The rate of unemployment across the economy has risen to 5.3 per cent, its highest level in four years, according to the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) Labour Force Survey (LFS) published on Thursday, the Irish Times reported. The increase, which was driven by significant a rise in the rate of unemployment among 15 to 24 and 35 to 44 age groups, represents an increase of 0.8 per cent on the third quarter in 2024. The LFS suggests the number of additional people in employment was 30,600 in the year to the third quarter of 2025, a jump of 1.1 per cent.
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A U.K. procurement firm said it worked with the bankrupt Indian educational-technology startup Byju’s to move a half-billion dollars away from a group of U.S. lenders who have battled for years to track down the missing funds, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. A former adviser to the London-based supply-chain logistics firm OCI helped Byju’s send nearly $506 million to the U.K. with the intent to pass those funds on to a corporate entity tied to Byju’s in Singapore, according to a sworn declaration filed in a U.S. court by OCI CEO Oliver Chapman.

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German Bionic Systems GmbH, a leading innovator in AI-powered exoskeleton technology, has officially filed for insolvency at the Augsburg District Court, CrispNG.com reported. Despite the financial setback, the company assures that daily operations will continue uninterrupted, supporting around 70 employees across its German sites. The court has appointed Oliver Schartl from Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen as the provisional insolvency administrator.

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Inflation in the U.K. fell to a four-month low in October, official figures showed Wednesday, in a move that has raised expectations of another Bank of England interest rate cut next month, the Associated Press reported. The Office for National Statistics said the annual rate of inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index, fell to 3.6% in October from 3.8% the previous month. Though the rate was the lowest since June, it was a bit higher than the 3.5% that most economists were forecasting for the month.

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Liverpool cult hero Steve Finnan is facing a bankruptcy battle following a multi-million pound row between the Champions League winner and his brother, the Daily Mail reported. Irish full-back Steve Finnan, 47, enjoyed a successful Premier League career, winning Champions League and FA Cup winners' medals while with Liverpool in the 2000s, but has been embroiled in a decade-long legal tussle with his brother Sean after the pair got involved in a disastrous property business together.

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A total of 115 company insolvencies were registered in Scotland in October this year, the same number as in October 2024, according to the latest UK Government Insolvency statistics., ScottishFinancialNews.com reported. The total number of company insolvencies was comprised of 61 CVLs, 50 compulsory liquidations and four administrations. There were no CVAs or receivership appointments. The figures also revealed that the total insolvency rate in Scotland in the 12 months to October 2025 was 52.0 per 10,000 companies on the effective register, as shown in Figure 7.
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Russian lawmakers endorsed new tax hikes on Tuesday as Moscow looks for new revenue sources to boost its economy during its nearly four-year war with Ukraine, the Associated Press reported. Legislators in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, approved the key second reading of a bill that will raise value-added tax from 20% to 22%. The changes are expected to add as much as 1 trillion rubles (about $12.3 billion) to the state budget.
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he French government is preparing to sue a British private equity firm over claims it short-changed a failed local steelmaker, The Telegraph reported. Roland Lescure, the French finance minister, said the government would be “uncompromising” as he accused Greybull of failing to follow through on investment pledges for Novasco, which is based in Hagondange, a city in north east France. The situation has led to months of uncertainty for the 700 people employed by Novasco, after the company was placed into administration in August – a year after it was taken over by Greybull.
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Hundreds of learner drivers have been left more than £164,000 out of pocket after a driving school closed down and are "unlikely" to get their money back, an insolvency firm has said, BBC.com reported. NxtGen Driving Academy, part of NG Driving Group Ltd, taught students across the East of England but ceased trading on 3 November. Documents seen by the BBC show that, before the firm was shut down, 399 customers had paid the company for driving lessons that will not be fulfilled.
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