HSBC becomes first big UK lender to cut its mortgage rates in 2026

HSBC has become the first major lender to cut mortgage rates this year, a move that could spark a price war over the coming months.The banking group, which is one of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders, has cut rates across a range of residential and landlord buy-to-let mortgage products. The new rates come into effect on Monday.The move follows a reduction in the Bank of England base rate in December to 3.75%

Battery electric cars will overtake diesels in Great Britain by 2030, analysis suggests

Battery electric cars are poised to overtake diesels on Great Britain’s roads by 2030, according to analysis that suggests London will be the first UK city to go diesel-free.The number of diesel cars on Great Britain’s roads in June had fallen to 9.9m in June last year, 21% below its peak of 12.4m vehicles, according to analysis by New AutoMotive, a thinktank focused on the transition to electric cars. Electric car sales are still growing rapidly, albeit more slowly than manufacturers had expected

World ‘may not have time’ to prepare for AI safety risks, says leading researcher

The world “may not have time” to prepare for the safety risks posed by cutting-edge AI systems, according to a leading figure at the UK government’s scientific research agency.David Dalrymple, a programme director and AI safety expert at the Aria agency, told the Guardian people should be concerned about the growing capability of the technology.“I think we should be concerned about systems that can perform all of the functions that humans perform to get things done in the world, but better,” he said. “We will be outcompeted in all of the domains that we need to be dominant in, in order to maintain control of our civilisation, society and planet.”Dalrymple said there was a gap in understanding between the public sector and AI companies about the power of looming breakthroughs in the technology

What happened after Tesla opened a diner in Los Angeles?

Less than six months since it opened, Elon Musk’s Tesla Diner has the feel of a ghost town. Gone is the Optimus robot serving popcorn, gone are the carnivore-diet-inspired “Epic Bacon” strips, gone are the hours-long, hundred-person lines wrapped around the block. Even the restaurant’s all-star chef, Eric Greenspan, is gone. The Hollywood burger-and-fries shop seems like a shell of the bustling eatery it was when it opened in late July.On a balmy Friday afternoon in December, the parking lot for Tesla car charging was, at best, half full

‘We’re seen as the underdogs’: the Australian skiers out on their own chasing an Olympic dream | Kieran Pender

Reilly Flanagan is on the brink of history. If the Canberran aerial skier qualifies for the Winter Olympics, which begin in Italy next month, it will mark the first time Australia have contested the discipline’s team event at the global showpiece. After Flanagan and his teammates finished fourth at the world championships in March and won bronze at a World Cup last January, they have every chance of going for gold at Milano-Cortina.Standing between Flanagan and a spot in Australia’s illustrious Olympic history is the small matter of qualification. To be eligible for the mixed team event, the former gymnast must qualify for the individual discipline too

Emma Raducanu ruled out of United Cup opener in false start to new season

Emma Raducanu remains hopeful that she will be able to compete this week at the United Cup after her 2026 season began with a concerning false start when she was forced to withdraw from her opening match in Perth due to an ongoing foot injury.Raducanu pulled out of her highly anticipated clash with Naomi Osaka just an hour before play began but the Great Britain team admirably battled hard in the searing heat and emerged from a tough day with a solid 2-1 win over Japan.Billy Harris, who had replaced the British men’s No 1 Jack Draper, opened the tie with a strong win, defeating Shintaro Mochizuki 7-6 (4), 6-3. Raducanu was replaced by Katie Swan, who performed well against a much higher-ranked opponent before losing 7-6 (4), 6-1 to Osaka. In the decisive rubber, Neal Skupski and Olivia Nicholls used their doubles expertise to seal the tie with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 win over Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama