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Octopus Energy has urged incoming prime minister Andy Burnham to overhaul Britain’s electricity market, saying the changes could cut the average household bill by up to £189 a year. The supplier said reforming wholesale electricity pricing would save households around £114 a year, and also called for energy levies to be moved from electricity bills…

A seized drug-smuggling cargo ship which cost the State millions to store was transferred to a company for a "nominal" fee of $1, Revenue has said.

Argentina · Business Key Facts —Investment. Pampa Energía’s board approved a final investment decision of US$2.7 billion for the project. —Location and scale. The plant will be built in Bahía Blanca and produce 2.1 million tonnes of granular urea annually, making it one of the world’s largest. —Timeline. Construction is expected to take roughly three…

Brazil · Business Key Facts —Equity Offer. ISA Energia filed for a primary follow-on of 22.2 million preferred shares, targeting roughly R$650 million (US$112 million) with pricing set for 23 July 2026. —Transmission Licence. The company obtained a preliminary environmental licence for Projeto Itatiaia, a R$2.7 billion (US$465 million) Minas Gerais-Rio de Janeiro transmission corridor.…

Nubank has formalised a binding offer to acquire Banco Caixa Geral Brasil for about €42 million (R$250 million), seeking a full banking licence.

Argentina · Economy Key Facts —Tariff shock. Trump imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports without exceptions, directly hitting Argentina as the seventh-largest aluminium supplier to the U.S. —Reciprocal risk. A parallel order to prepare country-by-country reciprocal tariffs places Argentina’s roughly US$30 billion annual trade with the United States in the line of fire.…

Paraguay · Economy Key Facts —Moody’s decision. The agency affirmed Paraguay’s Baa3 sovereign rating with a stable outlook in its regular review dated 23 January 2026. —Dual investment grade. S&P upgraded Paraguay to BBB- with a stable outlook on 17 December 2025, giving the country a second investment-grade rating. —Growth projections. Paraguay’s Ministry of Economy…

Mexico · Life & Culture Key Facts —Jazz Festival. The third edition of the Playa del Carmen Jazz Festival is expected in 2026, though exact dates remain unconfirmed. —Sargassum Record. Quintana Roo projects 120,000–130,000 tons of sargassum in 2026, with Playa del Carmen already clearing over 20,000 tons by mid-June. —Barrier Investment. The municipality is…

A cache of declassified intelligence documents released by the Trump administration Thursday night offered bold new details on China’s acquisition of U.S. voter information since 2016, which President Donald Trump called the “largest compromise of election data in history.” Trump said during his primetime address on Thursday that the People’s Republic of China acquired 220…

NEW YORK — Turns out the Dodgers have something to do before the trade deadline.  They have to find another catcher. Because Will Smith is completely shut down. The Dodgers’ Will Smith has already missed five weeks due to an inflamed disk in his neck. He’s not hitting, he’s not catching, he’s not throwing —...

🇨🇴 🇵🇪 #Colombia and #Peru recently elected right-wing, #Trump-aligned leaders in close contests, which analysts link to weakening centrist parties and growing concern over crime rather than a clear ideological shift. 🇧🇷 Trump has amplified the trend by hosting regional allies in Florida, though his tariffs on #Brazil had the opposite effect, boosting leftist President Lula's standing. 🌎 🗳️ Brazil's October election will be a key test of whether the region's rightward trend continues.

Colombia · Business Key Facts —Sector profits. Colombian banks reported net profits of COP 6.9 trillion (USD 1.8 billion) at end-May 2025, a 43.8% year-on-year increase. —Davivienda’s rebound. Banco Davivienda posted a 208.3% annual profit surge to COP 1.2 trillion, becoming the sector’s second-most profitable bank. —DaviPlata transformation. DaviPlata consolidated its evolution from a digital…

Colombia · Business Key Facts —Breach scope. Approximately 3,300 user accounts across 15 Ecopetrol Group companies were compromised in the cloud-file storage intrusion. —Extortion threat. An unidentified external actor demanded payment and threatened to publish the stolen data, though no leak has yet been confirmed. —Operational status. Ecopetrol reports no material disruption to critical operations…

IBOV 173,714.08 ▼ 0.06% IPSA 10,886.14 ▼ 0.56% IPC MEX 66,615.43 ▲ 0.39% MERVAL 3,199,934 ▲ 0.46% COLCAP 2,298.34 ▲ 0.58% BVL PERÚ 57,220.16 — — USD/BRL5.11▲ 0.19% USD/MXN17.53▲ 0.59% USD/CLP931.20▲ 0.67% USD/COP3,251▲ 0.61% USD/PEN3.39▲ 0.21% USD/ARS1,478▲ 0.17% USD/UYU40.23▲ 1.74% USD/PYG6,032▲ 1.81% USD/BOB10.65▲ 4.37% USD/DOP58.24▲ 1.37% USD/CRC446.12▲ 1.44% USD/GTQ7.62▲ 2.73% USD/HNL26.73▲ 1.94% USD/NIO36.62▲ 0.34% USD/VES730.65▼ 0.13% USD/PAB1.00— 0.00% USD/BZD2.00— 0.00% USD/JMD157.59▲ 0.87% USD/TTD6.74▲ 1.70% EUR/BRL5.84▲ 0.16% BRENT 88.10 ▲ 4.59% WTI 81.78 ▲ 3.58% IRON ORE 161.91 — — COPPER 6.27 ▼ 0.49% GOLD 4,019 ▲ 0.83% SILVER 56.33 ▲ 0.77% SOY 1,203 ▲ 0.67% CORN 467.50 ▲ 5.89% WHEAT 682.75 ▲ 1.19% COFFEE 304.70 ▼ 5.17% SUGAR 14.82 ▲ 2.63% ORANGE JUICE 139.35 ▲ 4.15% COTTON 78.9

Chile · Business Key Facts —The tax. China will impose a 2% consumption tax on lithium-ion batteries from 1 September 2026, rising to 4% in 2027, ending an exemption in place since 2015. —The sell-off. SQM shares fell 4% in Santiago on 17 July 2026, the day of the announcement, while the broader IPSA index…

Mexico · Business Key Facts —Banxico cut. On 7 May 2026, Mexico’s central bank lowered its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 6.50%, the lowest since April 2022. —Colombia vote. Opposition candidate De la Espriella secured a preliminary 49.68% of the vote, drawing attention from Mexican firms with Colombian exposure. —Mixed share moves. FEMSA…

Brazil · Business Key Facts —Banco do Brasil. Approved R$1.23 billion in interest on own capital for the fourth quarter of 2025, payable in March 2026. —Inter. No new 2026 capital markets transactions are publicly confirmed, placing the digital bank in a consolidation phase. —Casas Bahia. Secured full creditor support for a debt restructuring plan,…

Jigawa State adopts a digital platform to automate informal revenue collection, enhancing transparency and curbing leakages. Learn more about this initiati

Brazil · Business Key Facts —B3 CEO. Christian George Egan was elected CEO of B3 on 19 May 2026, succeeding Gilson Finkelsztain, who departs for Santander Brasil at the end of June. —Start date pending. Egan’s official start date and a transition period remain unconfirmed, subject to regulatory approvals and a garden leave from his…

Lloyds and Bank of Scotland, which are both part of the same group, have scrapped foreign debit card fees for student customers.

Venezuela · Politics Key Facts —Acting presidency. Delcy Rodríguez assumed Venezuela’s interim presidency on 3 January 2026 after U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. —Saudi-backed conference. Rodríguez pitched Venezuela as a stable investment destination at a Saudi-backed conference, emphasising long-term energy and commodity opportunities. —IMF access restored. The IMF resumed dealings with Venezuela on…

Peru · Economy Key Facts —Deficit level. Peru’s rolling annual fiscal deficit narrowed to 1.3% of GDP in June 2026, down from 2.1% in March. —Targets beaten. The result sits comfortably below the government’s deficit targets of 1.8% for 2026 and 1.4% for 2027. —Growth context. The Institute of Peruvian Economics projects GDP growth of…

Colombia · Politics Key Facts —The Washington mission. Vice-President-elect José Manuel Restrepo led economic talks with the IMF, World Bank, and US Treasury in mid-July 2026. —The fiscal inheritance. The incoming administration faces a 2025 deficit revised to 7.1% of GDP and a locked-in 2026 budget of COP 547 trillion (US$142.2 billion). —The multilateral anchor.…

Goldman Sachs has warned employees against betting on restricted prediction markets. Staff must limit their activity to sports and entertainment events only. Violators may forfeit all winnings and face job dismissal for repeated offenses. This policy aims to prevent insider information conflicts and compliance risks. Prediction markets face scrutiny after recent incidents involving potential leaks.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday said Brazil would not accept any other country "disrespecting" the nation as he commented on a the trade dispute with the United States

Brazil · Politics Key Facts —Tariff imposition. The United States announced a 25% additional tariff on selected Brazilian imports on July 15, 2026, effective July 22. —Negotiation framework. Brazil submitted a written roadmap on July 1, offering to reduce tariffs on roughly 300 tariff lines to avert the duties. —Chemical sector exposure. Brazilian chemical manufacturers…

Mexico · Life & Culture Key Facts —Wedding Economy. San Miguel de Allende hosts more than 900 weddings annually, generating an economic spillover reported between 2 billion and over 3 billion pesos (US$98 million–US$147 million). —Retail Arrival. The Home Depot confirmed a 1.2-billion-peso investment in Guanajuato in April 2025, with a San Miguel de Allende…

Indonesia is pushing ahead to transform the holiday island of Bali into an international financial centre, with its parliament set to debate new laws this week while a key conference set out targets and cited models such as Hong Kong as an example. Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry Rosan Roeslani, who heads state-owned sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia, said the financial centre was part of Jakarta’s efforts to establish itself as a trusted destination for investors…

How much money parents can invest in their kids is one of the biggest factors in upward mobility. The inability of many families to provide their children a financial leg up has helped drive income inequality in the United States. There is now a partial solution, offered by the last person I’d have expected to address America’s income inequality problem: Donald Trump. Trump child investment accounts (officially known as 530A IRAs), started accepting contributions as of July 4, and are designed…

Experts advise the Federal Government to prioritise competence in public appointments and diversify revenue sources for successful fiscal reforms and susta

The Revenue figures show that the tax has raised €43.4 million between 2010 and 2024.

Nation.Cymru staff More than 30 museums, libraries and archive services across Wales are to share £5.28 million in Welsh Government funding to improve facilities, protect collections and widen public access. The investment will support 31 projects spanning every part of the country, ranging from major local authority services to smaller independent and community-run museums. Among…

Vice-Chair of Parliament's Subsidiary Legislation Committee and member of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has criticised the passage of the Regional Tribunals Act, arguing that Ghana should prioritise investing in the existing Judicial Service rather than establishing additional judicial structures.

Families will be able to enjoy a range of activities throughout the day alongside The 154th Open Championship

By Efe Onodjae Legal practitioner, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, has argued that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, should not resign over allegations linked to the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), insisting that such a move would undermine rather than advance justice. Speaking on Journalists’ Hangout on TVC while commenting…

Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Mohamed Farid confirmed on Friday, July 17, 2026, that the ministry is committed to strengthening ties with the Bank of New York (BNY) and other international financial institutions. The minister explained that the move aims to develop financing tools, expand the investor base, and improve Egyptian companies’ ability to …

What's OnWhat's On NewsGreggsGreggs was way ahead of the competition10:05, 18 Jul 2026Greggs has been named the most popular coffee shop in Birmingham, new data has revealed.‌The experts at Zable analysed internal consumer spending data from supermarkets, fast-food chains and coffee shops to find which coffee shop took the number one spot.‌By analysing transaction volumes, spending patterns and purchase timings across major retailers, they uncovered which brands dominate in different parts of the UK.‌READ MORE: 'Unhappy' Solihull residents won't force fortnightly bin collections back to weeklyIn Birmingham, Greggs has 66% overall market share, way above any of its competitors.Costa has 17%, Starbucks has 11%, Pret sits at 3%, as does Caffe Nero.‌Overall, Greggs is the UK’s most popular cof

The soccer tournament has helped propel the prediction markets to new user records, creating what may be the largest gambling event in history.

Vlad Tenev, the chief executive of the digital brokerage Robinhood, is trying to win over the next generation of Americans with Trump accounts.

Workers often focus solely on their retirement savings balance. But figuring out how you want to spend the rest of your life could be job No. 1.

Days before the one-year anniversary of Ozzy Osbourne's death, his wife Sharon Osbourne has shared a snippet into her life where she posted a clip of her and grandson Sidney

As visitors flock to places like Mexico City, Milan and Copenhagen, residents are rethinking what they share, and who they share it with.

From cult-favorite beauty essentials to the ultimate fall wardrobe investment.

Laboratory tests found no cocaine in Bolivian timber held in Chile and Brazil. Chilean prosecutors closed the case as a false positive and exporters now seek compensation.

As long as poker machines remain a lucrative source of revenue, meaningful reform will always take second place to protecting the Treasury’s income.

Vamos truck rental preview shows Q2 revenue up 10.1% to R$1.55 billion ($304M) and contracted orders up 59.6%. Shares spiked 6%. All company figures inside.

Cyrela sales rose 14% to R$2.56 billion ($502M) and launches jumped 34% in Q2 2026. BTG sees 78% upside as CYRE3 trades at 4.8x earnings. All company figures.