On this day in 1968: Moscow crushes the Prague Spring August 20, 2025 On this day in 1968, Alexander Dubček's experiments in "socialism with a human face" with the Prague Spring were met by the force of Moscow.
How the banking net zero fantasy ran out of gas August 20, 2025 Over the past year, the world’s biggest banks‘ net zero enthusiasm has quickly and quietly dried up. Top lenders have backtracked, diluted or outright abandoned their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. The return of President Donald Trump has been highlighted as a turning point for green finance with firms across the financial industry turning sour [...]
Monzo to follow Revolut and Klarna with launch of mobile service August 19, 2025 Monzo has become the latest fintech darling to expand its lifestyle reach with the firm exploring the development of mobile phone services. The London-based firm is looking to offer a Monzo-branded service to its over 12 million in account holders. The service would follow rival Revolut issuing plans in April to enter the mobile market [...]
Surging food inflation hits restaurant sales August 19, 2025 Food inflation is accelerating once again, eating into consumers’ pockets and pushing prices higher across the board. Inflation at the grocers hit five per cent in the four weeks ended August 10, down from 5.2 per cent in the previous month but well above the wider UK rate of 3.6 per cent. Real wage growth, [...]
Bank of England may face lower inflation despite ‘Oasis bump’ August 18, 2025 Bank of England forecasts on inflation for July could be too high despite suggestions Oasis concerts could make prices jump, forecasters have said. The Bank’s last Monetary Policy Report took a gloomy view on the state of the UK economy as it claimed inflation would hit 3.8 per cent in the month of July. But [...]
Lunchtime Tourism: Is there a better City green space than the Garden at 120? August 18, 2025 To get you in the mood for out Toast the City Awards celebrating everything that makes the Square Mile great, we asked a professional tour guide to recommend his favourite City spots. “The first weeks of August,” said American writer Natalie Babbitt, “hang at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, [...]
Crunch summit: Starmer, Zelensky and European leaders to meet Trump in DC August 18, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer will join European leaders in presenting a united front with Volodymyr Zelensky at his crunch meeting at the White House with Donald Trump. The Prime Minister and six other political leaders will travel to Washington DC on Monday, with the aim of protecting Ukraine from having to submit to Russian land grabs [...]
Sorry Nigel, appointing business leaders to government never actually works August 18, 2025 Taking successful people from the business world and putting them in government sounds like a good idea, but history proves otherwise.
Starmer speaks with Trump after president’s Ukraine ceasefire talks with Putin August 16, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with Donald Trump after the US president’s summit with Vladimir Putin ended without a deal to stop the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister joined a call with Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as other European leaders, after the US-Russia ceasefire talks, Downing Street said. Trump did not [...]
Trump teases second Ukraine summit hours before Putin meeting August 15, 2025 European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer could attend a second meeting with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky which could bring the war in Ukraine to an end, the US president has said. On the eve of the summit, Mr Trump said leaders from Europe, which could include members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” that [...]