Business

US President Donald Trump has signed a settlement that is expected to see Meta pay him roughly $25m (£20m), sources familiar with the agreement told the BBC’s US partner CBS. Trump sued the Facebook and Instagram owner in 2021 over the suspension of his accounts after the 6 January Capitol riots that year. In July 2024, Meta lifted the final …

Higher borrowing costs for the government may mean tax rises or spending cuts if it wants to stick to its own self-imposed rules, a leading economic think tank has warned. According to a report from the Resolution Foundation, the government is spending £7bn a year more paying interest on its debt than it was at the time of the Budget. …

Colletta Smith and Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondents Getty Images Households in England and Wales will pay £123 more on average on their annual water bills from April, final figures show. The rise – higher than stated last month – will see the average annual bill rise to £603, but there are significant variations between regions. Water companies have …

Lord Alan Sugar, star of the BBC show the Apprentice, wants to see real life apprentices, and all other workers for that matter, back in the workplace. “They’ve got to get their bums back into the office,” he has told the BBC. The businessman-turned-TV-personality, has launched into the debate which has been ongoing since working from home surged in popularity …

Dan Rosney BBC Business Reporter Getty Images Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 On March 21, 2006 the first ever tweet was posted by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey: “Just setting up my twttr”. It was a simple introduction to a brand new platform. Backed by celebrities, it was different to other social media sites, like MySpace or Facebook, because you …

Vodafone Vodafone has carried out what it says is the UK’s first satellite-enabled smartphone video call. The company says the call – made from a mountain in Ceredigion, west Wales – is part of the process of adding satellite connectivity to its UK phone network by the end of the year, and across Europe in 2026. Vodafone boss Margherita Della …

US President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on the US central bank, hours after officials left interest rates unchanged despite his public calls for them to cut. In a social media post, he accused the Federal Reserve and its chairman Jerome Powell of mishandling the economy, saying they had “failed to stop the problem they created with Inflation”. The Fed …

A range of Coca-Cola products are being recalled in the UK after the firm’s bottling partner said it had identified “elevated levels” of a chemical called chlorate. Cans of Coca-Cola Original Taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, and Sprite Zero sent to cafes and restaurants are being withdrawn as well as 6x250ml Appletiser multipacks sent to UK supermarkets. The announcement …

The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark lending rate unchanged at between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent on Wednesday, despite pressure from President Trump for further cuts in the first rate decision following his return to office.The central bank said that the unemployment rate has “stabilized at a low level in recent months, and labor market conditions remain solid,” while admitting …

Budget 2025 income tax expectations: What will the income tax slabs and income tax rates after Union Budget 2025? Will FM Nirmala Sitharaman raise the standard deduction further under the new income tax regime and include popular exemptions like Section 80C, HRA, Section 80D? With the new income tax regime becoming the default tax regime, tax experts believe that no …