Violence and abuse against retail workers fell by a fifth from 2,000 incidents per day in 2023/4 to 1,600 last year, according to a new crime report by the British Retail Consortium.

There was a sharp increase in cybercriminal groups publicly posting stolen data online during the final quarter of last year, with posts surging by 50%, according to the latest quarterly threat report by Beazley Security.

The Information Commissioner’s Office has won a successful ruling in the Court of Appeal against the decision of the Upper Tribunal on DSG Retail Limited. The ICO fined DSG £500,000 in 2020 after a cyber attack which affected the personal data of over 14m people.

PERILS, the Zurich-based catastrophe insurance data provider, has estimated that last month’s extratropical windstorm Goretti caused an insurance market loss of €467m (£408m). The storm affected southwestern England, northern France and Belgium between 8-9 January 2026.

Willis has introduced a reputational risk quantification model for celebrity endorsement. Utilising datasets from Polecat, the model quantifies the reputational risk associated with celebrity endorsers and brand ambassadors.

The Financial Conduct Authority has fined Richard Howson £237,700 for his part in misleading statements being issued by Carillion plc. As group chief executive, Howson was aware of serious financial troubles in Carillion’s UK construction business but failed to reflect this in company announcements or alert its board and audit committee, leading to poor oversight.