Only the Middle East crisis is preventing a drop in UK interest rates Bank’s wariness about inflationary pressures from the conflict lie behind decision to hold steady at 3.75%Wire*·July 30, 2026
HMRC fines Airbus £6.4m for breaching rules on export of sensitive technologyManufacturer self-reported the offences in the tax authority’s largest such out-of-court settlementWire*·July 30, 2026
England on track for record heat-related deaths this summer, official data showsUKHSA estimates 2,877 fatalities during heatwaves in May and June, almost twice that recorded in 2025 seasonWire*·July 30, 2026
Lloyds Bank to cut £2bn in costs as part of AI-powered strategyChief executive says the four-year plan will lead to greater efficiency but gives no details of potential job lossesWire*·July 30, 2026
US borrowing costs hit 19-year high as Fed holds interest ratesBank’s chair pledges to keep up fight against inflation but decision brings fears of a failure to keep paceWire*·July 30, 2026
‘Grey lump with orange wings’: hummingbird hawk-moths descend on UK gardensBoom in hummingbird hawk-moth sightings put down to hot weather, strong winds and food scarcity in EuropeWire*·July 30, 2026
Shell’s profits more than double after jump in oil and gas pricesEnvironmentalists renew calls for windfall tax to support households after Q2 earnings rise to almost $10bnWire*·July 30, 2026
‘It’s irreplaceable’: Fury over Reform plans to expand quarry in ancient Kent woodlandForty hectares of Oaken Wood could be razed after it was identified as potential site of expansion by Reform-run councilWire*·July 30, 2026
Country diary: A trip down Dungeon Lane for Beatles nostalgia and coastal beauty<strong>Liverpool:</strong> Paul McCartney’s latest album has brought tourists here ,but there’s so much more to see than the signWire*·July 30, 2026
‘It makes you feel you’ve got a really dirty house’: what’s behind the UK’s plagues of flies?From Leicestershire to Carmarthenshire, neighbourhoods are struggling with wave after wave of houseflies. Why are they suffering while others are spared? And is there no alternative to nets and zappers?Wire*·July 30, 2026
Carmakers ‘delaying investment in UK factories until EV sales rules relaxed’Industry wants mandate forcing manufacturers to sell increasing share of electric cars each year to be easedWire*·July 30, 2026
Meta misses earnings forecasts after Zuckerberg media push to promote AIStock tumbles nearly 8% after weaker-than-expected results, despite CEO’s blitz to tout positive effects of AIWire*·July 29, 2026
Fed holds interest rates steady despite Trump’s renewed calls to lower themRates remain unchanged for fifth time since December as tenuous Iran peace deal pushes energy prices up againWire*·July 29, 2026
Hackers steal sensitive data from UK Department for Education and policeDetails of parents and staff, including email addresses and phone numbers, are among data taken by cybercriminalsWire*·July 29, 2026
Excessive time spent online linked to stress and worse mood – studyGerman study surveyed adults who engage in gaming, pornography and online shoppingWire*·July 29, 2026
TfL brings case worth up to £1bn against carmakers over Ulez complianceTransport for London claims polluting diesel vehicles had been able to enter clean air zone without having to payWire*·July 29, 2026
Shameful treatment of vulnerable families in heatwaveLetters: <strong>Fernando Quintana Marrero </strong>responds to a report about children housed in a building in London becoming sick after families were denied air conditioningWire*·July 29, 2026
Reclaiming your peace on WhatsAppLetters: Tallis Morris and Kim Ware respond to Polly Hudson’s article about the blue tick ‘message read’ optionWire*·July 29, 2026
FTSE 100 hits record high despite AI sell-off Strong corporate results buoy market as investors move money away from tech and semiconductor stocksWire*·July 29, 2026
The likelihood of the RBA raising interest rates has fallen. Have we finally come to our senses?The latest inflation figures have put off the expectation of another rate rise until early next year – unless we look for an excuse for the RBA to move earlierWire*·July 29, 2026
The population of an endangered Australian bat suddenly dropped by up to 16%. No one knows why<strong>Exclusive:</strong> Scientists say about 5,000 fewer southern bent-wing bats have been recorded at a key maternity site for the speciesWire*·July 29, 2026
Atlassian tightens tracking of staff AI use as other technology firms encourage ‘tokenmaxxing’Some companies reportedly using leaderboards for employees who used the most AI in their workWire*·July 29, 2026
Oil jumps after Iran attempts ‘surprise attack’; chip stocks slump further as AI sell-off continues – as it happenedRolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsWire*·July 29, 2026
Half of England officially in ‘exceptionally serious’ droughtEnvironment Agency names seven regions affected by unusually hot and dry weather and shortage of waterWire*·July 29, 2026
Rogue OpenAI agent that hacked startup tried to attack other firmsChatGPT developer says activity by autonomous tool was not at severity or scale of what occurred at Hugging FaceWire*·July 29, 2026
