The BoE and City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority will aim to ensure the four main providers of cloud and tech services to banks are resilient and actively reducing the risk of cyber attack. The BoE and City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority will aim to ensure the four main providers of cloud and tech services to banks are resilient and actively reducing the risk of cyber attack. Direct oversight of'critical third parties' such as Oracle and Microsoft given to ensure resilient cyber-defences and help safeguard UK economy The Bank of England has been handed powers to regulate important tech firms including Amazon and Google from next week, amid fears that system failures could threaten financial stability and harm consumers. From Monday, the Bank and fellow City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will be in charge of ensuring that four large-scale providers of cloud and tech services to banks are resilient and actively reducing the risk of cyber-attacks and major outages that could disrupt services for millions of people and businesses across the UK. This will mean having "direct" oversight of local arms of Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Oracle and Microsoft, all of which have been identified as "critical third parties" by the UK government, according to an announcement on Friday.

The impact of the Iran war means a million more homeowners face higher mortgage bills than the Bank of England had previously expected. Just over five million homeowners should expect their monthly mortgage repayments to increase by the end of 2028, according to Bank forecasts. That compared to four million projected by the Bank in December. However, the Bank's Financial Stability Report said the hit would not be as hard as seen in recent years. A typical owner-occupier rolling off a fixed rate in the next two years is likely to face an increase of £45 on their monthly mortgage bill, the Bank said. That compares to a typical rise of £120 for those getting a new deal between the end of 2022 and end of 2024.

Image caption, Samsung is also one of the world's leading smartphone makers South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics says it expects to post a 19-fold jump in its profits, driven by global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips. The company forecast that it made 89tn won (£44bn; $58bn) between the start of April and the end of June, marking its third record quarterly operating profits in a row. Major South Korean firms like Samsung release forecasts of their earnings ahead of official detailed reports to help guide investors. Samsung's latest forecast, released on Tuesday ahead of its full results due later in July, comes as demand for semiconductors continues to outstrip supplies - which has pushed up prices . Samsung said in the preview, known as earnings guidance, that it brought in around 171tn won of sales during the quarter, more than double the amount for the same period last year.

Robots available for rent: But what can they do? In hospitals across the US, patients and staff have become accustomed to seeing a one-armed, four-foot high, friendly-looking white robot going about its business. Nurses have been known to greet Moxi, as the robot is called by its maker Diligent Robotics, with a good morning, a high five or even a hug. Moxi - which shuttles medical supplies around hospitals - might respond by displaying its heart-shaped LED eyes and a beep beep greeting of its own. We get a lot of feedback that Moxi feels like a part of the team, says Todd Brugger, chief operating officer at the Texas-based robotics company, which has around 100 of the wheeled robots in operation.

Scotland could freeze datacentre projects in challenge to UK's AI strategy The Scottish government is about to consider a sweeping moratorium on building new datacentres, putting a key plank of the UK's AI strategy at risk. Last Sunday the Scottish National party (SNP)'s national council passed a motion to freeze all new datacentres in Scotland. That motion has been sent to the Scottish government to consider. It could apply to all datacentre projects that have not yet received planning permission - although its exact implementation is up to the Scottish government to decide. Lesley Backhouse, who attended the national council meeting, said that Scotland's current datacentre plans amounted to "overdevelopment" and were "intrusive and not keeping with the local environment".

Essay gives the clearest view of Cooper's worldview yet as Labour figures jostle got places in a possible Burnham cabinet. Essay gives the clearest view of Cooper's worldview yet as Labour figures jostle got places in a possible Burnham cabinet. AI poses'Hiroshima'-style threat to humanity without global rules, says Cooper Artificial intelligence poses a "Hiroshima"-style risk to humanity if governments do not agree to curb how it is developed, the foreign secretary has warned. Yvette Cooper urged countries, including the US and China, to agree international rules for AI, telling the Guardian she believes the issue will dominate foreign policy over the next two years. In an essay covering her thoughts on everything from emerging technology to Palestine, Cooper said the world was at a dangerous moment, not least because of what she sees as the permanent withdrawal of the US from its role as a global arbiter.

Artificial intelligence will be used on the NHS app to determine which service is most appropriate for patients in England, the health service has announced. A new triage tool will ask patients a series of questions, and will use the responses to direct them to a GP appointment, pharmacy, A&E, community service or offer self-care advice. NHS England said the update would reach more than 200,000 patients in the next 12 months and be available to all app users by April 2028 as part of a major overhaul of its technology. The rollout has been largely welcomed, but some health bodies urged the NHS to prioritise patient safety, confidentiality and inclusion as it grows more reliant on AI. An initial trial of the tool at Wealden Ridge Medical Partnership in Sussex saw a 29% reduction in the number of people queuing on the phone for an appointment.

The app will be used to triage patients and to ascertain if they should be allocated a GP appointment. The app will be used to triage patients and to ascertain if they should be allocated a GP appointment. Sat 4 Jul 2026 17.30 EDTLast modified on Sat 4 Jul 2026 18.02 EDT The NHS will begin using AI on its app to direct patients to the appropriate services, it has been announced. The tool will be used to triage patients and to ascertain if they should be allocated a GP appointment. Some may be advised to attend a pharmacy or their local A&E department instead, depending on the severity of their condition.

Parents warned not to publicly share children's images amid AI abuse risks Parents should not publicly post images of their children online due to the growth of AI-generated abuse imagery, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned. Along with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), it said there is a growing threat of children's images online being used to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM). More than 8,000 AI-generated images and videos of realistic child sexual abuse were identified by the IWF in 2025, it said - adding this was a 14% increase on the year before. While we and policing colleagues tackle offenders, prevention remains vital, said Tim Wright, a senior manager at the NCA. In partnership with the IWF, the organisation has released fresh guidance for parents outlining steps they can take to help keep their children safe online.

With democracy on the decline in both the UK and US, Mehdi Hasan makes the case for independent journalism. Mehdi Hasan has had a front seat to US and UK politics for decades. With Britain facing yet another change in prime minister a decade after Brexit and the US looking ahead to its next vote with the midterm elections in November, we get his take on this moment and why independent journalism is needed more than ever. How did Colombia's election split a nation in two? Who's being left out of the World Cup? How is China using AI in the classroom?