Booking

• On August 11, 2026, the prediction market for consumer AI hacking on Manifold surged to 70% "YES" following a security breach. • The spike was triggered by a Claude agent exploiting a gym booking API and a separate reveal regarding an OpenAI breach at Black Hat. • To qualify as a "hack" under the market's rules, the AI must autonomously decide to bypass protections via a public interface without explicit user instruction.

Geopolitics and cost of living crisis have cost Europe’s largest travel company €60m so farHolidaymakers are waiting until the last minute to book their trips because of the continuing uncertainty caused by the war in Iran and the cost of living crisis, according to Tui, Europe’s largest travel company, which said the war had cost it €60m (£51m) so far.In the weeks after the outbreak of war at the end of February, Tui recorded a temporary drop-off in customers wanting to travel to Cyprus or Turkey, in what the company called a “volatile market”. Continue reading...

The prime minister is promising to crack down on ‘rip-off’ business practicesAndy Burnham has announced he will ban fake discounts and make it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions in an effort to improve life for UK consumers.In the long run, these so-called “everyday fixes” may not make as much difference to your wealth as increasing mandatory contributions on pensions or capping rents, but they will get rid of some day-to-day frustrations. Here are six other things he could fix while he is in the mood: Continue reading...

• Indian equity indices declined moderately, with the BSE Sensex dropping 238 points and the Nifty 50 slipping by 51 points. • The downturn was driven by profit-booking following a recent rally and heightened geopolitical uncertainties. • This trend contrasted with broader Asian markets, where Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 2.92% and Taiwan's Weighted Index surged 4.03%.

Holiday operator says market in good shape, with strong recent recovery in bookings across all destinations as customers take the plungeBusiness live – latest updatesSummer holiday bookings have bounced back recently after the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, the package holiday operator Jet2 has said.The company, which flies about 20 million people every year, said its summer bookings are up by 7.1% compared with this time last year and the average load factor – which measures its available seating capacity filled with paying passengers – is up 1.2 percentage points. Continue reading...

• Indian benchmark indices rose on July 3, with the Sensex gaining nearly 480 points and the Nifty crossing the 24,300 mark. • The rally was primarily driven by IT stocks, highlighted by HCL Technologies which saw a rise of over 4%. • Conversely, PSU banks experienced profit booking despite reporting strong quarterly business growth for Q1.

Reports of ‘stampede’ for stays near water amid concerns over cancelled flights, higher air fares and EU border delaysSummer bookings at Britain’s hotels and holiday parks have jumped, compared with last year, as fears about flight cancellations and long delays at EU borders have prompted many UK holidaymakers to stay closer to home this year.There has been a surge in last-minute bookings for UK holidays amid warnings that airlines will have to raise their fares because of higher jet fuel bills that have resulted from the war in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Hotels report increase in last-minute bookings, including from families attempting to escape hot homesFamilies, including parents with newborn babies, are booking air-conditioned rooms in hotels to escape the UK heatwave, with companies reporting a surge in demand.Data from the accommodation reservation website Booking.com shows that since 1 June, the share of searches using the “air-conditioning” filter has tripled across Great Britain coinciding with the latest heatwave in northern Europe. Continue reading...

• Booking Holdings Inc (BKNG) saw its stock price increase by 8.12% on June 24, driven by a combination of market sentiment and strategic upgrades. • The surge was fueled by lower crude oil prices boosting the broader tourism sector and the integration of Anthropic’s AI models into Priceline to improve operational efficiency. • Institutional investors increased their positions in the company, citing that the stock had reached historically attractive valuation levels.

• Booking Holdings (NASDAQ:BKNG) shares surged 6.3% in morning trading following a Trump administration announcement regarding a new peace deal. • The agreement aims to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, reducing geopolitical risks and restoring the availability of affordable travel routes. • The stock jump is significant as BKNG is typically low-volatility, experiencing only seven price swings greater than 5% over the past year.

Fears about the Middle East conflict, cost of living and EU border checks are leading people to delay their decisionsBusiness live – latest updatesHoliday bookings for early summer have been hit by uncertainty around the conflict in the Middle East and the rising cost of living, the travel industry has said.Mark Tanzer, chief executive of the UK travel association Abta, said that while people still wanted to go on holiday, the industry was bracing for a difficult summer. Continue reading...

Budget airline, which took £25m hit on jet fuel in March, says passengers are waiting later to book tripsThe budget airline easyJet has said its summer holiday bookings are lagging behind last year as the Iran war weights on consumer confidence and has left passengers waiting later to book trips.The carrier said it had to spend an unexpected extra £25m on jet fuel in March after the start of the US and Israel’s war on Iran. Continue reading...

West Bank home described as ‘ideal for outdoor gatherings’ is among 41 listed rentals in illegal Israeli settlements Some of Mohammad al-Sbeih’s fondest childhood memories are of his small farm in the hills south of Bethlehem, where three generations of his family grew wheat and barley.“It was a hard plot to farm as it was on a hillside with terraces, but it was so beautiful,” Sbeih remembers. Continue reading...

New rules would enable single-ticket bookings across multiple rail operators throughout EuropeCross-border train journeys through several European countries are the stuff of many a holidaymaker’s dreams.But the reality of trying to buy the tickets, navigating multiple websites without knowing who can help if a connection is missed, can prove less than relaxing. As one MEP puts it, it can often require “five tabs, three apps and a prayer”. Continue reading...

Profits jump to £122m at ticketing retailer but it expects flat or declining revenues over the coming year Business live – latest updatesTrainline has said the US standoff with Iran is hitting its revenues, with rail ticket sales to foreign visitors to Europe affected.The UK-based ticketing retailer said it expected revenues to stay flat or decline over the coming year, citing “the effects of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on inbound air traffic into Europe”. Continue reading...

Budget airline says passengers are leaving it later to book flights owing to economic uncertaintyBusiness live – latest updatesThe budget airline easyJet has warned the impact of the Iran war on bookings and oil prices will hit its profits, having driven up fuel costs by £25m in the last month alone.It said it expected to report an increased pre-tax loss of £540-£560m for the six months to March, up from £394m in the first half of 2024-25. The carrier typically makes its money in the second half of the year which includes the peak summer period. Continue reading...

Airline has hedged much of fuel into 2027, avoiding soaring prices, but costs likely to hit passengers by end of summerBusiness live – latest updatesThe boss of easyJet has said the war in the Middle East has started to hit flight bookings, while the soaring price of oil would probably mean a rise in air fares by the end of the summer.The chief executive, Kenton Jarvis, said that while the airline had hedged much of its fuel into next year, avoiding soaring kerosene prices, it was “unavoidable” that some of the costs would be passed on in fares. Continue reading...