Investors tremble as Iran risks oil price spiral with attack on Strait of Hormuz February 28, 2026 City analysts and policymakers are on edge as a possible attack by Iran on the Strait of Hormuz could send oil prices spiralling. Investors fear a new inflationary shock could hit major economies including the UK as a result of full-blown war between the US and Iran. Many had pinned hopes on nuclear programme negotiations [...]
UK Sport: We invest £32m in winter sports because Britain cares deeply February 28, 2026 Milan Cortina and the British public’s appetite for melon grabs and curling showed why UK Sport invested £32.5m in winter sports in this Olympic cycle, says CEO Sally Munday. Watching years of dedication come together in a single run at Milan Cortina earlier this month was extraordinary. Matt Weston’s performance en route to Team GB’s [...]
Block slashes 4,000 jobs in latest AI warning February 27, 2026 Payments giant Block will slash nearly half its workforce, cutting more than 4,000 roles as it pivots towards a business model built around AI and leaner teams. In a message to staff, the company confirmed it will reduce headcount from more than 10,000 employees to just under 6,000, with affected workers either leaving immediately or [...]
Female entrepreneurs favour human connection as many see isolation a challenge February 27, 2026 Female founders and entrepreneurs have highlighted human connection as critical in building their business, as many still feel the challenge of isolation and loneliness. Nearly 80 per cent of female entrepreneurs identified human connection as significant to their livelihood, a new study from Female Founders Rise has found. Respondents highlighted the significant need for community [...]
AI safety row deepens as Anthropic risks losing Pentagon deal February 27, 2026 Anthropic has refused to relax its safety limits on its AI tools, despite threats from the US Department of Defence to scrap a $200m contract and remove the company entirely from its supply chain. Chief executive Dario Amodei said the booming AI firm would rather stop working with the Pentagon than allow its AI model, [...]
Top Barclays executive to take the helm at UK banking watchdog February 27, 2026 A senior Barclays executive and former Treasury official has been appointed as the chief supervisor for British banks and insurers, reinforcing the government’s drive to ease regulations brought in after the 2008 financial crisis. Katharine Braddick, head of strategic policy at Barclays and senior adviser to the chief executive, will succeed Sam Woods as the [...]
Automatic promotion and relegation from Prem Rugby scrapped February 27, 2026 Automatic promotion and relegation from Prem Rugby has been scrapped after a crunch RFU Council vote on Friday. Yo-yoing between English rugby’s top flight Prem Rugby and the second tier Champ Rugby will be halted, with expansion teams admitted into the highest form of domestic rugby in England on a case-by-case basis. In what many [...]
Hornby offloads toy car brand Scalextric for £20m February 27, 2026 Hornby, the model railway firm advised by Mike Ashley, has agreed to sell toy car racing brand Scalextric for £20m. Castelnau, Hornby’s parent company, announced on Friday it will sell the toy brand to Purbeck Capital Partners. Hornby, which also sells toy planes and cars under the Airfix and Corgi brands, has owned Scalextric since [...]
Labour accused of ignoring rental housing February 27, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned she must “take sharp notice” of the collapse of John Lewis’ housing venture by investing immediately in the build-to-rent sector. The Association for Rental Living (ARL), the body which represents the build-to-rent sector, has sent an open letter to senior Labour figures calling on the government to develop a [...]
Flutter shares tumble as Paddy Power owner misses forecasts February 27, 2026 Shares in Flutter Entertainment fell sharply after the Paddy Power parent missed expectations across key measures and issued softer-than-expected guidance, adding to concerns about the outlook for the US sports betting market. The New York-listed group saw its stock drop almost seven per cent in extended trading after reporting fourth-quarter revenue of $4.74bn (£3.52bn), below [...]
