US trade deficit hits fresh high despite Trumps tariffs

Faarea MasudBusiness reporter Getty Images Boxing Day sales have seen a muted start as shoppers continued to shun bricks-and-mortar stores in favour of online. By 3pm, visits to UK high streets were down 1.5% on 2024, while shopping centres saw a 0.6% fall, according to data from MRI Software. MRI’s footfall data showed retail parks…

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Paul SeddonPolitical reporter PA Media The education secretary has defended Labour’s U-turn over offering all workers the right to claim unfair dismissal from their first day in a job. Instead, ministers now plan to reduce the qualifying period from the current two years to six months, in line with a deal agreed by some unions…

TikTok’s efforts to stop children using the app and protect their personal data have been inadequate, a Canadian investigation has found. Hundreds of thousands of children in the country use TikTok each year despite the firm saying it is not intended for people under the age of 13, according to the findings. The investigation also…

Michael Sheils McNameeBusiness reporter EPA Chancellor Rachel Reeves should avoid “directionless tinkering and half-baked fixes” when trying to boost the government’s tax take in next month’s Budget, a leading think tank has said. Taxes are widely expected to go up in the Budget, with pressure on the chancellor to raise money in order to meet…