Hello Kitty designer steps down after 46 years

The chancellor has given the clearest indication yet that she wants to give herself more financial breathing space in November’s Budget. Speaking at a gathering of business leaders in Saudi Arabia, Rachel Reeves said she wanted to ensure the UK had “sufficient headroom” to provide resilience against future shocks. The implication is that the £9.9bn…

To read this article for free Register now Once registered, you can: • Read free articles • Get our Editor’s Digest and other newsletters • Follow topics and set up personalised events • Access Alphaville: our popular markets and finance blog

A giant 1,600-tonne machine called Madeleine that will bore a tunnel taking HS2 trains into central London has been switched on. Named after Madeleine Nobbs, the former president of the Women’s Engineering Society, the 190m-long contraption will create a 4.5 mile link connecting Old Oak Common in west London to a proposed expanded station at…

China’s economic growth slowed sharply between the start of April and end of June as weak demand domestically and the impact of the Iran war on oil prices overshadowed the country’s strong exports. Official gross domestic product (GDP) figures showed that the world’s second largest economy grew in the second quarter of the year by…

In issuing the probe into the deal, Nandy said: “The public interest considerations concerned are the need for a sufficient plurality of views in each UK market for news media; and, the need for a sufficient plurality of persons with control of media enterprises serving every different UK audience.”

The Dreadnought-class submarines will replace the UK’s four Vanguard-class vessels that have been in operation since 1992, carrying Trident missiles to provide a nuclear deterrent. Those Vanguard submarines are due to be retired in the 2030s, with the Dreadnoughts entering service at the same time. The project has taken 20 years to get to this…