The Festival of Words: From Gyles Brandreth to Anthony Scaramucci – all you need to know about the Fleet Street Quarter festival
Badenoch: Starmer put UK in ‘weaker position’ through deals with China February 3, 2026 Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has said Keir Starmer’s trip to China put the UK in a “weaker position”, underlining the different approaches taken by the two main parties in dealing with the world’s second largest economy. Badenoch, who previously said she would not travel to China under the current circumstances, said Starmer had “been played” [...]
If Russia wins, one year on February 3, 2026 A year on from the publication of Carlo Masala’s If Russia Wins, it’s warning about the West’s complacency are more important than ever, says Rainer Zitelmann One year ago, Carlo Masala, the renowned German professor of security and defence policy, completed his book “Wenn Russland gewinnt” (“If Russia Wins”). Unfortunately, the book, which is meant [...]
Experience Dan Brown’s Prague: the real locations in The Secret of Secrets February 2, 2026 THE WEEKEND To say the Four Seasons Hotel Prague plays a major part in Dan Brown’s new book The Secret of Secrets is something of an understatement. Main character Robert Langdon – best known from Brown’s mega-seller The Da Vinci Code – wakes up there at the start of the novel and it’s a key [...]
CAB Payments rejects ‘highly opportunistic’ Helios takeover bid February 2, 2026 London fintech CAB Payments has pushed back against another takeover proposal from African-focused private investment giant Helios. The firm – which was behind the “worst IPO of the year” in 2023 – has said the increased takeover proposal from a consortium led by Helios Investment Partners was “highly opportunistic” and undervalued the company’s future. Helios [...]
GDP set to soften in 2026 as tax hikes bite February 2, 2026 The UK is set for another year of soggy growth, according to new forecasts from EY, with the government’s tax hikes and ongoing worries about a global trade war hamstringing momentum. The Big Four firm predicted that GDP would rise 0.9 per cent in 2026, slower than the 1.4 per cent recorded last year, as [...]
KiddeFenwal Launches New Line of Gas Ignition Controls for European and APAC Markets February 2, 2026 35-2X Series provides OEMs with increased reliability and customizable features, such as enhanced LED Diagnostics for troubleshooting, specifically for 230 VAC applications in HVAC, agriculture, pool heating, commercial cooking and more.
Saltus Selects SS&C to Streamline Operations February 2, 2026 SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSNC) today announced a long-term agreement with Saltus, a leading U.K. wealth management firm, to streamline its technology and operating model as the business continues to scale. Following a competitive tender process, Saltus selected SS&C Hubwise to deliver a single, integrated wealth management platform supporting its growing adviser and client [...]
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff tells rivals: ‘Get your s*** together’ February 2, 2026 Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has accused rival teams of looking for excuses before the season has even begun amid murmurings about the legality of their new engine. Ferrari, Honda and Audi are said to have raised objections about the power unit, which is set to be used not only by Mercedes but also McLaren, [...]
Bank of England’s Breeden warns on rivals overtaking UK on innovation February 2, 2026 The Bank of England’s lead for fintech policy and digital currency has laid out a sweeping vision for the UK’s next generation of payments infrastructure amid a rallying cry for the UK to not lag behind its peers. Sarah Breeden, a rate-setter at the central bank and the deputy governor for financial stability, said the [...]
Amazon and Alphabet’s AI spending faces billion-dollar litmus test February 2, 2026 Investors will get a clearer read this week on whether Big Tech’s vast AI spending is turning into real returns, as Alphabet and Amazon report earnings amid heightened market sensitivity to cloud growth, margins and costs. Both tech giants sit at the centre of the AI boom, but recent volatility in US tech stocks has [...]