Business
Government on track to lower minimum age for train drivers to 18 in Great Britain
Posted on Sunday February 08, 2026
Labour will introduce legislation to cut threshold from 20 in effort to head off looming shortagesLabour will introduce legislation to lower the minimum age for train drivers to 18 in the House of Commons this week, as figures show fewer than 3% of drivers on Great Britain’s railways are under 30.The government is pressing ahead with its proposals for teenage recruits, lowering the minimum age from 20, in a move that ministers hope will stave off a potential shortage of thousands of drivers. Continue reading...
Bank chairs backtracking on climate commitments could face shareholder revolts
Posted on Sunday February 08, 2026
Exclusive: Campaign group calls on institutional shareholders to vote against re-election of bosses overseeing net zero row-backBank chairs who water down their lenders’ climate commitments this year could face embarrassing shareholder revolts as campaigners try to hold bosses to account for environmental backtracking.ShareAction, a campaign group for responsible investment, will be issuing detailed reports to pension funds and asset managers in the coming weeks, outlining whether 34 of the world’s largest lenders are sticking to their climate goals. Continue reading...
‘It has to be amazing’: Liberty links with Bridgerton as it capitalises on maximalist trend
Posted on Sunday February 08, 2026
Department store’s retail boss reveals how it is thriving by focusing on unique items and tie-ups from Adidas to Grayson PerryOn a damp Thursday in central London, shoppers have fled the rain to indulge in some Bridgerton-themed escapism at upmarket department store Liberty, which has dedicated its fourth floor to the raunchy period drama.“When customers come to Liberty they want the discovery of new brands or something a bit different,” says Lydia King, Liberty’s new retail managing director. Continue reading...
Opinion
Technology
‘I fell into it’: ex-criminal hackers urge Manchester pupils to use web skills for good
Posted on Sunday February 08, 2026
Initiative aims to identify proficient gamers and coders who can help companies identify flaws in their cybersecurity Cybercriminals, the shadowy online figures often depicted in Hollywood movies as hooded villains capable of wiping millions of pounds off the value of businesses at a keystroke, are not usually known for their candour.But in a sixth-form college in Manchester this week, two former hackers gave the young people gathered an honest appraisal of what living a life of internet crime really looks like. Continue reading...
Battle of the chatbots: Anthropic and OpenAI go head-to-head over ads in their AI products
Posted on Saturday February 07, 2026
New Anthropic campaign suggests other AI platforms will incorporate targeted ads in their chatbot conversationsThe Seahawks and the Patriots aren’t the only ones gearing up for a fight.AI rivals Anthropic and OpenAI have launched a war of ads trying to court corporate America during one of the biggest entertainment nights of the year. Continue reading...
Sport
Manchester City keep up title chase with late comeback win at Liverpool
Posted on Sunday February 08, 2026
Pep Guardiola threw himself back into his seat in the dugout. The Manchester City manager had just witnessed a moment of sheer brilliance and, like everyone connected to his club, he had to fear the worst. Because bad things tend to happen to him at Anfield.The blow had been administered by Dominik Szoboszlai, the stand-in Liverpool right-back, and it is worth dwelling on it for a moment – if only a moment as it would be rapidly overtaken by a bonkers finale. When the Hungarian addressed a free-kick 30 yards out, City did not look overly concerned. They only put two men in their wall. Perhaps they had not remembered what Szoboszlai did to Arsenal from a similar position at the start of the season. Continue reading...
Lindsey Vonn’s crash is violent but honest ending to an unprecedented Olympic bid
Posted on Sunday February 08, 2026
The gruesome finish to the US star’s comeback, at age 41 and with a ruptured ACL, is a reminder of skiing’s unforgiving natureThere was always a version of this story that ended in a single, violent instant. Lindsey Vonn was 13th to push out of the start gate on Sunday in Cortina d’Ampezzo knowing exactly what she was racing with: a fully ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, a heavy brace wrapped around the joint, and the accumulated wear of a career spent flirting with speed and consequence.Vonn barely made it out of the opening phase of the run. Continue reading...