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Sequoia announced in a memo posted to X that it is shutting down its scout program, which let selected founders and operators invest on the firm's behalf, and closing its London office. The firm described the changes as part of a push toward more focus rather than a critique of the scouts model itself.
At Imperial College London's Failure in Science conference, academics including Vice Provost Mary Ryan and Professor Jem Woods discussed how institutional structures—grant competition, rigid education systems, and pressure to appear successful—shape researchers' willingness to take risks. The conference, part of the Good Science Project's podcast series, examined failure not just as a personal experience but as a systemic issue within research culture.
The Pokémon Company announced plans to open its first permanent retail store outside Asia in London, with the opening targeted for 2029. The company said additional permanent locations outside Asia will follow, though details on those have not yet been revealed. London has previously hosted temporary Pokémon pop-up shops, including one at the Natural History Museum this year.
A High Court judge ruled that claims worth about £340m brought by roughly 13,000 London black cab drivers and two defunct private hire firms, Kabbie and Iride, were filed too late and dismissed them without examining the underlying allegations. The claimants had accused Uber of giving Transport for London misleading information when it first secured its operating licence in 2012. Mr Justice Birt found the claimants could have uncovered the alleged deception before 2018, putting the 2024 lawsuits outside the six-year limitation period.
Imperial College London's Good Science Project, led by Dr Stephen Webster, partnered with Nature editor-in-chief Magdalena Skipper to organize a conference called Failure in Science, held in April 2026 at Imperial. About 150 delegates attended to discuss mistakes, missed opportunities and neglected findings in research. The event is now the basis for a six-part podcast series exploring failure at personal, institutional and societal levels in science.
Since October 2025, gold has become the highest-value U.S. export category, surpassing oil, pharmaceuticals, and aircraft parts, with February 2026 shipments possibly setting a volume record. Most of the gold flows to Switzerland for refining, Hong Kong (a conduit to China), and the UK's London Bullion Market. U.S. official gold reserves remain unchanged, indicating the exports are sourced from mine output and recycling rather than government stockpiles.
German authorities have detained a 28-year-old Russian man, named by German press as Vladimir K, who was arrested in Japan in May after being extradited on hacking charges. The BBC has confirmed German investigators are now examining his alleged role in the 2024 Synnovis cyber attack, which disrupted pathology services at London hospitals and was linked to a patient's death. He is accused of being a core member of the Qilin cyber-crime gang, alleged to have hacked over 4,000 organisations and extorted more than $140m.
Anthropic posted a job opening in its London office for an executive assistant, describing the role as requiring someone 'highly organized, detail-oriented, and self-starting.' The listed salary is reported at around €145,000, roughly $190,000.
Matt Kears and Josh Alcock, former construction worker and electrician, built Black Cactus Barbecue in London after Kears began smoking meat and selling it via WhatsApp during COVID lockdowns. The pair spent years running markets and food festivals on weekends while still working day jobs, using Kears' parents' bungalow as a prep kitchen before eventually quitting their trades to run the business full time. Their menu blends Texas barbecue smoking techniques with flavors drawn from different global cuisines.
TFG London, the UK arm of South Africa's The Foschini Group, confirmed a cybersecurity incident on October 11 that knocked out IT systems serving its Phase Eight, Hobbs, and Whistles brands. Physical stores remain open, and the company says Inside Story, White Stuff, and its Australian and African operations are unaffected. TFG London has activated incident response plans with external experts and is still investigating whether customer data was accessed.
The Foschini Group's UK division said it detected a cyber-security incident on Sunday affecting IT systems at its Hobbs, Whistles and Phase Eight brands. Stores remain open, though some website functions may be disrupted, and the company says it does not currently believe customer payment data was compromised. Separately, H&M is investigating a claim that it was attacked by a known hacking group.
A meta-analysis published in Psychological Medicine by King's College London researchers found that cannabis users showed a statistically higher likelihood of committing violent acts. The same analysis found cannabis use, especially among women and mixed-gender groups, was significantly associated with a greater risk of being a victim of violence.