Bank of England governor walks out of IMF summit in protest against Russia
Posted on Saturday October 17, 2026

Andrew Bailey among finance leaders to leave session in Bangkok when Russian finance minister addressed group

The Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, has taken part in a walkout of finance leaders who left an International Monetary Fund meeting in protest against Russian involvement.

Bailey joined counterparts from France, Germany and a number of Scandinavian and Baltic countries who left the session in Bangkok when the Russian finance minister, Anton Siluanov, addressed the group in Russian.

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Plan to make firms pay more to train older workers than youth apprentices in England
Posted on Saturday October 17, 2026

Exclusive: Ministers considering overhaul of apprenticeship funding scheme to tackle youth jobs crisis

Employers in England are to be forced to pay more to train an older worker than a youth apprentice under plans being drawn up by the government to tackle the youth jobs crisis.

The Guardian understands ministers plan to overhaul Labour’s apprenticeship funding scheme to increase the cost of training by 25% for a worker over the age of 25 in order to encourage businesses to train young people instead.

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The power of AI is worrying senior Labour figures – as is the fear of ‘falling behind the public’
Posted on Saturday October 17, 2026

Westminster appears to be waking up to warnings over AI safety, with concerns over its use by extremist groups and bad actors

“I have this sense that, within a few months, AI is going to be all anyone is talking about,” said one cabinet minister, with an ominous stare.

It was Labour conference, with everyone from ministers to activists jubilant at Andy Burnham’s takeover and a bounce in the polls after the change of leader.

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From 3,000 feathers to pet portraits, Rolls-Royce rides high on custom craze
Posted on Saturday October 17, 2026

In our second in a series on high-end UK manufacturing, we visit the artisans producing rich clients’ bespoke luxury cars

• ‘Our town is making jeans again’: meet the firm reviving jobs and skills in Wales

They are the plaything of kings, presidents and A-listers, with Rolls-Royce enthusiasts ranging from the Sultan of Brunei to Rowan Atkinson, from King Charles III to Kermit the frog.

And at the carmaker’s factory in Goodwood, West Sussex, special requests from customers get more indulgent every year. An interior lined with 3,000 iridescent feathers, or a built-in champagne cooler, or a car built in homage to its owners’ dog, have all become part of the job.

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Palantir patient data tech rejected by many NHS trusts in England
Posted on Saturday October 17, 2026

Exclusive: health bodies across country say controversial US firm’s data platform no better than systems already in use

NHS organisations that care for millions of people in England are rejecting Palantir’s patient data technology, according to freedom of information responses that reveal health bosses believe they can find better or equal alternatives in many cases.

Some health bodies said the £330m federated data platform (FDP) operated by the controversial US company had made it easier to manage waiting lists and has improved surgery scheduling. But, from Gateshead to Truro, others said they were declining to use it or had carried out trials and reverted to old systems. A Suffolk trust said other systems “supercede” the FDP’s functionality, while Greater Manchester’s care board called the Palantir system “duplicative” and “retrograde”.

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Fake Linda and me: the Agatha Christie-worthy mystery of the fraudster who stole my byline
Posted on Saturday October 17, 2026

How a string of bizarre events led writer Linda Geddes to don her sleuthing cap and dig into a world of shadowy impersonators

It started with an entirely ordinary interaction on LinkedIn. Someone had tagged me in a post, saying how much they’d enjoyed contributing to a New York Post article I’d written about “chronoworking”. As the author of a book about circadian rhythms, it was exactly the sort of subject I might write about. Except I’d never heard of this person, let alone interviewed them.

I clicked on the link and my stomach dropped. There, above an article about people who organise their working lives around their biological clocks, was my name: Linda Geddes.

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Daniel Dubois v Fabio Wardley II: WBO heavyweight title fight – live
Posted on Saturday October 17, 2026

• Updates from rematch at the O2 Arena in London

• Preview: Wardley predicts ‘crazy night’ | Email Alex

It was surreal watching the referee refuse to accept the white towel flung into the ring to save Dan Garber from shipping further punishment against Adam Olaniyan, the promising young Irish heavyweight. Garber is 41 and it was bizarre to watch Amy Pu shake her head and kick the towel away. The next time the old heavyweight went down his corner pleaded with him not to get back up and Pu finally waved it off. It seems pretty obvious that a referee should always listen to a trainer who wants to protect a clearly beaten fighter.

Luke Littler, meanwhile, has just turned up and lingered awhile next to our row of press seats close to the ring. I’ve interviewed Luke before and he is not the easiest interviewee in the world and so, like all my other respectful colleagues, we left him in peace and didn’t ask for his Dubois-Wardley prediction.

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Manzambi maintains Aston Villa progress with win to seal dismal week for Newcastle
Posted on Saturday October 17, 2026

There is a reason why Aston Villa were so desperate to hijack Johan Manzambi’s proposed summer move from Freiburg to Newcastle. The tall, quick, tricky, clever and perfectly balanced 21-year-old Switzerland attacking midfielder looked worth every penny of the record £50m plus fee Villa ended up paying and he duly delighted in showing Tynesiders what they missed.

For Newcastle and their disconsolate manager, Matthias Jaissle, there was a cruel irony that Manzambi ended up heading the winner on a day when the Premier League’s CEO, Richard Masters, was in the directors’ box to watch arguably the two teams most affected by the spending rules imposed during his tenure.

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