Business

Survivors of alleged sexual abuse by former owner of Harrods want enablers to face justice
Posted on Saturday April 18, 2026

Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors group claim there are ‘dozens of individuals who must be held to account’

A group of 50 survivors of alleged sexual abuse by Harrods’ former owner Mohamed Al Fayed are calling for “meaningful consequences” for those who they claim facilitated and ignored the abuse.

“If they think the money is the important factor they are so far off the mark,” said Jen Mills, a member of the Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors group. They claim there are “dozens of individuals who must be held to account”, from a range of eras.

Traders placed over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war. What is going on?
Posted on Saturday April 18, 2026

Suspicious wagers on the US-Israel war in Iran are creating huge windfalls and raising concerns among lawmakers

Sixteen bets made $100,000 each accurately predicting the timing of the US airstrikes against Iran on 27 February. Later, a single user would make over $550,000 after betting that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would topple, just moments before his assassination by Israeli forces. On 7 April, right before Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire with Iran, traders bet $950m that oil prices would come down. They did.

These bets and other well-timed wagers accurately predicted the precise timing of major developments in the US-Israel war with Iran, creating huge windfalls and raising concerns among lawmakers and experts over potential insider trading.

As Franco Manca scales back, is the air going out of the sourdough pizza craze?
Posted on Saturday April 18, 2026

The restaurant is to cut more than a fifth of its outlets amid an onslaught from supermarkets and rival chains

When Franco Manca first opened in south London’s Brixton Market in 2008, its competitively priced sourdough pizzas served in a sophisticated setting quickly drew a buzz.

“It was all the rage,” says food blogger Gerry del Guercio of BiteTwice, who visited in the early days and recalls the novelty of seeing queues forming for pizza in London. “It was just desperately cool, and everyone wanted to try.”

How a fiery attack on Sam Altman’s home unfolded
Posted on Saturday April 18, 2026

Molotov cocktail attack on OpenAI CEO’s home comes amid growing discontent against artificial intelligence

In the early hours of 10 April, a man approached the gate of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s house in San Francisco and hurled a molotov cocktail at the building before fleeing. The suspect, 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama, was arrested less than two hours later while allegedly attempting to break into the headquarters of OpenAI with a jug of kerosene, a lighter and an anti-AI manifesto.

Federal and California state authorities have charged Moreno-Gama with a range of crimes including attempted arson and attempted murder. His parents issued a statement this week saying that their son had recently suffered a mental health crisis. Moreno-Gama, who has not yet entered a plea, faces up to life in prison if convicted.

Growing knowledge, growing yield: British wine-making comes of age
Posted on Saturday April 18, 2026

Changing climate, new techniques and a homegrown study programme have all helped drive a UK viticulture boom

Rows of vines stretch across the rolling hills of rural Dorset. Currently waist height, they appear bare against a bleak spring sky. Up close, you can see they are already dotted with tiny woolly buds as they exit their winter dormancy for a new growth cycle.

Come summer these rows will be laden with chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes, ready to make the latest batch of English sparkling wine from the Langham estate near Dorchester.

Central bank bosses enlist for war game to gauge threat of Lehman-style bust
Posted on Saturday April 18, 2026

Finance chiefs to join exercise in Washington designed to assess how they would handle collapse of significant bank

The bosses of the central banks and treasuries of the UK, US and EU are to take part in a war game in Washington on Saturday to test how they would handle the collapse of a globally significant bank.

Amid growing unease over the risks to global financial stability, the most senior officials from the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England – including its governor, Andrew Bailey – are expected to take part.

Reeves rightly fears the bond market, but she can afford to ditch one unhelpful rule | Phillip Inman
Posted on Saturday April 18, 2026

The chancellor has wisely vowed to drive down the annual deficit, but long-term defence investment must not be delayed

There is a good reason Rachel Reeves is wary of the dreaded bond market vigilantes. Anyone who inherits a mountain of debt and then finds out that many of the lenders act like sharks is right to be concerned.

Most of the participants in financial markets are not actively predatory. They swim in a sea of money with only one rule, to stick together, hoovering up as much profit as they can at the lowest risk.