The Guardian
54 minutes ago
Filters
Great British summer savings: grab family deals on days out, films and more
Government’s temporary VAT cut aims to ease cost of living for families this summer – here’s what’s on offerFrom Thursday families can enjoy a cut-price trip to Legoland or the cinema to watch Toy Story 5 as the government’s school holiday discount scheme Great British summer savings gets under way.Billed by Rachel Reeves as a way to “support families with the little treats in life”, the temporary VAT cut will reduce ticket prices at family attractions such as zoos and theme parks as well as the cost of children’s cinema tickets and restaurant meals. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 hour ago
Boats, bankers and borders: five symbols that sum up Brexit a decade on
What do the touchstones of the referendum debate tell us about the complex legacy of Britain leaving the EU?Ten years ago the UK voted 52% to 48% to leave the European Union, triggering a long and tortuous political process.It took until 1 January 2021 for the country to sever its links to the single market and customs union, but the fractures Brexit left in Britain’s body politic, international relations and economy remain. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 hours ago
Heathrow third runway GDP yield may be 90% less than previous estimates
Department for Transport analysis suggests tiny economic boost would be outweighed by up to £62.5bn in trade-offsThe economic boost from a Heathrow third runway could be a tiny fraction of previous estimates, government analysis shows, while the overall trade-off from the bigger airport could set the UK back by as much as £62.5bn.As ministers promised to speed up expansion of the London airport in the name of economic growth, documents prepared by the Department for Transport said the runway was expected to boost GDP by only up to 0.05% – 90% less than the 0.5% previously stated. Continue reading...
The Guardian
16 hours ago
The rise of the luxury barbecue: the UK’s new outdoor cooking obsession
Sales of high-end barbecues are booming as hotter and longer summers increase appetite for alfresco diningBurned sausages, limp salads and undercooked chicken legs you live to regret; the British barbecue has historically been a sorry affair. But a slew of fancy equipment the price of a secondhand car is revolutionising the grilling game.Over the past few years, the £1,000-plus barbecue has soared in popularity. The Big Green Egg, a pioneer of the premium outdoor cooking movement, has recorded 1m visits to its UK website so far this year. Its classic model retails at £1,495. Continue reading...
The Guardian
16 hours ago
What could US-Iran peace deal mean for UK household costs?
The impact on petrol and food prices, energy bills and mortgages if the truce holds and strait of Hormuz reopensAround the world, markets reacted with relief this week to news that Donald Trump had signed a draft peace deal with Iran that promised to reopen flows of oil and gas from the Gulf to global buyers.There are already signs the truce could unravel, with Friday’s peace talks in Switzerland abruptly called off, but for now markets seem persuaded that commercial vessel traffic through the key waterway can start returning to normal. Continue reading...
The Guardian
18 hours ago
Andy Burnham: our next Prime Minister? – podcast
Andy Burnham will return to Westminster as an MP, and potential challenger to Keir Starmer, after decisively beating Reform UK to win the Makerfield byelection. Kiran Stacey and Jessica Elgot chat through what happens nextWhat would ‘change’ look like if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister?Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/politicspod Continue reading...
The Guardian
18 hours ago
The UK’s social media ban for under-16s has just empowered big tech | Taylor Lorenz
Age verification means that the sector’s biggest players will now have access to information that will only make them richer and more powerfulThis week, the UK announced a wide-ranging ban on social media that will soon block users from communicating or accessing information on apps such as X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat unless they prove that they’re over the age of 16.The prime minister, Keir Starmer, called the policy “a line in the sand”. “Tech giants had their chance and failed,” he said, “but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.” All internet users, especially children, should be protected from exploitative systems online, but this new law will only foster more harm and help the largest and most powerful tech companies consolidate power and influence over everyone’s lives.Taylor Lorenz is a technology journalist who writes the newsletter User Mag and is the author of the bestselling book Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet Continue reading...
The Guardian
18 hours ago
Luca Guadagnino’s Sam Altman movie dropped by Amazon after it announces OpenAI partnership
The web giant announced that Artificial, a biopic about the controversial tech executive, ‘will be better served if it were released by a different studio’Artificial, Luca Guadagnino’s controversial Sam Altman biopic, which is poised for an awards run next year, has been dropped by its distributor, Amazon.In a statement first reported by Puck, Amazon said that it believes “that Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio and are working closely with the film-making team to find the film a new home”. Continue reading...
The Guardian
18 hours ago
Hormuz disruption will continue until 80 mines blocking route are cleared
Tanker owner trade body says centre of strait will stay shut for ‘some time’, and vessels forced to hug Omani coast risk running aground The centre of the strait of Hormuz is blocked with about 80 mines that will need clearing for normal shipping to resume, the independent tanker owner trade body has said.Several vessels began to exit the Gulf through the key maritime chokepoint on Thursday after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran. Continue reading...
The Guardian
18 hours ago
Andy Burnham: Makerfield victory is 'our last chance' to change Britain - video
Andy Burnham addressed supporters at a rally after his seismic win in the Makerfield byelection. The new MP called for lower water bills, energy bills and rail fares to combat the cost of living crisis, saying that the victory was the ‘last chance’ to ‘lay out a new path for Britain‘ Continue reading...
The Guardian
18 hours ago
Is Trump's Iran deal a failure? - video explainer
Donald Trump has signed a 14-point agreement with Iran, claiming it delivered a 'major win' for the US – even as it made significant political and financial concessions to Tehran to reopen the strait of HormuzTrump’s Iran deal is result of unrealistic ambitions for an untenable warIran announces plans to bring in maritime fees for strait of HormuzIran peace deal makes clear how far US has been forced to retreat since 2025 Continue reading...
The Guardian
18 hours ago
‘It’s a scam’: Americans express unease over SpaceX’s influence on retirement savings
Guardian readers in the US share concerns about how the SpaceX IPO and AI boom affect their retirement accountsElon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire last week after SpaceX debuted on the stock market with a valuation of $1.77tn.Millions of Americans could soon become indirect investors in SpaceX and other emerging AI-focused companies as US markets increasingly shift toward AI-driven investments. Continue reading...
The Guardian
19 hours ago
Venice’s new mayor seeks to raise day-tripper fee to up to €50
Simone Venturini says proposal aimed at discouraging arrivals in ‘periods of heightened tourist pressure’Venice’s new mayor has said he hopes to raise a controversial entrance fee for day-trippers to the lagoon city to as much as €50 (£43).Simone Venturini, the rightwing former tourism councillor who was elected as mayor in late May, said the proposal was aimed at further discouraging arrivals “during periods of heightened tourist pressure”. Continue reading...
The Guardian
20 hours ago
Datacenters driving US clean energy growth while still threatening climate
As datacenters’ connections to electric grids are held up, big tech is forced to throw money at producing its own powerDatacenters are driving unprecedented growth in the US clean energy industry, paradoxically boosting a sector that was sputtering before the artificial intelligence boom even as AI’s rollout creates immense environmental challenges.However, observers caution that while the centers are propelling wind, solar, and other clean energy companies, datacenters remain a climate nightmare. Continue reading...
The Guardian
20 hours ago
‘Termination shock’: trust our expert warnings on geoengineering’s planetary risks | Raymond Pierrehumbert, Julia Slingo, Michael Mann and Valerie Masson-Delmotte
Do we really want to play dice with our planet?A series in the Guardian recently declared “it’s time to talk about geoengineering.” So let’s talk about it. And let us start with some simple truths about this cluster of techno-optimistic “quick fixes” which purport to somehow offset our slow progress towards zeroing out planet-warming carbon emissions.Solar geoengineering proposals – reducing sunlight – have received the most attention, but a host of desperate schemes have been proposed in an effort to “fix” the disruption of climate caused by the growing burden of carbon dioxide human activities add to the atmosphere. Continue reading...
The Guardian
21 hours ago
How the world’s voracious appetite for shrimp is destroying Ecuador’s mangroves
As demand soars, the country’s mangrove forests and the livelihoods of shellfish gatherers are under threat from encroaching farms and unchecked pollutionAt low tide, Johana Carolina Cruz Potes steps into the mudflats around Isla Costa Rica, in Ecuador’s Jambelí Archipelago. Holding a bucket and a short metal hook, she probes the tangled roots of a mangrove patch, searching for concha negra, black-shelled cockles, buried beneath the sludge.Cruz Potes has done this work since she was nine, when she first followed her father into the mud. But earning a living from shellfish gathering – often the only income for families here – has become harder as grounds shrink and catches decline. Continue reading...
The Guardian
21 hours ago
Shoppers splash out on fans and paddling pools as retail sales in Great Britain hot up
May heatwave drives up volume of sales 1.2%, the strongest monthly growth since January, says ONSRetail sales bounced back to growth in May as record hot weather spurred sales of fans and paddling pools, while online purchases also soared.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain grew 1.2% in May compared with the previous month, the strongest monthly rate of growth since January. Continue reading...
The Guardian
22 hours ago
Trump’s Iran deal could place his legacy in the hands of Tehran
He lambasted Jimmy Carter during the 1980 hostage crisis; now Trump’s presidency could be similarly blemishedIt began with the fate of hostages.Donald Trump’s first recorded foray into politics was sparked by the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran, which saw 52 American diplomats held incommunicado for 444 days. Continue reading...
The Guardian
23 hours ago
KPMG leaked confidential Optus information and surveilled whistleblower’s laptop, inquiry hears
International firm owns up to breach of ethics after staff leaked confidential Optus information while bidding for telco contractFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKPMG has admitted to another breach of ethics after its staff leaked Optus’ confidential information to colleagues bidding for an audit contract with Telstra.The consulting firm’s executives also surveilled a whistleblower’s laptop and dismissed the individual as someone with “workplace grievances”, a parliamentary inquiry heard on Friday. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
On the trail of the dotcom queen: how Julie Meyer left a pattern of unpaid bills, missing funds and broken dreams in her wake
Investigation: The entrepreneur was once the toast of London’s tech scene, a ‘global leader of tomorrow’ who starred on Dragons’ Den and promised untold riches for the startups she championed. But people she worked with in the last decade, from Malta to Switzerland, describe a very different realityJulie Meyer is sitting in a starkly lit attic, surrounded by piles of £50 notes. A California blond in a crisp, white shirt, her long, stockinged legs crossed at the knee, she listens intently to the young man standing before her. As he talks, she sizes him up. Eventually, she tells him: “I’m going to make you an offer.” It could be a scene from a heist movie, but Meyer is in a BBC studio, shooting a 2009 episode of the TV show Dragons’ Den. A celebrated entrepreneur with a venture capital fund, she is ready to invest in whichever contestants catch her eye. For the viewers, she has some advice: “What is success? A lot of it is self-belief. Continuing on when most rational people would stop.”This is an online spin-off from the original Dragons’ Den series, so the stakes are a little lower. But for Lex Deak, a 23-year-old with a big idea for a social media website, what happens in this room today could be make or break. He desperately wants to work with Meyer. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
UK borrows more than expected as impact of Iran war takes toll
May figure of £23.3bn underlines challenge facing Andy Burnham if he ends up as Labour leaderThe UK borrowed a higher-than-expected £23.3bn in May amid the economic fallout from the Iran war, underlining the fiscal pressures facing Andy Burnham if he takes over as the Labour leader.In figures released shortly after Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield byelection, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing – the difference between government spending and income – for the month was the second highest for any May on record. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
MPs urge Fujitsu to make ‘immediate’ payment to Post Office Horizon victims
Liam Byrne, who chairs Commons business committee, says too many operators are still waiting for redressThe Japanese tech company at the centre of the Post Office IT scandal is facing calls from a parliamentary committee to make an “immediate” payment towards the compensation bill for victims.Fujitsu supplied the faulty Horizon software to the UK Post Office, which led to branch operators being wrongly prosecuted over discrepancies in their business accounts. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Telegram questioned by Ofcom after arsonist who targeted Starmer-linked properties recruited on app
Exclusive: Telegram urged to clarify how it detects illegal incitement after attacks were coordinated using appTelegram is facing questions from Ofcom over how it detects and prevents illegal incitement after a Ukrainian man was found guilty of carrying out arson attacks on a car and property associated with Keir Starmer.A spokesperson for the regulator said it had contacted the messaging app “to seek further clarification” because the arsonist had been directed on Telegram by a handler linked to Russia. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Top stories from trusted global sources
Updated 9 minutes ago · Feeds: Reuters Business · BBC Business · CNBC · The Guardian Business