The 2026 World Cup had its flaws, yes, but it was a resounding success for Fifa July 20, 2026 In the coming days following last night’s World Cup final, Fifa will release a report on how many people watched the tournament across its five and a half weeks. Look out for the social media KPIs – impressions, engagement, video views – that major sporting bodies now have to report, but the headline number will [...]
Iran war woes cause jump in London-listed profit warnings July 20, 2026 The rising energy costs and fragile consumer confidence caused by the Iran war have driven a jump in the number of profit warnings issued by London-listed firms. UK-listed companies issued 59 profit warnings in the first half of this year, up from 55 last year, with more than half of these being blamed on policy [...]
Thames Water creditors open door to public control under Burnham July 19, 2026 The creditors seeking to gain control of Thames Water have opened the door to greater public control of the struggling utility in a bid to bring Andy Burnham’s team to the negotiating table. Mike McTighe, the turnaround specialist who has been working with the group on an overhaul of Thames Water’s board, has called on [...]
Global Citizen’s links to Fifa chief Motsepe and the first ever World Cup half-time show July 19, 2026 If you haven’t heard of Global Citizen before, that may be about to change due to the charity’s role in the first ever half-time show during a World Cup final on Sunday. The show, curated by Coldplay frontman and longtime Global Citizen supporter Chris Martin, will feature performances from some of the biggest stars in [...]
Temporary inflation slowdown set to boost Burnham July 19, 2026 Inflation is expected to have eased last month in a welcome but temporary boost for Andy Burnham’s incoming government. The headline rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation is tipped to have eased from 2.8 per cent in May to 2.6 per cent in June, according to some economists. The latest rate of inflation will [...]
Burnham scraps digital ID scheme July 19, 2026 Andy Burnham will scrap Labour’s digital ID scheme when he becomes Prime Minister, as part of a “reset of priorities” over the cost of living crisis. The incoming Prime Minister said on Saturday that he would ditch the programme, set out only months ago by Sir Keir Starmer, and spend the money saved on “improving [...]
Burnham risks £4bn bill in Thames Water special administration July 19, 2026 Andy Burnham’s plans to push Thames Water into special administration could leave the taxpayer to foot a £4bn bill. The incoming Prime Minister is facing a crunch decision over how to deal with the struggling utility and is expected to use a special administration regime (SAR) to keep it running until a buyer is found. [...]
World Cup final half-time show has been coming, but Fifa must be careful July 19, 2026 For a very long time, the World Cup final has needed no additional entertainment. The match was the spectacle. The players, the history and the occasion were enough. That is why Fifa’s decision to stage the first World Cup final half-time show has made me and plenty of others feel a bit uncomfortable. Madonna, Shakira, [...]
Questions raised over FCA’s new short-selling rules July 18, 2026 Apparent errors in the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s first batch of new short-selling data have raised questions over the accuracy of information used by traders and regulators to track bets against UK-listed companies. The Financial Times first reported that the regulator’s new disclosures contained a series of apparent errors, including positions that were changed or [...]
Big Tech faces earnings test after AI spending spree July 18, 2026 Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon will report earnings over the next two weeks as investors look for evidence that years of record spending on AI are beginning to generate stronger revenue growth. The three companies have led the AI investment boom, committing billions of dollars to data centres, chips and software. Their latest results are expected [...]