ECB raises eurozone interest rates as Iran war stokes inflation
Posted on Thursday June 11, 2026

European Central Bank increases main deposit rate to 2.25%, with two further rises expected by next spring

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The European Central Bank has raised interest rates for the first time since 2023 in response to higher inflation caused by the war in Iran.

The ECB raised its main deposit rate from 2% to 2.25% in a move that financial markets expect to be the first of three rises by next spring.

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SpaceX heads for record $1.78tn float amid fears it is overvalued
Posted on Thursday June 11, 2026

Analysts say IPO that could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire has a ‘major disconnect’ on price

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to launch the biggest stock market float in history amid warnings that it may be overvalued.

The space exploration, satellite broadband and AI company will join the US stock market on Friday at a valuation of $1.78tn, after offering at least $75bn of shares to investors through an initial public offering.

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BT boss takes home £5.6m as pay and bonus package more than doubles
Posted on Thursday June 11, 2026

Allison Kirkby pocketed the payment after BT’s share price surged nearly 80%

The chief executive of BT saw her pay and bonus package more than double last year to £5.6m, the biggest pay award to a boss of the telecoms company in more than a decade.

Allison Kirkby, who stepped up from the board to take the helm in February 2024, received a pay, bonus and share award package of £5.58m for the year to the end of March.

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ITV says its biggest-yet World Cup is a ‘six-week Super Bowl’ for advertising
Posted on Thursday June 11, 2026

Broadcaster reveals revenues from expanded tournament are running about 30% higher than for Euro 2024

The World Cup will be the most lucrative sports event ITV has ever aired, the broadcaster has said, with bosses calling the tournament a “six-week summer Super Bowl moment” for TV advertising.

The channel is airing 51 of the 104 matches across the men’s tournament, co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada, which is the biggest yet after an expansion from 32 to 48 teams.

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AI absolutism is breaking our brains. The apocalyptic future we’re being sold isn’t inevitable
Posted on Thursday June 11, 2026

Nor is the dreamy promise that this tech will unlock boundless potential and productivity

Everything we hear about artificial intelligence is conflicting, and hearing about it feels inescapable. AI is terrible. AI is wonderful. It will break the world. It will transform the future. It’s essential to embrace it. It’s a moral imperative to abstain from using it.

Already, AI is projected to generate nearly unfathomable amounts of revenue. In the last quarter of 2025, it represented nearly 60% of the growth in the US economy. Already, pundits and economists wring their hands about what calamity will befall us if and when the AI bubble bursts.

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Crackdown on tech platforms will go ahead despite US intervention, says No 10
Posted on Tuesday June 09, 2026

US embassy came out against UK’s proposed under-16 social media ban, which would affect American firms

White House displeasure over the prospect of an under-16 social media ban will not deter the UK from cracking down on tech platforms, the British government has said.

The technology secretary, Liz Kendall, told the Guardian she was not concerned “in the slightest” by the Trump administration’s intervention in the debate over restrictions, after the US embassy in London posted a notice warning against a ban.

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World Cup 2026: countdown to kick-off in Mexico, Somali referee to officiate Uefa Super Cup – live
Posted on Thursday June 11, 2026

⚽️ Infantino tells fans to ‘chill’ in response to Fifa’s critics
⚽️ Match centre | Player guide | Bracketology | Mail John

BTL chat is thus far dominated by Gianni Infantino’s ritual pre-tournament torching of his own dignity. SonOfThe Desert offers this:

“Infantino is just absolutely wretched, isn’t he? An absolute nothing of a man, sucking up to tyrants because he thinks it makes him look strong.

”But you know what’s really annoying me? All those heads of national associations who could have unified around a candidate - anyone - to oppose Infantino and try and rescue Fifa from humiliation. Couldn’t be bothered though, could they? Might’ve had to do some actual work that way.

New York has honored two footballing greats by temporarily renaming streets after Thierry Henry and Pelé ahead of the World Cup kickoff …

Crowds gathered at West 50th Street and 6th Avenue in downtown Manhattan to mark the unveiling of “Thierry Henry Way” by city officials, according to FOX Sports.

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Welcome to Trump’s World Cup, a depressingly angry version of football uniting the planet | Barney Ronay
Posted on Thursday June 11, 2026

Ted Lasso will deliver a message of hope before the USA’s first game, in an America that is not a fit or desirable host right now

Shortly before 6pm local time on Friday night at the Los Angeles Stadium, the actor who plays Ted Lasso – the fictional manager of a fake team in a falsely heartwarming version of football – will tell hundreds of millions of TV viewers tuning in to watch the start of the American leg of the Fifa World Cup that football unites the world.

In an interesting twist, the actor Jason Sudeikis will do this at a time when the World Cup host is simultaneously bombing the second-ranked country in Group G, having recently murdered its head of state. The message of unity is one likely to be heard by the US president, Donald Trump, who has initiated six military conflicts in his second term, and whose brutally divisive immigration policies have now led to the barring of Omar Artan, the reigning African referee of the year.

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