Finds

• Para ahli memperkirakan 'perhitungan kerugian yang ditimbulkan' oleh 200 tahun perbudakan chattel mencapai US$2tn dalam bentuk ganti rugi • Inggris merampas 25 juta tahun kehidupan dan tenaga kerja melalui perbudakan di Barbados, menurut penelitian baru oleh tim pakar internasional. • Laporan mereka menyimpulkan bahwa populasi keturunan Afrika di Barbados telah menderita kerugian yang diperkirakan mencapai US$2tn (£1.5tn) akibat 200 tahun perbudakan chattel. Baca selengkapnya...

Pemantau wawasan konsumen menunjukkan 85% khawatir tentang harga pangan dan mayoritas berpendapat ekonomi akan memburuk Tiga juta rumah tangga di Inggris terpaksa melewatkan makan karena konsumen mengambil langkah-langkah drastis untuk mengatasi kenaikan biaya, menurut laporan Which? yang diterbitkan pada hari Kamis. Konflik di Timur Tengah dan lonjakan harga minyak serta bahan baku setelahnya telah menyebabkan pelaku bisnis bersiap menaikkan harga, memberikan tekanan lebih besar pada keuangan rumah tangga dan memukul kepercayaan konsumen. Lanjut membaca...

Insolvency firm points to tax rises, staff costs and shaky consumer confidence after number increases to 62,193The number of UK businesses in “critical financial distress” has risen by more than a third over the past year, according to insolvency practitioners, as companies contend with a “slew of increased taxes” and the impact of the Middle East conflict.Hospitality and leisure firms have been faring particularly badly because of shaky consumer confidence, and rising taxes and staff costs, according to research by the restructuring company Begbies Traynor. Continue reading...

Campaigners saying public spaces protection orders also being used to criminalise wide range of everyday activitiesOne in five local councils have banned swearing under new “busybody” orders, up from one in 20 councils in 2022.A new report by the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life has found that public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) – originally intended to tackle serious anti-social behaviour – are being used by councils in England and Wales to criminalise a wide range of everyday activities, including standing in groups, shouting and picking up stones. Continue reading...

Utility bills are up as much as 40% in some regions, and companies shut off power to customers 13m times in 2025The US’s top utilities’ CEOs enjoyed a 16% pay raise last year – to an average of $12.3m – even as consumers shoulder the pain from high bills spurred by continuing inflation, the Iran war and datacenter growth, a new review of industry financial documents shows.Utility bills are up as much as 40% in some regions since 2021, and, nationwide, utilities shut off power to customers 13m times last year, federal data shows. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Cambridge research finds socioenvironmental stressors may influence body’s ability to function healthily in pregnancyStress from racism and deprivation could explain why black women are more likely to die during childbirth, a study has found.Researchers reviewed 44 existing studies that examined three physiological pathways associated with worse pregnancy outcomes: oxidative stress, inflammation, and uteroplacental vascular resistance, and found black women had higher levels of the three metrics. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 839,000 homes in urban areas face threat of surface-water flooding, with social housing tenants most vulnerable to costsEight in 10 of the homes that are at high risk of flooding in England are now in towns and cities, according to analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF), which said social housing tenants are disproportionately vulnerable to the financial cost.Research found that 839,000 homes in urban areas are now classed as being at high risk of surface water flooding, a threefold increase since 2018. Continue reading...