avoid legally binding measures Apple and Google have committed to avoid discriminating against apps that compete with their own products under an agreement with the UK’s competition watchdog, as they avoided legally binding measures for their mobile platforms.The US tech companies have vowed to be more transparent about vetting third-party apps before letting them on their app stores and not discriminate against third-party apps in app search rankings. Continue reading...

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Will the Gulf’s push for its own AI succeed?
Posted on Tuesday February 10, 2026

Tech giants Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta to collectively invest $600bn on artificial intelligence this yearHello, and welcome to TechScape. Today in tech, we’re discussing the Persian Gulf countries making a play for sovereignty over their own artificial intelligence in response to an unstable United States. That, and US tech giants’ plans to spend more than $600bn this year alone.Bitcoin loses half its value in three months amid crypto crunchHow cryptocurrency’s second-largest coin missed out on the industry’s boomFiles cast light on Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to cryptocurrencyWhy has Elon Musk merged his rocket company with his AI startup?Hail our new robot overlords! Amazon warehouse tour offers glimpse of futureSocial media companies are being sued for harming their users’ mental health – but are the platforms addictive?Anthropic’s launch of AI legal tool hits shares in European data companies Continue reading...

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Squeaky bum time? How Team GB can save Winter Olympics despite slow start | Sean Ingle
Posted on Tuesday February 10, 2026

The wait for a first medal goes on but the camp believe they have several aces to play, especially in the skeletonStill the wait goes on. When Britain arrived in Milano Cortina there was heady talk of the country having one of its “most potent ever teams” for a Winter Olympics. So far, though, Team GB is still firing blanks.It is not for the want of trying. Kirsty Muir missed out on a freeski slopestyle bronze by 0.41 points. Mia Brookes came impossibly close to making the biggest trick in Olympic big air snowboard history. While Britain’s mixed curlers, having coasted regally through the group stages, their mojo went awol when it mattered most. Continue reading...

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Sesko rescues late point for Manchester United to deny West Ham precious win
Posted on Tuesday February 10, 2026

Stop all the clippers, don’t cut off the barnet: United’s winning run is over. Frank Ilett, the man who pledged never to visit a barber again until Manchester United won five matches in a row, may have been denied a viral haircut, but United’s resilience came to the fore here to deny the Hammers what would have been a deserved victory deep into added time.A studded finish from the fan favourite Tomas Soucek was cancelled out by an impressive, instinctive strike from Benjamin Sesko to leave this match honours even. United lacked energy and snap, West Ham saw two precious points fall away at the last; both sides will leave frustrated but not disconsolate. The Hammers remain in 18th place, United stay in fourth, their contrasting objectives remain in play. Continue reading...

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