Sports Direct owner buys Harvey Nichols department store chain
The owner of Sports Direct has bought Harvey Nichols out of administration after the upmarket department store chain warned it could run out of money if it did not find new funding.
Policy & regulation
Cash remains most widely accepted payment method in euro area
According to the latest survey on the use of cash by companies in the euro area published today by the European Central Bank, cash acceptance has rebounded slightly.
Sun and World Cup helped some UK businesses as economy grew in April to June
An added boost from summer sun and sports fixtures for some businesses helped the UK economy to grow by 0.4% between April and June, according to official data.
UK economy grows by 0.4% in second quarter as some businesses helped by World Cup and hot weather – business live
Across Europe stock markets are mostly doing better than the FTSE 100 in London.
India fuels worldwide jump in planned coal production
Enough new coalmining projects were proposed last year to increase global supplies by 2.5bn tonnes a year, an increase of 11% from the year before, even as demand for coal plateaus, according to a new report.
Victims of road crime feel ‘forgotten by system’, official review finds
Bereaved families or seriously injured victims of road crime feel “forgotten by the system” with offences not treated with the seriousness they deserve, an official review has found.
Ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz near three-month low
Oil prices have fallen to pre-Iran war levels as more oil tankers exited the strait of Hormuz.
Greenland forces Trump-linked US oil firm to delay drilling
Greenland authorities have forced a US oil company connected to Donald Trump to postpone drilling wells in the Arctic territory, defying claims by the US president’s envoy that Americans could be extracting crude by nex…
US inflation cooled slightly to 3.4% in July but prices still elevated
US consumer prices cooled slightly in July as the annualized inflation rate dipped down to 3.4%, though prices still remain higher than levels seen before the war with Iran.
Burnham warned Iran war could hit UK growth next year
Andy Burnham has been warned that the UK economy could barely grow next year if disruption in the Strait of Hormuz continues until the end of 2026.
Josh Kushner and Bob Iger reportedly buying Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5bn
Josh Kushner and Bob Iger are purchasing the Los Angeles Lakers for more than $12.5bn in a record-breaking deal, ESPN reported on Wednesday , citing sources with knowledge of the deal.
Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires
Just 20 staff are working on climate adaptation within a key government department tasked with protecting the environment and maintaining food security, a freedom of information request has revealed.
Panama canal fees soar due to Iran war and El Niño as ship ‘pays $4m to jump queue’
Commercial ships travelling through the Panama canal are facing a rise in costs amid disruption triggered by the Iran war and falling water levels linked to this year’s intense El Niño weather system .
Live facial recognition cameras to be used on UK’s busiest shopping street
The Metropolitan police are understood to be planning to use live facial recognition (LFR) technology on Britain’s busiest shopping street.
Iran war and high living costs fueling last-minute holiday bookings, Tui says
Geopolitics and cost of living crisis have cost Europe’s largest travel company €60m so far
Great Britain faces electricity supply shortfall during solar eclipse
Event expected to hit solar power just as fifth heatwave of summer increases use of air conditioning and fans
Eerie silence and ‘still surviving’: what happened next after steel town’s last blast furnace shut down
Exhibition in Port Talbot is part of project exploring how communities experience endings and transitions
AI was supposed to destroy jobs. Where’s the carnage?
The AI jobs apocalypse never showed up. Still, jobs are changing and economists expect more to come.
UK heatwaves may have cost economy £4.4bn in lost output so far this year, analysis finds
Verdant thinktank says cost could top £25bn a year by 2030 and calls for maximum temperature for working and urban redesign to cool down cities
Trump considers capital gains tax cuts ahead of midterm election- Bloomberg
The specter of investigations and impeachment has fueled many of the president’s most dramatic actions.
Passenger jet billed as China’s answer to Boeing and Airbus prepares to make first international flight
The Comac C919 will fly from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, although experts say it could take generations for it to challenge the west’s dominance of the industry
Households near new pylons to get £250 taken off annual energy bills
Discounts confirmed near more than 40 locations across Great Britain amid biggest upgrade to electricity grid since 1960s
US sees oil disruptions from Iran conflict reaching 600,000 bpd
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its economic outlook for the world economy and warned it could sink into a recession if the Iran war is not soon resolved. In its April 2026 World Economic Outlook, the Bret…
Axe stamp duty? How Andy Burnham could change property tax
Residential property is the largest store of wealth in the UK, and has long been a target for those who believe homes should be taxed more. Real estate remains a juicy plum for Andy Burnham to pick as he searches for wa…