Labour's foreign aid cuts will reduce bilateral support to some African countries by up to 90% by 2029, according to Foreign Office figures. Development charities like Bond and Save the Children criticize the move, warning of increased poverty and instability, while the government argues for more efficient multilateral funding.
The High Pay Centre (HPC), known for its analysis of executive pay and the pay gap, is set to close due to the termination of its funding by the Financial Fairness Trust, now renamed Aberdeen Group Charitable Trust. This closure highlights a broader trend of reduced funding for social justice research, influenced by a shift away from DEI/ESG initiatives.
Zurich climbed three spots in the Julius Baer Lifestyle Index due to a stronger Swiss franc and Switzerland's stability. Singapore retained its top position, driven by high property and car prices and a strong Singapore dollar. The index highlights the attractiveness of stable cities amid global uncertainty.
Zurich climbed three spots in the Julius Baer Lifestyle Index, driven by a strong Swiss franc and the country's stability. Singapore retained its top position due to high property and car prices, and a strong dollar. The index highlights the attractiveness of stable cities amid global uncertainty.
HM inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor's final report criticizes Labour ministers for "brutal" cuts to prison education, leading to increased drug use, self-harm, and violence. Taylor warns of risks from upcoming prisoner releases and highlights issues like drone smuggling and long delays for mentally unwell patients.
Canada's Communications Security Establishment (CSE) conducted state-authorized cyberattacks against drug traffickers, violent extremists, and a ransomware gang last year to disrupt their operations. The agency's annual report detailed three foreign 'active cyber operations' targeting fentanyl chemical sales, extremist recruitment, and ransomware infrastructure, alongside technical disruptions against other ransomware gangs.
Canada's Communications Security Establishment (CSE) disclosed conducting three state-authorized foreign cyber operations last year, targeting fentanyl brokers, violent extremist recruiters, and a ransomware-as-a-service gang to disrupt their operations and protect national security.
Severn Trent has doubled its new CEO James Jesic's long-term incentive plan to 400% of his base salary, potentially reaching £3.1m, despite public anger over water company pay and environmental failures. The company also removed an environmental performance measure from bonus criteria.
Il consumo di birra in Italia è calato del 2,5% nel 2025, attestandosi a 21,2 milioni di ettolitri, secondo l'Annual Report di AssoBirra. Nonostante la flessione e un contesto economico complesso, il settore mostra resilienza, spinto dalle birre analcoliche e da una filiera che genera oltre 112.000 posti di lavoro.
Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon's compensation fell 16.9% to S$6.8 million for FY23, despite a 39.5% rise in net profit. The company cited "material operational and reputational issues" including network outages at Optus and disruptions in Singapore.
Mainland Chinese investors bought a record HK$1.19 trillion (US$151.8 billion) in Hong Kong shares via Southbound Stock Connect in the past year, reflecting strong market confidence driven by a robust IPO pipeline. Average daily turnover of these inflows surged 84% year-on-year.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov stated that trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and Russia is expanding proactively and heading towards new historical records, despite external pressure. The two countries also released a report on human rights, concluding that racism is intensifying to maintain Western dominance.
China's ports topped the 2025 Container Port Performance Index, with 7 in the global top 10, amid critical roles in managing supply chain disruptions post-Red Sea crisis and US-Israel war on Iran.
An annual report on England and Wales prisons highlights overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, poor nutrition, and lack of medical access. Gangs control wings, and violence is prevalent. Reforms under the Starmer government aim to avert system collapse but prisoners still face bleak conditions.
Nationwide's CEO Debbie Crosbie received an 88% pay increase to £4.7m, largely due to a new bonus scheme, while eligible staff get a 3.8% pay rise. The move raises governance concerns among critics, citing the lack of a binding member vote on her pay package and the society's democratic values.
Hong Kong reports a decline in cetacean strandings to 29 in 2025 from 41 in 2024, with 4 suspected to be linked to human activity, according to a joint government-Ocean Park report.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy earned £10.8m in 2023, a £1m increase, as the UK's largest supermarket achieved its highest market share in a decade (28.1%). His pay includes a 3% basic pay rise to £1.54m, with future bonuses now tied to market share targets instead of food waste reduction.
Overseas-invested securities firms collectively saw income from their China businesses skyrocket in 2025, as combined net profits climbed more than fourfold from a year earlier to 2.65 billion yuan (US$390 million), according to their annual reports. However, while the industry’s bottom line surged last year – fuelled by China’s lifting of capital restrictions and a rebound in the capital market – the individual performances of firms showed a widening gap in scale. A South China Morning Post...
China made Brazil its top global investment destination last year, pouring US$6.1 billion into the country across a record 52 projects. The figures come from the China-Brazil Business Council (CBBC), which released its annual report on Thursday. The 45 per cent jump in value from the previous year far outpaced the 4.8 per cent rise in total foreign investment into Brazil. It also dwarfed China’s worldwide outbound flows, which grew just 1.3 per cent. Brazil absorbed 10.9 per cent of all Chinese...
Hong Kong's largest international school group sees reserves more than triple to HK$3.75 billion over a decade, outpacing local universities, amid efforts to offset reduced government subsidies through tuition fees and nomination rights.
Military spending in the Asia-Pacific rose at the fastest pace for 16 years in 2025 as US allies felt “growing uncertainty” over whether Washington would honour its security commitments, according to a new report. Total global spending reached US$2.89 trillion, an increase of 2.9 per cent from 2024, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank said in its annual report on military expenditure published Monday. That marked the 11th consecutive year of increases and...
Anistia Internacional released its annual human rights report covering 144 countries, accusing US, Israel and Russia of predatory attacks on multilateralism and international law. The report details Israel's continued genocide in Gaza, US extrajudicial executions and aggression against Venezuela, and Russia's attacks on Ukraine. Regarding Brazil, the report highlights a lethal police operation in Rio de Janeiro in October 2025 that killed over 120 people, mostly Black and poor, marking the deadliest operation in the state's history.
