Want job security in the age of AI? Get a state license – any state license

When I was in college and didn’t know what to do with my life, my dad offered this career advice: be a certified public accountant. Why?“Because,” he said. “People will always need their taxes done. They’ll always need financial advice. With a CPA license, you can always hang out a shingle and put food on the table

Don’t use ‘boilerplate’ reasons to justify big executive pay rises, UK firms warned

The UK’s largest listed companies have been warned against using “boilerplate” arguments to justify big executive pay increases by an influential group of shareholders.The Investment Association (IA) – whose members manage £10tn of assets – has told pay committees to avoid “benchmarking”: where companies argue higher pay is needed in order to match rivals and avoid bosses jumping ship for larger salaries and bonuses elsewhere.The IA – whose members include Schroders, Legal & General and Aviva – used its annual letter to London-listed companies to say that the “use of benchmarking on its own to justify increases in remuneration is not appropriate, as it can lead to a ratchet effect in the market”.It stopped short of naming any individual company but said it expected “well-substantiated” rationales for pay rises from remuneration committees.“To date, members have observed that some rationale disclosures have not met this expectation, with remuneration committees using boilerplate and generic justifications, often citing ‘competitiveness against peers’ or the need to ‘attract and retain talent’ without any further supporting information,” the letter said

UK Treasury drawing up new rules to police cryptocurrency markets

Cryptocurrencies will be regulated in a similar way to other financial products under legislation coming into force in 2027.The Treasury is drawing up rules that will require crypto companies to meet a set of standards overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).Ministers have sought to overhaul the crypto market, which has ballooned in popularity as a way of investing money and making payments.Cryptocurrencies have not been subject to the same regulation as traditional financial products such as stocks and shares, which means that in many cases consumers do not enjoy the same level of protection.The government said the new rules would make the crypto industry more transparent, boost consumer confidence and make it easier to detect suspicious activity, impose sanctions and hold companies accountable

YouTube channels spreading fake, anti-Labour videos viewed 1.2bn times in 2025

YouTube channels spreading fake, anti-Labour videos have amassed more than a billion views this year, as opportunists attempt to use AI-generated content to profit from political division in the UK.More than 150 channels have been detected in the last year that promote anti-Labour narratives, as well as outright fake and inflammatory accusations about Keir Starmer.A study seen by the Guardian has found the channels have accumulated 5.3m subscribers and have created more than 56,000 videos, with a total of almost 1.2bn views in 2025

Cricket commentator Michael Vaughan says hearing gunshots at Bondi was ‘terrifying’

Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has described hearing gunshots during the terrorist attack at a gathering to celebrate the first night of Hanukah at Sydney’s Bondi beach as “terrifying”.Vaughan, who is in Australia working as a media pundit for the Ashes series, said he was locked in a restaurant “a few hundred yards from the attack” with his wife, two daughters, sister-in-law and a friend.A father and son have been identified as the alleged shooters, with authorities confirming the death toll from the massacre targeting the Jewish community has risen to 15, including one child. One of the gunmen was also confirmed dead.Writing in The Telegraph, Vaughan said: “Like most people, I have been at home watching terrorist attacks unfold in London, or Manchester, near where I live

NFL week 15: Chiefs miss playoffs, Rams down Lions and Broncos beat Packers – as it happened

As it stands the postseason looks like this:AFC: 1) Denver 12-2; 2) New England 11-3; 3) Jacksonville 10-4; 4) Pittsburgh 7-6; 5) LA Chargers 10-4; 6) Buffalo 10-4; 7) Houston 9-5. Bubble: Indianapolis 8-6NFC: 1) LA Rams 11-3; 2) Chicago 10-4; 3) Philadelphia 9-5; 4) Tampa Bay 7-7; 5) Seattle 11-3; 6) San Francisco 10-4; 7) Green Bay 9-4-1. Bubble: Detroit 8-6And the Chiefs are eliminated with Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL. Micah Parsons also appears to have sustained a knee injury for Green Bay who take a big drop to the seventh seed after losing. On that bomb shell, goodnight!(12-2) Denver Broncos 34-26 Green Bay Packers (9-4-1)(11-3) Los Angeles Rams 41-34 Detroit Lions (8-6)(4-10) New Orleans Saints 20-17 Carolina Panthers (7-7)(10-4) San Francisco 49ers 37-24 Tennessee Titans (2-12)(11-3) Seattle Seahawks 18-16 Indianapolis Colts (8-6)Broncos 34-26 Packers, final scoreJayden Reed just can’t make the catch as the ball from Jordan Love is too short