Happy Monday. Incredibly we’re starting with another birthday. This time without begging for Teapot referrals.

Last week David Attenborough celebrated his 100th birthday, it felt like more than just a milestone—it’s a rare moment of national unity. In a country that doesn’t always see eye to eye, one thing seems universally agreed: we all love him. Whether he’s guiding us through rainforests or across frozen tundras, he’s brought us together in awe of the natural world—and while we can’t confirm whether or not he is a Teapot subscriber, we can say Happy Birthday.

Notable UK earnings this week: Compass Group (CPG), Victrex (VCT), International Consolidated Airline Group (IAG), Airtel Africa (AAF).

Notable US earnings this week: AstraZeneca (AZN), Tenecent Music Entertainment (TME), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Alibaba Group (BABA), Applied Materials (AMAT), Canadian Solar (CSIQ).

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📦 New gas storage license expected for UK storage project. Read more

🏗️ £100m expansion project for Port of Blyth. Read more

🤖 £1bn data centre set for West London. Read more

TSB to be closed after Santander acquisition
Santander is set to wipe the TSB name from Britain’s high streets after more than two centuries, with the Spanish lender planning to fold the newly acquired bank into Santander UK once the integration is complete. It is a tidy little rebrand with all the delicacy of a branch closure notice, and it comes just a week after Santander completed its £2.6bn takeover of TSB from Sabadell.

The deal, which startled the City when it was announced, has handed Santander around 5 million extra UK customers and more than £45bn in assets, while also strengthening its footprint in Scotland and the north of England. It is, in banking terms, the sort of scale-up that makes rivals sit up and check the numbers twice — assuming, of course, they are not too busy closing your local branch.

Cost-cutting is already baked into the plan. Santander had previously said the acquisition would create about £400m in savings, largely through trimming around 55% of TSB’s cost base, and reports suggest executives have discussed a further £100m in savings after 2028. Because naturally, in modern banking, “synergy” usually means someone somewhere is packing a cardboard box.

Date set for Great Western Railway to be renationalised
Great Western Railway is heading back into public hands, with the government confirming a “significant” shift for rail services across the West of England. The Swindon-based operator, which runs trains between London, the south-west and South Wales, will be brought under public ownership on 13 December — just in time for the sort of festive rail disruption that keeps the nation humble.

The Department for Transport said the move puts passengers, not shareholders, “at the heart of our railways”, which is a pleasant change from the usual ritual of paying premium prices for a journey and then discovering you’re, in fact, standing in a doorway with a tepid coffee. GWR said it welcomed the clarity and would continue working closely with the DfT through the transition.

The move follows similar nationalisations elsewhere: Wales brought its rail services into public ownership in 2021 and Scotland followed the year after. Several operators are already state-run, including Greater Anglia and South Western Railway, while the government has been clear that renationalisation does not automatically mean cheaper fares — a shame, perhaps, but then miracles are thin on the ground, and often delayed by signalling failures.

Shadow shenanigans
Britain’s first-ever convictions for spying for China arrived with all the subtlety of a dodgy bloke in a fake electrician’s vest. Heathrow Border Force officer Chi Leung Wai and Hong Kong trade official Chung Biu Yuen were found guilty of running surveillance on Hong Kong dissidents and British politicians, including exiled activist Nathan Law.

The Old Bailey heard tales of bugged flats, Home Office database snooping, and activists being labelled “cockroaches” in messages. One failed sting involved bottled water on the floor to fake a flood — less John le Carré, more “Only Fools and Foreign Interference”. Beijing called it political theatre; Westminster called in the ambassador.

Drone dramas
The government has lobbed £46.5 million at drones and flying taxis, proving Britain has finally decided traffic jams should happen in the sky as well. Ministers say the cash will help launch airborne taxi services by 2028 while introducing a tracking system for “faceless” drones — essentially Number Plates for Nosy Quadcopters. The pitch: fewer emissions, more jobs, and hopefully fewer gadgets hovering outside bedroom windows like metallic pigeons.

Labour luggage
After bruising election losses, Keir Starmer has reached for the political comfort blanket: Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman. Brown becomes a global finance envoy, Harman tackles violence against women and girls, and baffled Labour MPs are asking whether “fresh start” now means “greatest hits reunion tour”. Critics say voters wanted change, not a Labour alumni mixer. Still, Downing Street insists the reboot is coming. Britain waits, kettle hovering nervously.

US jet fuel could ease European shortage
European airlines could be offered a practical workaround if the war involving the US, Israel and Iran continues to squeeze fuel supplies: using US-grade jet fuel in place of the standard European mix. The International Air Transport Association says wider acceptance of Jet A could help soften the blow of potential shortages, while keeping the industry airborne and, crucially, not turning every departure lounge into a scene from a ration-book flashback.

The issue is cost as much as supply. The price of the jet fuel most European carriers use has risen by around half since the conflict began, and with Gulf exports slowing to a trickle, Europe’s usual reliance on imports from the region is looking as convenient as a delayed Stansted shuttle in a thunderstorm. Increased shipments from the US have helped fill some of the gap, but American refineries are not all geared up to make Jet A-1, which limits how much extra can be sent across the Atlantic.

In response, the European Aviation Safety Agency has issued guidance on how Jet A could be introduced safely into the European market. Essentially, both fuels are kerosene and broadly similar, though Jet A-1 has a lower freezing point and is better suited to long-haul and polar routes — because even aircraft, unlike some commuters, are not keen on a bit of unnecessary chill.

Trump gives EU trade deal deadline
Donald Trump has warned the European Union that it could face “much higher” tariffs by 4 July unless Brussels drops its duties on US goods to zero. After a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he said he was giving the bloc until America’s 250th birthday — a neat bit of calendar theatre, if nothing else — before the tariffs “immediately jump” higher.

Von der Leyen, for her part, said progress was being made towards cutting tariffs. In other words: the diplomatic equivalent of saying “we’re almost there” while everyone in the room quietly checks the exits. She insisted both sides remain committed to implementing the deal struck with Trump last July, though as ever with trade talks, the devil is not just in the detail — he sometimes chairs the meeting.

The original agreement would see EU exports to the US face a 15% tariff, after Trump had previously threatened 30% levies on European goods. It won conditional backing in the European Parliament in March, but with safeguards intended to make sure Washington held up its end of the bargain. Parliamentarians also made clear they would only accept zero tariffs on US goods if European steel and aluminium were spared Trump’s global 50% tariff on those metals — because even in trade, nobody likes being bent out of shape.

Rocket rumble
SpaceX has stacked its first full Starship V3 in Texas, a 124-metre silver whopper aimed at making Moon and Mars trips less sci-fi and more scheduled service. With beefier Raptor 3 engines, bigger fuel tanks and better heat shields, it could one day haul 150 tonnes to orbit. For now, it mainly proves Elon’s plumbing is tidier than most kitchens.

Canvas chaos
A cyberattack claimed by ShinyHunters knocked Canvas offline for universities and schools across the US, Canada and Australia, just as students were wrestling final exams. Ransom notes popped up mid-essay, which is one way to make coursework worse. Around 9,000 institutions were affected, leaving students unsure whether their work, data or sanity had survived.

Algorithm antics
TikTok has trimmed its AI video summaries after they started describing Charli D’Amelio as blueberries and dancers as rubber-chicken head-bashers. Instagram, meanwhile, has switched off end-to-end encrypted DMs, delighting child-safety groups and alarming privacy campaigners. Big Tech’s new motto appears to be: “Trust us, unless the robot thinks Shakira is soup.”

Drone drops
Amazon has begun UK drone deliveries in Darlington, dropping tiny parcels into gardens within 7.5 miles. Locals are curious, wary, and occasionally ordering chocolates just to watch the sky postie perform. Airmail has rarely been so literal.

Ticket tantrums
FIFA has decided the beautiful game is best enjoyed by people who can casually misplace £24,000 down the sofa. The top World Cup final tickets in New Jersey have rocketed from £8k to more than £24k in a week, with Gianni Infantino insisting it’s simply “market rates”.

Quite right — nothing says football for the people like needing a hedge fund to watch extra time. FIFA also pointed out resale prices are even worse, though helpfully promised any fan spending $2m on a ticket would at least receive a hot dog and a Coke. Philanthropy lives.

Ruby rumpus
Meanwhile in Myanmar, miners have unearthed an 11,000-carat ruby weighing nearly five pounds — essentially a gemstone the size of a Sunday roast. Found in Mogok, the country’s ruby heartland, the stone is thought to be the second-heaviest ever discovered there, though experts say its colour and clarity may make it even more valuable.

Awkwardly, the ruby arrives amid ongoing criticism that Myanmar’s gem trade helps bankroll military rulers. Nothing says “complex geopolitical optics” quite like a jewel fit for a Bond villain.

Thaksin twilight
And in Thailand, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra has shuffled out of prison wearing an ankle tag and immediately reclaimed the headlines. The telecoms tycoon-turned-political tornado dominated Thai politics for two decades, surviving coups, exile and court battles while his allies kept winning elections.

But after his party slumped badly in February’s election, analysts suspect the “Thaksin era” may finally be ending. Then again, writing off Thaksin has historically gone about as well as buying cheap World Cup tickets.