Lobby group’s figures, shared with John Healey, are misleading as they do not include major rival Paris, say campaigners A banking lobby group has been accused of cherrypicking data and trying to mislead the British government by claiming a tax rise for banks at next week’s budget would leave London less competitive than rival financial hubs. UK Finance, which represents banks including Lloyds, JP Morgan and Revolut, commissions an annual report tallying up all the taxes shouldered by a large bank, including corporation tax, social security, VAT and bank-specific levies. Continue reading...
Is London really the most-taxed city? Banks accused of cherrypicking data

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Skydance employees brace for expected restructure as megamerger dust settles
Battle far from over after Paramount and Warner Bros deal creates new global entertainment powerhouse “It feels like the calm before the storm,” says an executive at Skydance, the newly minted media empire formed from the megamerger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD). “David has got what he wanted, but now there is a price to pay.” Earlier this month, David Ellison, Skydance’s chief executive, sealed the $110bn (£82bn) deal , creating a global powerhouse spanning two Hollywood studios each more than a century old, the TV networks HBO, MTV and Discovery, and news outlets CBS and CNN. Continue reading...

The datacentre next door: on the frontline of tech’s latest David v Goliath battle
The AI boom is pitting local residents against corporate giants seeking to power their energy-hungry networks – but one Welsh city is fighting back Dale Johnston opens the gate to his neat suburban garden on the western fringes of Newport in South Wales. There’s a trampoline and a slide on the lawn for his grandchildren, and chairs for him and his wife. He should be enjoying the light draining from the perfect autumnal sky – but almost his entire view is blotted out by a vast expanse of prefabricated panels. The 23 metre-high grey hulk looming over him and his neighbours is a hyperscale datacentre. It is heralded by the area’s Labour politicians as a job creator, yet all Johnston can think about is what he has lost: “Before, the sun used to come around here and it was lovely.” The way residents have been treated is “disgusting”. Continue reading...

No unions, low taxes: why some of Britain’s top chefs are opening outposts in Gulf states
Leading restaurateur says Gulf countries actively help businesses set up, while east Asia has a better work ethic Some of London’s top restaurants are opening branches in Dubai because of a “tax tsunami” in the UK and better work ethic abroad, according to a leading restaurateur. James Robson, a co-owner of Fallow in St James’s Market, regarded as the capital’s hottest restaurant, serving 1,000 people a day, has just signed a deal to open an outpost in the Gulf. Continue reading...
Nvidia's role as AI financier faces first big test as neoclouds take market hit
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Trump is pushing a massive AI buildout. His own voters are wary of what comes with it
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