Insurance Asset News · Off duty

Lunchtime

Wednesday 23 September

Your lunchtime read, in ten minutes.

21° Celsius

London

Mainly clear · feels like 20°England, United Kingdom

7-day forecast

TodayOvercast, 0% chance of rain.low 16 high 23°
ThuOvercast, 0% chance of rain.low 14 high 23°
FriOvercast, 7% chance of rain.low 15 high 22°
SatOvercast, 14% chance of rain.low 15 high 19°
SunOvercast, 29% chance of rain.low 15 high 22°
MonHeavy drizzle, 37% chance of rain.low 17 high 19°
TueOvercast, 37% chance of rain.low 16 high 24°

Choose a news section

Updated 10:20, Wed 23 Sep

World in BriefPoliticsBusiness & EconomyMarketsInternationalTech & AISportCulture & ArtsHealth & Science

World in Brief

A Sri Lankan court convicted 15 men over the 2019 Easter attacks and sentenced them to at least 220 years each.
Reported by 3 of 4: BBC News, The Guardian and Sky News.BBC Guardian Sky News
Drug deaths rise in Scotland
Drug-related deaths in Scotland rose 11% last year.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and Sky News.BBC Sky News
William and Kate meet Tom Cruise
The Prince and Princess of Wales attended a film premiere with Tom Cruise where Kate wore a notable pair of earrings.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Independent.BBC Independent
Migrant boat sent to Dover after voyage
People rescued after more than 30 hours at sea were taken to Dover. In Gosport, hundreds protested, fearing the vessel would disembark nearby.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Independent.BBC Independent
Trump UN address checked
Trump’s UN General Assembly speech contained numerous false or misleading claims.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Independent.BBC Independent Bloomberg
WW2 bomb found near Falmouth
An unexploded World War II bomb was found near Falmouth Docks, prompting evacuations.
Reported by 2 of 4: Sky News and The Independent.Sky News Independent
Iran-US talks at UN sidelines
Iran and the United States held talks on the sidelines of the UN summit, with a third party noting a possible future meeting.
Reported by 2 of 4: The Guardian and The Independent.Guardian Independent FT
South Africa house party shooting toll rises
A mass shooting at a South African house party left at least 11 dead. Police say one victim was pregnant.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and Sky News.BBC Sky News

Ranked by how many of BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News and The Independent reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:17 UTC on 23 September. AP and Reuters are not counted: neither publishes a free feed we can read.

An FT or Bloomberg link appears only where their own feed carried the same story. Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

Politics

Lib Dems pledge tax cuts with EU
Davey would raise tax thresholds and cut income tax by £17bn if Lib Dems win, funded by growth from rejoining the EU single market and customs union.
Reported by 3 of 4: BBC News, The Guardian and The Independent.BBC Guardian Independent FT
Defence Secretary Streeting confirms a review following Trump’s remark.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Independent.BBC Independent
Putin using Brexit to sow disinformation
Burnham tells the UN that Russia exploits Brexit to spread disinformation.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Independent.BBC Independent
MPs say OBR should not be blamed
Treasury committee rejects calls for reform and cautions against blaming the forecaster.
Reported by 2 of 4: The Guardian and The Independent.Guardian Independent
Burnham wary but hopeful after Trump meeting
The prime minister’s first major meeting with Trump had signs of resilience.
Reported by 2 of 4: The Guardian and The Independent.Guardian Independent
Reform MSPs walk out over independence debate
Malcolm Offord calls the debate a farce and a waste of time.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Independent.BBC Independent
Farmers furious over online funding scramble
Farmers fear they cannot complete environmental work after missing out on funding.
Reported by 1 of 4: BBC News.BBC
OECD sees slower UK growth next year
Economy growth is forecast to be weaker due to higher energy costs.
Reported by 1 of 4: BBC News.BBC

Ranked by how many of BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News and The Independent reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:14 UTC on 23 September.

An FT or Bloomberg link appears only where their own feed carried the same story. Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

Business & Economy

Ratcliffe halts Hull chemical production
Ineos will mothball three Hull plants as high UK gas prices make competition difficult.
Reported by 3 of 4: BBC News, The Guardian and The Independent.BBC Guardian Independent
DoorDash pays after wage probeDoorDash settles wage violations in New York, paying back wages.
The company will disburse $131.5 million to 264,000 workers after a city investigation found underpayments or delayed payments. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the action the city’s largest labour enforcement move and linked it to efforts to enforce a 2023 law aimed at improving pay for delivery workers.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Guardian.BBC Guardian
UK business activity slows in September
S&P Global flash UK PMI fell to 51.7 from 52.5 in August.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent
IMF urges action on rising debt costs
Georgieva told the BBC that debt levels had risen like a staircase, not to heaven.
Reported by 1 of 4: BBC News.BBC
Co‑op confirms job cuts and takeover
The group plans £200m cost savings and is advancing a takeover of Southern Co‑op.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent
JD Sports faces weak consumer demand
Sales weaken as the retailer navigates a tough consumer backdrop.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent
Public transport slows in global cities
London and other cities see slower buses, with demand dipping.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Guardian.Guardian
Alzheimer’s traps kids’ NatWest cash
A First Saver account for children is held in trust as power of attorney is used during illness.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Guardian.Guardian

Ranked by how many of BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News and The Independent reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:14 UTC on 23 September.

Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

Markets

Airtel Money plans London IPO
The African payments firm Airtel Money plans to launch an initial public offering on the London stock market.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent FT Bloomberg
Trump conducts July stock trades
New financial filings show the former president conducted over 1,000 stock purchases and sales in July, with totals up to $270 million.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Guardian.Guardian
The index finished at 10,708.33, down 30.68 points, about 0.3%.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent

Ranked by how many of BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News and The Independent reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:14 UTC on 23 September.

An FT or Bloomberg link appears only where their own feed carried the same story. Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

International

UN General Assembly quotes quiz
A quiz matches famous quotes with the leaders who spoke at the UN General Assembly this week.
Reported by 2 of 4: Al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle.Al Jazeera DW
Russian strikes injure seven in Ukraine
Russian Defence Ministry says drones hit Ukraine's military and energy sites, logistics and ships overnight.
Reported by 2 of 4: Al Jazeera and The Hindu.Al Jazeera The Hindu
Israel rejects Macron West Bank claim
Macron asserted that Hamas has not struck in the West Bank, provoking Israeli criticism.
Reported by 2 of 4: CNA and The Hindu.CNA The Hindu
Guterres final UNGA address
In his last high-level UNGA week, he calls for reforms and AI limits.
Reported by 2 of 4: CNA and The Hindu.CNA The Hindu
Trump signs Greenland security deal
Trump signs a security accord with Greenland and Denmark at the UNGA.
Reported by 2 of 4: Deutsche Welle and CNA.DW CNA
Oil falls as talks with Iran advance
Markets priced in talks between the US and Iran, aiding a fall in oil prices.
Reported by 2 of 4: CNA and The Hindu.CNA The Hindu FT
Houthis claim deadly strikes in Yemen
Houthis say a prison strike killed nine detainees; they also accuse Saudi Arabia of civilian deaths in Mocha.
Reported by 2 of 4: CNA and The Hindu.CNA The Hindu
Shooter opens fire near Turkish school
A pupil opened fire outside a high school, injuring 11, with two in serious condition.
Reported by 2 of 4: Deutsche Welle and The Hindu.DW The Hindu

Ranked by how many of Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, CNA and The Hindu reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:17 UTC on 23 September.

An FT or Bloomberg link appears only where their own feed carried the same story. Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

Tech & AI

Australia algorithm opt-out law criticisedThe US called Australia’s plan to allow users to opt out of social media algorithms censorship. Draft measures would fine firms not offering the option.
The US described the proposed opt-out for social media algorithms as censorship. The draft laws would impose fines on tech firms that do not provide users with the option to switch off algorithms. It notes that changes to how algorithms work could affect users globally.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Independent.BBC Independent
Pornhub age checks probed
Regulator investigates Pornhub over age verification and its use of third party checks from Apple for some users.
Reported by 1 of 4: BBC News.BBC FT
UK joins EU ocean science scheme
Britain plans to join a major EU-led ocean science programme amid El Niño concerns.
Reported by 1 of 4: Sky News.Sky News
Data centres switch to light tech
Data centres move from copper wires to light-based technology to save power and boost capacity.
Reported by 1 of 4: BBC News.BBC
China speeds AI infrastructure growth
BBC visits Inner Mongolia where Beijing is expanding AI infrastructure at what is described as China speed.
Reported by 1 of 4: BBC News.BBC
OpenAI calls for safe pursuit
OpenAI says AI should only be pursued if it can be done safely and asks the world to cooperate.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent
North Korea blamed for fake-job infections
The FBI warns thousands of devices worldwide were infected by fake job offers.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent
Six-year-old sets women’s Rubik’s record
A six-year-old girl, Lian Yunzhi, sets a women’s 3x3 Rubik’s Cube average world record under 4.5 seconds.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Guardian.Guardian

Ranked by how many of BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News and The Independent reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:19 UTC on 23 September.

An FT or Bloomberg link appears only where their own feed carried the same story. Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

Sport

Arteta signs long-term Arsenal deal
Arteta has secured a renewed contract with Arsenal, extending his tenure beyond this season.
Reported by 3 of 3: BBC Sport, Guardian Sport and Sky Sports.BBC Sport Guardian Sky Sports
Jacks takes five against Sri Lanka
England beat Sri Lanka by 89 runs in the ODI, with Will Jacks taking five wickets and Harry Brook top-scoring with 67.
Reported by 3 of 3: BBC Sport, Guardian Sport and Sky Sports.BBC Sport Guardian Sky Sports
Hadjar to stay with Red Bull 2027
Isack Hadjar will remain as Verstappen's teammate for the 2027 season.
Reported by 2 of 3: BBC Sport and Sky Sports.BBC Sport Sky Sports
LaLiga clubs monitor Garnacho
LaLiga clubs are watching Alejandro Garnacho, while Tyrick Mitchell is linked with moves, and Chelsea are mentioned in connection with Adama Jeng.
Reported by 2 of 3: BBC Sport and Sky Sports.BBC Sport Sky Sports
Koumas rises with Wales Nations
Lewis Koumas has made an impression at Liverpool and will aim to build form with Wales in the Nations League.
Reported by 1 of 3: BBC Sport.BBC Sport
Italy’s football project renewed with Mancini
This year Italian football struggled; no Italian club passed the quarter-finals in Europe, while Atalanta reached the Champions League last-16, and the national team faced a downturn.
Reported by 1 of 3: Sky Sports.Sky Sports
Premier League xG over/under
An analysis shows which teams beat or underperformed their expected goals.
Reported by 1 of 3: BBC Sport.BBC Sport
Ure moves to Sevilla after Rangers
Robbie Ure has moved to Sevilla after leaving Rangers, with a Scotland call-up possible.
Reported by 1 of 3: BBC Sport.BBC Sport

Ranked by how many of BBC Sport, Guardian Sport and Sky Sports reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:16 UTC on 23 September. Football, rugby union, cricket, Formula One and the tennis and golf majors, plus any story all three covered.

Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

Culture & Arts

Booker Prize shortlist announcedThe Booker Prize shortlist for 2026 was unveiled at London’s Southbank Centre last night, with Marlon James and Douglas Stuart among the nominees.
Beyond the two former winners, Elizabeth Strout is cited as a Pulitzer winner among those shortlisted, alongside M John Harrison, a British speculative fiction writer, and Rebecca Perry, a debut novelist. The shortlist was unveiled at an event at London’s Southbank Centre, following discussions among judges.
Reported by 3 of 4: BBC News, The Guardian and The Independent.BBC Guardian Independent
Bake Off returns with Nigella in tent
Nigella Lawson joined Paul Hollywood as the new series returned to the Bake Off tent.
Reported by 3 of 4: BBC News, The Guardian and The Independent.BBC Guardian Independent
Panettiere cause of death released
The coroner ruled Hayden Panettiere’s death an accidental drug overdose.
Reported by 3 of 4: BBC News, Sky News and The Independent.BBC Sky News Independent
McConaughey says blood drawn in fights
Matthew McConaughey described real-life tensions with Woody Harrelson over the years.
Reported by 2 of 4: The Guardian and The Independent.Guardian Independent FT
Spencer book questioned by Morgan
Piers Morgan says Earl Spencer should pull Diana’s memoir from shelves amid a factual dispute.
Reported by 2 of 4: BBC News and The Guardian.BBC Guardian
Sting comments on Sheeran dilemma
Sting commented on Ed Sheeran amid the Macklemore controversy around the singer’s tour.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent
Rooneys say they don’t need proof
Coleen Rooney says they do not need to prove themselves with a new Disney Plus series.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Independent.Independent
Delaney's lost play revived as audio
Shelagh Delaney’s long-lost play Catch Me Who Can has become an audio drama.
Reported by 1 of 4: The Guardian.Guardian

Ranked by how many of BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News and The Independent reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:16 UTC on 23 September.

An FT or Bloomberg link appears only where their own feed carried the same story. Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

Health & Science

El Niño heat deaths near 500k
Climate scientists estimate up to about 450,000 deaths in six months from added heat.
Reported by 2 of 5: The Guardian and The Independent.Guardian Independent
Developing El Niño strongest on record
The developing El Niño is the strongest on record, with impacts already felt globally.
Reported by 2 of 5: BBC News and The Independent.BBC Independent
North Sea nature untamed documentaryA documentary showcases stunning underwater footage of the North Sea.
Diver and underwater cinematographer Peter van Rodijnen provides footage of basking whales and plankton blooms. The film contrasts the North Sea with the idea of a bleak wilderness and includes narration offering insights into underwater life and fatherly fish disputes.
Reported by 1 of 5: The Guardian.Guardian
Ghost patient policy reduces GP lists
An NHS England change accelerates list validation and affects access.
Reported by 1 of 5: The Guardian.Guardian
UK to launch satellite defence squadron
A new RAF unit will protect satellites and warn of missiles.
Reported by 1 of 5: The Guardian.Guardian
Children with ketamine bladder disease
Doctors run NHS clinic for young patients with bladder damage.
Reported by 1 of 5: BBC News.BBC
Hurricane Polo now Category 5
Polo has intensified, with US impacts possible.
Reported by 1 of 5: The Independent.Independent
Bath Assembly Rooms uncover Roman artefacts
Restoration work reveals Roman ditches, coins and a helmet fragment.
Reported by 1 of 5: The Guardian.Guardian

Ranked by how many of BBC News, The Guardian, Sky News, New Scientist and The Independent reported each story in the 24 hours to 09:17 UTC on 23 September.

Summaries are written by Insurance Asset News; each link goes to the original report.

Long read of the week

Faster! Louder! Brighter! How the attention economy overwhelmed children’s TV

This long read examines how fast, loud and visually dense children's television shapes attention, memory and learning. It asks whether shows offer space for reflection or push kids toward rapid, fragmented viewing, and what that means for understanding stories and ideas.

Read it at The Guardian

Books

Two for the week

From the industry

Capital Ideas

Peter L. Bernstein, 1991

Capital Ideas traces the emergence of modern investment theory and its arrival on Wall Street, beginning with Louis Bachelier’s early work on price unpredictability. Peter L. Bernstein profiles the academics who developed concepts of risk, valuation and returns and how their ideas were implemented in practice. The book offers a clear narrative linking mathematical thought to the institutions and markets that adopted it.

See it on Open Library

Beyond the industry

Chip War

Chris Miller, 2022

Chip War is an account of the decades-long contest to control microchip technology, described as the critical resource underpinning much of the modern world. It explains why chips matter to military, economic and geopolitical power and charts the shifting balance from American dominance toward competitors in Taiwan, Korea, Europe and China. The book surveys industrial policy, supply chains and the high stakes of semiconductor development.

See it on Open Library

Book details and covers from Open Library. The links carry no affiliate code.

Daily sudoku

Wednesday 23 September 2026

A new puzzle every day, the same for every reader. Each has exactly one solution.

Time

Keyboard: arrow keys move, 1 to 9 enter a digit, Backspace or 0 clears, N turns notes on and off.