Inside Hackney’s bizarre planning decision on Shoreditch Works February 6, 2026 In the wake of ‘unprecedented’ scenes at Hackney Council’s planning committee, Nicholas Boys Smith asks ‘what next’ for London’s best new development On 4th February one of the country’s best and most popular urban regeneration schemes came into kinetic contact with the Alice Though the Looking-Glass world of Hackney’s planning department and passed into a [...]
Arcadia at the Old Vic is a brilliant farewell to Tom Stoppard February 5, 2026 Arcadia | Old Vic | ★★★★☆ Arcadia is a dizzying piece of work, as broad as the universe and as self-contained as a jigsaw puzzle. Through it Tom Stoppard addresses some of humanity’s great questions: do we have free will? Is poetry more important than science? Is there anyone Lord Byron didn’t shag? It opens [...]
Forget medal targets, Winter Olympics success will be decided on sofas not ski slopes February 5, 2026 Sports fans have a feast of action, from the Winter Olympics to the Six Nations and the T20 World Cup, to gorge on over the coming days, writes Ed Warner. Have you planned your viewing schedule for the next few days? Pushed the football to the margins of your calendar for once? Six Nations opener [...]
Openclaw just showed how fast your workforce can outrun your controls February 5, 2026 Openclaw, a rapidly adopted open-source and autonomous personal AI assistant, is significantly increasing “Shadow AI” risk within organisations by operating locally, coordinating tasks across systems, and even creating a social network for agents, says Paul Armstrong Editing this piece took longer than expected because the subject wouldn’t stay still long enough to cooperate. Clawdbot became [...]
Inside South Africa’s two most exceptionally fabulous hotels February 4, 2026 Cape Town and the surrounding winelands are a clever choice for a start of year escape. Whilst London languishes in grey drizzle, South Africa glows in late summer sunshine. While there are plenty of great restaurants and wineries to visit across the country, an alternative option is to bunker down in the best hotels: here [...]
Ras Al Khaimah Ruler Awards Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials Science at IWAM 2026 February 4, 2026 Prize underscores Emirate’s global commitment to science, innovation and advanced materials research
UK Retailers Eye Online Growth as AI Transforms Shopping and Delivery February 4, 2026 80% of UK retailers expect online sales growth in 2026 as AI enhances end-to-end customer experiences
The Debate: Should student loan debt be forgiven? February 4, 2026 Student loans are under the spotlight, with those who took out plans between 2012 and 2023 feeling the bite. Should student debt (or some of it) be forgiven?
The economics of superstars: Is Taylor Swift in her AI era? February 4, 2026 Claims that AI will make it harder for working class talent to succeed in the creative industries miss the point – the arts are inherently unequal, and not because of technology, says Paul Ormerod The cultural and creative industries have been very much in the news over the past week A report fronted by the [...]
The only thing that’s growing in Britain is the civil service February 4, 2026 The salary bill for the civil service rose to £21bn last year, up more than seven per cent in a year when economic growth was anaemic at best. The private sector is funding a pay bonanza while businesses are ground down with higher taxes and more regulation, says John O’Connell While Britain’s businesses struggle with [...]