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The Iran war has exposed the country's reliance on fossil fuels – and its wilful neglect of people's basic needsUp in the driver's seat of a lime green CLAAS tractor, a young man called Dylan told me he was the second tractor to arrive on O'Connell Street, Dublin's main street, for fuel protests that would bring Ireland to a standstill for nearly a week. The tractor in front of him, belonging to his boss, had a sign warning “No Farms, No Food”. The 19-year-old agricultural contract worker sat with two friends, young women of 16 and 17, out to support him. He had slept nights in the tractor in the biting April cold, along with many other farmers, fishers and truckers whose vehicles lined both sides of the street.“It's profit before people,” Dylan said of campaigners' complaints about the government's levying of 60% in duties and taxes on fuel continuing during a crisis. “It's affecting everyone – it's affecting our businesses, it's affecting yourselves if you're running a car or h...

The fight over California's billionaire tax is just the latest symptom of a crisis that has escalated since 2010There's money to be made in California this spring, no startup pitch or buzzy screenplay required. Instead, signatures are one of the state's most coveted commodities: campaigns are paying $15 apiece to those willing to collect them.Petition distributors can thank Sergey Brin for this pay bump. In an effort to kill California's proposed billionaire tax, the Google co-founder and other local tycoons are funding a political group that has hiked the going rate for signatures collected in support of countermeasures. In all, foes of the wealth tax are expected to spend $75m in their attempt to quash the proposal. Brin himself has donated $45m to the cause – a sum that suggests he just might be able to afford a higher tax bill. Continue reading......

Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI is said to be frighteningly capable, but we shouldn't get carried away by the hypeHello, and welcome to TechScape. I'm your host, Blake Montgomery, the Guardian's US tech editor, writing to you from my happy village in Pokopia.Tech companies are cutting jobs and betting on AI. The payoff is far from guaranteed'There's a lot of desperation': skilled older workers turn to AI training to stay afloat'It has your name on it, but I don't think it's you': how AI is impersonating musicians on Spotify'It feels as if I've made a new best friend': my experiment with AI journalling'Irresponsible failure': Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft slam EU over child sexual abuse law lapse'Abhorrent': the inside story of the Polymarket gamblers betting millions on warOpenAI CEO Sam Altman's home targeted with molotov cocktail Continue reading......

Richard Eltringham on the housing crisis not being addressed, and Ryan McKiernan on the need for sustained investment in social housingYour report on homelessness among over‑55s reflects a crisis already hitting those of us just behind them ('People are so judgmental': the growing cohort of over-55s facing homelessness, 8 April). I am approaching 50 and living in my best friend's spare room – not through mismanagement, but because the housing system has stopped producing homes people can actually afford.Yet we continue to build four‑bedroom detached houses on car‑dependent estates, far from services and transport. These developments do nothing for those facing rising rents, insecure tenancies and shrinking options. Continue reading......

Responding to an article by Adrian Chiles, readers remember their own favourite discontinued productsHow lucky for Adrian Chiles that he didn't live in the German Democratic Republic (Rose's Lime Marmalade? Gone. Dark chocolate Bounty? No more. But what about their heartbroken fans?, 8 April). After reunification, there were street markets selling the last of products from the old days, and there was an exhibition in a national museum – memorably called “They've even taken our tomato ketchup” – lamenting the loss of many food products and other features of former times, such as children's TV programmes.Derek JanesDuns, Scottish Borders• Can Adrian Chiles tell me where to find Halls' chocolate sour lemons? Maybe they stopped being made because they turned your tongue black, but they tasted great. And you had a black tongue to stick out at your friends. And, no, chocolate limes aren't a substitute.Roy KettleHitchin, Hertfordshire Continue reading......

Sponsorship income due to rise by more than 40%Champions League clubs to benefit from the growthUefa is poised to bring in more than €1bn (£870m) a year in commercial revenues from club competitions from next year, with two more global sponsorship deals close to being agreed.UC3, the commercial joint venture owned by Uefa and the clubs, is finalising agreements with an official payments provider and technology partner, which would complete their roster of premium global partners and see sponsorship income rise by more than 40%. Six-year deals with AB InBev as Uefa's official beer partner and Pepsi as soft drinks provider from 2027 to 2033 have already been agreed, while Nike last week entered exclusive negotiations to replace Adidas as Uefa's match ball provider. Continue reading......

Shortage of pickled mini-cucumbers has caused Pret a Manger to pull its jambon beurre from shelvesWith their sharp flavour and crunch, pickled cucumbers are an essential component of any sandwich worth its salt.But an unexpected shortage of cornichons has caused consternation in sandwich shops across the country as cafes scramble to get their hands on jars of the small green pickles. Continue reading......

Critics warned of 'higher ticket prices, more fees, and fewer options' for passengers if two travel giants try to combineThe CEO of United Airlines is said to have pitched a blockbuster merger with American Airlines during a meeting with Donald Trump, floating the combination of the world's two largest carriers.Scott Kirby, who leads United, raised the prospect during an encounter with the US president in late February, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed sources. Such a deal would overhaul the global air travel industry – and likely face intense competition scrutiny. Continue reading......

Japanese carmaker will add self-driving abilities to 90% of cars in future and cut a fifth of its modelsNissan has said it will add self-driving abilities to the vast majority of its cars and cut a fifth of its models in the latest stage of the Japanese carmaker's drawn-out turnaround efforts.Ivan Espinosa, Nissan's chief executive, said the company was pinning its hopes on “AI-defined vehicles”, with an aim of installing autonomous driving technologies on 90% of its vehicles in the future. Continue reading......

Lisa Nandy says there are no grounds to refer Axel Springer deal to Ofcom, ending almost three years of uncertainty for titlesBusiness live – latest updatesThe culture secretary has cleared Axel Springer's £575m takeover of the Telegraph, paving the way for the end of almost three years of uncertainty over the ownership of the titles.Lisa Nandy said that she does not believe there are grounds to intervene and refer the deal to the media regulator, Ofcom, for an in-depth regulatory investigation. Continue reading......

Citi analysts upgrade profit forecast by 20% to $2.6bn for January to March despite flat oil and gas productionBusiness live – latest updatesBP expects to post “exceptional” earnings from its oil trading desk, reaping a windfall from choppy energy markets triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.Energy traders are navigating significant market volatility after Tehran's effective closure of the key strait of Hormuz shipping route. Continue reading......

Hui Ka Yan expresses remorse in trial proceedings after collapse of world's most indebted property developerBusiness live – latest updatesA former steelworker who rose to become one of China's richest people has pleaded guilty to charges including fundraising fraud after the collapse of Evergrande, the world's most indebted property developer.The property group's founder, Hui Ka Yan, “pleaded guilty and expressed remorse” in trial proceedings at a court in China's southern city of Shenzhen against him and Evergrande, the court said in a posting on its official WeChat account. He also pleaded guilty to misuse of funds and illegally taking public deposits. Continue reading......

Judgment will rule on whether spoils of some of Hancock Prospecting's iron ore projects must be shared with family of her father's business partnerGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGina Rinehart faces the possibility of losing billions of dollars in riches from her Pilbara iron ore empire and her mantle as Australia's wealthiest person when a long-awaited court verdict is delivered in Perth on Wednesday.The Western Australian supreme court judgment will rule on whether Rinehart must share the spoils of some of Hancock Prospecting's most lucrative iron ore projects with the family of her late father's business partner. Continue reading......

Oil-driven inflation is big challenge to world economy, lifting inflation and depressing growth, says bank's chairBusiness live – latest updatesHSBC bosses have said the Iran war is already hitting global economic confidence, as a string of business leaders warned over the impact of the conflict.Georges Elhedery, the Lebanon-born chief executive of the bank, told Bloomberg Television at a HSBC conference in Hong Kong: “We're saddened and concerned with what's happening in the Middle East, and we're concerned not just with what's happening but also with how long this will take. Continue reading......

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsTask for the week: limit the fallout from biggest oil shock in decadesThe oil price is dipping today, on renewed hopes of a resolution to the Iran war.Brent crude is trading below $100 a barrel again, at $98.35, even though the US blockade on Iran's ports came into effect yesterday.President Trump's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz got underway yesterday, applying to all vessels making their way to or from Iranian ports. Is this a negotiating gambit, designed to choke off Iranian oil revenues, and force Iran back to the table? Almost certainly, it is, with it being just the latest instalment of the 'escalate to de-escalate' strategy that markets have come to be so familiar with over the last 15 months or so.That this latest manoeuvre is being viewed through this lens helps explain the relatively swift way in which markets were able to shrug off the weekend's developments. Not only did stocks pare opening declines, allowing the S&P future t...

Australian airline is benefiting from demand for flights that transit through Asia – but says its jet fuel bill is rising sharplyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas has lifted fares and cut domestic flights amid a surge in travel demand away from airlines that transit through the troubled Middle East.The Australian airline says it has redeployed capacity from its US and domestic network to take advantage of the strong interest in Europe-bound travel – in particular to Paris and Rome – according to a market update released on Tuesday. Continue reading......

FBI alleges Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, was captured on video throwing explosive device outside home of OpenAI chiefA Texas man was charged with hurling a molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and attempting to set fire to the AI firm's headquarters.Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, was captured on surveillance video throwing an incendiary device outside Altman's San Francisco residence, according to a FBI affidavit filed in federal court on Monday. Continue reading......

Consumer spending on travel is down for the first time in five years while card spending edges up in MarchUK consumers have cut back on travel spending for the first time in five years, as they worry about the rising cost of living amid the Iran war.Overall consumer card spending increased 0.9% year on year in March, down from February's 1%, according to data from Barclays. Continue reading......

Iran warns Americans they face higher pump prices due to prohibition imposed on Monday eveningMiddle East crisis – live updates The US blockade of ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf has come into effect, turning the six-week-old conflict between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran into a test of economic endurance.US Central Command (Centcom) made no formal announcement of the start of the blockade but had said it begin on Monday at 5.30pm Iranian time and would apply to any ships entering or departing Iranian ports or coastal areas, while ships using non-Iranian ports would not be impeded. Continue reading......

Incentives to absorb surplus wind and solar energy could help balance the grid and lower billsThe UK needs more North Sea gas, not greater reliance on US imports | Nils PratleyHouseholds will be called on to boost their consumption of Great Britain's record renewable energy this summer to help balance the power grid and lower energy bills.Under the new plans, people could be encouraged to run dishwashers and washing machines or charge up their electric vehicles when there is more wind and solar power than the electricity grid needs. Continue reading......