UK government probes OpenAI breach after ‘unprecedented’ hack July 22, 2026 The UK government is probing the first known case of an artificial intelligence model breaking out of a controlled test by itself and hacking another company’s systems. Officials at the government-backed AI Security Institute (AISI) are investigating the security breach at OpenAI and whether similar incidents could occur at other top developers, a spokesperson told [...]
FTSE 100 Segro ‘minded to accept’ £14bn Prologis takeover July 22, 2026 Segro has said it is “minded to accept” the £14bn takeover offer tabled by US real estate giant Prologis. The FTSE 100 property firm said on Wednesday evening that the terms of Prologis’s fourth bid are at a level it would be willing to recommend to its shareholders. Segro’s update came just five minutes before [...]
Anthropic payout piles pressure on UK ministers in AI copyright row July 22, 2026 The publishing industry has urged ministers to force AI companies to license copyrighted content after Anthropic agreed a record $1.5bn (£1.1bn) settlement over its use of pirated books to train AI models. Dan Conway, chief executive of the Publishers Association, told Morning Wire the agreement should serve as a warning to AI developers operating in [...]
Clifford Chance partners pocket £2.3m as private markets drive growth July 22, 2026 Magic circle firm Clifford Chance’s revenue surpassed £2.6bn for the first time, largely driven by the surge in private market work. The firm’s revenue was up 9 per cent from £2.4bn last year, as the Canary Wharf-headquartered firm said that while all service lines performed well, the hike was driven largely by “momentum in the private markets” [...]
Exclusive: Bordeaux Begles to compete in London rugby sevens tournament July 22, 2026 Investec Champions Cup winners Bordeaux Begles will send a team to the London City 7s in a major coup for the Square Mile tournament. The showstopping French Top 14 outfit, who in May won their second consecutive European title, will participate in the second edition of the London sevens tournament, which takes place in September [...]
Former Southern Water boss charged with conspiracy to defraud July 22, 2026 The former boss of Southern Water is among four of the water firm’s ex-employees set to face criminal proceedings for conspiracy to defraud. The Environment Agency (EA) alleges that between January 2012 and December 2017 Matthew Wright helped manipulate the operator self-monitoring testing regime by implementing “artificial no-flow events” at wastewater treatment works. The government [...]
Financial gap between Hundred host counties and others widening, report warns July 22, 2026 The financial gap between Hundred host clubs and the other 11 counties is widening and could continue to do so, according to a new financial report. The big four counties of Surrey, Lancashire, Hampshire and Warwickshire generated over half of the total revenue of all 18 first-class counties last year, with a “series of financial [...]
Oil prices return to crisis levels July 22, 2026 Oil prices have returned to levels not seen since the beginning of June, after both the US and Iran warned that hopes of a return to peace negotiations were premature. The spot price of Brent crude broke $95 a barrel on Wednesday morning for the first time since the warring parties agreed a 60-day ceasefire [...]
AI reduces founders’ need for capital, says Revolut Business July 22, 2026 AI is reducing the amount of capital startups need to build global businesses, shifting the battle for founders away from funding and towards which countries offer the best environment to scale, according to the head of Revolut Business. Speaking to Morning Wire, James Gibson said AI had dramatically lowered the cost of building and operating [...]
Leeds United investor buys majority stake in Spanish football club July 22, 2026 The co-owners of Leeds United have purchased a Spanish football club as they expand their multi-club empire. A.Gain – formerly IDC Ventures – have added to their minority shareholding in the Elland Road Premier League team with a majority stake in third tier Spanish side Real Zaragoza, based in Aragon. Real Zaragoza will become – [...]