Barclays profits jump ahead of looming bank tax; French bond yields hit fresh 24-year high – business live
Posted on Thursday October 22, 2026

French risk premium over German bonds widest since 2011 as oil prices climb above $111 a barrel

Here’s our full story on Barclays:

Barclays is giving a further £500m to shareholders after reporting a jump in quarterly profits, as the lender steels itself for an increase in UK bank taxes at next week’s budget.

Barclays’ bumper profits aren’t an anomaly. All the big banks are doing exceptionally well at the same time – but their windfall profits have been underpinned by mortgage misery for millions. That’s why it’s time for banks to pay a fairer share.

At a time when the chancellor needs to raise more revenue to support households and businesses through a looming energy bill crunch, Britain’s big four banks have made £200bn in profit since 2021. They can - and should - pay more tax.

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AI firms say UK has a year to head off datacentre protests before construction is threatened
Posted on Thursday October 22, 2026

Exclusive: Nvidia, Microsoft and Cisco taskforce urges ministers to offer areas greater benefits from tech infrastructure amid fears of US-style opposition

AI companies have told ministers they have 12 months to head off public opposition to datacentres in the UK or risk US-style protests that could threaten their construction.

Successive dry summers and rising energy bills are increasing public scrutiny of plans for the huge computer warehouses that are used to train and run AI models, says a submission to the Labour government from a group including the AI infrastructure companies Nvidia, Microsoft and Cisco.

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Waitrose opens first new supermarket in eight years in north London
Posted on Thursday October 22, 2026

Grocer launches Cricklewood store as part of £1bn investment plan, with Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, to follow next month

As part of a £1bn investment plan, Waitrose has chosen Cricklewood in north London as the location for its first supermarket in eight years.

The upmarket grocer will open the store on Thursday and another supermarket in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, next month. It also plans four smaller stores next year, including a supermarket in Oakham, Rutland, and three convenience stores in Bedminster (Bristol), Chalk Farm (London) and Springstead Village (Cambridge).

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Everyone hates Oxford Street. Will pedestrianisation save it?
Posted on Thursday October 22, 2026

In a few days the busiest shopping street in Europe will be closed to traffic. The hope is that an unloved and polluted thoroughfare will turn into somewhere that people actually want to spend time

In February, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that Britain’s best-known thoroughfare, Oxford Street, would be pedestrianised. To the surprise of every Londoner that I have spoken to in the past few months, it is actually happening. On Monday 26 October, the busiest shopping street in Europe – or, precisely, half of its 1.2-mile stretch – will be closed to traffic, putting an end to several decades of bitter arguments, obstructions and delays. Cars, lorries, vans, taxis, buses, bicycles, ebikes, scooters will be banned. Nothing but pedestrians (and emergency vehicles) will be allowed in.

This change will mark the most remarkable transformation to the streetscape of central London since at least 2003, when Trafalgar Square was turned from a glorified roundabout into one of London’s most recognisable public spaces. It will also form the most visible part of the mayor’s legacy, whether or not Khan runs for a fourth term in 2028. Three years ago, Khan published a memoir and manifesto, Breathe, attributing his asthma to growing up inhaling London’s polluted air. For the mayor, pedestrianising Oxford Street is the culmination of a mission to create a greener city that is oriented around public health, walking and cycling.

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UK watchdogs urged to tackle suicide social media content after death of girl, 14
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

Adriana Retyte took her own life after viewing ‘high-risk’ material on the video-sharing platform TikTok

A 14-year-old schoolgirl’s death after TikTok served her suicide content has prompted renewed calls for UK watchdogs to crack down on “toxic” social media feeds.

Adriana Retyte, a pupil at Langley school in Norfolk, took her own life after she viewed videos and images related to suicide on the video-sharing platform, according to a coroner who last week found her access to the material on TikTok “may have played a significant part in her decision to take her life”.

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New prize launches for books co-written with AI
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

After months of controversy over the possible use of AI by winners of prestigious awards, the Prix Pascal de Littérature IA is rewarding fiction written with the help of LLMs

A prize for AI-written books has launched this week.

The Prix Pascal de Littérature IA invites submissions of manuscripts co-written with AI tools, with the winner promised publication.

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‘Angry’ Carrick on the brink as Fernandes hits out at Manchester United tactics
Posted on Wednesday October 21, 2026

• Manager apologises to fans after 4-1 defeat in Como

• Captain criticises ‘decision from the staff’ not to press

Michael Carrick’s future as Manchester United manager is in the balance after a humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como on Wednesday night.

Before Bournemouth’s visit to Old Trafford on Sunday his future may be discussed by Jason Wilcox, the director of football, Omar Berrada, the chief executive, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner who controls sporting policy.

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South Africa v Australia: second men’s cricket Test, day five – live
Posted on Thursday October 22, 2026

• Updates as the Proteas host Australia n Gqeberha

• Start at 9.45am local/6.45pm AEDT/8.45am BST

• Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email

Want to know what happened on day four of the second Test? Luckily, I know a guy who has a good source for match reports.

There it was, another entry in Australia’s hall of infamy against South Africa. There was 47 all out, in the innocent days when the 2011 Test was the worst humiliation in Cape Town. There was 85 all out in Hobart, 2016, that led to half the side being sacked. Now there is 99 all out in Gqeberha, one day after the home team blew past 400, only for the visitors to follow on halfway through day four.

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