UK employment market shows ‘rays of light’ for jobseekers with upturn in pay, study shows - business live
Posted on Monday August 10, 2026

Robert Walters boss says legal, technology and accounting recruitment is picking up, as data shows temporary vacancies rise for first time in two years

The Co-op’s chair Debbie White has stepped down, just a few months after its chief executive left abruptly.

Shirine Khoury-Haq quit in March after a difficult year that included a cyber-attack and recent claims of a “toxic” culture at the business. The cyber attack hit sales and led to a worsening financial position.

My decision has been made easier knowing that our Co-op is back in a position of stability and opportunity. Under the leadership of interim CEO Kate Allum, supported by a highly capable leadership team, board and council, the organisation is well placed to continue building momentum and delivering for its members and customers.

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Harvey Nichols warns it could collapse without rescue deal, as bidders circle
Posted on Monday August 10, 2026

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group is frontrunner to buy Knightsbridge-headquartered department store chain

• Can Harvey Nichols find its way back to being Ab Fab again?

• Business live – latest updates

Harvey Nichols has warned that it will not be able to survive another year without new investment, as bidders for the Knightsbridge-headquartered department store chain circle.

The retailer’s Hong Kong-based owner, Dickson Poon, put it up for sale in June, with Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group aiming to buy it for about £40m.

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Thames Water faces row over £1m payment to finance chief
Posted on Monday August 10, 2026

Campaign group says firm is ‘taking the mickey’ by paying fee and Andy Burnham should nationalise it

• Business live – latest updates

Thames Water has paid its chief financial officer, Steve Buck, a £1m signing fee despite intense scrutiny of Britain’s biggest water company’s finances as it tries to avoid being taken into public control.

The utility revealed that it made the payment last month, in a letter sent last week by Adrian Montague, its chair, to MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, Sky News first reported.

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London mayor orders council to drop plan to ban new pubs and bars in Soho and West End
Posted on Sunday August 09, 2026

Exclusive: Sadiq Khan urges Westminster council to adopt ‘positive vision of economic growth’ of nightlife

Sadiq Khan has ordered Westminster council to scrap a policy that would ban new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End of London.

This comes after the Guardian revealed the council’s new licensing policy asks pubs to stop customers from standing up while consuming beverages, which it calls “vertical drinking”. The policy is under consultation and also asks pubs to have table service rather than allowing orders at the bar.

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UK manufacturers face rising hacking risk as survey shows 30% were hit last year
Posted on Monday August 10, 2026

Big companies describe being under constant threat but only half have a plan in place to respond to an attack

Nearly a third of British manufacturers have been hit by a cyber-attack on them or a company in their supply chain, according to a survey that highlighted the growing hacking risk to companies.

The findings come almost a year after Britain’s largest automotive employer, JLR, was hit by an attack that forced it to halt production for weeks.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: your passport to a folding phone future
Posted on Monday August 10, 2026

Novel squat Android opens to an iPad-like screen for video or multitasking, with plenty of power and battery life

Samsung’s latest folding phone breaks the mould with a squat, passport-like shape reminiscent of the Blackberry, which opens up to become a tablet similar to an iPad mini. It is certainly a better shape for a tablet than other designs, but is a short and wide phone when closed a compromise too far?

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is an entirely new variant in Samsung’s foldable family for this year launched alongside the Z Fold 8 Ultra with a more familiar candy bar shape. Both folders are extremely expensive, with the Fold 8 starting at £1,699 (€1,999/$1,899.99/A$2,699) and the Fold 8 Ultra at £1,899 (€2,199/$2,099.99/A$2,999), with RAMageddon driving up prices even at the top of the market.

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Uefa, Concacaf and AFC push for Infantino to quit and discuss rival competitions
Posted on Monday August 10, 2026

• Confederations write open letter damning Fifa president

• Concacaf president Montagliani seen as top contender

Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf will push for Gianni Infantino to resign after writing an open letter calling for “leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it”.

In a dramatic escalation of the war that has threatened to tear football apart since details emerged of the Fifa president’s failed Football Forward Enterprise scheme, the three governing bodies accused Infantino of “trust broken through deception” and condemned his failure to acknowledge that the proposal should not have been unilaterally launched.

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Hodgkinson’s 800m showdown headlines mouthwatering European Championships
Posted on Monday August 10, 2026

There will be a host of world-class athletes in Birmingham this week but the 800m should shine like a supernova

They say betting is a mug’s game. But here are two predictions to take to the bank. The European Athletics Championships this week in Birmingham, with the BBC shoving its considerable heft behind it, will be far bigger than people expect. And the women’s 800m final on Friday night, featuring three of the best female stars in any sport, should shine as brightly as a supernova.

The list of great athletes who will grace the Alexander Stadium in the coming days is long and lustrous. Mondo Duplantis, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Yaroslava Mahuchikh are all Olympic and world champions and world record holders. Amy Hunt, Matt Hudson-Smith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson should also do Britain proud. But no event is more anticipated than the women’s 800m.

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