South Africa sport minister on Olympics bid, Formula 1, Springboks and LIV Golf August 17, 2026 When you think of sport in South Africa images from the 1995 Rugby World Cup come to mind alongside the sound of vuvuzelas en masse in 2010 and Chad le Clos (and his father, Bert) at the London 2012 Olympic Games. But there remains a feeling that the Rainbow Nation, and the wider African continent [...]
Skilled tech visa applications fall again despite AI talent push August 17, 2026 The number of overseas tech workers applying for UK visas has fallen for a third consecutive year, despite ministers promising to make Britain a magnet for global AI talent. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by consulting firm RSM UK found that applications from skilled tech workers dropped seven per cent to 34,936 in 2025, [...]
Monzo chair makes early exit after boardroom rift August 17, 2026 The chair of Monzo will make an early exit from the UK fintech next month following a period of a turmoil in the neobank’s boardroom. Garry Hoffman will step down from his role as soon as next month, ending his tenure over a year earlier than his nine-year term permits. He will be replaced by [...]
Jenrick: Welfare cuts worth £50bn allows us to ‘sustainably pay’ triple lock pension August 17, 2026 Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick has said a £50bn welfare cut plan allows the state to “sustainably pay” for the triple lock pension. In a press conference on Monday, Jenrick said plans to strip welfare from around 3m people, including foreign nationals, would be the biggest overhaul of the benefits system in a generation. Jenrick said [...]
‘We have been ignored for most of our life,’ says FTSE 100’s newest bank August 17, 2026 Lion Finance thought of itself as the London Stock Exchange’s wallflower. But after its promotion the the market’s blue-chip index earlier this year, the bank is finally getting noticed. Shares in the group formerly known as Bank of Georgia have enjoyed a quiet ascent since the beginning of 2022. In that four-year window the stock [...]
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 [...]