Author: admin

The bill, currently progressing through parliament, would allow the government up to 12 years to take civil action against individuals or entities involved in fraudulent claims related to Covid-19 support schemes. Without this change, some claims would become time-barred as early as March 2026.

Alan Sheeley, civil fraud expert and Partner at Pinsent Masons, said: “The proposals are of wider interest to business as it shows the government is able to retrospectively extend limitation periods for causes of harm. It is possible that we will see this happening with more general civil claims or further causes of action in the future, which would have a wide impact. This uncertainty means that business will need to assess their exposures, as well as insurers, with more potential liabilities exposed.”

The bill proposes to bring forward reforms to help identify, prevent and deter public sector fraud and error, and enable the better recovery of debt owned to the taxpayer. This bill is expected to deliver benefits of £1.5 billion over the next five years, as scored by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). These benefits are expected to come from improved fraud detection, enhanced debt recovery mechanisms, and deterrence of fraudulent activity.

“The bill’s retrospective nature raises questions about legal certainty. Businesses that acted in good faith during the pandemic may now face renewed scrutiny, even years after the fact. Insurers, too, must reassess their exposure to claims that were previously considered time barred. With this in mind, businesses will need to rethink how they assess long-term risk.”

The bill empowers the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) to investigate and recover losses from fraud across public authorities, excluding HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work And Pensions, which have their own enforcement powers. It also introduces new civil penalties and enforcement tools, including the ability to recover funds directly from individuals’ earnings or bank accounts.

This retrospective extension marks a major shift in UK legal norms, where limitation periods – the time within which legal action much be initiated – are typically fixed and not altered after the fact. The move is part of a broader legislative effort to strengthen the government’s ability to combat public sector fraud and recover taxpayer money lost during the pandemic.

Max Rossiter, civil fraud specialist at Pinsent Masons, said “This demonstrates that government can implement change to combat fraud, even if it has to bend certain legal norms. While it should be wary of doing so routinely, combatting Covid-19 fraud was a manifesto commitment so it is understandable why the government is giving itself further time to bring claims.”

VALHALLA, N.Y., July 17, 2025 – FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Imaging Division, today announced the launch of its Frontier DX400W compact inkjet printer (DX400W). The latest addition to Fujifilm’s Frontier printer lineup, DX400W boasts improvements in printing output, including the addition of two new ink colors, as well as faster image processing/printing times and a smaller overall footprint[1].

“We’re excited about the enhanced capabilities DX400W brings to the photo printing space,” said Bing Liem, division president, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Imaging Division. “DX400W enables on-demand printing of not only standard photo prints, but also a wide range of photo products including photo books and calendars. Designed to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers, DX400W enhances Fujifilm’s inkjet system lineup with the latest functionality and convenience.”

Main Features:

High-Image Quality and Capability to Print a Wide Range of Photo Products

• Featuring a 250ml high-capacity 6-ink system consisting of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), K (black), SB (sky blue) and P (pink), which enables more faithful reproduction of skin textures and subtle color changes.
• Fujifilm’s proprietary image processing technology, IMAGE INTELLIGENCE™[2], draws on decades of expertise in the photography field to automatically correct underexposure, backlighting, high-contrast, underexposure, and overexposure issues, producing highly precise prints.

Updated Design, Increased Efficiency

• A new structural design increases the durability of the printer body, reducing the need for frequent hardware replacements and minimizing maintenance efforts. As a result of this design improvement, the printer can print a total of up to 400,000 sheets[3] over the lifetime of the product. Additionally, with a 30% reduction in size over the prior model, DX400W fits seamlessly into a variety of challenging spaces.

Enhanced Usability for Diversified Printing Business Needs

• In addition to USB connectivity, DX400W now supports wired LAN connections. The addition of LAN compatibility allows for more flexible functionality at retail, accommodating customer-specific installation environments. This not only improves convenience for retail photo shops but also caters to a wide range of applications in business and event settings, meeting diverse user needs.

Reduced Waste with High-Capacity Ink

• Ink capacity has been increased from 200ML in the prior model to 250ML in DX400W, improving operational efficiency by reducing the need for frequent ink replacement. Additionally, DX400W uses pouch-style ink supply units instead of traditional cartridge-based systems.

The FUJIFILM Frontier DX400W photo printer will be available September 2025. For more information, please click here.

About Fujifilm 

FUJIFILM North America Corporation, a marketing subsidiary of FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, consists of six operating divisions. The Imaging Division provides consumer and commercial photographic products and services, including silver halide consumables; inkjet consumables; digital printing equipment, along with service and support; personalized photo products fulfillment; film; one-time-use cameras; and the popular instax™ line of instant cameras, smartphone printers, instant film, and accessories. The Electronic Imaging Division markets its GFX System and X Series lines of mirrorless digital cameras, lenses, and accessories to provide a variety of content creation solutions for both still and moving imagery. The Optical Devices Division provides optical lenses for the broadcast, cinematography, closed circuit television, videography, and industrial markets, and also markets binoculars and other optical imaging solutions. The Business Innovation Division offers a full lineup of digital print and toner technologies focused on enabling the digital transformation of businesses and print shops with its offerings of multifunction printers, digital inkjet presses, production toner printers, software, and more. The Industrial Products Division delivers new products derived from Fujifilm technologies including data storage tape products, including OEM and FUJIFILM Ultrium LTO cartridges, desalination solutions, microfilters and gas separation membranes.

For more information, please visit https://www.fujifilm.com/us/en/about/region, go to https://x.com/fujifilmus to follow Fujifilm on X, or go to www.facebook.com/FujifilmNorthAmerica to Like Fujifilm on Facebook. 

FUJIFILM Corporation is a subsidiary of FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation. FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, leverages its depth of knowledge and proprietary core technologies to deliver innovative products and services across the globe through the four key business segments of healthcare, electronics, business innovation, and imaging with over 70,000 employees. Guided and united by our Group Purpose of “giving our world more smiles,” we address social challenges and create a positive impact on society through our products, services, and business operations. Under its medium-term management plan, VISION2030, which ends in FY2030, we aspire to continue our evolution into a company that creates value and smiles for various stakeholders as a collection of global leading businesses and achieve a global revenue of 4 trillion yen (29 billion USD at an exchange rate of 140 JPY/USD). For more information, please visit: https://holdings.fujifilm.com.

For further details about our commitment to sustainability and Fujifilm’s Sustainable Value Plan 2030, click here.  

FUJIFILM, IMAGE INTELLIGENCE, and instax are trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation and its affiliates.

© 2025 FUJIFILM North America Corporation and its affiliates. All rights reserved.

[1] When compared to FUJIFILM Frontier DX100.

[2] Image Intelligence™ can be used by connecting workflow management software (MS Software) with the printer.

[3] The number of printable sheets varies depending on usage conditions.

The number of rail passengers travelling into cities in England and Wales has overtaken pre-Covid levels but changing work and travel patterns have eased overcrowding on the morning commute, official statistics show.

Almost 1.9 million people took trains into cities on a typical weekday last autumn, the highest figure since the records were first collated in 2010.

However, there were still about 13% fewer passengers arriving during the morning peak than in 2019, showing that the return to traditional nine-to-five office working remains some way off, despite recent pressure on staff from some firms.

Arrivals into every station in London grew in the 12 months to autumn 2024, with particularly rapid growth at Paddington and Liverpool Street stations, both served by the Elizabeth line. The data suggests that the line, fully opened in 2023, has taken the pressure off other trains, with overcrowding in the capital down from 2019 levels.

Now busier trains into Birmingham are matching London for the squeeze on commuters, according to the Department for Transport. Five Thameslink and West Midland services were the most overcrowded, with the 7.30am Bedford to Three Bridges having an 184% load factor – or almost twice as many passengers as seats – when it reached London St Pancras.

Southwestern and Chiltern services made up the rest of the top 10 most overcrowded trains recorded by the DfT.

The total number of people travelling into cities outside London remains below pre-pandemic levels, at about 660,000 daily arrivals compared with 730,000 in 2019.

The DfT figures allow for standing capacity on many London commuter services, with almost one in four passengers standing on arrival in the morning.

It found that average overcrowding – or “passengers in excess of capacity” – on midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) morning arrivals to the capital had increased slightly in the last 12 months to 1.6%, a figure now matched by Birmingham, with trains arriving at Bristol and Sheffield stations ranking as the next most crowded, after rapid growth in rail commuting last year.

The DfT said that while directly equivalent statistics on crowding were not available, British rail passenger numbers appeared to be recovering faster than those in France, Germany or Italy, with growth of 9% last year compared with 5-7% in the three biggest EU economies.

Public transport campaigners heralded the figures as underlining the return of rail, after passenger numbers dropped to as little as 5% of pre-pandemic levels in 2020, followed by pay freezes and industrial unrest.

Ben Plowden, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Gloomy predictions for the future of rail at the time of the pandemic have proven wrong: rail is back in a big way, boosting our economy, keeping workers moving and saving our streets from gridlock.

“The fact that passenger arrivals are up while overcrowding is down is partly due to the huge success of the Elizabeth line. With more bold projects like this we could transform cities and improve daily life for vast numbers of people. An expanded rail network combined with more affordable fares could really bring about a rail revolution.”

Rail fares are expected to continue to rise above inflation, however, as revenue is still significantly lower than before the pandemic, with more people travelling off-peak.

The report noted that Southwestern, once the railway’s most lucrative commuter network, had roughly two-thirds of its previous demand, now concentrated from Tuesday to Thursday.

A number of businesses in the City, including banks and hedge funds, have been pushing staff to return full-time to the office in recent months. However, recruitment firms say workers fear the impact on their wellbeing, as well as the cost of commuting. Hybrid working is now the standard mode for more than a quarter (28%) of working adults in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics.