BT on track for estimated £2bn windfall from selling old copper amid AI boom
Telecoms company to benefit from soaring prices for recycled metal recovered from full-fibre broadband rollout
Regulation
BoE’s Bailey warns AI models could disrupt financial markets
The development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI)footnote [1] is likely to have a transformative impact across many sectors of the UK economy. AI has the potential to save workers time on a wide range of ta…
The euro area is firming up. So is the case for more ECB hikes
At its meeting on 19 March 2026, the Governing Council decided to keep the three key ECB interest rates unchanged. It is determined to ensure that inflation stabilises at the 2% target in the medium term. The war in the…
Anthropic sued over alleged theft of ‘tens of thousands’ of songs
AI company faces multibillion dollar lawsuit over misuse of copyrighted songs to train Claude models
The London office, the empty boxes and the £1bn tax loophole
Exclusive: How a court case over an unoccupied office block could end a widely used tax avoidance scheme
‘Breakthrough’ as Turkmenistan starts fixing ‘mindboggling’ methane mega-leaks
Secretive state begins repairs on ageing facilities after being revealed as worst country for leaks of potent greenhouse gas
Properties in UK national parks command 24% premium, study finds
Nationwide research also shows average 14% premium for housing in national landscapes of England and Wales
Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez defends ‘endless’ benefits of her oil deal with Trump
Deal that will reportedly see US take control of 65bn barrels of Venezuelan oil has provoked outrage in her country
Nurture not nature? How young women can learn to better wield economic power | Heather Stewart
Project in Zambia shows how teaching young women to negotiate better can have a long-term impact on their prospects
UK asks banks for feelgood stories about keeping out dirty money
The government is asking bankers and lawyers to provide feelgood stories about how they blocked dirty money from entering the UK, as ministers try to prove the UK’s money-laundering controls are working.
AA could face £5bn takeover move by German insurer Allianz, reports claim
Germany-based financial services company Allianz is considering a £5bn takeover swoop for AA, the breakdown recovery group, Sky News has reported.
‘Without us, no wheel would turn’: the unsung heroes keeping England’s transport moving
Not many people get to park their car here – bang in the middle of Heathrow airport, on the taxiway just a stretch of grass away from where a line of passenger planes is coming in to land.
South West Water has worst environmental record in England, analysis shows
‘Tiny bit of rain and the sewage comes’: Brighton swimmers vent fury at sea pollution
‘You’re at war when you get attacked’: Mark Carney shows combative nature in face-off with Trump
Mark Carney stood before a walnut-veneered lectern, his face drawn tight, as he announced that talks with Canada’s biggest trading partner had collapsed. “Last spring, I warned that America is trying to break us so that…
Pet owners at risk of being ripped off by private equity firms as vet ownership rules change
Critics say changes by CMA will allow multinationals to obscure their ownership of vet practices
Russia steps up ’gray zone’ attacks across Europe as NATO tensions rise
Hungary’s high-stakes election is beginning to look like an uphill battle for incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. At least that is what the polling shows: Orbán’s party, Fidesz, has been trailing opponent Péter Magya…
Iran insists Strait of Hormuz remains closed as war enters seventh month
You can read our continuous live coverage on Iran, along with comprehensive reports and analysis, at this link.
Arms and the £5m man: Farage megadonor Christopher Harborne’s military empire
Reform UK denies donor and crypto-billionaire’s global interests in arms and military could present a conflict of interest over its defence spending policy
On long road back from Brexit, north-east’s recovery rides on survival of Nissan’s ‘shining star’ plant
In a factory in Gateshead, engineers carefully wind metal wires around iron cores to go in electric motors. Here, workers produce a smaller “pancake motor”, which generates higher torque than conventional versions for s…
Warsh at Jackson Hole: 8 key takeaways
Editor's Note: At 10 PM Beijing time on August 28, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivered a speech at the Jackson Hole Global Central Bank Symposium, marking his first address at this prominent annual gathering sin…
‘If it’s made in the US, I don’t buy it’: Canadians on boycotting Trump’s America
“As soon as Trump started putting those tariffs on in February [last year], I started boycotting US goods,” he said. “Avoiding American products has driven my costs up, and I’m still happy to do it.
‘Inept, incompetent, craven’: Scott Bessent struggles to clean up the president’s mess
History remembers Gen Dwight Eisenhower , the supreme commander of the allied forces in Europe during the second world war, for his role in the D-day invasion of Normandy. Whether Scott Bessent will achieve similar post…
Remaking the biscuit: from Doritos to digestives, why the UK’s snacks are being ‘reformulated’
Bite into a Ritz cracker today and you’re eating 80% less saturated fat than you would have been just a few years ago. The biscuit looks and snaps the same, and tastes close enough that most buyers have no idea they’re …
China’s massive oil reserves give Beijing leverage during Iran war
The Iran war has boosted China’s leverage in the energy sector and deepened its commercial presence in the Gulf. But states in the region want China to be a more proactive stakeholder, a role Beijing may not be ready to…