Today’s UK interest rate rise unlikely to be the last unless Iran war ends, Bank of England warns – business live
Posted on Thursday November 05, 2026

UK hit by first interest rate rise in three years, as Bank predicts inflation will approach 5% by middle of 2027

UK government bond prices are also rallying today.

This has pushed down the yield, or rate of return, on UK 10-year gilts by 4 basis points (0.04 of a percentage point) to the lowest since August 28, below 5.1%.

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Bomb threats disrupt at least 15 flights across Europe, raising hybrid war fears
Posted on Thursday November 05, 2026

Planes forced into emergency landings or diversions two days after hoax alerts affected air travel

• Europe live – latest updates

Bomb threats have caused diversions and emergency landings for at least 15 flights across Europe, renewing questions about a possibly coordinated effort to disrupt travel.

The series of warnings on Thursday morning affected flights between Italy, Ireland, the UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Greece and Czechia.

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BT cuts almost 8,000 jobs amid sweeping cost-saving programme
Posted on Thursday November 05, 2026

Telecoms group reports £1.1bn pre-tax profit in six months to end of September and share price touches five-year high

• Business live – latest updates

BT has cut almost 8,000 jobs since the end of March as it pushes ahead with sweeping cost reductions across the business.

The telecoms group said its workforce had fallen by 7,731 to 90,000, excluding staff in its international business, which is being spun out in a joint venture with the US telecoms company Verizon. It had a workforce of about 130,000 people, including contractors, two years ago.

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Debt of poorest countries at record $9.4tn high, World Bank data shows
Posted on Thursday November 05, 2026

Cost of servicing external debt is preventing developing countries from investing for future

Debt owed by developing countries rose to a record $9.4tn (£7tn) last year, with the poorest paying the highest interest rates since the late 1980s, World Bank data shows.

The UK government is preparing to champion a “new drive on debt” as part of its presidency of the G20 next year – a move the prime minister, Andy Burnham, has linked to confronting the legacy of slavery.

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UK found to be ‘dangerously’ reliant on China for critical minerals needed for defence and AI
Posted on Thursday November 05, 2026

Delivering net zero also at risk, say MPs as they call for centralised policy and funding for mines and diversification

The UK is “dangerously” dependent on China for critical raw materials needed for the military, renewable energy infrastructure and AI, a parliamentary investigation has found.

MPs on the business select committee called for an urgent centralised policy and the creation of a “critical minerals finance facility” to help fund rare earth and other critical mineral mines, and deploy grants, equity and debt to accelerate a diversification programme.

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Apple iPad mini A20 Pro review: the best small tablet but with a big price
Posted on Thursday November 05, 2026

All-round upgrades fit a bigger OLED screen in a smaller and lighter body with water resistance for first time

The new iPad mini takes Apple’s fan-favourite tiny tablet and upgrades just about everything about it, including giving it a new OLED screen, serious performance, speakers embedded into the display and even water resistance, all with a big new price tag.

The eighth-generation iPad mini costs from £699 (€749/$699/A$1,099), which is £200 or equivalent more than the original price of its predecessor as RAMageddon continues to bite. That makes it uncomfortably expensive, costing £270 more than the base model iPad (A16) and only £50 cheaper than the bigger 11in iPad Air M4.

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Cristiano Ronaldo merely the latest example of a great player who couldn’t let go | Jonathan Wilson
Posted on Thursday November 05, 2026

There is no doubt his international career was an incredible one, but it would have been greater still if he had not lingered on the stage so long

Nothing, perhaps, is quite so difficult for an elite sportsperson as timing their exit. It’s not easy for any person in any job to weigh the hope of having more to give with the desire not to linger beyond their usefulness, but it’s perhaps particularly hard for top athletes because unrealistic self-confidence is so essential to their success. It takes an almost unhealthy level of self-belief for anybody to make the sacrifices to get to the top, to dedicate themselves to such a precarious vocation, to overcome all the setbacks and injuries and failures. How can someone – whose whole life has been spent assuring themselves there are no odds they cannot overcome – accept that is it, that the time has come to say goodbye?

The news that Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football brings with it, inevitably, a sadness. Sadness we will no longer see him skipping past a defender, or burying a neck-thrusting header, and sadness in that the end of the career of any great is a reminder of mortality; all things in time must pass. But there is also a sadness he timed his departure so badly. For at least three tournaments, there has been a sense of Ronaldo holding Portugal back.

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Tom Curry a major injury doubt for England with twin Ben poised to step up against Australia
Posted on Thursday November 05, 2026

• Tom Curry injured during training on Wednesday

• Brother Ben has not played for England since 2025

Tom Curry has emerged as a major doubt for England’s autumn opener against Australia on Sunday, handing Steve Borthwick a huge blow before a crucial November campaign, with twin brother Ben leading the race to start at openside flanker.

It is understood that Tom Curry sustained his latest injury during Wednesday’s full bore training session, throwing Borthwick’s plans for his back-row configuration into disarray. Borthwick will finalise his team selection before announcing it on Friday afternoon but as things stand, Ben is in pole position to wear the No7 jersey.

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