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FTX co-founder Gary Wang receives no prison sentence for crypto fraud
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Prosecutors hailed ‘first FTX cooperator to come in the door’, helping put away Sam Bankman-Fried for decades An apologetic FTX co-founder was sentenced on Wednesday to no time in prison after a prosecutor and a federal judge praised his cooperation against Sam Bankman-Fried and his efforts to recover money for victims of the cryptocurrency fraud. Gary Wang testified three partial days at Bankman-Fried’s trial last year, explaining his role as FTX’s chief technology officer in a fraud that the judge Lewis A Kaplan described as one of the two or three biggest in US history. Continue reading...
Guardian and Observer journalists to strike over sale of the Observer
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Union says sale of Sunday paper to Tortoise would be a ‘betrayal of the Scott Trust’s commitment to the Observer’ Journalists at the Guardian and Observer have voted to strike for 48 hours over the planned sale of the Observer newspaper to Tortoise. Union members passed a motion on Wednesday stating that selling the Sunday newspaper to Tortoise would be a “betrayal” of the Scott Trust’s commitment to the Observer. The trust is the ultimate owner of Guardian Media Group. Continue reading...
UK energy suppliers to spend £500m to cushion pain of rising bills
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Exclusive: Government helps to broker deal involving 12 suppliers following winter fuel payment cuts Business live – latest updates Energy suppliers will spend £500m helping customers with their energy bills this winter, after the government helped broker a deal involving 12 of the biggest companies in the UK. Suppliers will spend the money in a variety of ways, including putting credit on some customers’ bills, writing off the debts of others and putting credit on prepayment meters, sources told the Guardian. Continue reading...
UK inflation rises to 2.3%, increasing pressure to delay interest rate cut
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Figure is above Bank of England target after energy bills push up prices Inflation could rise above 3% next year after it increased to 2.3% in October, heaping pressure on the Bank of England to delay further interest rate cuts until the spring. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday showed that a rise in energy bills pushed up the consumer prices index (CPI), reversing a downward trend this year in inflation, which was 1.7% in September. Continue reading...
Cop 29: Ukraine and Palestinian delegates warn of environmental impact of war – video
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Ukraine's environmental protection minister, Svitlana Grynchuk, and the Palestinian chair for the environmental quality authority, Nisreen Tamimi, raised the alarm on the ecological impact of war in their countries and beyond. Grynchuk said Russia's 'unlawful reporting' of its carbon emissions on Ukrainian territory was undermining the integrity of the Paris agreement. Tamimi said the rebuilding effort in Gaza would release an estimated 30m tonnes of carbon dioxide Cop29 live: campaigners say talks are ‘reaching point of real emotion’ Continue reading...
A Bornean orangutan on a fearless quest for figs: Tim Laman’s best photograph
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‘While it was dark, I climbed up and put remote control cameras in the tree. I’d never have got the shot if I’d been up there. An orangutan always knows you’re there’ I was following orangutans in Borneo with my wife, Cheryl Knott, a primatologist who has spent 30 years working in Gunung Palung national park, in the Indonesian part of Borneo. I am a biologist by background, and did my PhD research in rainforest ecology in Borneo, before I went into photography and film-making. I saw so much destruction in the rainforest back in the 90s, and it dawned on me that I could publish scientific articles that maybe 10 people would read – or an article in National Geographic that 10 million people would see. I was getting increasingly serious about my photography while working on my PhD when I got funding from the National Geographic Society for field research. Through that connection, I was able to show them my pictures and eventually I published an article in the magazine about my work, which in turn meant I was able to get an assignment to document Cheryl’s orangutan PhD. Continue reading...
Lidl warns of price rises and HMV of job cuts amid backlash over UK budget
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HMV owner says budget is ‘bad news’ while UK boss of Lidl says product inflation ‘inevitable’ despite returning to profit Business live – latest updates Lidl has warned of potential price rises, with HMV predicting job cuts as a result of cost increases caused by the UK government’s budget. Doug Putman, the owner of the British entertainment retailer HMV, said the budget was “bad news in general” and “most retailers would be on a pause” in their expansion plans as the cost of employing staff rose. “We won’t open, we will wait,” he said. Continue reading...
Ford cuts 4,000 jobs in Europe, including 800 in UK, after slowdown in EV sales
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Carmaker does not specify where British cuts will fall but Dagenham and Halewood will not be affected Business live – latest updates Ford has said it will cut 4,000 jobs in Europe, becoming the latest carmaker to try to reduce costs amid slowing growth in electric car sales and competition from China. The American carmaker said on Wednesday it would axe 800 jobs in the UK and 2,900 in Germany. The company’s UK factories in Dagenham and Halewood will not be affected. Continue reading...
BlackRock accused of contributing to climate and human rights abuses
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OECD complaint alleges top firm has increased investments in companies implicated in environmental devastation BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset management company, faces a complaint at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for allegedly contributing to environmental and human rights abuses around the world through its investments in agribusiness. Friends of the Earth US and the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil accuse BlackRock of increasing investments in companies that have been implicated in the devastation of the Amazon and other major forests despite warnings that this is destabilising the global climate, damaging ecosystems and violating the rights of traditional communities. Continue reading...
Severn Trent’s profits triple as it fails drinking water risk rules
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Half-year profits of £192m come despite being ‘in penalty’ over quality Business live – latest updates Severn Trent has nearly tripled its profits even as the FTSE 100 water company said it had failed to meet a drinking water risk standard. The company, which serves 4.7 million customers stretching from Bristol and mid-Wales to the Humber, said it would be “in penalty this year” over a measure of water quality known as the compliance risk index (CRI). Continue reading...
Sky News documentary ‘Real Cost of Net Zero’ fails to live up to its hubris, with viewers paying the price | Temperature Check
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Chris Uhlmann says power costs are soaring while renewables are falling short, but do the pair have anything in common? Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast What is “The Real Cost of Net Zero” asked political journalist Chris Uhlmann this week, after weeks of trailing his new documentary on Sky News Australia. Uhlmann is no fan of Australia’s shift to renewables, and in a preview published in the Australian said politicians and governments “pushing ambitious renewables targets” were “breathtakingly, stunningly energy illiterate.” Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Graham Readfearn is Guardian Australia’s environment and climate correspondent Continue reading...
Santander puts aside £295m for car loan mis-selling
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Lower third-quarter profits reported alongside first estimate of financial fallout from loan mis-selling scandal Business live – latest updates Santander UK has put aside £295m to cover potential payouts to car loan customers as the bank issued its first estimate of the financial fallout from the growing car loan mis-selling scandal. The figures were released alongside the bank’s third-quarter results, which were delayed last month after a court of appeal ruling said it was unlawful for two lenders to have paid a “secret” commission to car dealers without borrowers’ knowledge. Continue reading...
‘Capitalism incarnate’: inside the secret world of McKinsey, the firm hooked on fossil fuels
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Interviews and analysis of court documents show how the world’s most prestigious consulting firm quietly helps fuel the climate crisis Two giant, mirrored walls are set to rise out of the sands of the Arabian desert. They will run parallel for more than 100 miles from the coast of the Red Sea through arid valleys and craggy mountains. Between them, a futuristic city which has no need for cars or roads will be powered completely by renewable energy. This engineering marvel, its creators say, will usher in “a revolution in civilization”. It’s the jewel in the crown of a $500bn Saudi government project known as Neom, turning a vast scrubland into a techno-utopia and world-class tourist and sporting destination. Perhaps a harbinger for the end of oil, it will supposedly put the powerful petrostate at the forefront of the energy transition. For American consulting giant McKinsey & Company, its advising on this project appears to be making good on the firm’s green promises. Continue reading...
‘My legs were getting smashed in. My face was burning’ – This is climate breakdown
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You had to drive through the fire to leave. I remember my heart racing. This is Olivia’s story Location Fort Smith, Canada Disaster Wood Buffalo Complex fire, 2023 Olivia is Dene, a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and works in environmental management. In 2023, she was caught up in the massive evacuation when the Wood Buffalo Complex fire broke out, burning more than 500,000 hectares in and around the national park. Across Canada, the 2023 wildfire season was unprecedented in its scale and intensity. Eight firefighters were killed, and about 200,000 people were displaced. Continue reading...
Blackouts, explosions, deaths: why the Caribbean is waking up to the increased threat of lightning
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A recent strike narrowly missed slave trade archives in Barbados, and experts warn more and worse is to come as global heating intensifies storms When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world’s most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received widespread sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally. A section of the 60-year-old building, Block D, located on the grounds of the “Lazaretto” (the island’s former colony for people with leprosy), caught fire, and sustained serious damage. Official documents including hospital and school records were lost. “It was not just paper that was in the building, but documents that have stories about our families and ancestors,” says the chief archivist, Ingrid Thompson. Continue reading...
Tokyo Metro wins contract to operate London’s Elizabeth line
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Consortium including company that runs Tokyo’s renowned metro system to take over from China’s MTR in May Business live – latest updates The company behind Tokyo’s renowned metro system has won a deal to take over the operation of London’s Elizabeth line, replacing the incumbent Chinese-owned operator MTR. Tokyo Metro Company (TMC) has promised to bring Japanese reliability and punctuality to London’s newest rail line after its consortium with the UK transport group Go-Ahead and the Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corporation beat three other bidders for the deal. Continue reading...
Almost 120 countries vowed to triple renewables by 2030 – how is it going?
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At Cop28 last year they also pledged to double energy efficiency in an effort to cut the world’s reliance on fossil fuels Almost 120 countries came together in Dubai last year at the Cop28 climate talks to pledge one of the most ambitious green energy targets in the history of the UN climate talks. The plan put forward was to triple the world’s renewable energy and double its energy efficiency by the end of the decade in an attempt to cut the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. Continue reading...
Patches of wildflowers in cities can be just as good for insects as natural meadows – study
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Researchers found no difference in the diversity of species in urban meadows compared with those in rural settings Small patches of wildflowers sown in cities can be a good substitute for a natural meadow, according to a study which showed butterflies, bees and hoverflies like them just as much. Councils are increasingly making space for wildflower meadows in cities in a bid to tackle insect decline, but their role in helping pollinating insects was unclear. Researchers working in the Polish city of Warsaw wanted to find out if these efforts were producing good results. Continue reading...
Five firms in plastic pollution alliance ‘made 1,000 times more plastic than they cleaned up’
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Exclusive: Five oil and chemical companies which promised to divert plastic from environment produced 132m tonnes of it, analysis finds Bali recycling scheme swamped with garbage Oil and chemical companies who created a high-profile alliance to end plastic pollution have produced 1,000 times more new plastic in five years than the waste they diverted from the environment, according to new data obtained by Greenpeace. The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) was set up in 2019 by a group of companies which include ExxonMobil, Dow, Shell, TotalEnergies and ChevronPhillips, some of the world’s biggest producers of plastic. They promised to divert 15m tonnes of plastic waste from the environment in five years to the end of 2023, by improving collection and recycling, and creating a circular economy. Continue reading...
Enterprise Car Club fined me for someone else’s unpaid fuel
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I was charged £113.45 after firm insisted petrol station fine was mine to pay despite evidence to the contrary On 27 July, I hired a car with Enterprise Car Club to visit the seaside with my family. Two weeks ago I received a fine from the company for unpaid fuel at a BP station in Attleborough in Norfolk. It had paid the collections agency £41.45 for the fuel, and the legal firm’s £42 fee, and added a £30 processing fee of its own, so a total of £113.45. I thought it was strange because I hadn’t been in Norfolk that day or that month, and indeed I’ve never been to Attleborough. I even double-checked my Google Maps timeline to make sure, and I was nowhere near there. Continue reading...
Plantwatch: Arctic microalgae perform photosynthesis in near darkness
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Unlocking secrets of how the algae survive could help extend growing seasons for crop plants at high latitudes Plants left for too long in the dark usually turn sickly yellow and die, but scientists were astonished to discover tiny microalgae in the Arctic Ocean down to 50 metres deep can perform photosynthesis in near darkness. The microalgae were at 88-degrees north and started photosynthesising in late March, only a few days after the long winter polar night came to an end at this latitude. The sun was barely poking up above the horizon and the sea was still covered in snow and ice, barely allowing any light to pass through. Typical light conditions outside on a clear day in Europe are more than 37,000-50,000 times the amount of light required by these Arctic microalgae. Continue reading...
Labour wants tax rises to fall on the ‘broadest shoulders’. The farmers furore shows why that’s so hard to achieve | Rafael Behr
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In place of precision-targeted revenue raids, Reeves needs to win a bigger argument about the reason we have taxes It is hardly advanced political science to observe that governments are more popular when giving people stuff than when taking it away. Junior doctors, who are getting a pay rise, are probably better disposed towards Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves right now than farmers, who are losing a tax break. Not all farmers. The government says its reforms to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) will mean inheritance tax is levied on about 500 estates that were previously exempt. Agribusiness lobby groups say many more will be affected, potentially 70,000. Farmers have marched on Westminster to vent their fury. Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Value of UK music industry hits record £7.6bn thanks to superstar tours
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Live shows from acts including Coldplay, Elton John, Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran help drive revenues The value of the UK music industry has hit a record £7.6bn after superstar acts including Elton John, Beyoncé, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran embarked on Covid-delayed tours to cash in on pent-up fan demand for live shows. UK Music, the umbrella organisation representing the commercial music industry from artists and record labels to the live music sector, said that the economic value of the industry to the UK economy surged by almost £1bn in 2023. Continue reading...
The climate crisis in charts: how 2024 has set unwanted new records
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Data tracks how Earth’s heating has led to rising sea levels and extreme weather – yet there is no sign of emissions slowing “The era of global boiling has arrived” is what the UN chief, António Guterres, presciently declared last year. In 2024, he has continued to be proven right; a report by the EU’s space programme has found it is “virtually certain” that 2024 will be the hottest year on record. The scientists found global temperatures for the past 12 months were 1.62C greater than the 1850-1900 average, when humanity started to burn vast volumes of coal, oil and gas. The chart below shows just how quickly global surface temperatures have climbed, and this year is on track to be the first to hit 1.5C above preindustrial temperatures. Continue reading...
Why children like me have a right to be heard at the People’s Blockade of the Newcastle coal port | Frankie Kelly
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From my perspective as a 12-year-old, it’s devastating that the protest is getting such a negative reaction from the NSW government Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast All year, I have been looking forward to the People’s Blockade of the Newcastle coal port. I’ve been so excited to see the colourful array of kayaks and get to swim and paddle in the harbour with my friends to make our voices heard, and let the government know that we need to do everything we can right now to stop the climate crisis. I know that Rising Tide has been working incredibly hard to make the blockade a fun and safe experience for everyone, but it feels like instead of listening to our concern about the climate crisis, the state government is doing everything they can to try to stop our “protestival” from going ahead. Frankie Kelly is a 12-year-old climate activist with Rising Tide from Newcastle Continue reading...
Australia pledges $50m for climate 'loss and damage' fund, ramps up Cop31 host bid - video
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Australia and Turkey are both lobbying to host Cop31, the world's annual United Nations climate change negotiations planned for 2026. The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, said Australia wants to co-host Cop31 'in partnership with our Pacific family'. Bowen also announced a $50m contribution to loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. Paris agreement is working, Australian minister tells Cop29, but much deeper cuts needed by 2035 Chris Bowen makes last-minute diplomatic stop in Turkey as Australia ramps up bid to host Cop31 Continue reading...
Trump tariffs are coming, but some Chinese companies may already know how to avoid them
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Some experts liken tariffs to a game of whack-a-mole, with trade flows simply rerouted if the potential rewards are big enough Businesses are bracing for the economic impact of a second Trump presidency, which, if his campaign promises are to be believed, will mean tariffs across nearly all imports to the US, especially those from China. But amid the gloom over the spectre of a renewed global trade war, some manufacturers may be looking to those who already have a playbook on dealing with aggressive US levies, such as China’s solar companies. Continue reading...
No hiding place for Labour’s farming minister as tweed army take over Whitehall | John Crace
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Farage cosplayed Mr Toad, Victoria Atkins troubled all fashion sense, but Steve Reed won the turnip for his flailing defence of inheritance tax changes It was a very civilised protest. The sort of protest you might expect from roughly 10,000 asset-rich, cash-poor millionaire farmers from all over the country. The police officers there just to redirect the traffic. Only the occasional shouted slogans to punctuate proceedings; most people were just happy to be there. “What do we want?” “To not pay inheritance tax on our farms.” It had a ring. Whitehall has probably never seen so much tweed. Nigel Farage was out there looking like Mr Toad. Flat cap, pristine Barbour jacket, mustard trousers and green wellies. He never can resist a chance to cosplay. Someone might have told him that the streets had been tarmacked a while back. There again, Nige is always willing to piggyback on other people’s grievances. Perhaps he might first like to explain why Brexit has hit farmers so hard. Continue reading...
Retailers deserve a break – but they shouldn’t look to the chancellor for one
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A letter by 79 firms voicing ‘significant concerns’ over the budget is likely to do little more than irritate Rachel Reeves While the farmers took to the streets of Westminster, the shopkeepers protested in the old-fashioned way. They wrote a polite letter to the chancellor voicing their “significant concerns” over “the sheer scale” of budget measures that, they say, will push up their industry’s costs by £7bn next year and “make job losses inevitable and higher prices a certainty”. A total of 79 firms signed, including all the FTSE 100 crew – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Next, Marks & Spencer, B&Q owner Kingfisher, JD Sports and the AB Foods-owned Primark. This display of unity will irritate the Treasury but, almost certainly, will not cause Rachel Reeves to rethink. The chancellor has already told firms how to deal with the rise in employer national insurance contributions (NICs), the most contentious measure and one that comprises £2.33bn of the £7bn. They should absorb it through “lower profits or perhaps through lower wage growth”, she has said. Continue reading...
Retailers are right to warn of job cuts after Reeves budget, says Andrew Bailey
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Bank of England governor says number of roles could shrink by more than 50,000 after rise in employer NICs The Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, has said retailers are right to warn of potential job cuts as a result of tax increases announced at last month’s budget. Bailey appeared before the cross-party Treasury select committee on Tuesday, after almost 80 retailers claimed rising costs would make “job losses inevitable, and higher prices a certainty”. Continue reading...
China and India should not be called developing countries, several Cop29 delegates say
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Delegates from poorer nations say classifications that date back to 1992 are obsolete and two countries ‘should be contributing’ China and India should no longer be treated as developing countries in the same way as some of the poorest African nations are, according to a growing number of delegates from poorer country at the Cop29 UN climate talks. China should take on some additional responsibility for providing financial help to the poorest and most vulnerable, several delegates told the Guardian. India should not be eligible for receiving financial help as it has no trouble attracting investment, some said. Continue reading...
HarperCollins to allow tech firms to use its books to train AI models
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Some nonfiction backlist titles will be used to train artificial intelligence with authors’ permission Publisher HarperCollins will allow some of its titles to be used to train AI models, with the permission of authors. The company “has reached an agreement with an artificial intelligence technology company to allow limited use of select nonfiction backlist titles for training AI models to improve model quality and performance”, it said in a statement shared with the Guardian. Continue reading...
Jekyll and Hyde managers: why they’re worse than consistently horrible bosses
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New research proves what employees have always felt – that erratic behaviour from those above them in the hierarchy is the absolute pits Name: Jekyll and Hyde managers. Age: Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, as you’ll know of course, was published in 1886. Since then, “Jekyll and Hyde” has been used to describe anyone who is sometimes a good egg and other times a very bad one. Including bosses. Continue reading...
Global stock markets fall and bonds jump as fears grow over Ukraine war
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Investors dash to safe-haven currencies after Putin updates nuclear doctrine and Ukraine fires missiles into Russia Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Global stock markets fell and bond prices have jumped after reports that Ukraine had fired a US-made long-range missile into Russia for the first time and Vladimir Putin approved changes to Moscow’s nuclear doctrine. Investors dashed into safe-haven currencies such as the US dollar, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc on Tuesday, after the RBC-Ukraine news outlet reported that Kyiv had carried out its first strike on Russian territory using western-supplied missiles. Continue reading...
England’s national parks facing financial peril due to budget cuts, say CEOs
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Exclusive: Leaders warn cost savings will lead to mass redundancies and that spaces could become ‘paper parks’ England’s national parks face a 12% real-terms cut to their budget which would lead to mass redundancies of wardens and the closure of visitor centres and other facilities, park leaders have warned. The chief executives told the Guardian that soon the spaces would become “paper parks” designated by a “brown sign on the motorway” and they will have to “turn the lights off, close the doors and put up closed signs” if the cuts go ahead. Continue reading...
Farmers march into central London to protest against new inheritance tax – video
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Thousands of farmers from across the UK protested in central London against changes in the 2024 budget that will mean some farmers paying inheritance tax. Farmers were previously exempt. The farmers, who were joined by Jeremy Clarkson and seveal MPs, fear the new levy will affect food prices and harm their businesses Continue reading...
Bank of England governor says retailers are right to warn of job cut risks from budget measures – business live
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Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news Rachel Reeves is feeling pressure from farmers, as well as retailers, over the tax changes in last month’s budget. Thousands of farmers are descending on central London this morning, arguing that changes to inheritance tax rules will destroy family farms. The government, though, says it will make no difference to food security. Continue reading...
Cop29 live: Slashing methane emissions is ‘our emergency brake’, UN says
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Cop29 presidency announces new drive to cut methane emissions from waste dumps as G20 reaffirms transition from fossil fuels The UK government has conceded that Australia was mistakenly included on a list of countries that were expected to sign up to a US-UK civil nuclear deal agreed at Cop29 on Monday, writes Adam Morton, Guardian Australia’s climate and environment editor. The Albanese government flatly denied media reports on Tuesday that it would join the UK and the US in a collaboration to share advanced nuclear technology. The UK and the US announcement said they would speed up work on “cutting-edge nuclear technology”, including small modular reactors, after inking a deal at the Cop29 UN climate summit in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. We urge them to use the G20 meeting to send a positive signal of their commitment to address the climate crisis. Continue reading...
‘People don’t get the power of the podcast. But Trump does’: broadcaster-turned-investor Harry Stebbings
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The twentysomething podcaster and venture capitalist talks about his $400m investment fund, his mum – and the power of new media to influence politics If you’re going to discuss the significance of Donald Trump’s presidential election win for the tech industry, then a podcast studio is as good a location as any. Harry Stebbings, the 28-year-old podcaster-turned-investor, is used to asking the questions around the studio table in London, having interviewed an array of tech founders, executives and venture capitalists since the first episode of his 20VC show in 2015. Continue reading...
Farmers ‘betrayed’ by ministers, says NFU as protest reaches Westminster
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Proposed inheritance tax changes targeted by body for agricultural industry in England and Wales Farmers protest in Whitehall – live updates What are the tax changes affecting UK farmers? The head of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has accused the government of an extraordinary “betrayal” over its budget changes to inheritance tax for agricultural properties, as he addressed hundreds of farmers who have travelled to London to lobby their local MPs. Speaking to about 600 farmers at Church House in Westminster, Tom Bradshaw described the government measures as a “stab in the back”, after the sector had been previously told that taxes such as agricultural property relief (APR) would not be changed. Continue reading...
US justice department plans to push Google to sell off Chrome browser
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Authorities seek to dismantle monopoly on search market and also want action related to AI and Android Business live – latest updates US justice department officials plan to ask a judge to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser to dismantle the monopoly it has over the internet search market, in a major intervention against one of the world’s biggest tech companies. The Department of Justice (DoJ) last month filed court papers saying it is considering enforcing “structural remedies” to prevent Google from using some its products. Continue reading...
The Guardian environment pledge 2024
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Five years on from our original pledge – here are six things the Guardian is doing to confront the emergency facing our climate and the natural world Support urgent, independent climate journalism today What we’ve learned in the last five years In late 2019, we took a stand. Of all the crises facing the world, the most alarming is climate breakdown. We asked ourselves: what can the Guardian do? The answer: to report relentlessly on this emergency each day – its causes, consequences and solutions. To keep pressure on governments, businesses and each other to act now, to make changes for the better, to make good on their promises. And to look at our own organisation to ensure we are practising what we preach. Five years on from our initial environment pledge, we are updating our readers and supporters on the progress we have made on six vital promises. Continue reading...
‘I’m imagining what my mother went through in her last seconds’ – This is climate breakdown
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My brother called saying there was a storm. I was waiting, waiting, waiting. This is Elisa’s story Location Saint-Martin-Vésubie, France Disaster name Storm Alex, 2020 Elisa is a women’s clothing designer who runs her own label in Montreal, Canada. She was born and grew up in Nice, France, where much of her family remained, but was in Canada with her children and partner when Storm Alex gusted towards France and the mountain village where her mother lived. The storm was a powerful extratropical cyclone that caused extreme flooding around the Mediterranean, killing at least 15 people. Three months’ worth of rain – 50cm – fell on Saint-Martin-Vésubie in one day, 3 October 2020. Continue reading...
What we’ve learned in the five years since our first environment pledge
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An update on our progress from the Guardian’s head of sustainability The Guardian environment pledge 2024 Support urgent, independent climate journalism today Five years ago the Guardian made a pledge that we would “play a part, both in our journalism and in our own organisation, to address the climate emergency” with our first annual environment pledge. That commitment reflected our long history of environment reporting and our view that individual companies had to take greater responsibility for their impact on the natural world. We wanted to demonstrate to readers that we were taking the action that our journalism showed was so necessary, and to be transparent about our progress. Today we publish the 2024 pledge. Since then we have worked hard to measure and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, to understand our impact on nature and to share our results openly with readers. In our latest sustainability report, published last month, we show that our emissions have fallen by 43% since 2020, putting us well on track to achieve our goal of a 67% cut by 2030. Continue reading...
Hundreds of lobbyists for industrial farming attend Cop29 climate summit
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Nearly 40% of food sector lobbyists have travelled to Baku as part of countries’ delegations Cop29 climate summit – live updates Hundreds of lobbyists for industrial agriculture are attending the Cop29 climate summit in Baku, analysis shows. They include representatives from some of the world’s largest agribusiness companies including the Brazilian meatpacker JBS, the animal pharmaceuticals company Elanco, and the food giant PepsiCo, as well as trade groups representing the food sector. Continue reading...
We assume damage to Baltic Sea cables was sabotage, German minister says
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Boris Pistorius says ‘no one believes’ two undersea fibre-optic communications cables were cut accidentally Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Germany has said it has to assume that damage to two undersea fibre-optic communication cables in the Baltic Sea since Sunday was an act of sabotage. Two cables in the Baltic – one between Finland and Germany, the other between Sweden and Lithuania – were severed on Sunday and Monday, raising suspicions of a malicious attack, though authorities initially declined to speculate. Continue reading...
Construction is the world’s biggest polluter, yet Labour still refuses to tackle it | Simon Jenkins
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Refurbishing an old building is subject to full VAT, but it isn’t if you build a polluting new one. The government’s priorities are all wrong You can damn oil companies, abuse cars, insult nimbys, kill cows, befoul art galleries. But you must never, ever criticise the worst offender of all. The construction industry is sacred to both the left and the right. It may be the world’s greatest polluter, but it is not to be criticised. It is the elephant in the global-heating room. It’s hard not to feel as though we have a blind spot when it comes to cement, steel and concrete. A year has now passed since the UN’s environment programme stated baldly that “the building and construction sector is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases”. The industry accounts for “a staggering 37% of global emissions”, more than any other single source. Yet it rarely gets the same attention as oil or car companies. Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
BA’s ‘better world’ just got worse after my child needed emergency surgery and couldn’t fly
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For insurance, I needed confirmation from the airline that we didn’t board the plane – but it hasn’t responded I was due to fly to South Africa for a family wedding in August. On the day of departure, my three-year-old son had an awful accident and was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery. My travel insurer asked for confirmation from BA that I didn’t fly on my outbound flight. Continue reading...
Mulberry cuts a quarter of HQ staff after sales slump and bigger losses
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CEO says he will launch review to make company ‘leaner, more agile’ and the firm will ‘renew its relevance’ Business live – latest updates Mulberry is cutting a quarter of its head office staff, as the beleaguered British luxury handbag maker reported that half-year sales slumped by almost a fifth and losses had widened. The company, which last month rejected a £111m bid from 37% shareholder Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, is in the process of cutting 85 roles from the 350 staff employed in corporate functions. Continue reading...
Minecraft enters real world with $110m global theme park deal
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Exclusive: Block-building game to appear in theme parks, hotels and stores, starting in UK and US The global gaming phenomenon Minecraft is coming to the real world for the first time in a global deal to open themed rides, attractions, hotel rooms and retail outlets, starting with the UK and US. Minecraft has struck a deal with UK-headquartered Merlin Entertainments – Europe’s largest theme park operator and the second biggest globally after Disney – which runs more than 135 attractions in 23 countries including Alton Towers, Legoland, Sea Life, Madame Tussauds and the London Eye. Continue reading...