Author: Andrew Rogers

Amazon will shut down all 19 of its Fresh stores in the UK, just four years after launching the first outlet in London. Five of the sites will be converted into Whole Foods Market shops, the US organic grocery chain acquired by Amazon in 2017. The Fresh stores, which allowed customers to walk out without using a till thanks to cameras, sensors and an app, failed to gain traction after the pandemic as demand for contactless shopping declined. Amazon struggled to compete with established UK supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The company has not confirmed how many staff will…

Vodafone franchisees raised concerns about the “massive impact” commission cuts were having on their mental health four years before 62 small business owners launched a £120m high court case against the telecoms group. The claimants, representing nearly 40% of Vodafone’s total franchise network, allege the company “unjustly enriched” itself by slashing commissions to store operators, leaving many in financial and emotional crisis. A 2020 survey, carried out shortly after Vodafone reduced fees in the wake of pandemic disruption, revealed widespread dissatisfaction and distrust. Franchisees rated their trust in Vodafone at just 1.75 out of five, and their sense of being…

The European Union is considering plans to build a “drone wall” along its eastern frontier, a project championed by Baltic states to counter the growing threat of Russian drone incursions. At the core of the proposal is Eirshield, a multilayered anti-drone system developed by Estonia’s DefSecIntel and Latvia’s Origin Robotics. Using AI-powered radars, cameras, and signal detectors, the platform can identify hostile drones and decide whether to jam, block, or intercept them. Developers say the system has already been deployed in Ukraine, where it is used against Shahed drones, and can operate at a fraction of the cost of conventional…

Massive Attack have removed their catalogue from Spotify in protest at founder Daniel Ek investing €600m (£520m) in the military AI company Helsing, which develops AI software and drones for battlefield use. The band cited a “moral and ethical burden” on artists, arguing that revenue from their work indirectly funds lethal technologies. The announcement coincided with their support for the No Music for Genocide initiative, in which over 400 artists and labels are blocking their music from streaming services in Israel. Massive Attack clarified their Spotify withdrawal was a separate action, emphasizing the ethical implications of Ek’s investment in military…

Donald Trump announced on Friday that Chinese president Xi Jinping had agreed to approve a deal over TikTok, though he provided no details on the agreement or its timeline. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump suggested that both leaders had signed off on a preliminary arrangement during a phone call earlier in the day—their first direct contact since June. The deal, still lacking clarity, comes as Washington and Beijing remain locked in disputes over trade and technology. Trump said earlier this week that TikTok would be transferred to US control under a framework involving American investors, with Oracle among those…

A major Scandinavian trial has found that a low daily dose of aspirin can cut the risk of colorectal cancer returning after surgery by more than 50% in patients with specific genetic mutations. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute studied over 3,500 patients across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, with nearly 40% carrying PI3K pathway mutations linked to bowel cancer. Those given 160mg of aspirin daily for three years were far less likely to see their cancer return compared with patients on placebo. Lead investigator Prof Anna Martling said the findings could change clinical practice, stressing the importance of genetic testing…

A new weight loss pill developed by Eli Lilly could make shedding pounds easier and more accessible. In a trial involving more than 3,000 adults with obesity, one in five participants who took the drug orforglipron daily for 72 weeks lost 20% or more of their body weight. Orforglipron works by targeting GLP-1 receptors, the same mechanism used by injections like Mounjaro and Wegovy, which have already transformed obesity treatment. Unlike injections, however, the pill is easier to use, store, and distribute, and is expected to be more affordable. Participants on the highest daily dose lost an average of 11.2%…

Sky has placed 900 UK roles at risk as it restructures to compete with US streaming rivals. About 600 jobs are expected to be cut, while 300 staff may be redeployed. The Comcast-owned broadcaster employs around 23,000 people in the UK and has already axed nearly 3,500 roles since early 2023. The cuts will mainly affect Sky’s technology and product teams, alongside related corporate functions. Sky says more than 90% of new subscriptions now come through internet-based products such as Sky Glass and Sky Stream. Recent launches include Sky Glass Air, a budget-friendly version of its smart TV. In March,…

US and Chinese officials announced a framework agreement to transfer TikTok into US-controlled ownership, easing years of tension over security concerns. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the commercial terms were agreed, though details remain private. Chinese negotiator Li Chenggang said both sides reached a consensus through cooperation. The deal follows years of disputes over ByteDance’s control of TikTok. In 2024, President Biden gave ByteDance nine months to sell or face a ban, a deadline later extended by Donald Trump. Earlier acquisition efforts by Microsoft, Walmart, and Oracle collapsed, though Oracle remains TikTok’s US cloud provider. Final details will be settled…

Former members of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) have called on Andrew Bailey to ease pressure on government borrowing costs by scaling back or halting the central bank’s bond-selling programme. They argue that slowing “quantitative tightening” (QT) could save the Treasury up to £10bn a year. Britain’s long-term borrowing costs have reached their highest level in 27 years, adding to the challenges facing chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of her 26 November autumn budget. While the Bank has blamed global factors such as Donald Trump’s trade war, it has also acknowledged that its £100bn bond sales programme is…