World Cup quarter-final expected to generate £500m sales boost for UK economy
Posted on Saturday July 11, 2026

As England prepare to take on Norway on Saturday, sales of pints, takeaways and new TVs continue to surge

From a cosy Norwegian pub to outdoor fan zones packed with hopeful England football fans, Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final between the two nations is expected to generate a multimillion-pound windfall for venues showing the game.

The quarter-finals will collectively generate a near half-billion pound sales increase for the wider UK economy, as fans drink 9.3m pints, order takeaways and splash out on new TVs, according to one estimate.

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‘Like a sauna’: London tube travellers swelter in temperatures higher than legal limit for cattle
Posted on Saturday July 11, 2026

The tube cannot easily be adapted to cope with heatwaves, making conditions almost unbearable

As the escalator descends below ground at King’s Cross St Pancras station in London, the shift from what was already a hot station entrance to the furnace-like subterranean depths is perceptible.

On the tube it’s worse: a man leans back in his seat, eyes closed, sweltering; people hold electric fans an inch away from their faces. London commuters are known for their stoicism and the heat appears to be another tribulation to accept. They will need to: heatwaves in the capital are becoming routine.

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Datacentres drive up big tech’s carbon emissions to a third of those of France
Posted on Saturday July 11, 2026

Microsoft, Amazon and Google say they still aim to achieve net zero output despite construction boom

Microsoft, Amazon and Google’s collective carbon emissions have increased by nearly a fifth in the past year, driven largely by datacentre construction.

In the financial year ending March 2026, the three tech companies emitted 119m mTCO₂e (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), or about a third of those of France.

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‘End of an era’: what is the future of British TV after Sky’s ITV takeover?
Posted on Saturday July 11, 2026

Merger stokes fears over job cuts, US influence and possible BBC and Channel 4 tie-up to take on Netflix and YouTube

Only five years ago a bullish ITV was riding high, trumpeting the biggest annual advertising haul in its history, as the broadcaster pledged to become a national champion in the battle against the US streamers.

Now its chief executive, Carolyn McCall, has raised the white flag, arguing that a cut-price sale of its TV and streaming business to Sky is the only route to survival as deep-pocketed companies such as Netflix and YouTube hoover up audiences and commercial revenues.

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Alarm over launch of facial recognition in UK shops that instantly alerts police
Posted on Friday July 10, 2026

Civil liberties groups say Facewatch system in stores such as Sainsbury’s and B&M is ‘dangerous escalation’

Facial recognition technology in shops will soon alert police in real time to the presence of serious offenders, with civil liberties groups warning of a “dangerous escalation” towards surveillance and criminalisation in the retail sector.

Facewatch, a facial recognition system used by more than 100 businesses including Sainsbury’s, B&M and Spar to monitor thieves, said it was launching a UK-first feature to “alert police instantly when the most serious offenders trigger a live facial recognition match”.

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Apple sues OpenAI, alleging artificial intelligence company stole trade secrets
Posted on Friday July 10, 2026

Suit claims OpenAI poached Apple workers, coaxing them to share confidential material in bid to create hardware

Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday alleging the artificial intelligence firm stole company trade secrets in a move to create its own hardware device.

The suit claims OpenAI poached Apple employees, coaxing them to hand over confidential material, product designs and other tightly held information.

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Karolina Muchova v Linda Noskova: Wimbledon 2026 women’s singles final – live
Posted on Saturday July 11, 2026

Women’s singles final updates, start from 4pm BST
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And the Press Association’s report on the doubles double for Patten and Heliovaara:

Britain’s Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) victory over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in Saturday’s final.

Top seeded Patten and Heliovaara have now won three Grand Slam doubles titles together, having previously triumphed at Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open last year.

It feels somehow fitting that at the end of one of the most open women’s singles events in history, two Czech players should find themselves fighting it out for the biggest title in the game. Saturday’s clash between Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova is the first all-Czech Wimbledon final, but it is also the latest example of a long line of Czech players who have found grass the surface on which to show their best.

Martina Navratilova, perhaps the greatest female player of all time, started the ball rolling when she won the first of her record nine Wimbledon titles in 1978 (she was officially a US citizen by the time she played Hana Mandlikova in the 1986 final).

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World Cup 2026: Norway v England buildup; Fifa to sell bits of MetLife pitch; Kane’s round of golf with Trump – live
Posted on Saturday July 11, 2026

⚽ All the latest updates as the quarter-finals continue
⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email us

The brilliant Cold War Steve is back with the latest of his special World Cup 2026-themed collages. Look closely!

More from Thomas Tuchel. Seize the day is his message.

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