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BP suffers investor rebellion at first AGM since climate strategy U-turn
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Nearly a quarter of shareholders vote against the chair, Helge Lund, as green protesters are blocked from entering BP suffered an investor rebellion on Thursday after facing shareholders for the first time since abandoning its climate strategy at a meeting marred by protest. About a quarter of shareholders voted against the chair, Helge Lund, at the company’s annual meeting in Sunbury-on-Thames, on the edges of London, which attracted protest from several green campaign groups. Continue reading...
Cheaper energy, more cash and a bit of scrap: how to save British Steel
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UK politicians and industry have options if they want steel to make money while minimising emissions The government has taken control of British Steel, so averting the closure within days of the UK’s last two blast furnaces. However, the takeover leaves a big question: what next? Steep losses at British Steel prompted its Chinese owner, Jingye, to decide last month to close its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, which would end the production of “virgin” steel in the UK. The government stepped in with emergency legislation, passed in a single day last Saturday, to prevent that. Continue reading...
Trump attacks Fed chair over interest rates and says his termination ‘cannot come fast enough’
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President, whose tariff policy has caused turmoil, said Jerome Powell is ‘always too late and wrong’ with rate policy Business live – latest updates Donald Trump early on Thursday blasted the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, for not lowering US interest rates and expressed a wish for him to be gone from his role. The US president lambasted Powell as “always too late and wrong” in a post on his Truth Social platform. Trump noted that the European Central Bank (ECB) was poised on Thursday to lower interest rates again, without mentioning that the body has been responding to the chaos caused by Trump’s initiatives on tariffs. Continue reading...
Bibles, bullets and beef: Amazon cowboy culture at odds with Brazil’s climate goals
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As the first climate summit in the Amazon approaches, a gulf is opening between what the area’s farming lobby wants, and what the world needs Revealed: world’s largest meat company may break Amazon deforestation pledges again The life and death of a ‘laundered’ cow in the Amazon rainforest Yellowstone in Montana may have the most romanticised cowboy culture in the world thanks to the TV drama series of the same name starring Kevin Costner. But the true home of the 21st-century cowboy is about 7,500 miles south, in what used to be the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, where the reality of raising cattle and producing beef is better characterised by depression, market pressure and vexed efforts to prevent the destruction of the land and its people. The toll was apparent along the rutted PA 279 road in Pará state. Signs of human and environmental stress were not hard to find during the last dry season. Record drought had dried up irrigation ponds and burned pasture grass down to the roots, leaving emaciated cattle behind the fences. Exposed red soil was whipped up into dust devils as SUVs and cattle trucks sped past on their way between Xinguara and São Félix do Xingu, which is home to both the biggest herd on the planet and the fastest erasure of forest in the Amazon. Continue reading...
How the truth about supermarket salmon is being hidden – video
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Salmon is often marketed as the sustainable, healthy and eco-friendly protein choice. But what you may not realise is that most of the salmon you buy is farmed, especially if you live in the UK, because Scottish salmon producers are no longer required to tell you. Josh Toussaint-Strauss finds out why it is important for consumers to know where their salmon comes from, and examines the gap between the marketing of farmed salmon and the reality for our health, the environmental and animal welfare Scottish government must do more to control salmon farming, inquiry finds Scottish salmon producers allowed to remove ‘farmed’ from front of packaging Norway rules out fish farm ban despite ‘existential threat’ to wild salmon Continue reading...
I’m obsessed with coastal wildflowers: they look so delicate but thrive in tough conditions
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From the rock sea-spurrey, which appears to grow out of solid rock, to the slender centaury that lives on a landslip, these plants exist where they do for good reason I first encountered coastal wildflowers when I was 11. I was visiting my grandmother’s friend in Devon and a lady said: “Here, dear,” and dug up a clump of Warren crocuses – a rare plant that, at the time, was only thought to grow in the seaside resort of Dawlish Warren. She gave them to me to grow in my garden at home. But of course they didn’t grow away from the sea. That was when I realised there was something special about coastal wildflowers. They fascinate me because, as well as being beautiful flowers, they often grow in tough locations. Take the rock sea-spurrey: a delicate little plant that appears to grow out of solid rock, such as a crevice in a cliff base. It can put up with being splashed with sea spray and baked by the summer sun. And yet it seems to thrive in that difficult, harsh environment. Continue reading...
Lego drops diversity terms from its annual sustainability report
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Move by Danish toymaker appears to reflect US pressure on inclusivity initiatives worldwide Lego has cut diversity terminology from its annual sustainability report despite trumpeting the recent addition of “diverse” characters to make its toys more “inclusive”. Most recently the world’s biggest toymaker introduced sets featuring characters with sunflower lanyards, which are worn to indicate a hidden disability. At the time its chief diversity and inclusion officer, Lauren von Stackelberg, said the company was embedding diversity and inclusion in everything it did. Continue reading...
‘Amazon slayer’: the Dublin minnow taking on the giants in drone deliveries
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The Guardian speaks to Manna Aero founder and orders coffee via startup’s app to be delivered to a suburban home One drone lifts up into the sky at a shopping centre on the outskirts of Dublin, then another. They rise to 70ft (21 metres), tilt forward and zip away in different directions, each carrying a paper bag. On a sleepy morning in the Irish capital the takeoffs build to a steady one every few minutes, with barely anyone glancing at the constant stream of aircraft buzzing back and forth. Continue reading...
Parliament recalled for emergency vote on British Steel
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Easter recess halted in order to pass bill taking assets into public control, with full nationalisation a possibility Business live – latest updates Parliament is being recalled on Saturday to vote on emergency legislation that will bring British Steel under government control, No 10 has said. The bill will give the prime minister the power to “direct steel companies in England”, which No 10 will use to stop Jingye, the Chinese owners of the Scunthorpe site, from closing it. Continue reading...
$2,150 for an iPhone? Trump tariffs are ‘category 5 price storm’
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US is not set up to supply mobile phones and would cost estimated $30bn to move just 10% of chain from China The AI-generated video of tired-looking Americans making mobile phones, which circulated widely on social media this week, was a pointed vision of a post-tariff world. But Donald Trump wants it to become reality for Apple. The iPhone maker is one of the biggest victims of the US president’s realignment of the global trading order because its flagship product is assembled in the epicentre of Trump’s protectionist ire – China. Continue reading...
Tesla stops taking orders in China for two models imported from US
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Carmaker removes ‘order now’ buttons for Model S saloon and Model X SUV on its Chinese website amid tariffs war Business live – latest updates Tesla has stopped taking orders in China for two models it previously imported from the US, as companies scramble to adapt to prohibitive tariffs imposed in Donald Trump’s trade war. The manufacturer, run by Trump’s close ally Elon Musk, removed “order now” buttons on its Chinese website for its Model S saloon and Model X sports utility vehicle. Continue reading...
California’s $59bn agriculture industry reels under Trump’s wavering tariffs
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Some farmers recovered from president’s first-term trade war and a fresh one is estimated to cost the state $6bn a year California’s $59bn agricultural industry is bracing for disruption as Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to spike tensions and trigger economic turmoil with China – one of the state’s biggest buyers. California is the country’s breadbasket, supplying roughly one-third of US vegetables and 75% of its fruits and nuts. But it also exports much of its produce – close to $24bn worth in 2022. This means farmers in the state could lose out significantly as China imposes retaliatory tariffs on US goods. Continue reading...
UK economy far exceeds forecasts to grow 0.5% in boost to Rachel Reeves
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February GDP rise was bigger than forecast – but impact from Donald Trump’s tariff war is yet to come Analysis: GDP jump offers Reeves some light as UK enters tariff tunnel Business live – latest updates The UK economy unexpectedly expanded by 0.5% in February, figures show, in a boost for the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, before an expected downturn sparked by Donald Trump’s tariff war. The increase in gross domestic product in February was five times larger than the 0.1% that a poll of City economists had forecast, while January’s figure of a modest fall of 0.1% was revised up to 0.0% growth. Continue reading...
‘People love being here’: London development shows harmony between nature and housing
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Five thousand new homes alongside a paradise for newts appears to fly in face of government’s ‘false wedge’ Arriving at the Kidbrooke Village housing development in Greenwich on a morning in early spring, the first thing you notice is the sound of birdsong and the scent of blossom. Geese are gently honking in the distance. This was once the Ferrier estate, a postwar housing estate that was demolished in 2009 to regenerate the area. Continue reading...
‘Toxic cocktail’: study finds almost 200 pesticides in European homes
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More than 40% of pesticides discovered in dust linked to toxic effects including cancer and hormone disruption Almost 200 pesticides have been found by a study examining dust in homes around Europe, as scientists say regulators need to take “toxic cocktails” of chemicals into account when banning or restricting the use of pesticides. Scientists say their research supports the idea that regulators should assess the risks posed by pesticides when they react with other chemicals, as well as individually. They say this should apply to substances already in use, as well as those yet to be approved. Continue reading...
Turbo chooks moved into our garden and had babies without telling us! What a dilemma | First Dog on the Moon
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The chickens aren’t really happy about it either – whomst would be a chicken Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...
Trump tariff suspension only a ‘fragile pause’, says Macron, as gold soars amid market jitters – business live
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Nikkei plunges 5.4% but other Asian markets see mixed results as some reverse many of historic rally’s gains after US president’s tariffs reprieve US stocks fall again after rally following Trump’s shock retreat on tariffs Life in Shanghai, China’s commercial capital, goes on but anti-US sentiment is hardening The US dollar slumped on Friday as waning confidence in the US economy prompted investors to ditch US assets to the benefit of safe havens like the Swiss franc, yen and euro, as well as gold. The yellow metal recorded a new all-time peak in early Asia trade, and the franc notched a fresh decade high, Reuters reports. There has been a pronounced ‘sell US’ vibe flowing through broad markets and into the classic safe-haven assets, with the USD losing the safe-haven bid. Continue reading...
Will global climate action be a casualty of Trump’s tariffs?
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Clean energy investors likely to pull back from US, but other countries may seize opportunity to speed transition Donald Trump’s upending of the global economy has raised fears that climate action could emerge as a casualty of the trade war. In the week that has followed “liberation day”, economic experts have warned that the swathe of tariffs could trigger a global economic recession, with far-reaching consequences for investors – including those behind the green energy projects needed to meet climate goals. Continue reading...
Starlings fall to record low in UK’s 2025 Big Garden Birdwatch
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RSPB urges people to support threatened birds by cutting lawns less frequently and avoiding pesticides Fewer starlings than ever have been spotted by participants in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, raising fears for their numbers. The bird conservation charity is urging Britain’s gardeners to keep their lawns wild by not cutting them too often, and to avoid the use of pesticides, which reduce the number of insects to eat and can poison birds. Continue reading...
PR campaign may have fuelled food study backlash, leaked document shows
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Eat-Lancet report recommended shift to more plant-based, climate-friendly diet but was extensively attacked online A leaked document shows that vested interests may have been behind a “mud-slinging” PR campaign to discredit a landmark environment study, according to an investigation. The Eat-Lancet Commission study, published in 2019, set out to answer the question: how can we feed the world’s growing population without causing catastrophic climate breakdown? Continue reading...
Australian voters are left in the dark on climate targets as they head to the ballot box | Tony Wood
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There has been little talk about how Australia’s economy will get to net zero. That’s a terrible reflection on the state of our politics The Coalition has been forced to reassert its commitment to the Paris climate agreement after its energy spokesperson, Ted O’Brien, appeared to waver on the pledge on Thursday. O’Brien faced off against the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, at a debate in Canberra, weeks out from a federal election in which energy policy is emerging as a hot-button issue. Labor, the Coalition, nobody in this country will be able to achieve the emission target set by Chris Bowen and Anthony Albanese. The difference between Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese is that Peter Dutton has been honest and upfront about that. … go against the spirit, if not the letter, of the Paris Agreement, and – in some circumstances – could constitute a breach of those obligations. Tony Wood is the energy and climate change program director at the Grattan Institute. This article was originally published in the Conversation Continue reading...
Retailers fear Trump tariffs gloom will worsen footfall on UK high streets
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Shoppers stayed away in March as footfall declined 5% and stores worry US trade war could have chilling effect Shoppers stayed away from the UK high street in March, a situation retailers said could worsen if the economic gloom caused by Donald Trump’s tariff war hits consumer confidence. Footfall fell 5% in March to extend a downturn in February that retailers said could be attributed to a recent rise in inflation and pressure on pay packets since a brief revival during the January sales. Continue reading...
Police freeze £1m as high street raids find cannabis farms and evidence of slavery
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Thirty-five arrests after hundreds of barbershops and other businesses raided in UK money-laundering investigation Police have frozen bank accounts containing more than £1m after uncovering cannabis farms and evidence of modern slavery during raids on more than 250 barbershops and other high street businesses. In a three-week crackdown on high street crime, known as Operation Machinize, the National Crime Agency (NCA) targeted “cash-intensive” businesses that it believes are linked to money laundering. Continue reading...
US stocks fall again as ex-Fed chair decries ‘self-inflicted wound’ of Trump’s tariffs
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Sell-off comes amid anger from Democrats over retreat that rattled markets, while Republicans praise Trump’s ‘art of the deal’ in action US politics live – latest updates US stocks fell again on Thursday after a historic rally following Donald Trump’s shock retreat on Wednesday on the hefty tariffs he had just imposed on dozens of countries. The falls came as the president blamed “transition problems” for the market reaction and the sell-off deepened after a White House clarification noted that total tariffs on China had been raised by 145% since Trump took office. Continue reading...
Trump tariffs likely to drag down weak UK growth, Bank policymaker warns
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Sarah Breedon says too early to judge impact on inflation of ‘most significant change in trade policy in a century’ Business live – latest updates UK economic growth will be hit by US tariffs, which are the biggest trade policy change in a century, a senior Bank of England official has warned. Sarah Breeden, the Bank’s deputy governor for financial stability, said on Thursday that business activity was likely to be adversely affected by Donald Trump’s tariff regime, dragging down the UK’s already weak growth rate. Continue reading...
The Labor party has a legacy of action for the natural world. Now is the time for us to do better | Felicity Wade
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Addressing the Australian extinction crisis and the decline of our environment will be possible when political leaders embrace it Explore the series – Last chance: the extinction crisis being ignored this election Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email I’ve been wondering if I remember all my surprise encounters with animals in the wild. I remember sitting totally still on a riverbank watching a platypus going about its business as the dusk descended, by a logging road on the boundary of Tasmania’s world heritage area. And a moose in the Yukon, blundering out of the scrub at full speed right in front of us, as terrified and surprised as we were. A huge thing, my vision filled with moose. It turned and kept bolting. And summer evenings camping on the Thredbo River where wombats make for strange silent sentinels, munching grass as humans rustle plastic and wrangle gas stoves, the fuss of cooking alfresco. Continue reading...
‘Every year matters’: Queensland’s critically endangered ‘bum-breathing’ turtle battles the odds
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Guardian Australia is highlighting the plight of our endangered native species during an election campaign that is ignoring broken environment laws and rapidly declining ecosystems Explore the series – Last chance: the extinction crisis being ignored this election Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email A rare “bum-breathing” turtle found in a single river system in Queensland has suffered one of its worst breeding seasons on record due to flooding last December. It has prompted volunteers to question how many more “bad years” the species can survive. A freshwater species that breathes by absorbing oxygen through gill-like structures in its tail, the Mary River turtle is endemic to south-east Queensland. Its population has fallen by more than 80% since the 1960s and its conservation status was upgraded from endangered to critically endangered last year. Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email Continue reading...
UK government may extend domestic energy grants to heat batteries
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Scheme in England and Wales covers only heat pumps, uptake of which has been slow The UK government is considering expanding the boiler upgrade grant scheme for England and Wales to cover sources of low-carbon heating for domestic homes other than heat pumps, the Guardian understands. The government has a target of 600,000 heat pump installations annually by 2028. But data from the Resolution Foundation on Wednesday revealed worryingly low uptake of heat pumps. Last year, installation of gas boilers outnumbered heat pump installations by 15:1, according to the Resolution Foundation report, and only one in eight new homes were equipped with the low-carbon option, despite the government’s clean energy targets. Continue reading...
Barclays cuts rates on some mortgages to below 4% amid US tariffs turmoil
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Bank is largest UK lender to cut rates in apparent response to turbulence, and experts predict others will follow Barclays has become the largest UK lender so far to cut its mortgage rates in apparent response to the financial turmoil sparked by the US trade tariffs, with some deals now priced at below 4%. It is the first “big six” lender to enter the sub-4% fixed-rate market after similar announcements by some smaller lenders earlier this week, leaving brokers wondering whether this was a one-off move or the start of a new home loans price war. Continue reading...
Why did Trump retreat on tariffs and is the market reaction justified?
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The president’s pausing of some tariffs has sent shares soaring but levies on imports remain at the highest level since the 1930s US politics live – latest updates The twists and turns in Donald Trump’s tariff war with the rest of the world has sent financial markets spinning. Stock markets have rebounded in the US and across Europe and Asia after the White House paused some of the most punitive import charges on Wednesday, except those on China. We look at what happened, and the likely effects. Continue reading...
Ministers under pressure to nationalise British Steel if crisis talks fail
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Business committee chair joins calls for Scunthorpe steelworks to be taken into public ownership The government is under mounting pressure to nationalise British Steel if crunch talks aimed at a rescue deal fail, as the chair of the influential business committee added his voice to those calling for the Scunthorpe steelworks to be taken into public ownership. Ministers are on Thursday expected to make a formal offer to Jingye, the Chinese owner of the company, which would result in taxpayers providing funding for the purchase of raw materials such as iron ore and coking coal for Scunthorpe’s blast furnaces. Continue reading...
‘Yoda’ for scientists: the outsider ecologist whose ideas from the 80s just might fix our future
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John Todd’s eco-machine stunned experts by using natural organisms to remove toxic waste from a Cape Cod lagoon. Forty years on, he wants to build a fleet of them to clean up the oceans John Todd remembers the moment he knew he was really on to something: “There was no question that it was at the Harwich dump in 1986,” he recalls. This was in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, close to where Todd still lives. Hidden away from the picturesque beaches was the town landfill, including lagoons of toxic waste from septic tanks, which was being left to seep into the groundwater below. So Todd, then a 45-year-old biologist, decided to design a solution. What he was “on to”, he came to realise, was not just a natural way of removing pollution from water, it was a holistic approach to environmental restoration that was way ahead of its time, and possibly still is. An early eco-machine purifying toxic waste on Cape Cod in 1986. Photograph: John Todd Continue reading...
Trump ignites ‘insider trading’ accusations after global tariffs U-turn
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US president posted it was ‘a great time to buy’ on social media just hours before dramatic about-face Business live – latest updates Donald Trump is facing accusations of market manipulation after posting on social media that it was a “great time to buy” just hours before he made a dramatic U-turn on his trade war that led to big rises in stock markets around the world. Shortly after American markets opened on Wednesday morning, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social: “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT”. Continue reading...
Tesco to cut further £500m in costs to help offset Reeves’s tax rises
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Supermarket deepens existing measures and forecasts lower profit for year amid price war with rivals Tesco has said it plans to slash a further £500m in costs, as the supermarket chain tries to cushion the blow of Rachel Reeves’s tax increases and invest in fighting a price war with rivals. Britain’s biggest grocery retailer said on Thursday it was deepening an existing drive to cut costs to help offset higher operating costs, as well as the £235m increase in its national insurance contributions (NICs) as a result of changes made by the chancellor. Continue reading...
China’s new tariffs on US goods take effect as Asian markets rally after Trump’s tariff reversal – business live
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China’s 84% retaliatory tariffs on US goods, announced on Wednesday, were due to come into effect on Thursday Read the latest full report China and the European Union have exchanged views on strengthening their economic and trade cooperation in response to US tariffs, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday, according to Reuters news agency. In a video call on Tuesday, China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao discussed with European trade and economic security commissioner Maros Sefcovic the restart of talks on trade relief and to immediately carry out negotiations on electric vehicle price commitments, the Chinese ministry statement said. Continue reading...
Pollen peril: how heat, thunder and smog are creating deadly hay fever seasons
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Scientists say a complex mix of factors are making seasonal allergies worse for longer in many parts of the world – but why is it happening and is it here to stay? The first time it happened, László Makra thought he had flu. The symptoms appeared from nowhere at the end of summer in 1989: his eyes started streaming, his throat was tight and he could not stop sneezing. Makra was 37 and otherwise fit and healthy, a mid-career climate scientist in Szeged, Hungary. Winter eventually came and he thought little of it. Then, it happened the next year. And the next. “I had never had these symptoms before. It was high summer: it was impossible to have the flu three consecutive years in a row,” he says. Continue reading...
Gordon Brown calls for ‘economic coalition of the willing’ to tackle Trump tariffs
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Former PM says it is also the moment for the UK to go even further in renewing ties with the EU Trump is pushing the world into recession. By learning the lessons of 2008, we can still prevent it | Gordon Brown Gordon Brown has called for an “economic coalition of the willing” to respond to Donald Trump’s tariffs with coordinated economic policies, including a reduction of interest rates. The former prime minister also said it was a moment for the UK to go even further in renewing ties with the EU, suggesting it should mean “collaboration that is even more extensive than removing post-Brexit trade barriers”. Continue reading...
Gas boiler fittings outnumbered heat pumps by 15 to one in UK last year – report
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Poorer households shut out of heat pump market and grants should be increased to speed up rollout, thinktank says Gas boiler fittings outnumbered new heat pump installations by more than 15 to one last year, and only one in eight new homes were equipped with the low-carbon alternative despite the government’s clean energy targets. Poorer households are also being shut out of the heat pump market as the grants available are inadequate and should be increased, according to a report by the Resolution Foundation thinktank. Continue reading...
Country diary: Back to meet an old friend – my first thatch | Tom Allan
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Dartington, Devon: It’s been 13 years since I was last on the roof of this 14th-century longhouse, and neither of us are as we were An easterly breeze is knocking the heat out of the April sun as I hitch a bundle of hazel sticks on to my shoulder. As I climb the ladder, I can hear the inch of lichen beneath it crunching like dried seaweed. I’m thatching the Cott Inn, a Devon longhouse, and it’s a noteworthy moment as, after 13 years of thatching, I’m back at the first roof I worked on as an apprentice. I am using wheat for the ridge, a variety called Triticale grown specifically for thatching. This year, thatching wheat is in desperately short supply after waterlogged fields last winter and a wet harvest. Fortunately – given the shortage – I am not rethatching the whole roof of the Cott, just replacing the ridge (the capping on the top), which wears most quickly as it bears the brunt of the weather. Continue reading...
Streams of medicines: how Switzerland cleaned up its act – podcast
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Switzerland is leading the world in purifying its water of micropollutants, a concoction of chemicals often found in bodies of water that look crystal clear. They include common medicines like antidepressants and antihistamines, but have unknown and potentially damaging consequences for human and ecosystem health. In the second of a two-part series, Phoebe Weston travels to Geneva to find out how the country has transformed its rivers from sewage-filled health hazards to pristine swimming spots. She tells Madeleine Finlay how a public health disaster in the 1960s spurred the government to act, and what the UK could learn from the Swiss about taking care of a precious national asset. From sewage and scum to swimming in ‘blue gold’: how Switzerland transformed its riversSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
Energy demands from AI datacentres to quadruple by 2030, says report
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The IEA forecast indicates a sharp rise in the requirements of AI, but said threat to the climate was ‘overstated’ The global rush to AI technology will require almost as much energy by the end of this decade as Japan uses today, but only about half of the demand is likely to be met from renewable sources. Processing data, mainly for AI, will consume more electricity in the US alone by 2030 than manufacturing steel, cement, chemicals and all other energy-intensive goods combined, according to a report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Continue reading...
Royal Mail trials postbox with parcel hatch, solar panels and barcode scanner
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Five new boxes in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire enable company to cash in on boom in secondhand selling Royal Mail has unveiled a solar-powered “postbox of the future” with a built-in barcode reader and a hatch to accept parcels larger than letterbox size. In the “biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago”, the hi-tech pillar box looks as if it is wearing a jaunty beret. The black, chequered lid is in fact solar panels that power the scanner. Continue reading...
White House ends funding for key US climate body: ‘No coming back from this’
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Nasa cuts contract that convened USGCRP, which released assessments impacting environmental decision-making The White House is ending funding for the body that produces the federal government’s pre-eminent climate report, which summarizes the impacts of rising global temperatures on the United States. Every four years, the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is required by Congress to release a new national climate assessment to ensure leaders understand the drivers of – and threats posed by – global warming. It is the most comprehensive, far-reaching and up-to-date analysis of the climate crisis, playing a key role in local and national decision making about agriculture, energy production, and land and water use. Continue reading...
British Steel races against time as crisis talks end without deal
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Lisa Nandy says solution achievable amid fears furnaces are running out of options to secure raw materials Business live – latest updates Crisis talks between the government and the Chinese owner of British Steel have ended with no deal in place, as the Scunthorpe plant races against time to secure the raw materials needed to keep its blast furnaces running. Jingye, which promised a “new chapter” in UK steelmaking when it rescued British Steel in 2020, said last month the site’s two blast furnaces were no longer financially sustainable, raising fears for the future of 2,700 workers. Continue reading...
‘We are nearly there’: UK and India agree 90% of free trade agreement
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Exclusive: Question of visas for Indian workers said to be nearly resolved and deal may be finalised this year The UK and India have agreed 90% of their free trade agreement, businesses were told on a call with negotiators this week. There are hopes the UK government will succeed in finalising a highly coveted trade deal with India, a booming economy of 1.4 billion people, this year. Continue reading...
Big brands vs retailers: who will absorb the tariff impact in their profit margins? | Nils Pratley
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It may take at least six months for retailers like JD Sports to know the real-world effects of Trump’s trade warfare “There are no tariffs on webcasts,” joked Régis Schultz, chief executive of JD Sports, as he opened the sportswear retailer’s strategy update to the City. Unfortunately, that was the limit of his insights into the effects of Trumpian economic warfare on a business that likes to point out that its 2,500 state-side stores make it bigger in the US than local icon Footlocker. The boast sounded better before the US whacked 40%-plus tariffs on countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia, the manufacturing source of many of the trainers and “athleisure” apparel in the shops. Continue reading...
Bank of England says AI software could create market crisis for profit
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Concern grows over programs deployed to act with autonomy that may ‘exploit weaknesses’ Business live – latest updates Increasingly autonomous AI programs could end up manipulating markets and intentionally creating crises in order to boost profits for banks and traders, the Bank of England has warned. Artificial intelligence’s ability to “exploit profit-making opportunities” was among a wide range of risks cited in a report by the Bank of England’s financial policy committee (FPC), which has been monitoring the City’s growing use of the technology. Continue reading...
‘Endearing and fascinating’ yellow-bellied glider faces ‘inexorable slide’ into extinction
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Guardian Australia is highlighting the plight of our endangered native species during an election campaign that is ignoring broken environment laws and rapidly declining ecosystems Explore the series – Last chance: the extinction crisis being ignored this election Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email Election 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaign Australia’s most skilled aerial mammal, the yellow-bellied glider, is on an “inexorable slide” to extinction as global heating creates more extreme bushfires that are robbing the species of the food and tree hollows it relies on to survive. Thanks to large parachutes of skin stretching from their wrists to their ankles, yellow-bellied gliders can travel up to 140 metres in a single jump, the furthest of any Australian mammal, including the larger and better known endangered greater glider. Continue reading...
Royal Mail asks Ofcom to let it offer tracking for every parcel sent in UK
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Company wants regulator to remove rule preventing it from offering tracking on standard services Business live – latest updates Royal Mail has asked Ofcom to allow it to offer tracking for all parcels sent first or second class around the UK, as the company raised concerns over the communications regulator’s planned shake-up of the postal service. Ofcom has been holding a consultation on a proposed overhaul of the universal service obligation (USO), the remit held by the 508-year-old Royal Mail to deliver nationwide at one price, six days a week, at a time when people are sending ever fewer letters. Continue reading...
US against plan for levy on carbon emissions from ships, leak suggests
1744208495 from GUARDIAN
Document says levy would be ‘blatantly unfair’ and inconsistent with international law of the sea Plans for a levy on the carbon produced by ships are being opposed by the US government, on the apparent basis they would “impose substantial economic burdens” and “drive inflation”. There will be fierce debate in London this week on the future of global shipping over the proposals to charge up to $150 (£117) a tonne for the greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Those in support say the measure will be crucial to generating billions of dollars of climate finance a year to help poor countries cope with the impact of the climate crisis. Continue reading...