Bank of England expected to leave interest rates on hold on Thursday despite inflation hitting 3.1% – business live
Posted on Wednesday September 16, 2026

Soaring motor fuel costs have pushed UK inflation to a five-month high in August

Worryingly, the cost of goods produced by UK factories rose at a faster rate in August too.

Producer output prices – or the cost of goods at the ‘factory gate’ - rose by 3.7% in the year to August, up from 3.3% in July.

“Rising crude oil and petrol prices increased both the annual cost of raw materials and the price of goods leaving factories respectively.”

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John Healey in talks with Canada about UK joining new global defence bank
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026

Exclusive: Britain is understood to have been formally invited to become founding member of multilateral lender

John Healey is in talks with the Canadian government about joining a new global defence bank intended to help allies rearm to counter mounting security threats, just weeks after Rachel Reeves rejected the move.

The chancellor is understood to be actively considering a bid to join the proposed Canada-led defence, security and resilience bank (DSRB), which proponents say could help the UK fund defence projects at lower cost, before planned talks with his Canadian counterpart this week.

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Revealed: the UK towns with the fewest jobs for young people
Posted on Wednesday September 16, 2026

Rotherham has 46 online vacancies for every 1,000 young people but there are 288 in Cotswold district council area

Young people in Rotherham face a local jobs market with the fewest suitable opportunities in Britain, according to a report that warns stark regional divisions are fuelling a crisis in youth work.

As ministers push to combat rising youth unemployment, the analysis from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) showed young people faced a tougher challenge in some parts of the country to find work than in others.

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Expect even more potholes on UK roads after summer heatwaves, says RAC
Posted on Wednesday September 16, 2026

Extreme weather has made brittle road surfaces more likely to crack, increasing strain on infrastructure

The UK’s dilapidated roads are expected to get even worse, with motorists warned to expect a jump in the number of potholes as result of the country’s hottest summer on record.

Potholes are commonly assumed to be caused by cold or wet weather, but long periods of heat can also create long-lasting damage on the roads, according to the RAC.

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Anthropic CEO renews call for AI slowdown as Nvidia’s urges acceleration
Posted on Wednesday September 16, 2026

At San Francisco conference, OpenAI chief Sam Altman calls for more rigorous security measures

Anthropic’s CEO took the stage at a conference in San Francisco on Tuesday to reiterate his call for a slowdown of AI development, while Nvidia’s CEO argued against such deceleration.

Dario Amodei used an automotive analogy to make his point: when a competing car company has a safety incident like brake failures, it is a moment for all car companies to stop and review their own practices, he said at Salesforce’s Dreamforce convention on Tuesday.

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Could AI really wipe out humanity – six experts spell out the risks
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026

We examine claims and counterclaims about the risks and calls to slow down the pace of AI development

There have been some shocking claims in recent days about AI safety: we face a 10% chance of doom; AIs are worse than nukes; a “botnet” threatens the entire internet; it’s all a big tech psyop.

Below, we look at six claims and reactions to them.

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Xhaka promises ‘fire’ from Sunderland on long-awaited return to Europe
Posted on Wednesday September 16, 2026

Captain looking forward to intimidating atmosphere when Wearsiders host AZ, after 53 years away

When Sunderland last played European football, club directors viewed it as a useful means of raising the cash necessary to fund floodlight upgrades at Roker Park necessitated by England’s widespread adoption of colour television.

Back in the autumn of 1973 a lighting system compatible with the demands of broadcasting in black and white was proving increasingly outdated and Sunderland responded by doubling admission prices for the second leg of their opening European Cup Winners’ Cup tie against Vasas of Budapest. Coming at a moment when miners and railway workers were engaged in long-running industrial action and north-easterners’ finances were duly tight, it dictated that a disappointing crowd of under 23,000 turned out to watch Dennis Tueart’s penalty secure a 3-0 aggregate win.

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Szoboszlai screamer seals Liverpool’s progress as De Zerbi’s Spurs woes grow
Posted on Tuesday September 15, 2026

Tottenham scored and Roberto De Zerbi eulogised the quality at his disposal, yet try telling Spurs’ suffering away support there was consolation to be found at Anfield. Liverpool toyed with De Zerbi by advancing into round four with a quality of finishing that he can only dream of.

While the Spurs head coach talked a good game and his players played a pretty one in harmless areas, Liverpool produced the only effective one. Alexis Mac Allister promoted his claims for a new contract for the second midweek in succession with an excellent strike and Cody Gakpo continued his fine early season form with a smart second plus an assist. But both were overshadowed by Dominik Szoboszlai’s stupendous 25-yard finish in stoppage time.

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