Business News | CuriousCats.ai

+1 source·24 July 2026 · 14:28 UTC

Andy Burnham's £100m rates giveaway for pubs is 'a small snippet', owners say

Dan Smith, owner of the Red Lion pub, says business rates account for 16p of a pie and a pint, with the policy saving about £1,000. Separately, record heat and World Cup spending boosted June retail sales by 1%, beating forecasts, while the FTSE 100 edged higher on consumer confidence.

+2 sources·24 July 2026 · 14:28 UTC

Court ordered SK Group's Chey Tae-won to pay ex-wife $644M in decade-long divorce; ex-wife failed to win greater share of AI boom

The $644 million award is less than half the 1.38 trillion won that Chey was ordered to pay in 2024, before the Supreme Court overturned the valuation that considered his ex-wife's father's contributions. Chey's lawyers expressed apology for the prolonged proceedings, stating they would review the ruling before responding.

+3 sources·24 July 2026 · 14:28 UTC

Bain Capital agrees to acquire Vitabiotics, maker of Pregnacare and Wellman, from Dragons' Den star Tej Lalvani for £1bn; deal pending regulatory approval

The deal ends over 55 years of family ownership, with founder Professor Kartar Lalvani set to become Chairman Emeritus. Bain Capital, led by its Asia private equity team, plans to expand Vitabiotics into markets including India, China, and the Middle East and North Africa.

+3 sources·24 July 2026 · 14:28 UTC

'Significant benefit' as first tariff-free Scotch whisky departs for US; Trump lifts levy but imposes new wave of tariffs

The first shipment, worth £60,000, uses exclusively digital trade processes, cutting shipping costs and loading times, with smaller businesses expected to benefit most. Separately, HSBC agreed to sell its Singapore life and health insurance business to Allianz for $2.1bn, while Renishaw upgraded guidance for its 2026 financial year with revenue up 14%.

·24 July 2026 · 13:57 UTC

Halo: Campaign Evolved will launch in Early Access; players urged to get ready

Early access begins July 23 for Premium and Collector's Edition holders, with pre-load starting July 22 on Xbox and PC; PlayStation and Steam players must link their Microsoft accounts for cross-platform features. Minimum PC specs require an AMD Ryzen 5 3600, 8 GB VRAM, and 100 GB SSD.

+1 source·24 July 2026 · 13:57 UTC

Amid PlayStation's all-digital push, Sega president says 'we still value the culture of physical media'; company embraces digitalisation

Microsoft intervened after Windows 11 users with LG monitors were bombarded with unwanted McAfee trial pop-ups. LG agreed to immediately disable the pop-up ad notifications, and Microsoft's Windows chief pledged to 'keep improving here with our ecosystem partners.'

+1 source·24 July 2026 · 13:57 UTC

Xbox tests free ad-supported game streaming with one-hour sessions for Insider Program members; hardware supply and affordability crisis continues.

Ads will play before each one-hour session without interrupting gameplay, and Xbox states advertising should create value and match its content quality. The test is designed to lower cost of access, especially for players in regions like Africa, India, and Southeast Asia where consoles are less affordable.

+1 source·24 July 2026 · 13:57 UTC

PlayStation Network outage hits tens of thousands as newly-launched Marvel Tokon beta draws queues; thousands of gamers unable to play

Downdetector recorded over 6,000 outage reports in the UK alone, with similar numbers in the US and Europe, leading to speculation of a worldwide issue. PlayStation has yet to issue an official statement, and some users continued to experience slow menus even after regaining access.

+1 source·24 July 2026 · 13:57 UTC

Amazon integrates Luna cloud gaming into Prime Video app; Prime members get free games on Fire TV at no extra cost

Previously requiring a separate monthly subscription, Luna is now included with Prime at no additional cost, available on Fire TV in the US and UK. The launch includes over a dozen games such as Hogwarts Legacy and EA Sports FC 26, with new titles added monthly.

+1 source·24 July 2026 · 04:01 UTC

AMD says newest AI server Helios in full production, will ship in months; Cerebras stock gains on partnership for AI systems

The Helios servers, featuring AMD's MI455X accelerator and TSMC-made Venice CPU, claim five times higher tokens per second per watt than competitors. OpenAI's compute vice president expects to deploy Helios at massive scale starting late 2026, while Cerebras CEO Feldman noted the partnership highlights ultra-low latency's importance.

·24 July 2026 · 04:01 UTC

FTSE 100 falls as Middle East war intensifies; Centrica leads index lower, rising oil price worries BoE hawks

Brent oil surpassed $100 a barrel for the first time since May after Houthi attacks, reigniting inflation fears that traders are pricing in delayed rate cuts. Centrica shares plunged 10% following lower first-half profits, though the company raised its interim dividend by 9%.

+2 sources·24 July 2026 · 04:01 UTC

FDA panel voted to place popular peptide BPC-157 on compounding list — recommended easing restrictions on other controversial peptides

The 8-6 vote with one abstention reflected deep divisions, with members from academia voting against and industry-connected members voting in favor. Health experts warn of a 'wild west' of unregulated drugs, citing a lack of human clinical trials and unknown long-term effects.

·24 July 2026 · 02:46 UTC

Shigeru Miyamoto is 'very happy' with LEGO's Donkey Kong Arcade set; hands-on reveals interactive barrel mechanics and 21 barrels

Nintendo requested that poison barrels be heavier, so LEGO added minifigure heads inside them. The 1,371-piece set, priced at $199.99 and releasing August 1, stands over 15 inches tall and recreates the 1981 arcade cabinet with interactive mechanics including an infinite barrel loop fed by a chute that holds 14 barrels.

+1 source·23 July 2026 · 22:53 UTC

Thames Water implements hosepipe ban for 10 million customers; the ban hits millions of homes in London and is now in force

Failing to stick to the ban could result in a £1,000 fine, though Thames Water says it will trust customers and not patrol for enforcement. Separately, campaign group River Action called the ban "outrageous," citing 570 million litres lost daily to leaks, prompting Thames Water to defend its £20bn investment plan to reduce leaks.

+2 sources·23 July 2026 · 18:15 UTC

Centrica cuts 1,300 call centre jobs at British Gas in tech-led transformation; CEO says 'customers prefer AI chatbots to humans'

The cuts include 800 roles announced Thursday, on top of 500 last month, as Centrica shares fell 10.2% to 161½p. Campaign group Silver Voices warned AI chatbots may harm vulnerable customers, while Age UK noted a significant minority of older people are not online, as CEO Chris O'Shea insisted AI isn't driving the reductions.

+1 source·23 July 2026 · 18:15 UTC

Lagarde’s comments clearly point to September rate hike; European Central Bank mulls energy price spike as traders see hike

The ECB left its main interest rate unchanged at 2.25% on Thursday, though Lagarde revealed that some policymakers had favored a rate hike at today's meeting. She also warned that renewed energy supply disruptions could keep inflation 'well above target' until the first half of 2027, making a September hike almost a done deal.

+1 source·23 July 2026 · 18:15 UTC

Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley faces House panel in closed-door interview over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — lawmakers grill him as transcript to be released later

Rep. James Comer said there were 'red flags' about Epstein and that Staley encouraged JPMorgan to keep him. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam stated that without bankers like Staley, Epstein would have continued his crimes, while Rep. Melanie Stansbury cited email evidence that Staley requested women from Epstein and could not recall the encounters.

+2 sources·23 July 2026 · 18:15 UTC

Brent crude surges past $100 for first time since May as Middle East conflicts rage; global shares slide

Yemen's Houthis struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, leaving one ablaze, as the group warned of a naval blockade, prompting the US to threaten 'major military punishment'. Goldman Sachs said Brent could exceed $120 a barrel if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, while US gasoline surpassed $4 a gallon and UK petrol rose 5p a litre.

+1 source·23 July 2026 · 17:45 UTC

Bethesda union vows to fight as laid-off Montreal developers receive 'the smallest severance pay possible'; union files complaint over 'bare minimum' payout

The union claims Bethesda had assured employees in a July 6 call they would remain employed until September with severance negotiations, but later changed terms to eight weeks' pay and immediate loss of health insurance. OneBGS has now filed a legal complaint for violating Canadian labour laws, accusing management of 'disposing of' workers after profiting from their labor.

+1 source·23 July 2026 · 17:45 UTC

Samsung introduces Galaxy Z Fold 8 as fresh, fun, and a little frustrating; ongoing review explores living with the 'passport foldable'

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 weighs 7.09 ounces, making it the world's lightest book-like foldable, and starts at $1,899.99 — $100 less than the Fold 7. It also features a 4:3 aspect ratio inner display and faster 45W wired charging.