Back to Starbucks: How Starbucks coffee shops are revitalising community-first third places July 23, 2025 In bustling cities and quiet neighbourhoods alike, Starbucks familiar green siren often signals more than just a caffeine stop. It represents that essential ‘third place’ – a reliable comfort zone bridging the gap between home and work, a space for quiet focus, friendly catchups, or simply a moment’s pause. But in a world where connection [...]
Three Lions fans snap up 2026 World Cup packages… in three days July 23, 2025 Hospitality tickets to watch England at next summer’s World Cup sold out within three days of being put on sale last week, with fans eager to secure the right to follow Thomas Tuchel’s side in the US, Canada and Mexico at the first opportunity. Fifa released hospitality packages last Monday for the group and first [...]
Environment secretary: Labour’s water revolution will give investors certainty July 22, 2025 Abolishing Ofwat and streamlining water regulation will give the sector the clarity and accountability it needs to attract private investment, says environment secretary Steve Reed Today is the start of a water revolution. When I came into office a year ago, it was immediately clear our water system needed a complete reset. There were high [...]
FCA urges UK insurers to improve motor insurance claim handling July 22, 2025 UK insurers have been urged to improve their claim handling skills after the UK’s financial watchdog found “concerning evidence” of poor practice in the motor insurance market. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said hikes in motor insurance premiums were down to how claims are handled by insurers, adding that “insufficient management information” was resulting in [...]
Sizewell C gets £38bn sign-off with support of Centrica and France July 22, 2025 Energy secretary Ed Miliband has signed off on a £38bn deal to build Sizewell C, with Canadian investment fund La Caisse, British Gas owner Centrica and French state companies lining up to back the nuclear power station. In a final decision signed off by Miliband, the government has agreed to be the largest equity shareholder [...]
Rachel Reeves oversees higher government borrowing than expected July 22, 2025 Government borrowing has overshot predictions, putting Rachel Reeves under more pressure to take control of public finances. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector borrowing hit £20.7bn in June, higher than market expectations which pencilled in just over £17bn in borrowing. Borrowing in June this year was some £6bn more than at the [...]
Labour’s war on business is a gift to Nigel Farage July 22, 2025 Labour’s paralysis is driving business away from Britain and paving a path to power for Nigel Farage and Reform, says Alexander Temerko The government of Keir Starmer has internalised a culture of hesitation so completely that inaction is no longer perceived as a flaw, but as a mode of governance. Over the past year, a [...]
Meet the Populous teams with designs on City AM Triathlon Team Challenge July 21, 2025 They’re the brains behind the backdrops to some of sport’s greatest moments and now the staff of leading stadium architects Populous are plotting their own athletic glory in the City AM Triathlon Team Challenge at the London T100. Two teams from the world-renowned practice behind Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Emirates – one from [...]
What a science tour of Wales taught me about time, the earth – and my nan July 21, 2025 The history of time, and a touching family connection, brought Damien Gabet closer than ever to rural Wales During the war my grandmother, Gwyneth, would walk from her parents’ farm in the South Swansea Valley to a neo-gothic mansion called Craig-y-Nos. Once home to the fabled opera singer Adelina Patti, it had since become a [...]
Planning permissions for home improvements falls to lowest level in a decade July 21, 2025 Planning permissions for home renovations has plummeted as the low consumer confidence permeates the construction industry. Consents for developments in England totalled 151,177 in the 12 months to March, 27 per cent below the 10-year average, according to data from Savills. This is despite a 24 per cent uplift in housing transactions as buyers rushed [...]