Gopichand Hinduja

Gopichand Hinduja, listed at his death aged 85 as the richest man in Britain, was one of four brothers who took their father’s Indo-Iranian trading business and turned it into a vast international conglomerate. It spread across everything from motor manufacturing to their own banks and Bollywood film-making, and had a value put on it by this year’s Sunday Times Rich List of more than £35bn.The brothers – devout, acquisitive, secretive – positioned themselves across the world like latter-day Rothschilds: one, Ashok, in India and one, Prakash, in Switzerland, with Gopichand and his elder brother, Srichand, in London. There they lived in opulence in four interconnected mansions purchased from the Crown on Carlton House Terrace on the Mall. Two years ago, at a party celebrated with canapes covered in gold leaf and in the presence of royalty, Gopichand opened his £1

Relief for retailers as business rate changes in budget not as bad as feared

Retailers have breathed a sigh of relief after changes to their business rates bills in the budget were not as bad as feared, after the industry had warned for months that more punitive measures could lead to shop closures and jobs losses.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, on Wednesday revealed plans to permanently reduce business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties – although the discounts are not as generous as those that have been in place since the pandemic. About 750,000 properties in those sectors will see their bills set below the current standard level, with deeper discounts for smaller operators, according to the government.Businesses are still calculating what their ultimate bills will be, but the global tax firm Ryan calculated that there are 3,480 retail properties in England that have the higher rateable value and together would pay an extra £112m in business rates from April 2026. However, the government is providing billions of pounds of “transitional relief” to help those whose bills will increase dramatically next year

European parliament calls for social media ban on under-16s

Children under 16 should be banned from using social media unless their parents decide otherwise, the European parliament says.MEPs passed a resolution on age restrictions on Wednesday by a large majority. Although not legally binding, it raises pressure for European legislation amid growing alarm about the mental health risks to children of unfettered internet access.The European Commission, which is responsible for initiating EU law, is already studying Australia’s world-first social-media ban for under-16s, which is due to take effect next month.In a speech in September, the commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she would watch the implementation of Australia’s policy

ChatGPT firm blames boy’s suicide on ‘misuse’ of its technology

The maker of ChatGPT has said the suicide of a 16-year-old was down to his “misuse” of its system and was “not caused” by the chatbot.The comments came in OpenAI’s response to a lawsuit filed against the San Francisco company and its chief executive, Sam Altman, by the family of California teenager Adam Raine.Raine killed himself in April after extensive conversations and “months of encouragement from ChatGPT”, the family’s lawyer has said.The lawsuit alleges the teenager discussed a method of suicide with ChatGPT on several occasions, that it guided him on whether a suggested method would work, offered to help him write a suicide note to his parents and that the version of the technology he used was “rushed to market … despite clear safety issues”.According to filings at the superior court of the state of California on Tuesday, OpenAI said that “to the extent that any ‘cause’ can be attributed to this tragic event” Raine’s “injuries and harm were caused or contributed to, directly and proximately, in whole or in part, by [his] misuse, unauthorised use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and/or improper use of ChatGPT”

Wallabies’ 2026 schedule brings hope but also potential for bigger headaches | Angus Fontaine

After losing seven of their last eight Tests in 2025 and completing the first winless tour of Europe since 1958, the Wallabies are back home nursing a giant hangover. Unfortunately, the 2026 season unveiled this week looks likely to prolong the pain.Having watched their team end the year in a blur of yellow cards, wobbly lineouts, aerial ineptitude and headless chook footy, fans will be aghast to find only six of Australia’s 14 Tests will be played at home in 2026 – the first three against nations who defeated them only this month. The new year only brings bigger headaches.The worst of them, like all hangovers, is self-inflicted: an awkward handover of national coaching duties between Joe Schmidt and Les Kiss following home Tests against Ireland in Sydney, France in Brisbane and Italy at a still to be confirmed location, and midway through the inaugural north-south face-off, the Nations Championship

Perth pitch not the problem for England in first Ashes Test as it receives highest ICC rating

England only have themselves to blame for their two-day capitulation in Perth, after the pitch for the first Ashes Test received the top rating possible by the International Cricket Council.The “very good” assessment by the ICC match referee was made on a pitch with “good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a balanced contest between batters and bowlers”.Australia defeated England in the first Test in Perth by eight wickets in under two days.The tourists were well placed on day two with a lead of over 100 runs with nine wickets in hand.However, a middle-order collapse ended their innings in under 35 overs, and within hours Travis Head had guided Australia to victory