Virgin Trains gets green light for channel tunnel route August 17, 2026 Virgin Trains has moved a step closer to running train services between London and Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, after the railway watchdog waved through its application to use the line connected London to the channel tunnel. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said on Monday it had given Sir Richard Branson’s train company the [...]
On this day: Animal Farm is published August 17, 2026 On this day, 17 August, in 1945, with pro-Soviet sentiment rapidly fading in the UK, George Orwell's Animal Farm is finally published.
Goldman and Intel back $5.4bn AI video startup August 17, 2026 Goldman Sachs and Intel have backed AI video maker Higgsfield in a $400m (£295m) funding round that has more than quadrupled the two-year-old company’s valuation since January. The fresh funding values the startup at $5.4bn, up from $1.3bn just eight months ago, as investors pile into companies looking to turn generative AI into products businesses [...]
Burnham’s crackdown on ‘price-gouging’ splits supermarkets August 17, 2026 Tesco and Sainsbury’s have stood firm after the boss of Aldi hit out at loyalty discounts, as a “price-gouging” row threatens to divide British supermarkets. Giles Hurley, the chief executive of the discount grocer, has backed the government’s plans to clamp down on retailers which offer “misleading” discounts which do not offer real-terms value. Aldi [...]
Exclusive: Fulham launch £900 a head Michelin-guide recognised hospitality at Craven Cottage August 17, 2026 Premier League club Fulham FC will this week announce a Michelin Guide-recognised dining experience at their Craven Cottage home, City AM can reveal. Adam Byatt-directed Constance – based at Fulham Pier under head chef Charlie Crote – will launch “Constance on Matchdays”, beginning next Monday as Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham begin their Premier League season against [...]
JP Morgan boss issues bank tax warning to John Healey August 17, 2026 The boss of JP Morgan has issued a bank tax warning to John Healey as the Chancellor gears up to deliver his first Budget in October. Jamie Dimon, who has led Wall Street’s biggest bank since 2006, held a call with Healey on Thursday where the bank chief emphasised “getting public policy right” as crucial [...]
Ask the expert: Is this a hack for contributing £29,000 to an ISA? August 17, 2026 Fidelity personal financial specialist Marianna Hunt is back on hand to answer your burning questions, and today a reader wants to know if they’ve found a hack on UK ISA rules. Q. My grandson is turning 18 this year. I want to give him some money to invest in his ISA. Is it true that [...]
Activist investor accuses The Works chair of working from home – in New Zealand August 17, 2026 The activist investor locked in a boardroom battle with The Works has accused its chair of switching his residence to New Zealand and dialling in to crucial meetings. Kelso, a London-listed investment fund, is pushing to appoint a director of its choosing to the discount retailer’s board, but The Works has slapped down the move, saying it [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 drops as oil prices rise after Trump makes Hormuz threat August 17, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices have edged back up to more than $89 per barrel after the war of words between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz continued over the weekend. Donald Trump has threatened to seize the narrow waterway and make it a US territory, marking a [...]
US bond market jitters spark UK economy recession warning August 17, 2026 The UK economy could be plunged into a recession an “order of magnitude” greater than recent financial crises if America’s borrowing costs continue to climb over the rest of the year, a group of leading City analysts have warned. The US was forced to pay the highest interest rate on its long-dated bonds for a [...]