Billionaire Zara founder Amancio Ortega to receive €3.23bn dividend

The billionaire founder of Zara is to receive a company record €3.23bn (£2.8bn) dividend this year from the world’s biggest fashion retailer.Amancio Ortega, who still controls 59% of Spain’s Inditex and whose daughter Marta Ortega Pérez is now chair, will receive half his dividend in May and half in November – as will other shareholders.Inditex, which owns a raft of high street chains including Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius and Oysho, said on Wednesday it would increase its dividend by 4% after a “robust operating performance” in 2025

Sir Ronnie Hampel obituary

Ronnie Hampel was a businessman’s businessman, a major force in the reshaping of ICI, Britain’s largest manufacturing company, in the 1990s and in the birth of the pharmaceutical company Zeneca (now part of AstraZeneca), as well as a powerful influence on other company boards.He was exceptionally well-connected. His place at the heart of the UK business establishment as chairman of ICI – from 1995 to 1999 – was highlighted by his regular golfing four which included the then cabinet secretary, the chairman of BP and the permanent secretary of the Treasury.Hampel, who has died aged 93, joined ICI in 1955 – in those days the company was known as “the bellwether of British industry”. He learned fast in a range of posts in its sprawling divisions

Atlassian lays off 1,600 workers ahead of AI push

Software giant Atlassian has announced it is laying off about 10% of its workforce, or roughly 1,600 positions, and replacing its chief technology officer as it restructures to invest further in artificial intelligence.Shares of the company rose more than 4% in extended trading on the Nasdaq.The company’s co-founder, Mike Cannon-Brookes, told employees the move was “the right decision for Atlassian” in a note circulated late Wednesday, US time.“But that doesn’t mean it’s easy,” he said. “Far from it

Binance sues Wall Street Journal over reporting on Iranian sanctions

The US government is investigating Binance over allegations that Iran used the crypto exchange to evade sanctions and illegally move funds, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Wednesday.Binance has denied these claims and even sued the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday for defamation.The Journal reported in late February that Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, shut down an internal investigation into more than $1bn in transactions with a network funding Iran-backed terror groups; Binance fired employees for looking into the matter and allowed the network to remain active, according to both the Journal and the New York Times.A Binance spokesperson said in an emailed statement: “Binance categorically did not dismantle any compliance investigation. The WSJ continues to report the same falsities

Rory McIlroy hopes to defend Players Championship despite back injury

Rory McIlroy will make a last‑minute call on Thursday over whether to defend his Players Championship title, with the Northern Irishman still feeling the effects of a weekend back injury. McIlroy will wait until his pre-round range session to determine whether he is fit enough to play.McIlroy arrived here on Wednesday afternoon, having withdrawn shortly before his third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He hit shots for around an hour before walking the back nine with wedge and putter in hand. McIlroy sustained a muscle problem in the gym on Saturday morning, which left him basically inactive for three days

A historic day at Hundred auction but barely any women were there to see it

It’s Piccadilly Circus. It’s candy pink and dayglow green. It’s 19‑year‑old Davina Perrin being bought by the Birmingham Phoenix for £50,000 a couple of years after she has graduated from Ebony Rainford Brent’s ACE programme. It’s the former Leicestershire fast bowler Charles Dagnall in skinny jeans with an iPad and an interactive screen.It’s Hero Players