Three international bodies warn of risks of rising debt and soaring borrowing in major economies
Posted on Wednesday September 23, 2026

IIF highlights challenges facing US, France, UK and Japan, while OECD and IMF also voice global concerns

Three heavyweight international bodies have issued stark warnings about the risks of rising debt levels and soaring borrowing costs across large economies.

The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Institute of Finance (IIF), the voice of global banking, on Wednesday highlighted the dangers of soaring interest rates on $365tn (£275tn) in global borrowing.

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Legal & General to cut 1,000 jobs by mid-2027
Posted on Wednesday September 23, 2026

Programme will initially involve voluntary redundancies in the UK but the insurance and pensions firm will consider mandatory job cuts depending on the take-up

Legal & General plans to cut 1,000 jobs by the middle of next year, about a tenth of the British insurance and pensions firm’s workforce.

António Simões, the chief executive, is wielding the axe as part of his attempts to create a “leaner organisation” since taking over from longtime CEO Nigel Wilson in January 2024. L&G described the move as “the next stage of that transformation”.

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Indian billionaire’s payments firm plots biggest London flotation in years
Posted on Wednesday September 23, 2026

Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Airtel Money targets $9bn IPO in boost for ailing UK stock market

Nils Pratley: Does this mark the end of London’s listing drought? Not yet

A payments business that operates across Africa and is ultimately controlled by an Indian billionaire has announced its intention to float on the struggling London Stock Exchange.

Airtel Money, the mobile money arm of Airtel Africa, is planning one of the biggest UK listings in years, in a boost for the shrinking London market that has faced a string of recent departures.

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Bentley launches first fully electric car – with fake engine sounds to replace classic growl
Posted on Wednesday September 23, 2026

Torcal SUV can travel up to 375 miles on a single charge and is part of a £350m investment in the VW-owned carmaker’s UK business

Bentley is launching its first fully electric car – complete with a drum soundtrack to replace the growl of a combustion engine – as part of a £350m investment in its UK business.

The vehicle, an SUV called the Torcal, is Bentley’s cheapest, starting at £173,000, and will be built at its factory in Crewe, securing the jobs of the 4,000 workers there.

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New UK agency to fight ‘information warfare’ from likes of Russia, Burnham tells UN
Posted on Wednesday September 23, 2026

PM aims to ‘stem poisonous tide’ of disinformation and deepfakes with National Centre for Information Defence

Security chiefs will set up a new national centre to tackle disinformation and deepfakes from hostile states such as Russia, Andy Burnham has announced, saying the government had a duty to “stem the poisonous tide” from damaging British interests.

The National Centre for Information Defence will “detect, attribute and disrupt” information attacks by foreign powers, many of which are enabled by AI, bringing together the intelligence agencies, law enforcement and social media companies.

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OpenAI’s George Osborne says datacentre nimbys holding back Britain
Posted on Tuesday September 22, 2026

Former chancellor, now senior figure at OpenAI, says UK needs datacentres to maintain ‘sovereignty’ over AI tech

• UK politics live – latest updates

Datacentre nimbys are holding Britain back, George Osborne has said in reaction to nationwide protests about the giant water- and energy-guzzling structures.

The former Tory chancellor is now the head of AI for countries at OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. His job is to represent the company to governments around the world and he also has a role in enabling the building of datacentres and other infrastructure.

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Chelsea 1-0 Austria Vienna: Women’s Champions League – as it happened
Posted on Wednesday September 23, 2026

A terrific first-half strike from Wieke Kaptein was enough to give Chelsea the win, though FAK spurned several presentable chances

Leuven 0-0 Roma

Servette 0-8 Lyon

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Prem agrees to revamp refereeing in boost for England’s Rugby World Cup hopes
Posted on Wednesday September 23, 2026

• League agrees new interpretations to help Borthwick

• Scrum and breakdown targeted as areas of inconsistency

Steve Borthwick has secured a boost to his preparations for the World Cup next year, with an overhaul in the refereeing of Prem matches for the coming season designed to help England’s hopes in Australia.

The Guardian understands that in the formal absence of relegation from the Prem for the first time this season, agreement has been reached over a number of law interpretations that will better align officiating in club matches with the international game.

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