Accountancy body ACCA Wales is calling on the next Welsh Government to reform business rates and create a world class skills and career system. Ahead of the Senedd Election in May ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Wales says political parties should commit to four priorities that will underpin Wales’ future prosperity.

The global professional accountancy body, has 6,400 members and students in Wales working in all sectors of the economy.

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It says the next Cardiff Bay administration should:

• Build a world-class skills and careers system by expanding higher-level apprenticeships, accelerating short-course provision and embedding employer voice across regional and national skills planning, particularly for in demand competencies like digital and green skills
• Create the conditions for sustainable business growth through investment in infrastructure and connectivity, business support and stronger engagement between government and key sectors
• Strengthen public finance, productivity and tax certainty with greater funding certainty through multi-year budgets, a simpler tax environment and reform of the business rates system.
• Enable a practical and just transition to net zero by providing targeted support for small businesses and strengthening climate reporting across public bodies.

On business rate reform it said there needs to rebalance of rates across all businesses, and not penalising firms who invest in their premises.

The prospectus also exemplifies how finance professionals can support these asks and work with policymakers to drive change within businesses and organisations of all sizes.

Lloyd Powell, head of ACCA Cymru/Wales, said: “Accountancy is a cornerstone profession of society; it is vital to help economies, organisations and individuals grow and prosper. In Wales, finance professionals sit at the heart of the economy, public services and transition to net zero. They enable growth, stability and innovation across every sector.

“We stand ready to work in partnership with the Senedd and Welsh Government to deliver the ambitions set out in our prospectus, ensuring Wales has the skills, institutions, and financial leadership required to thrive. Our calls are clear. This is not about party politics, but about practical actions that can support businesses, public finances and long-term prosperity.”

Franchise business launched by personal trainer James Calderbank wants to reach 100 sites

A North West fitness brand that targets over 35s who want to get healthy is planning to roll out another 11 locations across the UK this year.

Transform Hub focuses on group-based personal training classes. It was founded in Preston by personal trainer James Calderbank and is now headquartered in Knutsford, Cheshire.

The franchise business already has 27 gyms across the UK but is now planning to roll out new venues in Worcester, Cheltenham, Southampton, Altrincham, Hull, Cambridge, Northampton, Nottingham South, Winchester and Gosforth. It aims to reach 100 gym sites by 2028.

Meanwhile, the franchise has secured IP trademarks in the US and Europe as bosses plan for gradual expansion overseas.

In 2023, Transform Hub secured £1m in backing from investors Andy Bell and Fergus Lyon. The business says that last year its gym memberships rose 28.4%, from 2,878 to 3,695 active members, helping revenues rise 61% to £1.7m. It says around 80% of its members are aged 30-60.

Founder and CEO of Transform Hub, James Calederbank said: “When I first created Transform Hub, I saw a huge gap in the market for people to access personal training in a different way. Online coaching delivers incredible accountability and lifestyle change, while in-person training creates energy, community, and real momentum. But most people were forced to choose one or the other. Transform Hub connects the two.”

He added: “What’s also exciting is the opportunity this creates for franchise partners: people looking to open gyms under the Transform Hub name.”

Bluesky is the latest social media platform to introduce its very own AI chatbot, with Attie being formally introduced to the world as the technology is set to deliver custom feeds to users with simple prompts.

Attie can understand natural language and help users create a feed that they want without the hassle of learning how to code.

Bluesky Introduces New Agentic AI Social App, Attie

Bluesky’s former CEO and now Chief Innovation Officer, Jay Graber, recently shared a new development from the company called “Attie,” the company’s latest take on a generative artificial intelligence platform, but it is not exactly a chatbot.

Instead of talking to Attie to learn about various topics, create write-ups, and more, the new agentic AI will help users create their own feeds on Bluesky.

The new agentic AI was built using Anthropic’s Claude chatbot, and the app was built on the same underlying protocol that Bluesky is using, the open-source framework AT Protocol.

According to Graber, users need not be intimidated to create their custom feeds on Bluesky with the help of Attie as the experience will only feel like users are “having a conversation rather than configuring software.”

Attie: Create Custom Feeds Using Natural Language

As mentioned earlier, users may create custom feeds using Attie. The company’s development of this new agentic AI centers on using natural language that will allow users to freely talk to the chatbot like in a normal setting with friends, but it can get complex work done, like coding, to create a feed based on their preferences.

It has been almost three years since Bluesky first arrived in the tech industry, with the platform then popularizing the use of custom algorithmic feeds on the social media experience.

Users only need to describe the content they want to see on their feed to Attie to get started. For example, they only need to tell the agentic AI to “build a feed that gives me updates on new and upcoming console game releases from accounts that I follow.”

The agentic AI will act as a coding agent to create the feed without users actually writing code.

Originally published on Tech Times

Thousands of ready-to-eat pizza and bread products were recalled over the potential presence of metal fragments, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

North Carolina-based Bakkavor voluntarily initiated the recall on Jan. 19, according to the FDA.

Last week, the health agency classified the alert as a Class II recall, which means “use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

NEARLY 10M POUNDS OF FROZEN FRIED RICE SOLD AT TRADER JOE’S ADDED TO RECALL: USDA

Thousands of ready-to-eat pizza and bread products were recalled over the potential presence of metal fragments. (Stefan Irvine/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

About 23,459 cases of roasted tomato and Parmesan focaccia bread were recalled, sold under brand names such as Frederik’s by Meijer, Harris Teeter, Trader Joe’s and Fresh & Simple. 

Additionally, 2,337 cases of HelloFresh Basil Pesto and Mozzarella Pizza, made up of 15 packages per case, were also recalled.

The recall affects four pizza lot numbers and more than a dozen focaccia bread lot numbers, with use-by dates ranging from April 27 through Oct. 15.

Brands affected by the recall include HelloFresh, Frederik’s by Meijer, Fresh & Simple, Harris Teeter and Trader Joe’s. (Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The affected items were distributed in 10 states — Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia.

The food products were also shipped directly to customers through HelloFresh.

90,000 BOTTLES OF CHILDREN’S IBUPROFEN RECALLED NATIONWIDE, FDA SAYS

The FDA classified the alert as a Class II recall. (iStock / iStock)

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Customers are urged to dispose of the product or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.

No injuries have been reported in connection with the recall thus far.