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Tesco tries out in-store avocado scanners to assess ripeness
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Machines in five of supermarket’s stores work like tiny X-rays to allow shoppers to analyse fruit before buying It is the millennial’s perennial problem: returning home after spending a small fortune on an avocado only to find the green fruit is either too squishy to slice for a salad or too hard to smash on toast. One UK retailer, however, is claiming to have found the tech to solve the textural trouble. Tesco has begun trialling in-store avocado scanners that allow shoppers to asses how ripe the fruit is before they put it in their basket. Continue reading...
Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget will take place on 26 November
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Treasury reveals date as speculation rises over potential tax increases to plug deficit in public finances of up to £40bn Business live – latest news Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget will take place on 26 November, the Treasury has announced, amid mounting speculation over tax increases. With the government under pressure on the economy, the chancellor has previously said measures designed to reboot growth would form the basis of her highly anticipated tax and spending plans. Continue reading...
Shell scraps construction of biofuels plant in Rotterdam
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Oil firm, which paused project in 2024, will not restart work because facility deemed ‘insufficiently competitive’ Shell has axed the construction of its biofuels plant in the Netherlands, ending what would have been one of the biggest converters of waste into green jet fuel in Europe. The oil company, which paused construction at the site in July last year to tackle technical problems, said it had decided not to restart building after it found the plant would be “insufficiently competitive” to meet demand for “affordable, low-carbon products”. Continue reading...
This was the hottest summer on record. If it happens again next year, Britain’s ecosystems won’t cope | Lucy Jones
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A future of extreme heatwaves, drought and collapsing habitats awaits if we continue to ignore the danger signs What does British summertime mean to you? Blackberries? Picnics? Festivals? Ticks? This summer has been the hottest on record in the UK. As human-caused climate breakdown intensifies, the outdoor areas we spend time in are changing – and so, too, are our relationships with the land and the ecosystems we live in. My home is in the south of England, near beautiful woodlands. Since moving there in 2016, the number of ticks my family has picked up in the woods has increased each year, but this summer has been astonishing. For a few weeks, our four-year-old came home from nursery with a tick almost every day. I’ve had many: some tiny nymphal ones that could be easily missed. We spend time in Scotland, too, and find ticks often when we go there now. Lucy Jones is a journalist and the author of Losing Eden and The Nature Seed Continue reading...
Global bond sell-off hits Japan’s government debt; pound falls again – business live
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Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news UK hit by fresh sell-off in government bond markets as pound weakens The pound is dropping in early trading, adding to sharp losses yesterday. Sterling has dropped by a quarter of a cent to $1.3366, close to the one-month low touched on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Specieswatch: UK’s endangered ground-pine flourish in perfect year
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The past few months are likely to have suited this drought-tolerant plant that thrives in heat The ground-pine (Ajuga chamaepitys) is found in only 32 sites in Britain and is endangered. Listed as one of 15 priority species in Bedfordshire, it sits alongside charismatic species such as the hazel dormouse, water vole, brown trout and nightingale. A member of the mint family, it is a primitive plant that appears in only three places in the county. It was popular in Tudor times for its medicinal qualities and its smell of pine when crushed – hence its common name – although it is also called dwarf bugle, yellow bugle or bugleweed. Continue reading...
Country diary: Badger v wasp, or, the aftermath of the carnage | Mark Cocker
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Longstone Edge, Derbyshire: Coming across a wasps’ nest in disarray, with tell-tale paw prints everywhere, one can only imagine the drama that unfolded The field we walked is a former quarry site called Deep Rake, which has been backfilled with spoil and is almost desert-like in its stoniness. This summer, the ground is even more dry and hard, yet as we crossed, we chanced on something that was as beautiful and unexpected as it was dangerous. It was a wasps’ nest. About 10 inches underground, it had a limestone slab over the core and occupied the space of a deflated rugby ball. The outer structure comprised papery scallops overlapping like roof shingles. Every one had multicoloured bands – a pattern arising (one assumes) as the workers laid down the pulp, mouthful by mouthful, but from a multitude of timber sources. Each change of hue thus represents both hours of work and marginally different colours of wood. In a way, the nest is this entire landscape rendered through the art of paper-making, and all over its delicate detail were the artists themselves. Continue reading...
‘You need solidarity and consistency’: Pedro Sánchez on the EU, Trump and fighting the far right
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Spanish PM insists ‘migration is an opportunity’ and is not afraid to discuss what he considers Europe’s recent failures When Pedro Sánchez and Keir Starmer meet in Downing Street on Wednesday it will be the first such bilateral summit between a Spanish prime minister and his British counterpart for more than a decade, an interregnum explained by Brexit and the now healed sore of Gibraltar. The absence of highest level diplomacy has become more glaring given the two men are the leading social democratic leaders of Europe, facing similar problems of migration, souring populist parties, the climate crisis and divisions over how to minimise the damage caused to the European global influence by Donald Trump’s erratic unilateralism. Continue reading...
Crackdown on international students could hurt struggling UK cities, thinktank warns
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The university sector, which is reliant on overseas students for a quarter of income, is key to economic activity in cities like Leicester and Hull A crackdown on international students in Britain could hurt struggling cities where universities help power the local economy, the government has been warned. Tens of thousands of overseas students are being contacted by the Home Office to tell them they will be removed from the UK if they overstay their visas and have no legal reason to stay. Continue reading...
Sun, sex, but no sangria? The Balearics’ booze crackdown might just save their tourist industry | Dimah Ajeeb
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The islands say they no longer want to be Europe’s cheap, consequence-free party playground. But is the move upmarket working? Last summer, Spain’s Balearic Islands launched one of Europe’s toughest crackdowns on alcohol-fuelled party tourism. In popular resorts such as Magaluf in Mallorca and Sant Antoni in Ibiza, tourists spilled out of bars at dawn, clutched cheap bottles from late-night shops, and treated entire neighbourhoods as giant open-air nightclubs. Local people were fed up. Noise complaints, violent brawls and clashes between residents and intoxicated tourists became routine. Rents rose while longstanding neighbourhoods became hollowed out into seasonal party zones. Pilar Hernando, from Palma, Mallorca told Reuters in 2024: “Prices go up, rents go up, everything goes up … except salaries.” Hernando had to move into a caravan owing to the lack of affordable housing. Average rents have risen 158% over the past decade in the Balearics, with Palma now among the most expensive cities in Spain. Dr Dimah Ajeeb is senior lecturer in architecture, urban design, regional planning and tourism at the University of Westminster Continue reading...
Labor is poised to make a big call on our nation’s carbon emissions target. But who is Albanese going to listen to? | Clear Air
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Australia’s 2035 target for cutting emissions will reveal how serious we are about addressing the climate crisis Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Want to get this in your inbox when it publishes? Sign up for the Clear Air Australia newsletter here The climate crisis is often a fight over numbers – and we are coming towards the end of a big one. It will shape how ambitious Australia will be in addressing this era-defining problem, over the next decade and beyond. The Albanese government is weighing a decision on the national emissions reduction target for 2035. Along with the policies that follow, it will be a legacy marker for a prime minister who is sometimes accused of being risk averse. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...
US appeals court reinstates FTC commissioner fired by Trump
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Win for Rebecca Slaughter as court rules commissioners may not be dismissed by a president without cause A divided US appeals court on Tuesday allowed US Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, a Democrat, to resume her role at the agency, as Donald Trump tries to remove her from office. In a 2-1 decision, the District of Columbia circuit court of appeals allowed a lower court decision in favor of Slaughter to take effect, rejecting the Trump administration’s request to delay the ruling during its appeal. Continue reading...
Creditors set out £20.5bn plan to save Thames Water
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New consortium says infrastructure projects must be cut back to make beleaguered company viable again Thames Water customers are set to get less bang for their buck if a consortium of creditors wins approval for its rescue plan. The development was revealed in the outline of a business plan – without some key spending details – published on Wednesday by the investors who hold much of the company’s debts. The consortium is called London & Valley Water. Continue reading...
Google will not be forced to sell Chrome, federal judge rules
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Judge says tech giant can keep world’s most popular browser in ongoing battle over firm being ruled monopoly Google will not be forced to sell its Chrome browser, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday in the tech giant’s ongoing legal battle over being ruled a monopoly last year. The company will be barred from certain exclusive deals with device makers and must share data from its search engine with competitors, the judge ruled. Continue reading...
‘No place in children’s hands’: under-16s in England to be banned from buying energy drinks
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Government to ban sale of energy drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine, citing concerns over obesity and lack of concentration Under-16s in England will be banned from buying energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster because they fuel obesity, cause sleep problems and leave them unable to concentrate. Health experts, teaching unions and dentists welcomed the ban and said it would boost children and young people’s health. It fulfils a pledge Labour included in its manifesto for last year’s general election. Continue reading...
Angela Rayner could face additional stamp duty bill over Hove flat, tax experts warn
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Deputy PM may have to pay tens of thousands of pounds more if tax officials judge she paid incorrect rate on property purchase Angela Rayner faces having to pay tens of thousands of pounds more in stamp duty if tax officials judge she incorrectly paid the lower rate on her Hove flat, tax experts have warned. The deputy prime minister could be slapped with an additional tax bill if officials judge she paid too little stamp duty when she bought her £800,000 property earlier this year, they said. Continue reading...
UK hit by fresh sell-off in government bond markets as pound weakens
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Yield on 30-year gilts hit highest level since 1998, indicating it will cost UK more to borrow from markets Rising bond yields leave Reeves with no choice but to plan a ‘muddle-through’ budget Rachel Reeves was hit by a fresh sell-off in government bond markets on Tuesday, underlining the formidable challenge facing the chancellor in the run-up to the autumn budget. The yield, or interest rate, on 30-year UK government debt hit its highest level since 1998, at 5.723%, indicating that it will cost the UK more to borrow from the markets. Continue reading...
Trump fortune balloons by billions after family firm’s crypto token starts trading
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World Liberty Financial’s digital token $WLFI fell in price on first day, a year after launch by Trump family and partners The Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, put its namesake digital tokens up for sale on Monday, adding some $5bn in paper value to Donald Trump’s family fortune. The token, known as $WLFI, fell in value on Monday in their first day of trading. The World Liberty tokens were sold to investors after the Trump family and its business partners last year launched the venture, a decentralized finance platform that has also issued a stablecoin, a cryptocurrency meant to maintain a specific price by tying its value to a specific asset. Continue reading...
World’s biggest iceberg breaks up after 40 years: ‘Most don’t make it this far’
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‘Megaberg’ known as A23a has rapidly disintegrated in warmer waters and could disappear within weeks Nearly 40 years after breaking off Antarctica, a colossal iceberg ranked among the oldest and largest ever recorded is finally crumbling apart in warmer waters, and could disappear within weeks. Earlier this year, the “megaberg” known as A23a weighed a little under a trillion tonnes and was more than twice the size of Greater London, a behemoth unrivalled at the time. Continue reading...
Oil and gas imports are a problem. Labour should rethink its North Sea stance | Nils Pratley
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Rachel Reeves could make geopolitical, economic and environmental case for limited boost in production If the chancellor is looking for a pro-growth, pro-jobs, tax-raising policy that would be popular with major trade unions and might even be noticed by the bond markets, here’s one: boost production of oil and gas in the North Sea. And make the argument that the UK’s current over-reliance on imported supplies isn’t doing anything to help the climate emergency. There are obvious political problems, of course. First, Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, has just made her pitch to ramp up North Sea volumes and it’s rarely a good look to be accused of pinching the opposition’s clothes. Continue reading...
English water firms spend £16.6m on legal fees over environmental breaches
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MPs on Commons committee describe figures as a waste and say money should have been used to fix infrastructure English water companies have spent £16.6m fighting legal action against regulators and campaigners over environmental breaches such as illegal sewage spills. Correspondence from the companies to the Commons environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) committee published on Tuesday reveals that millions of pounds of billpayers’ money has been spent over the past five years on expensive external lawyers enlisted to reduce liabilities for regulatory breaches. Continue reading...
Rising bond yields leave Reeves with no choice but to plan a ‘muddle-through’ budget
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Despite predictions of a 1970s-style budget crisis, analysts point out similar rises are taking place in other markets The last time yields on 30-year UK government bonds were this high, Rachel Reeves was a first-year student at Oxford, getting to grips with economics. The chancellor could be excused a moment of nostalgia for such innocent times after waking on Tuesday to a barrage of headlines about Keir Starmer taking back control of economic policy – and a fresh sell-off in the government bond, or gilt, markets. Continue reading...
Musicians v the climate crisis: ‘We’re trying to put on the greenest show in Australia’
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A two-week tour produces the equivalent of an average household’s yearly carbon emissions. So some bands, including Lime Cordiale and Cloud Control, are trying small changes – like ditching confetti – and big ones – like building solar farms Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email In 2023 the Australian indie-pop band Lime Cordiale tested a pair of electric tour vans, driving from Sydney to a festival in the Hunter Valley via gigs in Wollongong and Canberra. With gear stacked high and a map dotted with charging stations, the band got a promising, if imperfect, glimpse of their touring future. “At each gig, we’d have to convince someone to let us plug the cars in,” recalls the band’s guitarist and vocalist, Oliver Leimbach. As it transpired, they ran out of charge en route to the festival and had to call for a lift. Lime Cordiale are part of a growing number of Australian musicians who are recognising the climate cost of touring and finding ways to lessen their impact. While no definitive emissions audit exists for Australia’s music sector, a 2010 study found the UK music industry produced about 540,000 tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions annually. It’s estimated that a typical two-week, 15-stop tour in Australia produces about 28 tonnes of carbon emissions – the equivalent of an average household’s yearly output. Continue reading...
Pressure rises on Reeves as government borrowing costs hit 27-year high
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Chancellor will face more limited fiscal headroom at budget after yield on 30-year bond increases to 5.723% Reshuffle gymnastics prepare Starmer to walk tricky budget tightrope Britain’s long-term borrowing costs have hit their highest level in 27 years, intensifying the pressure on the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, before the autumn budget. The yield, or interest rate, on 30-year UK government debt hit 5.723% on Tuesday. That is its highest level since 1998, indicating that it will cost the UK more to borrow from the markets, above the previous 27-year high of 5.649% set in April. Continue reading...
China drilling for oil and gas inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone
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Exclusive: Experts say the move could be part of Beijing’s ‘greyzone’ grab for disputed territory China is drilling for oil and gas inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a move that analysts believe is likely part of Beijing’s unilateral grab for disputed territory that could also aid a future invasion of Taiwan. During July and August at least 12 oil and gas vessels and permanent structures were detected inside Taiwan’s EEZ – including one within 50km of the restricted-waters border of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands – as well as several steel supports for fixed offshore drilling platforms, called jackets. Their presence inside Taiwan’s EEZ have not been previously reported. Continue reading...
Trump team’s contentious climate report ‘makes a mockery of science’, experts say
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Over 85 top climate specialists lambasted administration’s review, calling it a ‘shoddy mess’ that downplays risks A group of the US’s leading climate scientists have compiled a withering review of a controversial Trump administration report that downplays the risks of the climate crisis, finding that the document is biased, riddled with errors and fails basic scientific credibility. More than 85 climate experts have contributed to a comprehensive 434-page report that excoriates a US Department of Energy (DOE) document written by five hand-picked fringe researchers that argues that global heating and its resulting consequences have been overstated. Continue reading...
UK long-term borrowing costs hit 27-year high, and pound falls, in pre-budget blow for Labour – business live
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UK 30-year bond yields rise to highest since 1998 amid ‘worldwide bond market rout’ The jump in UK bond yields today shows that Keir Starmer’s reshuffle of his Number 10 team has not reassured investors, says Mohit Kumar, chief economist at investment bank Jefferies International. That reshuffle tooks to be Starmer’s attempt to take control of economic policy from the Treasury, with Darren Jones put in charge of day-to-day delivery and Minouche Shafik, the former Bank of England deputy governor, appointed the prime minister’s chief economic adviser. Fiscal concerns are being felt in the UK as well with 30Y Gilts yields close to the highest level since 1998. The recent economic reshuffle in the government did little to ease investor concerns and is seen as undermining Chacellor Reeves. Tax rises are inevitable, but we are reaching a stage where further tax rises could become counterproductive. So far the government has shied away from difficult decisions on spending cuts which would be required to bring the fiscal picture back in order. We remain negative on the UK long end and continue to favour steepeners along the curve. Continue reading...
Vogue names Chloe Malle as new head of US edition
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Vogue staffer Malle succeeds Anna Wintour with the title ‘head of editorial content’ The biggest job in fashion has finally been filled. Following news that Anna Wintour was stepping back as editor of American Vogue in July, Condé Nast have appointed 39-year-old journalist and Vogue staffer Chloe Malle as head of editorial content at the American fashion magazine. Her role is effective immediately. Continue reading...
Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing and retail ‘severely disrupted’ by cyber incident
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Carmaker says it has shut down its systems but there is no evidence customer data has been stolen Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing and retailing activities have been “severely disrupted” by a cyber incident, forcing it to shut down its systems. Britain’s largest carmaker said there was no evidence that any customer data had been stolen. Continue reading...
Kraft Heinz to split a decade after merger in bid to revive growth
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Chicago-based food group says it will split into two publicly traded companies through tax-free spin-off Business live – latest updates Kraft Heinz, the US company behind kitchen staples such as Philadelphia cheese and Heinz tomato ketchup, has announced plans to split into two independent businesses a decade after it was created in a mega merger. The Chicago-based packaged food group said it would separate into two publicly traded companies through a tax-free spin-off to try to reduce complexity and improve financial performance after years of falling sales. Continue reading...
Sainsbury’s tests facial recognition technology in effort to tackle shoplifting
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Retailer starts eight-week trial at stores in London and Bath before potentially expanding nationwide Business live – latest updates Sainsbury’s has begun testing the use of controversial facial recognition technology in its UK shops as part of efforts to tackle shoplifters. The UK’s second largest supermarket chain told staff in two stores – a supermarket in Sydenham, south-east London, and convenience store in Oldfield Park in Bath– that it was starting an eight-week trial before potentially rolling out the technology nationwide. Continue reading...
Whisky maker Suntory’s CEO resigns amid investigation into suspected illegal supplements
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Takeshi Niinami bought supplements in the belief that they were legal, says Jim Beam and Laphroaig owner Business live – latest updates Takeshi Niinami, one of Japan’s best-known business leaders, has resigned as chief executive of the drinks company Suntory after police raided his home as part of an investigation into suspected illegal supplements. His resignation from the owner of the Jim Beam whisky brand has sent shockwaves through Japan’s corporate world, with Suntory executives attempting to reassure investors and consumers at a hastily arranged news conference. Continue reading...
Zack Polanski wins Green party leadership election
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Candidate defeats Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns to lead Greens in England and Wales with vision for ‘eco-populism’ movement Zack Polanski has won the election to lead the Green party in England and Wales, with an overwhelming mandate for the party to adopt his vision to become a mass membership “eco-populism” movement directly taking on Reform UK. Polanski, who was the party’s deputy leader and is a Green member of the London assembly, defeated Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns by 20,411 to 3,705 votes in a ballot of party members. Ramsay and Chowns, who were standing as a co-leadership team, are two of the Greens’ four MPs. Continue reading...
‘Every company wants to produce the last barrel sold’: the plan to create a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty
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Tzeporah Berman’s campaign group believes Cop30 will help its initiative to phase out oil, coal and gas take shape The fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty initiative aims to sidestep slow-moving UN climate talks by gathering together nations, cities and companies that want to rapidly phase out oil, coal and gas. At the coming Cop30 summit in Belém, it hopes to gather support so it can launch negotiations for a new treaty next year. The group’s founder, Tzeporah Berman, explains why the Amazon rainforest and the global south are an ideal springboard for the movement. Why will you be campaigning for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty? Continue reading...
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
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Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate Politicians and policymakers significantly underestimate the public’s willingness to contribute to climate action, limiting the ambition and scope of green policies, according to research. Delegates at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) were asked to estimate what percentage of the global population would say they were willing to give 1% of their income to help fix climate change. The average estimate was 37%, but recent research found the true figure is 69%. Continue reading...
Greens take step into unknown with election of Zack Polanski as leader
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Polanski ruffled feathers during at-times grumpy contest and now has to bring the party with him OK, now they’ve got your attention. In electing Zack Polanski, a media-friendly former actor with an eye-catching vision for a mass movement of “eco-populism”, the Greens have taken a step into the unknown. And the first task for Polanski is to bring the party with him. Green leadership contests are generally quite polite. This time it has been different, in part due to the personalities but mainly because of the very different visions on offer. Continue reading...
Why Trump’s undermining of US statistics is so dangerous | Daniel Malinsky
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From the firing of the labor statistics chief to plans for a new census, the president’s moves serve to entrench authoritarianism In 1937, Joseph Stalin commissioned a sweeping census of the Soviet Union. The data reflected some uncomfortable facts – in particular, the dampening of population growth in areas devastated by the 1933 famine – and so Stalin’s government suppressed the release of the survey results. Several high-level government statistical workers responsible for the census were subsequently imprisoned and apparently executed. Though the Soviet authorities would proudly trumpet national statistics that glorified the USSR’s achievements, any numbers that did not fit the preferred narrative were buried. A few weeks ago, following the release of “disappointing” jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Donald Trump fired the commissioner of labor statistics, Dr Erika McEntarfer, and claimed the numbers were “rigged”. He also announced his intention to commission an unprecedented off-schedule census of the US population (these happen every 10 years and the next one should be in 2030) with an emphasis that this census “will not count illegal immigrants”. The real goal is presumably to deliver a set of population estimates that could be used to reapportion congressional seats and districts ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections and ensure conditions favorable to Republican control of Congress – though it is not clear there is sufficient time or support from Congress to make this happen. The administration is also reportedly “updating” the National Climate Assessments and various important sources of data on topics related to climate and public health have disappeared. In addition to all this, Trump’s justice department launched an investigation into the crime statistics of the DC Metropolitan Police, alleging that the widely reported decline in 2024 DC violent crime rates – the lowest total number of recorded violent crimes city-wide in 30 years – are a distortion, fueled by falsified or manipulated statistics. One might say that the charge of “fake data” is just a close cousin of the “fake news” and all of this is par for the course for an administration that insists an alternate reality is the truth. But this pattern may also beget a specifically troubling (and quintessentially Soviet) state of affairs: the public belief that all “political” data are fake, that one generally cannot trust statistics. We must resist this paradigm shift, because it mainly serves to entrench authoritarianism. Daniel Malinsky is an assistant professor of biostatistics in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University Continue reading...
Rising inequality is turning US into an autocratic state, billionaire warns
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Ray Dalio says business leaders scared to criticise Donald Trump as he warns of debt-induced crisis for the economy Business live – latest updates One of the world’s most prominent hedge fund billionaires has warned that rising inequality is turning the US into an autocratic state and condemned business leaders for failing to speak out against Donald Trump’s policies. Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, said “gaps in wealth” and a collapse in trust were driving “more extreme” policies in the US. Continue reading...
Gold price hits record high as investors seek safe haven
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Bullion has nearly doubled in value since 2023 amid global uncertainty and alarm over Donald Trump’s policies Business live – latest updates The price of gold has hit a fresh record high, as investors seek out safe-haven assets to protect against inflationary and geopolitical risks. Gold rose above $3,500 (£2,614) an ounce in Asia, surpassing its April peak. It has nearly doubled in value since early 2023. The rally comes as the US dollar has weakened and some central banks add to their gold holdings, ditching US government bonds, known as US treasuries. Continue reading...
EDF extends lifespan of two UK nuclear plants, securing 1,000 jobs for longer
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Heysham 1 in Lancashire and Hartlepool in Teesside to continue operating until March 2028 Business live – latest updates The lifespan of two UK nuclear power stations that power more than 4m homes a year has been extended by France’s EDF and the British Gas owner Centrica. Heysham 1 in Lancashire and Hartlepool in Teesside will continue generating until March 2028, a year longer than planned. Continue reading...
Global temperatures to remain above average despite return of La Niña, says UN
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Climate phenomenon cools surface of Pacific but won’t stop human-induced climate change increasing temperatures and exacerbating extreme weather The cooling La Niña weather phenomenon may return between September and November, but even if it does, global temperatures are expected to be above average, the United Nations has said. La Niña is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that cools surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It brings changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns. Continue reading...
‘Fear haunts us’: Pakistan’s floods leave mental scars long after waters recede
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Shock, panic, guilt and grief grip survivors as mental health experts warn of chronic trauma from repeated exposure to natural disasters For a 10-year-old, the loss is proving hard to grasp. “It has been four days since I last saw my home,” says Ahsan. He has not yet understood that the floods completely swept away his house in Dogoro Basha village in Shigar, Pakistan. His confusion is part of the devastating aftermath of long months of rain and floods that have devastated thousands of families in the country’s northern provinces and left more than 860 people dead so far. Continue reading...
‘I joined every list’: the gruelling search for a Glasgow allotment
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With two-thirds of Glaswegians living in flats, allotments are in demand, but a lack of plots means few are available North-east of England is best region in Great Britain for allotments, report finds Nestled among tenement flats and light industrial units in Glasgow’s south side is one of the oldest allotment sites in Scotland, having moved to its current location in 1872. New Victoria Gardens (NVG) is not a huge site, with just 70 or so plots. But according to Andrew Greg, a committee member and longstanding plot-holder at NVG, there are about 300 people on the waiting list and just three to four will get a space every year. Continue reading...
Massive disparity in availability of allotments across UK, analysis reveals
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Exclusive: Redcar and Cleveland tops rankings for most allotment land per person, while there is a dearth of supply in Scotland ‘I joined every waiting list’: the search for an allotment in Glasgow The north-east of England is Great Britain’s allotment heartland, with Redcar and Cleveland and County Durham the two councils with the highest rate of allotment provision per person, an analysis has found. It also revealed that Scotland on average has just a quarter of the space per person that is available in England. Continue reading...
Blame migrants, or blame the rich? That’s the populist divide in Britain’s politics now | Gaby Hinsliff
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Taxing the ultra-rich may be a vote winner, but it’s just as important to shift the conversation away from Reform’s immigration doom loop The long, hot summer of discontent is finally over. Parliament returned this week if not exactly with a rush of back to school energy, then at least with the sense that the government is now back to fill what was becoming an increasingly dangerous August vacuum. When exhausted ministers retreated to lick their wounds over the summer, Nigel Farage saw his chance and took it, filling the slow news days with encouragement of protesters over asylum seeker accommodation. He was rewarded by polling showing voters now see immigration – the terrain on which Reform UK is palpably desperate to fight an election, because it’s terrain on which Labour can never go far enough to please some supporters without horrifying half the rest – and not a broken economy as Britain’s biggest problem, an impression arguably only reinforced when the government’s first announcement on returning from recess was a crackdown on refugees bringing their families to Britain. Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
The plant-based problem: why vegan restaurants are closing – or adding meat to the menu
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Veganism is still on the rise, but many popular venues and chains are shutting down. Are they victims of a terrible era for hospitality or part of a growing shift in cultural values? When London’s Unity Diner wrapped up 2024 with the announcement that it would soon be shutting its doors for good, it expected some sadness from its customers. After all, the not-for-profit restaurant had been an innovator in the city’s vegan scene, serving up 3D-printed “vegan steak” (made of plant protein with the fibrous feel of the real thing) and disarmingly realistic “tofish” (tofu fish) alongside the classic burgers and chips. Throw in its animal sanctuary fundraising, and the restaurant had been faithfully embraced by vegans. But, from the reaction it received, you would think its supporters were genuinely grieving. “We had people coming in and crying and hugging the staff,” says its co-founder, Andy Crumpton, his surprise audible. There was another element to the devastation, he says. For its plant-based punters, Unity Diner was yet another meat-free establishment that had outwardly appeared to be prospering, only to suddenly shut down. Continue reading...
France has a massive debt crisis. So why is it spending billions a year subsidising business? | Alexander Hurst
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The government is on the brink of collapse over planned austerity. Instead it must face up to the costs of its unnecessarily rigid labour market As someone who has always been against austerity, I find France, with a national debt at 114% of GDP and a budget deficit of 5.8% of GDP, a conundrum. Despite years of denunciation from his left and far-right opponents that Macron has engaged in “ultraneoliberalism”, there hasn’t been any. Not on a macro level, anyway, where both French government spending (57.3% of GDP) and tax receipts (51.4% of GDP) are among the highest in the world, including social spending, which outpaces any of its European neighbours. At the same time, it’s impossible to have spent the past decade in France without encountering the widely shared perception and accusation that public services are in decline. Doctors and nurses denounce a labour shortage in public hospitals; people who live in rural areas denounce the closing of rural train lines; students and academics denounce a lack of resources for public universities, many of which are dealing with outdated infrastructure, and for research. Alexander Hurst is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...
Saving the world’s fattest parrot: can we vaccinate our rarest species before bird flu gets to them?
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Trial in only continent untouched by avian flu suggests jabs will be key to survival as migration season approaches It is easy to imagine how it could happen. A petrel, flying east from the Indian Ocean at the end of the Austral winter, makes landfall at New Zealand’s southern Codfish Island/Whenua Hou. Tired from its long journey, the petrel seeks refuge in the burrow of a green kākāpō: a critically endangered flightless species that is the world’s fattest parrot. If the seabird intrudes when the kākāpō is primed to breed, the male parrot may attempt to mate with the smaller petrel, accidentally smothering it in the process. Continue reading...
At least 45,000 sites in Wales could be contaminated with toxic waste, study says
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Campaigners say only 82 sites have been fully examined and classified as contaminated, so scale of threat not known Research from Friends of the Earth Cymru has found that at least 45,000 sites across Wales could be contaminated with toxic waste but have never been adequately inspected, leaving communities and wildlife vulnerable to a potential environmental crisis. Despite Wales’s extensive industrial history, Tuesday’s publication found that due to a lack of funding and oversight, only 82 sites across the country have ever been fully examined and classified as contaminated, meaning the actual scale of the threat is unknown. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on Donald Trump and India: the tariff war that boosted China | Editorial
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The White House wanted India to bow. Instead, Narendra Modi flew to China, shook Xi Jinping’s hand and left Washington sidelined Donald Trump’s imperial tendencies see the US president wield tariffs and sanctions in the expectation that America will receive tributes. Yet his latest move – punishing India with 50% tariffs for Russian oil purchases once encouraged by the US – has produced not submission but spectacle. It has sent India’s Narendra Modi to China for the first time in seven years as Xi Jinping hosted more than 20 leaders for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. And it is in Tianjin, not Washington, where it looks as if the hinge of history is moving. The SCO is easy to dismiss: the bloc is a bundle of contradictions. India and Pakistan remain adversaries. China and India still stare across a garrisoned Himalayan frontier, though relations have thawed since last October’s border breakthrough. Russia and China vie for influence in Central Asia. Unlike Nato, the SCO has no binding defence commitments. For much of its life, it has looked like a paper tiger, sending out communiques that were all roar and no bite. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...