Tech stock sell-off intensifies as markets fret about AI; UK growth beats forecasts in August – business live
Posted on Thursday October 15, 2026

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

Britain’s manufacturers drove the economy forwards in August.

Today’s GDP report shows that the growth in August was driven by a 0.8% growth in production – including a 1.2% jump in manufacturing output.

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UK households have paid extra £13,961 on bills since 2021 amid soaring inflation, TUC says
Posted on Thursday October 15, 2026

Trades Union Congress urges chancellor to tackle rising additional living costs in this month’s budget

UK households have paid almost £14,000 on average in additional costs for mortgages, loans, energy and water bills over the past five years, according to a report urging the chancellor to tackle soaring living costs at the budget.

With less than a fortnight before John Healey’s first budget as chancellor, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said the cost of living crisis was weighing on the economy as hard-pressed households held back on spending.

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UK hospitality sector to offer up to 100,000 jobs to young people out of work
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Restaurants and pubs such as Nando’s and Fuller’s will create placements for 18- to 24-year-olds under DWP-backed scheme

Bars, clubs and restaurants will offer up to 100,000 jobs to young people not in employment, education or training (Neet) over the next three years in an effort to give them a first step on the ladder into work.

The move comes before the publication of a report on Neets by the former health secretary Alan Milburn, who has warned that the number of young people not in work or education in the UK could rise to 1.25 million over the next five years unless ministers intervene.

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Poland looks to economic heights in a country transformed since Soviet days
Posted on Thursday October 15, 2026

In the final part of our series on the country, Poles tell how wages have soared – along with the cost of living

Above the rain-soaked streets of Warsaw, the observation deck of the Varso tower overlooks Joseph Stalin’s gift to Poland that has divided opinion for decades.

For some, the Soviet-era Palace of Culture and Science is a drunk confectioner’s nightmare; standing as a relic of oppression that should have been demolished. For others, it is an icon on the skyline and a monumental warning from history.

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The eyes have it: Reform politician’s ‘smart glasses’ prompt calls for ban in Westminster
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Jason O’Connell’s suspected use of the specs to aid his speech in Senedd reignites debate over AI-enabled devices

It was a flowing speech packed full of precise statistics – but Jason O’Connell, a Reform UK Senedd member, was not quite the gifted orator he had first appeared. The periodic flashing in his spectacles seemed to give the game away as he spoke for five minutes in the Senedd chamber without a glance at his notes.

“Cardiff reviewed 192 roads, following 933 requests, and only four routes have returned to 30mph,” he said as he led the party’s charge to abolish 20mph traffic zones. “£38.3m wasted to implement this policy and up to £8.9bn in an act of economic self-harm.”

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Could AI ‘change the stakes’ in the development of bioweapons?
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

Experts say the technology could help terrorists and nation states with production but that significant hurdles remain

In his annual speech on threats to the nation, Sir Ken McCallum, the head of the UK’s intelligence service, MI5, warned that AI had the potential to “change the stakes” on existing and even new bioweapons. Here we look at how AI might help in the development of bioweapons and the hurdles that remain.

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Quickfire Doué and Dembélé inspire PSG to thrilling win at Manchester City
Posted on Wednesday October 14, 2026

A penny for Pep Guardiola’s thoughts. The legendary Manchester City manager was back at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since his departure at the end of last season and, well, the announcement of you-know-what.

Sporting a flat cap, Guardiola took his seat in the stands behind the City chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, and the chief executive, Ferran “Not” Soriano, and, certainly, the TV director seemed intent on scrutinising him – if the number of cutaway shots to him were any guide.

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Martínez has drawn back the curtain on Manchester United’s ruinous ownership | Jonathan Liew
Posted on Thursday October 15, 2026

Defender may not be blameless in team’s struggles but his criticism goes to the heart of what has gone wrong at the club

Heartbreaking: the worst defender you know just made a great point. And no, nobody would describe Lisandro Martínez as the ideal person to scrutinise Manchester United’s indifferent start to the season, given that his high-profile defensive errors against Fulham and Tottenham are partly responsible for it. “We’re all trying to find the guy who did this,” Martínez burbles on Amazon Prime after United’s 2-0 defeat by Atlético Madrid on Tuesday night, dressed in a hot dog costume and throwing his arms out in mock innocence.

For those with no interest in engaging with what Martínez actually had to say, this alone will be sufficient grounds to ignore him. Already you can sense the squeamishness of former players for whom the violation of an omertà is the real cardinal sin here, a phantom limb that still tingles years after they last stepped into a dressing room. “Disrespectful,” reckoned Wayne Rooney. “I don’t feel like he’s got the right,” agreed Ashley Young. “These things don’t end well, man,” Rio Ferdinand observed on his podcast.

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