FTSE 100 Beazley profit plunges as war roils insurance market August 5, 2026 FTSE 100 insurer Beazley said war and rising global risks were hitting the insurance market as it revealed that its profit more than halved in the first half of 2026. The insurer reported a pre-tax profit of $237.7m (£176.6m) for the first half of 2026, a 53 per cent fall from the $502.5m reported in [...]
‘Grinding it out’: Ibstock swings to loss and cuts dividend amid building slump August 5, 2026 One of the UK’s biggest brickmakers has bemoaned a ‘challenging’ housebuilding market as it slashed its dividend and swung to a loss. Leicestershire-based Ibstock, which is London’s second most shorted stock with a reported short interest of 12.9 per cent, posted a loss of £27m for the first six months of the year, down from [...]
Heineken-owned pubs group faces probe over eviction threat August 5, 2026 One of the UK’s biggest pub chains is facing a potential probe by the UK’s pubs watchdog after it threatened to evict one of its London tenants. Star Pubs, which operates more than 2,000 sites across Britain and is owned by Dutch brewing titan Heineken, has been told it will be referred to the Pubs [...]
Where are Andy Burnham’s economic advisers? August 5, 2026 Andy Burnham’s allies boasted that highly-regarded economists had been lured as advisers. Mauricio Alencar and Ali Lyon report on the non-appointments of some of Britain’s best economists – and what the Prime Minister and Chancellor’s new teams look like. In the end, all it took was a few rumours. In the weeks leading up to [...]
Gary Lineker forks out £10k to save England World Cup dream August 5, 2026 Gary Lineker and a group of private backers have come to the rescue of the England men’s amputee team while the Football Association refuses to fund them. The governing body stopped its financial support in 2006 and, despite now backing seven para teams, still excludes the amputee side. The England team, Nations League winners in [...]
Dante Mayfair at Claridge’s review: How about a five-martini dinner? August 5, 2026 How many martinis is too many? Adam Bloodworth works that out over dinner at the new Claridge’s restaurant, Dante Mayfair An obvious question comes to mind when thinking about the new restaurant at Claridge’s: Why? Why has a quintessentially British hotel invited a restaurant from New York to open a permanent venue on their premises? [...]
IGI Reports Second Quarter and First Six Months of 2026 Unaudited Financial Results and Declares Ordinary Common Share Dividend August 4, 2026 International General Insurance Holdings Ltd. (“IGI” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: IGIC) today reported financial results for the second quarter and first six months of 2026. Highlights for the second quarter and first six months of 2026 include: (in millions of U.S. Dollars, except percentages and per share information) Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months [...]
Humble Grape is a wine bar like no other: Here’s its origin story August 4, 2026 Is a bar only as good as its origin story? The calibre of the drinks and service are of, of course, of vital importance but it’s the mythos of a place that gives it that je nais se quoi. Humble Grape, one of our Toast the City Awards 2026 Finalists, has one of the best [...]
Tour de France Femmes: World famous cycling race plunged into bra row August 4, 2026 For penis injections at the Winter Olympics, read bra padding at the Tour de France Femmes, where officials are making extra checks on riders to ensure they are not cheating by inflating the size of their chests. The move comes after unnamed teams raised suspicions that some cyclists were using padding on their chests – [...]
Luton Airport expansion set for take-off after environmental challenge dismissed August 4, 2026 London Luton Airport’s growth plan has received judicial approval after a campaign group’s legal challenge was rejected by the UK’s top court. The Supreme Court has given the plans the green light after dismissing a challenge from Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (LADACAN), which had argued the decision was unlawful [...]