Jim Ratcliffe halts production at Hull chemical plants over ‘ridiculous’ gas prices
Posted on Tuesday September 22, 2026

Billionaire owner of Ineos says company ‘cannot compete’ with global market despite efficiency of Humberside sites

Billionaire industrialist Sir Jim Ratcliffe is pausing production at three chemical plants in Hull, blaming the UK’s “ridiculously high” gas prices.

Ratcliffe’s chemicals conglomerate, Ineos, said on Tuesday it would “mothball” three chemical plants because the cost made it difficult to compete in the global market.

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UK borrows £18bn in August, putting pressure on Healey before budget
Posted on Tuesday September 22, 2026

Some economists say it is now ‘inevitable’ that chancellor will need to raise taxes in the budget next month

The UK government borrowed a higher-than-expected £18.3bn last month, increasing the pressure on John Healey as he attempts to calm jittery bond markets before next month’s budget.

Some economists said it was “inevitable” that the chancellor would need to raise taxes on 28 October if he is to meet demands for extra spending on defence without further borrowing from investors on international money markets.

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High-mileage electric cars are more reliable than petrol ones, study finds
Posted on Tuesday September 22, 2026

EVs with 90,000 to 120,000 miles on the clock are more likely to pass MOTs than petrol models of the same age

Motorists buying a secondhand car with a lot of miles on the clock are likely to find an electric vehicle (EV) ultimately more reliable than a petrol vehicle, according to a study.

An analysis of 47.4m MOT tests found that after cars were driven 90,000 to 120,000 miles, EVs were about 25% less likely to fail than petrol models of the same age (based on a failure rate of 16.5% versus 22.1%).

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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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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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Using AI to ‘talk to animals’ might make us feel clever – but what, if anything, does it do for them?
Posted on Tuesday September 22, 2026

As animal behaviorists increasingly use AI in their research, they grapple with how to wield the technology responsibly

I’m sitting in a small boat in Shark Bay, Australia, eavesdropping on a conversation between some of Earth’s most intelligent beings. The motor is off, the turquoise sea is glassy, and Stephanie King and I are motionless, transfixed by the whistles, clicks and squeezy, whirring noises made by the dolphins swimming below us.

If anyone could tell me what these big-brained social mammals are saying, it would be her. Based at the University of Bristol, she co-leads Shark Bay Dolphin Research, one of the longest-running wild dolphin research projects in the world. She has spent thousands of hours watching and listening to this population.

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First blood to England in ODI series after Will Jacks helps see off Sri Lanka
Posted on Tuesday September 22, 2026

• All-rounder takes five wickets after vital 46 not out

• Harry Brook top-scores with 67 in comfortable win

Harry Brook had called on his ­England players to continue the “high-octane” cricket witnessed during their clean sweep in the Twenty20s but this latest victory over Sri Lanka in the first one-day international was more of a slow-burn affair.

Gone was the neck-arching carnage of the previous week and in its place, on a tired end-of-season surface, England were bowled out for 265 in 48.1 overs. Brook top-scored with 67 under a warm September sun, before his bowlers rolled the tourists for 176 to take a 1-0 lead into Thursday’s second match at Headingley.

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Will anyone topple Infantino? How Fifa president is trying to cling on after World Cup sell-off debacle
Posted on Tuesday September 22, 2026

Fifa president continues to lobby for re-election despite no other candidates coming forward to challenge him

For Gianni Infantino there is no international break. The Fifa president is widely expected to make an appearance at the United Nations general assembly this week in New York, where he will lobby heads of state for their federations’ support as he continues his campaign to be re-elected next year.

Infantino has not been idle during the lull since Fifa abandoned its World Cup sell-off plan last month, instead crisscrossing the globe on a private jet provided by Qatar Airways as part of its sponsorship deal with world football’s governing body.

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