Iranian drone attack sees ATP tennis players flee court March 3, 2026 An Iranian drone attack forced players and officials on a tennis court at an ATP Challenger event in the UAE to flee for cover on Tuesday. Two matches at the tournament, taking place in Fujairah were interrupted after a fire broke out at an oil terminal around 10km from the ATP Challenge event site. Japan’s [...]
Construction recovery remains fragile amid high costs March 3, 2026 The construction sector is recovering but its growth remains fragile as developers contend with high wages, planning delays and labour shortages. The industry will grow over the next year due to major infrastructure projects but confidence in the housebuilding and commercial sectors remains shaken, according to a report by construction firm McBains shared exclusively with [...]
Spring Statement: Reeves defends Labour’s agenda as growth forecast slashed March 3, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended Labour’s high tax and expenditure policies as new economic forecasts provided a bleaker outlook on growth and unemployment this year. In a statement to the House of Commons, Reeves said updated forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) showed her decisions as Chancellor were “starting to pay off”. Her [...]
Greggs ‘working hard’ to stop investors betting against Britain’s most-shorted stock March 3, 2026 Battling to convince investors to stop shorting her bakery chain, Greggs boss Roisin Currie insisted “evolution” away from the steak bake purveyor’s key offering is the path to ever higher growth. But it is this rampant expansion which has spooked enough investors to bet against Greggs, making it the most shorted company in the UK, [...]
Blackstone’s private credit fund hands investors record redemptions March 3, 2026 The world’s largest alternative asset manager is allowing investors to pull a record amount of cash from its flagship private credit fund as anxiety continues to ripple through the trillion-dollar industry. Blackstone will permit investors to redeem 7.9 per cent of shares from the fund – the equivalent to a whopping $3.8bn. The financial giant [...]
Thousands of Tesco staff to pocket £134m windfall March 3, 2026 Thousands of staff at retail giant Tesco could pocket proceeds from a £134m windfall as part of its employee investor scheme. The supermarket group said more than 22,000 of its staff are eligible for significant payouts from the pot, which is part of its save-as-you-earn investor scheme. The pay boost for frontline workers follows Tesco’s [...]
Spotify says UK music industry ‘in really strong position’ March 3, 2026 A year ago, the UK music industry was in a bout of slipping global chart shares and fewer breakthrough stars. Yet following this weekend’s Brit Awards, Spotify claims that export growth and rising royalty payments are pointing to an industry revival. In 2025, the streaming giant paid out £860m to UK artists and their rights [...]
Fresnillo shares slide as shining profit fails to offset fears in production March 3, 2026 Mining company Fresnillo saw its share price sink in morning trading, as lowered guidance took the shine off soaring profits. The group’s share price fell 5.1 per cent to 3,910 pence, bringing its staggering 419.3 per cent year-long rally to a halt, as investors became wary of a drop in production. The Mexico-based group reported [...]
UK lithium miner taps up wealthy backers March 3, 2026 A UK-based lithium miner targeting production in the North East is planning to raise £3m from rich backers and retail investors, ahead of an anticipated £30m fundraise later this year. Northern Lithium, which is looking to extract lithium from the Ludwell Farm site in County Durham, said the funding would come from existing shareholders and [...]
Accountancy firms lag behind legal firms in gender equality at top level March 3, 2026 The UK accountancy sector is lagging in diversifying its leadership, with only half of firms having at least one woman at the board or partnership level. According to data exclusively shared with City AM by Lubbock Fine, UK accountancy firms are lagging behind legal firms in the proportion of women at the senior level. The [...]