Jim Ratcliffe halts production at Hull chemical plants over ‘ridiculous’ gas prices
Billionaire industrialist Sir Jim Ratcliffe is pausing production at three chemical plants in Hull, blaming the UK’s “ridiculously high” gas prices.
Economy
High-mileage electric cars are more reliable than petrol ones, study finds
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.
EU spends three times more on imports from China than bloc exports there
Consumers and businesses in the EU are spending three times more on Chinese imports than their counterparts in China are buying from the bloc, a study has shown.
OpenAI’s George Osborne says datacentre nimbys holding back Britain
Former chancellor, now senior figure at OpenAI, says UK needs datacentres to maintain ‘sovereignty’ over AI tech
UK borrows £18bn in August, putting pressure on Healey before budget
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.
Fancy a pint … at Lidl? The bizarre battle over Northern Ireland’s stifled nightlife
The country’s licensing laws mean the supermarket has opened a pub so it can sell alcohol, while campaigners are fighting to help other venues open and get people dancing
Deutsche Bank shifts to two BoE rate hikes. Here’s why
Markets spent Thursday digesting the fallout from Wednesday's Federal Reserve rate hike, with Goldman Sachs among the first to revise its outlook, moving up its call for the next increase to the October 27 to 28 meeting…
Debt advice warning: spot the red flags
Free debt advice is available to everyone. However, the FCA is concerned that some consumers are being steered towards fee-paying debt solutions that may not be suitable for their needs, sometimes through high pressure …
Trump seeks ‘massive’ Belarus fertiliser deal amid Canada trade war
Trump’s announcement on Russia ally comes as he steps up his trade war with Canada, a long-term US ally and top supplier of potash
Borrowing surge puts pressure on chancellor ahead of Budget
The government borrowed more than expected in August, as persistently higher inflation pushed up overall spending.
Halt super-intelligent AI with non-proliferation treaty, Ed Davey to say
Ed Davey is to call for a global nuclear-style non-proliferation treaty to halt the development of super-intelligent AI when he makes his keynote speech at the Liberal Democrat conference, accusing Andy Burnham of relyi…
Black Tesla employees accuse company of fostering racial discrimination in major trial
Lawyers say Black employees at Tesla experienced ‘rampant racism’ that was left unchecked for years at their flagship factory in California
Fed’s Musalem says more rate hikes likely needed to curb inflation
St. Louis Federal Reserve (Fed) President Alberto Musalem said interest rates likely need to rise further to tame inflation that is both demand- and supply-driven. He warned that without more policy restraint, inflation…
Paramount settles lawsuits with 12 US states, clearing way for Warner merger
States including California and New York sued over concerns of ‘extinguishing competition’ with $81bn merger
‘Half my day’s pay goes to filling up my car now’: diesel crisis ripples across Britain
The smoke rising from the Kapotnya oil refinery to the south-east of Moscow marks one of Ukraine’s biggest air raids on the Russian capital since the start of the war, and the latest salvo in an energy crisis that threa…
FCA and partners join forces to help improve financial security for millions
Around 58% of adults have no life insurance, critical illness cover or income protection – and 59% of that group has never considered it. This means that millions could be left vulnerable in the event of a death in the …
Airlines urge action after UK flights delayed and cancelled again
Nats says fault at Prestwick has been ‘fixed’ after airports in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland are hit
FCA takes Hunter Jones to High Court over alleged unauthorised activity
The FCA has begun High Court proceedings against Osborne Baldwin Limited, which trades as Hunter Jones and Hunter Jones Group.
Google fined more than €400m by Irish regulator over its use of location data
Google has been fined more than €400m (£345m) over the way it processed users’ location data, following claims that the tech giant had manipulated users into agreeing to be constantly tracked on their mobile phones.
Eurosystem brings central bank money to tokenised finance
The Eurosystem today launched Pontes, a solution that enables wholesale transactions in tokenised assets to be settled in central bank money. Pontes is the first initiative under the Eurosystem’s strategic programme to …
Fears over interest rate rise and jobs send UK consumer confidence to three-year low
Fears of a steep rise in mortgage payments and increasing job insecurity have sent UK consumer confidence tumbling to a three-month low, according to a leading survey.
Nvidia boss says there is ‘0% chance’ AI destroys the world by 2030
The boss of the chipmaker Nvidia has said AI will not develop to a point that will lead to the extinction of the human race within a few years, rejecting such assertions as overblown “doomsday narratives”.
Bank of England announces new office space in Leeds
The Bank of England has secured a new long-term premises in Leeds, marking a major milestone in its commitment to build its presence in the region.
Foreign Currency Reserves 2026 – Market Notice 21 September 2026
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