New UK cost of living crisis looms with soaring energy bills forecast to lift inflation
Posted on Sunday August 16, 2026

Latest reading on Wednesday likely to frame scale of challenge for new PM to ease pressures on households amid Iran war fallout

British households are facing a renewed cost of living squeeze, with official figures expected to show this week that soaring energy bills drove up inflation in July to close to 3%.

As the Iran war continues to send shock waves through global energy markets, economists predict the surge in UK gas and electricity bills last month will push Britain’s headline inflation rate to 2.9%.

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UK’s biggest EV battery gigafactory shelves expansion as Jaguar Land Rover talks stall
Posted on Saturday August 15, 2026

Chinese-owned AESC has pushed back plans in sign of slowing transition from petrol and diesel to electric cars

• Andy Burnham moves to cut new EV sales targets

The UK’s biggest gigafactory has shelved plans to expand production in Sunderland because of stalled talks on a deal to supply electric car batteries to Jaguar Land Rover.

Chinese-owned AESC produces batteries for Nissan at its gigafactory next door to the Japanese carmaker’s Sunderland plant. However, AESC has had to push back its ramp-up plans because of lower-than-expected demand from Nissan and the lack of a deal with JLR, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

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‘Strategic change and grasping nettles’: where now for John Lewis as boss exits?
Posted on Saturday August 15, 2026

Peter Ruis appeared ‘to be doing a good job in difficult circumstances’ at department store chain, says analyst

“Going up?” After a tough week for department stores it feels as if that sales aspiration is as dated as the singsong phrase in the opening credits of Are You Being Served? Simpsons of Piccadilly, which inspired the fictional Grace Brothers department store in which the 1970s TV sitcom was set, is long gone, and several of its modern equivalents are now fighting oblivion.

The boss of John Lewis, Peter Ruis, clearly decided it was time to exit the elevator this week, announcing his abrupt departure from the UK’s biggest department store chain in a surprise statement. Days later, Harvey Nichols, the luxury Knightsbridge store that was once a byword for 1990s chic, was bought out of administration for a knock-down price by the owner of Sports Direct, Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.

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Heathrow airport roads reopen after flooding from burst water main
Posted on Saturday August 15, 2026

Heathrow says airport operating as normal after passengers told not to travel by road and use rail and tube instead

Disruptions caused by flooding from a burst water main on a ring road at Heathrow airport restricted access to Terminals 2 and 3 on Saturday morning. The leak has been contained and the affected areas are operating as normal.

Water in the central terminal area prevented anyone trying to travel by road to or from Terminals 2 and 3. Passengers had to travel by rail and tube instead. Access to the carparks was also impeded, leaving people with parked cars unable to access them.

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Unemployed young people to join AI boot camps to get job-ready
Posted on Thursday August 13, 2026

Pilot scheme will provide three weeks of training as part of UK government’s latest attempt to address Neets crisis

Young people out of work or at risk of unemployment in the UK are to join “AI boot camps” where they harness the technology to get a foothold in the workplace.

The government’s latest attempt to address the crisis in Neets – young people not in work or education – involves turning to a technology that many view as a potential threat to employment.

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Flock Safety tries to curb police abuse of its surveillance cameras after scandals
Posted on Thursday August 13, 2026

CEO announces steps after reports that system is used to target immigrants or people seeking out-of-state abortions

For nearly a decade, the company Flock Safety has gradually built out a network of cameras across the US that allows law enforcement officials to conduct about 20bn license plate scans every month.

In that time, the company had largely left the decision to turn on safety measures up to its customers. Many of those organizations did not turn them on.

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Community Shield buildup, Championship and club friendly updates – matchday live
Posted on Sunday August 16, 2026

⚽ News and buildup to the first Sunday of the EFL season
⚽ Jonathan Wilson’s Community Shield preview | Mail us

“The Community Shield is a first opportunity to make some kind of assessment of whether Arsenal’s hunger is as sharp as it was last season, and of how City’s squad are adapting to their new manager. It is, though, a largely ceremonial occasion, any lessons drawn to be taken with extreme caution…”

Today’s fixtures

Arsenal v Manchester City

Watford v Southampton

Burnley v West Ham

Racing Santander v Villarreal

Espanyol v Levante

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Amy Hunt claims third European Championships gold in relay triumph for ‘fantastic four’
Posted on Saturday August 15, 2026

• Men’s and women’s 4x100 teams complete wins in style

• Hunt will aim for fourth gold in mixed relay on Sunday

No sooner had Amy Hunt won a staggering third European gold medal in five days than she pointed at the superwomen guiding her closer to history. “We’re the fantastic four,” she said.

It was hard to argue with that, especially after watching Britain’s 4x100m women power to glory in 42.05secs, more than 10 metres clear of Switzerland and Poland.

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