Bank of England governor would have put off Farage meeting had £5m gift been under investigation
Posted on Wednesday July 15, 2026

Exclusive: Andrew Bailey says he does not regret meeting Reform UK leader to discuss cryptocurrency regulation

The Bank of England governor has said he would have put off a meeting with Nigel Farage last autumn had the Reform UK leader’s £5m gift from a crypto billionaire been under investigation at the time.

Andrew Bailey said he did not regret meeting Farage to discuss the Bank’s plans for cryptocurrency regulation last September, months before the controversial donation from the Thailand-based investor Christopher Harborne was revealed by the Guardian in April.

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Nationwide customer vows to fight on after failed attempt to join board
Posted on Wednesday July 15, 2026

James Sherwin-Smith says he will launch fresh campaign for change at the building society after losing vote at AGM

A Nationwide customer has vowed to fight on after losing a historic attempt to join its board and is plotting a fresh campaign to boost democracy at the building society.

James Sherwin-Smith secured about 12.5% of the vote, representing support from 75,939 Nationwide members, at the mutual’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.

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Stonegate pub and bar chain investigated over ‘unfair’ treatment of landlords
Posted on Wednesday July 15, 2026

Pubs code adjudicator says it has reasonable grounds to believe group has breached industry regulations

The owner of the Slug & Lettuce and Be At One chains is being investigated over concerns about possible “unfair” treatment of landlords who run more than 3,000 of its venues.

Stonegate Group, Britain’s biggest chain of bars and pubs, could be fined up to 1% of revenue, more than £16m, if it is found to have breached the “pubs code”, legislation governing how pub-owning companies treat their tenants.

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China’s economy grows at 4.3%, one of its lowest rates on record
Posted on Wednesday July 15, 2026

Worse-than-expected figures for three months to June come amid concerns over lopsided economy

• Business live – latest updates

China has posted worse-than-expected growth figures for the three months to June as its economy expanded by just 4.3% – one of its lowest quarterly readings on record.

The rate, which came in under the government’s target of 4.5% to 5%, was one of the weakest since reporting on official quarterly GDP figures began in the early 1990s.

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UK 16- and 17-year-olds to be encouraged to follow midnight social media curfew
Posted on Tuesday July 14, 2026

Midnight to 6am block on some apps is latest stage of Labour’s bid to protect young people from online harms

Sixteen and 17-year-olds are to be encouraged to observe a midnight social media curfew, in the latest stage of Labour’s bid “to protect the next generation” from online harms, including poor sleep caused by night-time scrolling.

From next spring, Britain’s oldest children will be urged to refrain from using certain apps with a midnight to 6am block being switched on by default. But the curfew will not be mandatory and can be overridden. The move is an extension of the under-16 social media ban announced last month, which included restrictions on platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.

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Meta used AI to tag workers who took leave to be laid off, lawsuit claims
Posted on Tuesday July 14, 2026

Lawsuit filed by dozens of employees says people who took maternity or disability leave were disproportionately selected for layoffs

Dozens of Meta employees have sued the social media company over claims that it used artificial intelligence tools to tag workers for mass layoffs. The workers allege that those AI tools targeted them after they asked for protected or maternity leave or disability accommodation.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in the northern district of California, points to Meta’s workforce reduction of about 8,000 employees earlier this year. Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The suit alleges that Meta used a “constellation of internal artificial intelligence systems”, including AI performance ratings and keystroke- and activity-monitoring data, to pinpoint who to lay off.

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England v Argentina: World Cup 2026 semi-final – live
Posted on Wednesday July 15, 2026

⚽ Kick-off in Atlanta is 3pm EST/8pm BST/5am AEST
⚽ The semi-final – in pictures | Golden Boot | Player guide

England’s defenders will face an extreme challenge when they come up against Lionel Messi in their World Cup semi-final. It is not just that he is the greatest player of all time but the almost unique way in which he plays.

The 39-year-old is renowned for ambling around for much of a game, saving his energy for when truly required. It makes him incredibly difficult to defend against. Messi finds pockets of space that appear harmless when the ball is not in his orbit, but he springs to life when an opportunity to produce presents itself.

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Wærenskjold wins fastest ever Tour de France stage in frenzied sprint to Nevers
Posted on Wednesday July 15, 2026

• Alaphilippe gets in breakaway before being reeled in

• Pidcock’s rollercoaster ride continues on return to Tour

The records keep tumbling in the 2026 Tour de France. After race leader Tadej Pogacar shattered the record for the fastest climb of the Col du Tourmalet, Norwegian sprinter Søren Wærenskjold won the fastest-ever road stage, in a frenzied sprint into Nevers.

Pogacar revealed his stage had not been entirely straightforward. “I ran over a loose bottle with my front wheel and almost crashed,” he said. “I completely shat my pants there. Luckily, I managed to keep my handlebars upright. It’s nice to have days like this, but you still have to keep your focus throughout the stage.”

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