Australian Open’s One Point Slam shows that merit still makes the best stories January 20, 2026 The Australian Open officially got under way this week, but the most talked-about moment of the year’s opening tennis slam may already be behind us. Before a ball had been struck in the main draw, a little-known tennis coach from Sydney, Jordan Smith, walked away with A$1m after winning the One Point Slam — a [...]
Urban Pubs & Bars launches acquisition spree after strong Christmas sales January 16, 2026 Urban Pubs & Bars has embarked on an aggressive acquisition spree as the London-based hospitality group toasted strong demand over the Christmas season. This week the company announced it had acquired The Birdcage in East London from Brewdog, marking its sixth acquisition of 2026. The deal follows the recent completion of five premium hospitality venues [...]
BlueMatrix and Perplexity Partner to Bring AI-Powered Discovery to Institutional Research January 16, 2026 Partnership enables AI-assisted research while preserving BlueMatrix’s governance-first approach to integrating AI into regulated research environments.
Amedeo Announces the Successful Conclusion and Capital Redemption of its LSE Listed Fund, “DNA3” January 16, 2026 Amedeo Limited (“Amedeo”) is pleased to announce the issuance of a compulsory redemption of shares and return of capital to the investors in DNA3 (the “Fund”), following Amedeo’s successful sale of four (4) Airbus A380-861 aircraft to Emirates during the third and fourth quarters of 2025. This milestone represents the culmination of a 12-year investment [...]
Paranormal Activity brings thrills and scares to London stage January 15, 2026 Paranormal Activity | ★★★★☆ | Ambassador’s Theatre Given the endless churn of lacklustre sequels, it’s easy to forget just how scary the original Paranormal Activity was. A found footage successor to The Blair Witch Project, it brought the same flavour of supernatural horror into a chillingly recognisable domestic setting that could be your own home. [...]
Nick Ephgrave announces surprise retirement from Serious Fraud Office January 15, 2026 Nick Ephgrave will step down as director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) two and a half years before his first term was due to finish. The former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police was appointed as the SFO’s director, taking over from Lisa Osofsky, who oversaw several errors during her tenure. Ephgrave was the [...]
Prudential names HSBC veteran Douglas Flint as new chair January 14, 2026 Prudential has tapped the former chairman of banking juggernaut HSBC Douglas Flint as its new chair. The London-listed financial services giant said on Tuesday Flint would succeed retiring Shriti Vadera, who has been in the post since January 2021. Flint served as HSBC’s chair from 2010 to 2017, following a stint as group finance director [...]
Central banks throw weight behind Fed after Trump assault January 13, 2026 Some of the world’s most prominent central banks have issued a full-throated support of the Federal Reserve and its chair Jay Powell, after Donald Trump’s campaign against its independence escalated with a Department of Justice legal action. In an unusual joint intervention, 11 central banking chiefs declared they stood in “full solidarity” with the Fed’s [...]
Mark my words: Starmer is set to approve China’s ‘super embassy’ January 12, 2026 Keir Starmer is set to travel to China and has appealed for business leaders to accompany him. You don’t do that if you’re anticipating holding a foreign government to account, says Eliot Wilson At the end of this month, Sir Keir Starmer is due to travel to China for the first visit by a British [...]
Government urged to quit X following ‘appalling’ Grok scandal January 8, 2026 Keir Starmer has been urged to pull his government off Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, after a former cabinet minister dubbed the platform ‘unconscionable’. Labour MP Louise Haigh, former transport secretary, has warned that her party and the government should entirely quit the site. This pressure comes in the wake of this week’s reports [...]