New ‘buy now, pay later’ rules to protect UK shoppers from 2026

Shoppers who use “buy now, pay later” loans are to get new safeguards against unaffordable borrowing and credit card-style protection for their purchases, under rules outlined by the UK government.However, campaigners have questioned why the BNPL changes will not take effect until 2026, warning that consumers need to be “wary” in the meantime.In recent years the market for BNPL has boomed, with many big retailers teaming up with lenders such as Klarna and Clearpay to allow consumers to spread the cost of their purchases.But while the loans, typically advertised at online checkouts, do not attract interest, concerns have grown around the ease with which borrowers can build up unaffordable debt.Research carried out last year by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that 14 million people had used BNPL and frequent users were more than four times as likely to have recently missed a payment for a bill or credit commitment than those who had not used the loans

ECB cuts interest rates to support flagging eurozone economy

The European Central Bank has intervened to prevent a sharp slowdown in the eurozone economy with its first back-to-back interest rate cut since the euro crisis in 2011.With Germany on the brink of a recession and inflation tumbling across the 20 member single currency bloc, the ECB followed a reduction in the cost of borrowing at its previous meeting in September with a further 0.25 percentage point cut in its key deposit rate to 3.25%.Marking the third interest rate cut this year, the ECB’s president, Christine Lagarde, said the fall in inflation had surprised the central bank and meant a cut was needed to ensure a soft landing for the eurozone economy

AI mediation tool may help reduce culture war rifts, say researchers

Artificial intelligence could help reduce some of the most contentious culture war divisions through a mediation process, researchers claim.Experts say a system that can create group statements that reflect majority and minority views is able to help people find common ground.Prof Chris Summerfield, a co-author of the research from the University of Oxford, who worked at Google DeepMind at the time the study was conducted, said the AI tool could have multiple purposes.“What I would like to see it used for is to give political leaders in the UK a better sense of what people in the UK really think,” he said, noting surveys gave only limited insights, while forums known as citizens’ assemblies were often costly, logistically challenging and restricted in size.Writing in the journal Science, Summerfield and colleagues from Google DeepMind report how they built the “Habermas Machine” – an AI system named after the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas

Watchdog opens investigation into anti-immigrant posts on Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta must answer “serious questions” about its handling of anti-immigration material, according to the company’s content watchdog, as it opened an investigation into two Facebook posts.The Oversight Board is investigating Meta’s decision to keep the posts online after acknowledging that it receives a significant number of complaints from users over content that shares anti-immigrant views.Helle Thorning-Schmidt, co-chair of the board and a former Danish prime minister, said it was “critical” to get the balance right between free speech and protection of vulnerable groups.“The high number of appeals we get on immigration-related content from across the EU tells us there are serious questions to ask about how the company handles issues related to this, including the use of coded speech,” she said in a statement.The first case being investigated by the board is focused on a meme posted by the administrator of a Facebook page that describes itself as the official account of Poland’s far-right coalition party Confederation

Australia’s domination ends at Women’s T20 World Cup but shock defeat can spark a new era | Megan Maurice

In the 15th over of South Africa’s innings in the first semi-final at the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, Annabel Sutherland dismissed Laura Wolvaardt for 42, with Tahlia McGrath taking the catch at mid-off. So subdued was stand-in captain McGrath’s reaction that it initially appeared that the umpire had called a no-ball. A lacklustre high five with Sutherland confirmed Wolvaardt was indeed out, but McGrath knew that it was simply too little, too late.It was a moment that encapsulated the match, with disappointment and frustration written all over the faces of the Australians time and again as they tried to find a foothold with which to get themselves out of trouble. It was a performance we are unaccustomed to seeing from the three-time reigning champions, often touted as one of the world’s most dominant sporting teams

Lando Norris welcomes FIA clampdown on Red Bull’s use of ‘tea tray’ device

Lando Norris has welcomed the FIA clamping down on a potentially illegal device on his world championship rival Max Verstappen’s Red Bull after the governing body deemed it could be used against the regulations to improve performance.The McLaren driver was speaking before this weekend’s US Grand Prix as he prepares to go into a decisive showdown with Verstappen for the title over the remaining six races. Norris is 52 points behind with 180 still available across the next six meetings.Before running began on Friday the FIA issued a clarification that the device, believed to be used to adjust the car’s ride height between qualifying and races, when such adjustments are not permitted, could not be employed. Red Bull have come to an agreement with the FIA regarding their use of the system, which is believed to alter the ride height of the “tea tray” section which sits at the front of the car’s floor