Stock markets plunge after oil surges over $100 a barrel, wiping out hopes of UK interest rate cut – business live
Posted on Monday March 09, 2026

Shares slide and government bond yields jump, as oil price jump to four-year high threatens new inflationary spikeIran war drives oil prices above $100 a barrel for first time since 2022Research show that poorer people are hit hardest by surging oil prices.As our economics editor Heather Stewart wrote yesterday:Recent research published by economists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst identified energy, along with food and agriculture as among the commodities that had “a disproportionate capacity to increase inequality when their prices rise”.Where there are benefits, these are narrowly shared. Another striking recent paper showed that after the 2022 oil price surge in the US, 50% of the windfall benefit from higher prices in the sector went to the wealthiest 1% of individuals, via the stock market. The bottom 50% of people received only 1%. Continue reading...

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Yorkshire Water receives fresh funding despite sewage fines and pay row
Posted on Monday March 09, 2026

Private equity group EQT to take 42% stake as supplier faces scrutiny over environmental record and CEO’s payBusiness live – latest updatesA leading European investor will pump fresh funding into Yorkshire Water including helping to cover a £600m loan, despite recent heavy sewage fines and a scandal over executive pay at the utility firm.EQT, a Swedish private equity group, said on Monday it would take a 42% stake in Kelda Holdings, the Jersey-registered parent company of Yorkshire Water, which has 5.7 million customers across Yorkshire and parts of the East Midlands and Lincolnshire. Continue reading...

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Britain’s job market ‘floundering’ as companies remain cautious about hiring
Posted on Monday March 09, 2026

Data shows labour market is still in a fragile position due to economic uncertainty, with few signs of recoveryBritain’s jobs market is “floundering” amid weak hiring demand, with only limited signs of recovery, data has revealed.Companies remain cautious about hiring staff amid cost pressures and economic uncertainty, according to two reports released on Monday. They show the labour market continues to be in a fragile position. Continue reading...

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ChatGPT driving rise in reports of ‘satanic’ organised ritual abuse, UK experts say
Posted on Sunday March 08, 2026

Exclusive: ‘Witchcraft, spirit possession and spiritual abuse’ offending typified by sexual abuse, violence and neglectChatGPT is driving a rise in reports of organised ritual abuse, UK experts have said, as survivors of “satanic” sexual violence use the AI tool for therapy.Police say organised ritual abuse and “witchcraft, spirit possession and spiritual abuse” (WSPRA) against children is under-reported in the UK. There is no modern-day charge that covers it specifically, but such offending is typified by sexual abuse, violence and neglect involving ritualistic elements – sometimes inspired by satanism, fascism or esoteric religious beliefs – to control victims. Continue reading...

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AI allows hackers to identify anonymous social media accounts, study finds
Posted on Sunday March 08, 2026

New research suggests tech behind AI platforms such as ChatGPT makes it easier to perform sophisticated privacy attacksAI has made it vastly easier for malicious hackers to identify anonymous social media accounts, a new study has warned.In most test scenarios, large language models (LLMs) – the technology behind platforms such as ChatGPT – successfully matched anonymous online users with their actual identities on other platforms, based on the information they posted. Continue reading...

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England running through quicksand of misery with Borthwick fighting for job in Paris
Posted on Monday March 09, 2026

Defeat in Italy confirmed this is a fast-developing crisis with supporters watching a team stuck on the boulevard of broken dreamsEven before the final weekend unfolds the 2026 Six Nations can be adjudged already as a vintage one. Three teams mathematically remain in the title race and all of them are still full of running. Whether it is France, Ireland or Scotland who ultimately pull clear, an eventful championship this year will be remembered fondly by almost everybody.For every beaming winner, though, there inevitably has to be a frustrated, bruised loser. And to put it mildly things have not unfolded in the way England were hoping just a few short weeks ago. “On 14 March in Paris we want to be in a position entering that game where we can achieve what we’re all aiming to achieve,” Steve Borthwick said on 23 January. “We want England fans flooding across the Channel to watch the team in a massive encounter in the final round with the opportunity to achieve what we want.” Continue reading...

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FA Cup fifth round: talking points from the weekend’s action
Posted on Monday March 09, 2026

Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha staked their claim for more game time while Fulham paid for a lack of ambitionPort Vale have only ever reached the last eight of the FA Cup once before in their entire history, in 1953-54, when they went one stage further, losing the semi-final at Villa Park 2-1 to West Brom thanks to a much-disputed winning goal. If only VAR had been present then, you might say. In their fifth-round victory over Sunderland this weekend, they were also unfortunate despite the presence of technology. Why was referee Anthony Taylor not asked to go and check the TV monitor when George Hall was cynically taken out by the Sunderland goalkeeper Melkor Ellberg, just outside the penalty area with the match on a knife-edge? Even if the striker’s run was going away from goal, he surely had the pace to have got a shot away. Let’s hope VAR give the remaining lower-division teams fair shrift when it comes to the rest of the competition. Peter LansleyMatch report: Port Vale 1-0 SunderlandMatch report: Mansfield Town 1-2 ArsenalMatch report: Newcastle 1-3 Manchester CityMatch report: Wrexham 2-4 Chelsea (aet)Match report: Wolves 1-3 LiverpoolMatch report: Fulham 0-1 Southampton Continue reading...

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