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Uber has announced it will launch self-driving taxis from spring 2026 in partnership with artificial intelligence start-up Wayve.

It will be taking part in trials of driverless taxis brought forward by the government from 2027 to next year.

The cars, to be available in London, will initially have a human in the driver's seat in case of an emergency, but the trials will transition to being fully driverless.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander hailed the move as "the future of transport".

"Self-driving cars could bring jobs, investment, and the opportunity for the UK to be among the world leaders in new technology," she said.

The development of automated vehicle technology could create 38,000 jobs in the UK and add 拢42bn to the economy by 2035, according to the Department for Transport.

But with the UK's first autonomous bus service cancelled in February due to a lack of passengers, customers might need some convincing first.

Uber's existing trials of self-driving taxis are also generally in US locations that have much simpler road layouts than London.

Nintendo has revealed how many Switch 2 consoles have been sold in the first four days since launch.

More than 3.5 million devices have flown off the shelves worldwide since 5 June, making it the most successful debut in the company's history.

The Switch 2 features a larger, more responsive screen than its predecessor and new magnetic controllers, with more powerful processing and graphics performance.

The new system has a GameChat feature, which enables players to voice or video chat as well as share their game screen with friends online while playing a game.

Many bundles of the Switch 2 also come with the long-awaited Mario Kart World game.

But they remain hard to find in the UK, with most retailers selling out within minutes of going live.

Stock Informer, a website that lists availability across retailers, shows that the Switch 2 is sold out across most high street brands, with restocks expected to happen later this week.

While some consoles appear to be available on online marketplaces such as eBay, gaming fans have been warned to be aware of scams.

People are urged to check profiles for negative feedback and selling history, as well as whether the online marketplace offers buyer protection.

Nintendo has also warned customers not to fall for phishing emails after scammers took advantage of millions of fans entering the Nintendo Japan lottery for a chance to buy a Switch 2 by sending out emails asking for personal data.

By James Sillars, business and economics reporter

The government's spending review is not a budget. There is no independent scrutiny by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

As such, there's limited knowledge for financial market investors to take from such an event.

But it was clear before Rachel Reeves got to her feet in the Commons that rises in spending would intensify the risk of a repeat of her spring statement intervention, at the autumn budget to come, to maintain the 拢10bn of so-called fiscal headroom she has given herself.

So perhaps, in the absence of spending cut or tax rise announcements, it will not come as a surprise that the spending review - which will deliver a 2.3% real terms lift to government departments annually up to 2028/9 - was followed by a small spike in government borrowing costs.

Yields - the effective interest rate - on UK benchmark 10-year bonds, known as gilts, rose by 7 basis points to 4.57%.

The pound also held on to a gain of 0.3% versus the dollar and was hovering just below three-year highs above $1.35 as the US currency weakened after domestic inflation data.

It showed a weaker-than-expected increase in the headline rate during May, despite Donald Trump's trade war risking a surge in the pace of consumer price growth.

If the FTSE 100 were to hang on to its current level at the close, it would amount to a record high by the skin of its teeth.

The index is trading at 8,871.96 - that's less than a point above its March record level of 8,871.31.

It's been another big day for the minister in charge of the country's finances.

Rachel Reeves has just set out her spending review, outlining how funding will be divided across government.

This covers all areas and will affect a host of everyday services, from the NHS to education and defence to artificial intelligence.

The last spending review took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and before that, in 2015.

Catch up on all the main announcements in one place here...

You've heard of the Consumer Price Index, but how about the Hotel Price Index?

This yearly report, put together by Hotels.com, analyses domestic and global hotel pricing trends, giving you an overview of where you can find the best value stays.

Two key takeaways from the report are worth noting for anyone planning on joining the growing staycation trend: it's often cheaper to stay at a five-star hotel at home than abroad - but four-star hotels offer the best value for money.

Here's a deeper look at the findings...

Cheapest UK places for a 5-star stay

Anyone looking for luxe options might find a 5-star stay in the UK is their cheapest option. 

Hotel rates are an average of 拢177 a night, 拢45 or 21% less than the average 拢222 for a night abroad. 

You can stay in a 5-star hotel for less than 拢200 a night in these UK destinations:  

• Swindon: 拢56 a night  

• York: 拢170 a night 

• Manchester: 拢171 a night 

• Bath: 拢193 a night 

• Newcastle: 拢195 a night 

Cheapest UK places for a 4-star stay

Based on the analysis, 4-star hotels offer the best value for money for anyone wanting to upgrade where they're staying. 

They cost 41% more than 3-star properties on average, while 5-star hotels cost 63% than 4-star hotels on average.

The booking website found the best value for domestic 4-star stays were in Aberdeen, Derby and Milton Keynes - all of which have rates under the 4-star average of 拢110 a night.  

Going international

For Britons wanting to go abroad, note that international rates have risen by 5% in the past year to an average of 拢140 a night - compared to 拢97 a night for the average UK hotel.

Nightly prices increased in Tokyo (up 15%), Seville (13%) and Madrid (13%). 

But prices were found to have fallen by up to 7% in three popular places - Dublin, Orlando and Las Vegas.

And the following cities, which have all risen in popularity in the past year, have 5-star hotels for under 拢200 a night on average: 

• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 拢108

• Bangkok, Thailand: 拢123

• Prague, Czech Republic: 拢136

• Istanbul, Turkey: 拢137

• Doha, Qatar: 拢173

"For price-conscious travellers in today's economy, the Hotel Price Index offers a rare, data-driven lens into where your money goes furthest. It鈥檚 like a travel cheat sheet - revealing where to splurge, where to save, and where luxury quietly costs less," said Melanie Fish, vice-president of global PR and Hotels.com's travel expert. 

"Cities like Bangkok, Budapest and Bristol stand out for offering top-rated stays across all star levels, proving that great travel doesn't have to come with a high price tag." 

Rachel Reeves is delivering her spending review - setting each government department's budget for the coming years.

That likely means significant cash for Labour's priorities like the NHS, defence and transport - but no doubt some will be squeezed due to the ailing public finances.

Follow full coverage - including reaction and analysis from our correspondents and experts - in the Politics Hub...

New customers at Chase Bank can earn 5% interest if they open an easy access saver account - one of the highest paying accounts on the market. 

To get the rate, customers must open the account within 31 days of joining the bank. 

The rate is made up of a 2.75% variable rate and a 2.75% bonus fixed for 12 months - it's important to note that while the bonus is fixed, the variable rate may change if interest rates fall. 

Money blog regular and personal finance expert from  Anna Bowes said: "The underline rate, which is currently 2.75% AER, is variable and tracks at 1.5% below the Bank of England base rate.

"So, if there are any further base rate cuts, the overall rate will fall."

While the deal is offering a competitive rate, Bowes pointed out that Santander's Edge Saver Account (Issue 3), which is linked to the Santander Edge Current Account, pays more at 6%, but only on balances of up to 拢4,000.

"There's no maximum with this new Chase account, which is unusual as it is offering such a competitive rate - but good news," she added. 

The boost comes after Chase made the unpopular decision to cut some of its cashback deals from its debit card. 

Even for those of us who follow these kinds of things on a regular basis, the spending review is, frankly, a bit of a headache.

This is one of the biggest moments in Britain's economic calendar - bigger, in some respects, than the annual budget.

After all, these reviews, which set departmental spending totals for years to come, only happen every few years, while budgets come around every 12 months (or sometimes more often).

Yet trying to get your head around the spending review - in particular this year's spending review - is a far more fraught exercise than with the budget.

In large part that's because the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the quasi-independent body that scrutinises the government's figures, is not playing a part this time around.

There will be no OBR report to cast light, or doubt, on some of the claims from the government. Added to this, the data on government spending are famously abstruse.

So perhaps the best place to start when approaching the review is to take a deep breath and a step back. With that in mind, here are five things you really need to know about the 2025 spending review.

1. This spending review covers 41p in every pound of government spending;
2. The government is deciding how to split its day-to-day spending between departments in the next fiscal year;
3. It's the first multi-year review since 2015, which matters for any government department attempting to map out its plans and improve productivity;
4. It is not a return to austerity. Day-to-day spending dropped from 21.5% of GDP in 2009/10 to 15% of GDP in 2016/17. This review will see spending increase.
5. It's not a big splurge either. Spending is not increasing by all that much, up just 1.3%

Watch Conway's analysis in more depth here, or read the full story below...

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business and economics reporter

The world's two biggest economies have signed up to move towards a peace agreement in the trade war sparked by Donald Trump's tariff escalation. 

Last night, the US and China agreed to get their trade truce back on track. 

 China will restart sending rare earth metals to the US, though both Chinese and US presidents are yet to sign off on the deal, agreed in London. 

The initial peace agreement was made in Geneva last month, but was derailed. Both sides claimed a deal - which reduced tariffs to 30% for Chinese goods entering the US and to 10% for American goods entering China - was not being honoured. The US announced new restrictions on tech exports to Chinese companies, and rare earth and magnet shipments stalled. 

The market reaction this morning was muted, perhaps as a solution was seen as inevitable. 

Major Asia stock markets rose slightly. In the UK, the benchmark stock index - the FTSE 100 of the most valuable London Stock Exchange-listed companies - edged away from a near-record high but was still up 0.13% this morning. The FTSE 259 ticked up 0.3%.

The pound has fallen just below the relatively high $1.35 level and dropped to a near-month-long low against the euro, with one pound buying 鈧�1.18.