The committee of five women and four men will announce their latest interest rate decision at 12:00 BST, with a hold the widespread expectation.

The Bank rate is the MPC’s primary tool for maintaining the rate of rising prices – inflation – at a target of 2%.

The latest official figures show inflation in the UK was 2.6% in the year to June, down slightly on the previous month but still above its 2.3% target.

The inflation rate is likely to go up in July, as millions of households in Scotland, England and Wales feel the impact of a 13% rise in domestic energy prices.

The increase was the result of the impact of the Iran war on wholesale energy prices.

Conflict in the Gulf, and uncertainty over the chances of a lasting truce, hang over the MPC’s meeting and decision this month and in the months ahead.

Many analysts expect interest rates to be unchanged in the foreseeable future, with the possibility of the next change being a rise.

“A new government finding its feet, and the situation in the Middle East becoming increasingly uncertain, mean that a hold on [the] base rate decision would be a welcome dose of stability,” said Katie Horne, from savings platform Flagstone.

“People have had more than enough uncertainty over the past year, and even a temporary pause eases the pressure a little.”

Shell’s profits for the second quarter of the year have more than doubled after the Iran war pushed up oil prices.

The oil giant’s profits for the April-to-June period reached $9.84bn (£7.37bn) – up from $4.26bn at the same point last year.

The price of oil has soared since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran due to major disruption to global supplies of oil and liquid natural gas (LNG) through the Strait of Hormuz.

Shell chief executive Wael Sawan said the company’s “operational performance enabled very strong results during another quarter of severe disruption in global energy markets”.

Together with its profits of $6.92bn for the first three months of the year it means Shell has seen a 70% surge in first-half earnings.

Shell and other energy giants such as BP and Norway’s Equinor have seen bumper profits this year, partly down to trading on oil price swings.

Before the conflict began, the price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, was around $73 a barrel.

Since then, it has peaked above $120 but also fallen back below $100 as speculation has swirled over when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.

These big movements in the oil price can widen the gap between buying and selling prices which typically enables traders to make bigger profits.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. Welcome to Pulmonx’ Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today’s conference is being recorded. I would like now to turn the call over to Webb Campbell, Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Webb Campbell
Gilmartin Group LLC

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining today’s call. Joining me from Pulmonx are Glen French, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Derrick Sung, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Earlier today, Pulmonx issued a press release announcing its financial results for the quarter-ended June 30, 2026. A copy of the press release is available on the Pulmonx website.

Before we begin, I’d like to remind you that management will make statements during this call that include forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements contained in this call that relate to expectations or predictions of future events, results or performance are forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements, including, without limitations, those related to our operating trends, commercial strategies and future financial performance including long-term outlook and full year 2026 guidance, the timing and results of clinical trials, physician engagement, expense management, market opportunity, guidance for revenue, gross margin, operating expense, cash usage, commercial expansion and product demand, adoption and pipeline development are based upon our current estimates and various

State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, has raised Rs 4,691 crore by selling Tier 1 bonds to domestic investors at a coupon rate of 7.75%. This is the bank’s first Basel III compliant Additional Tier 1 bond for the current financial year.The bonds have a five year call option when SBI can buy back the bond and with each anniversary date thereafter, the bank said.

SBI chairman C S Setty, said that the bond attracted a wide participation of investors with did kinds bids demonstrating the trust investors place in the country’s largest bank.

“This issue attracted a robust response from investors with bids of more than 2 times against the base issue size of Rs 3,000 crores. The total number of bids received was 89 indicating participation from diverse set of qualified institutional bidders. The investors were across provident funds, pension funds, mutual funds, banks etc,” SBI said in a statement.
Based on the response, SBI accepted Rs 4,691 crore at a coupon rate of 7.75% payable annually.
The bonds are rated AA+ with stable outlook from Crisil and Care Ratings.

Glen Hansard, the Irish singer-songwriter who won an Academy Award for the song “Falling Slowly” and fronted the rock band the Frames for more than three decades, died early Wednesday in a motorcycle crash near his native Dublin. He was 56.

Irish police said a man in his 50s died following a single-vehicle motorcycle collision in the west of Dublin, on the R109 Lower Road between Tinkers Hill and Rugged Lane. Emergency services were alerted to the crash shortly before 4:30 a.m. local time. The motorcyclist was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later, according to a police statement, which also appealed for any witnesses to come forward.

Hansard’s management company, ATC Management, confirmed his death in a statement. “With broken hearts we announce the passing of Glen Hansard who passed away, in the early hours of this morning, following a road traffic accident in Dublin,” the statement said. “Glen’s family is deeply shocked and heartbroken by this tragic loss and respectfully requests privacy at this extremely difficult time. The family is grateful for the support they have received and wishes to thank the emergency services who attended the scene.”

Born and raised in Dublin, Hansard left school at 13 to begin busking on the streets of the Irish capital before forming the Frames in 1990. The band became a fixture of the Irish rock scene over more than three decades, with Hansard as its frontman and primary songwriter throughout. He later released a series of successful solo albums, including 2012’s “Rhythm and Repose” and 2015’s “Didn’t He Ramble,” the latter of which earned a Grammy Award nomination for best folk album.

Hansard’s international breakthrough came through film rather than music alone. He had his first notable acting role playing a member of a Dublin soul band in the 1991 movie “The Commitments,” directed by Alan Parker. That early acting experience helped position him for the role that would define his career to a global audience: the lead in the 2007 independent film “Once,” directed and written by his friend and former Frames bassist John Carney.

“Once” followed a struggling Dublin street musician who falls in love with a young Czech immigrant, played by Markéta Irglová, with whom Hansard also formed the musical duo the Swell Season. The film, shot on a modest budget using handheld cameras, became a critical and commercial success. Hansard and Irglová wrote and performed all of the movie’s original music, including its centerpiece duet, “Falling Slowly,” which won the Academy Award for best original song at the 80th Academy Awards in 2008.

Accepting the Oscar alongside Irglová from presenter John Travolta, a visibly stunned Hansard told the audience, “What are we doing here? This is mad.” The moment became one of the more memorable acceptance speeches in Academy Awards history, capturing the improbability of a low-budget Irish film about two street musicians earning Hollywood’s top honor for original song.

Hansard’s road to the role was itself unconventional. Irish actor Cillian Murphy had originally been cast to star alongside Irglová, but when he withdrew from the project, Carney turned to Hansard, who had already composed the film’s music. Hansard later recalled that Murphy had reservations about some of the songs he had written for the project, a detail Hansard shared with characteristic humor in later interviews about the film’s origins.

A stage adaptation of “Once” later opened on Broadway, where it won eight Tony Awards, including best musical, further extending the reach and legacy of the story Hansard had helped create.

News of Hansard’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from fans and public figures across Ireland and beyond. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said he was deeply saddened to learn of the musician’s passing. “A talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years,” Martin wrote on social media. “My sincere sympathies to his family, friends, and fans.”

Fans shared memories of Hansard’s music and performances across social media platforms throughout the day, with many recalling his decades of busking, touring and songwriting that predated his Oscar win and continued long after it, as he remained an active and beloved figure within Ireland’s music community.

Hansard is survived by a young son, who was 3 years old at the time of his father’s death. Details regarding funeral or memorial arrangements had not been announced as of Wednesday afternoon, with his family requesting privacy in the immediate aftermath of his death.

Hansard’s career spanned more than three decades, from his earliest days busking on Dublin’s streets as a teenager to international recognition as an Academy Award-winning musician and actor. His influence on Irish music, and on the broader tradition of singer-songwriters blending intimate, personal storytelling with folk and rock instrumentation, is expected to be remembered as a defining part of his legacy in the days and weeks ahead as tributes continue to emerge from collaborators, fellow musicians and fans around the world.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of using taxpayer-funded staff to pursue more than $1 million in personal cash awards during the COVID-19 pandemic, allegations Fauci declined to address as he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment.

The exchange came during a contentious hearing Wednesday, where the former White House COVID advisor had been subpoenaed to appear before the Republican-led committee by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Hawley accused Fauci of directing federal employees to help secure lucrative awards while millions of Americans were grappling with the pandemic.

FAUCI PLEADS FIFTH WITH ‘ZERO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION’ AS CRITICS ERUPT AND DEMAND CONTEMPT CHARGES

“You were using federal employees with taxpayer money to apply for and solicit cash prizes for you personally, cash prizes totaling over $1 million,” Hawley said. “You did all of that during the pandemic, didn’t you?”

Rather than respond to Hawley’s questions, Fauci repeatedly said, “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”

Hawley then pointed to what he described as internal emails from Fauci’s staff, including one from former chief of staff Greg Folkers discussing a nomination for the Dan David Prize. According to Hawley, the email asked federal employees to bolster the COVID-19 section of Fauci’s nomination by providing language detailing his pandemic response.

FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

“We’re working on this nomination for the Dan David Award for Fauci,” Hawley read from the email. “We need to beef up the COVID part.”

Hawley alleged the Dan David Award carried a $900,000 cash prize and claimed Fauci used federal employees to help obtain it. He further accused Fauci of using government staff and resources to pursue at least eight additional cash awards, including honors from the Partnership for Public Service, the Adelson Prize, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Academy of Medicine and the CDC Foundation.

“In fact, you turned your staff into a full-time application machine,” Hawley said. “You actually wrote to people and said, ‘Do you think maybe I’d qualify?’”

EXCLUSIVE: BIDEN PARDON WON’T SHIELD FAUCI IF HE LIES TO CONGRESS, COMER SAYS

Hawley also alleged Fauci used eight separate federal employees on government time to assist with the award applications, asking whether the claims were true.

Fauci again declined to answer, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, something he did more than 100 times over the course of the hearing.

Although the retired infectious disease expert was granted a presidential pardon by former President Joe Biden, critics have argued he could still be prosecuted if he commits perjury while testifying under oath.

In his opening remarks, Fauci accused Paul of having an “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution.”

“The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, behind bars, unquote,” he said.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Hawley told FOX Business that Fauci “has zero rights under the Fifth Amendment” because of his pardon. 

“He got rich while people were dying,” Hawley said. “He used federal employees with taxpayer money to apply for and solicit cash prizes. He needs to answer for it.”

Fauci said he invoked the Fifth Amendment on the advice of his legal counsel, while acknowledging that doing so was difficult for him.

Scientists studying a lake straddling the border between Vermont and Quebec have identified what researchers describe as the first known case of a transmissible cancer in catfish, a discovery that has reignited scientific interest in how contagious tumors emerge and spread across species.

Biologists with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife made the discovery in Lake Memphremagog after anglers began reporting unusual findings between 2012 and 2013. Fishermen pulled numerous brown bullhead catfish from the lake covered in distinctive black spots across their bodies. When biologists examined the affected fish more closely, they determined the marks were melanoma, a type of skin cancer more commonly associated with human patients than with fish populations.

The findings, published in the scientific journal Nature, revealed that between 23% and 37% of the catfish sampled from the lake carried melanoma lesions, according to the study. Researchers said the cancerous marks could appear across various parts of the fish’s body, including their gills, lips and even their eyes.

Peter Emerson, a biologist with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, described the visual severity of the lesions in an interview with NPR. “It looks like black tar on the skin — not very pretty,” Emerson said. He added that the tumors clearly impaired the affected fish, noting they appeared in locations that would interfere with basic functions. “You can tell it doesn’t help the fish cause they’re inside the mouth, they’re on the fins,” Emerson said.

Researchers involved in the study believe the cancer is being actively transmitted between individual catfish within the lake population, rather than developing independently and simultaneously in large numbers of separate fish. According to the researchers’ hypothesis, the outbreak likely originated with a single catfish that developed a tumor, which then shed cancerous cells directly into the surrounding water. Once those free-floating cancer cells came into contact with and invaded other catfish in the lake, scientists believe the disease began spreading more broadly through the population, effectively functioning as a contagious illness rather than a series of unrelated individual cancer cases.

Researchers have proposed a possible environmental trigger for the initial outbreak. They hypothesize that extensive flooding in the region following Hurricane Irene in 2011 may have degraded water quality in Lake Memphremagog through increased agricultural and other runoff pollution entering the lake, potentially creating conditions that made the catfish population more vulnerable to developing the initial cancer that later became transmissible.

Transmissible cancers, in which cancer cells themselves function essentially as an infectious pathogen capable of spreading from one individual organism to another, remain an extremely rare phenomenon in the natural world. Prior to this discovery in catfish, scientists had documented transmissible cancers in only a small number of other species, including certain populations of dogs, Tasmanian devils, and several varieties of clams and other shellfish. The Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease is perhaps the best-documented example among vertebrates, having devastated wild Tasmanian devil populations in Australia since it was first identified in the 1990s.

The discovery of a new transmissible cancer in catfish has prompted broader scientific reflection on how common the phenomenon might actually be across the animal kingdom, and whether similar mechanisms could theoretically exist within human populations. Elizabeth Murchison, a researcher who studies transmissible cancers, addressed that broader question in comments to The New York Times. “This finding does reinforce the idea that transmissible cancers could emerge anywhere, including in our own species,” Murchison said.

Despite that observation, established medical and scientific consensus continues to hold that cancer cannot spread from person to person in the way that transmissible cancers spread among catfish, Tasmanian devils or other affected animal species. The American Cancer Society maintains that human-to-human cancer transmission is not possible under normal circumstances, and the organization has stated there is little scientific research to suggest otherwise. The extremely rare exceptions documented in human medicine, such as cancer transmission through organ transplantation from a donor who had an undetected malignancy, are considered fundamentally different from the kind of naturally occurring, environmentally spread transmissible cancers observed in the catfish population and other affected animal species.

Researchers studying the Lake Memphremagog catfish population say continued monitoring of the lake’s brown bullhead catfish will be necessary to better understand how the transmissible melanoma is spreading, whether the prevalence of affected fish is likely to increase or decrease over time, and what broader ecological consequences the outbreak might have for the lake’s catfish population and surrounding aquatic ecosystem.

The discovery adds to a small but growing body of scientific literature documenting transmissible cancers across diverse animal species, a research area that scientists say remains poorly understood despite its potential implications for broader questions in cancer biology, including how tumors evolve, spread and, in rare cases, develop the ability to survive and propagate outside the body of the organism in which they originally formed.