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In a court of law, tech titans will be judged not for who they are, but what they do. We should take comfort in thatJury verdicts are meant to speak the truth, and today's verdict in a California courtroom spoke the truth about the pernicious effects of platforms such as Instagram and YouTube on young people in the United States and around the world. The jury found two social media giants, Meta and YouTube, responsible for injuries incurred by a 20-year-old woman over the course of her childhood.The plaintiff, referred to in court as KGM, claimed that her social media use had begun when she was six years old. Her suit alleged that the sites she regularly used had features designed to hold her attention and keep her coming back. Continue reading......

Campaigners criticise frequent use of storm overflows when parts of the country were in drought for monthsRaw sewage was discharged into rivers and seas almost 300,000 times last year after the driest spring for more than 100 years and the sunniest and warmest year on record in England.Water companies released raw sewage into rivers and seas from storm overflows – designed to be used in extreme wet weather conditions – 291,492 times. This was a 35% reduction on record spills in 2024. Average discharges were 20.5 spills for each overflow, compared with 31.8 in the previous year. Continue reading......

Clear Secure has seen jump in new sign-ups amid the partial government shutdown as TSA workers go unpaidSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAs travelers continue to face sprawling security lines across the US, one company is thriving amid the ongoing chaos.Clear Secure, a biometric firm that allows travelers to bypass Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines at more than 60 airports in the US, has reportedly seen a jump in new sign-ups this month amid the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. Continue reading......

Here's what to know about how the current crisis could shape the expansion of renewable energyAs the deadly war in Iran triggers what the International Energy Agency has described as the worst oil crisis in history, climate advocates are calling for a faster shift away from fossil fuels, but the conflict may also hamper that transition.US-Israeli strikes on Iran have disrupted supply routes through the strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil flows. The US, Israel and Iran have also all launched strikes on fossil fuel facilities, creating additional market shocks. Continue reading......

Documents obtained by Guardian show company increased different fees to 'offset revenue loss' from FTC rule changeFollowing a wave of regulations banning the surprise fees that appear at the end of a transaction, Ticketmaster stopped charging the extra few dollars it added to each order at checkout. Typically shared with the venue, the order processing fee was a boon to a global platform that sells hundreds of millions of tickets a year.But documents obtained by the Guardian show that while Ticketmaster eliminated this fee to comply with the rules, the company simply raised the cost of different fees in a number of its venues to ensure it didn't lose money. Continue reading......

Company reported loss of £125m after cyber-security attack hit sales and claims of 'toxic' culture Business live – latest updatesThe Co-op Group has announced that its boss will step down this weekend after a difficult year that included a cyber-attack and recent claims of a “toxic” culture at the business.Shirine Khoury-Haq will step down as chief executive on 29 March, with Kate Allum, a board member and former boss of dairy group First Milk, stepping in as interim boss while a permanent replacement is found. Continue reading......

Government-backed bank in talks about recompensing about 37,000 people whose money was misplacedUK politics live – latest updatesBusiness live – latest updatesNational Savings & Investments is preparing to repay hundreds of millions of pounds to its customers over missing savings, in what is expected to be the single biggest payout in the bank's 160-year history.The government-backed savings institution is in discussions with the Treasury to recompense about 37,000 people whose money has been misplaced due to historical failings. Continue reading......

One minute, Dennis Biesma was playing with a chatbot; the next, he was convinced his sentient friend would make him a fortune. He's just one of many people who lost control after an AI encounterTowards the end of 2024, Dennis Biesma decided to check out ChatGPT. The Amsterdam-based IT consultant had just ended a contract early. “I had some time, so I thought: let's have a look at this new technology everyone is talking about,” he says. “Very quickly, I became fascinated.”Biesma has asked himself why he was vulnerable to what came next. He was nearing 50. His adult daughter had left home, his wife went out to work and, in his field, the shift since Covid to working from home had left him feeling “a little isolated”. He smoked a bit of cannabis some evenings to “chill”, but had done so for years with no ill effects. He had never experienced a mental illness. Yet within months of downloading ChatGPT, Biesma had sunk €100,000 (about £83,000) into a business startup based on a delusio...

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development says UK economy will grow by just 0.7% this yearThe conflict in the Middle East will damage the UK's economy more than any other industrialised nation, according to analysis by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which warned over rising inflation.In the first major assessment by a leading international thinktank of the economic impact from the attack on Iran, the OECD said the UK economy would grow by just 0.7% this year, compared with its last forecast, made in December, of 1.2% for 2026. Continue reading......

PM tells Jo Boydell of concerns about her lack of availability to discuss how staff gave man access to victim's room• UK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has written to the chief executive of Travelodge to press the hotel chain to “seriously engage” with MPs raising concerns about its protocols after a woman was sexually assaulted by a man who was given her room number and a key card by staff.MPs who had sought an urgent meeting with Jo Boydell said the case of Kyran Smith, 29, who was jailed for seven and a half years last month, raised “deeply concerning” questions. He attacked the woman after a party in December 2022. Continue reading......

Teesside site mothballed in September given £100m in government investment to restart production for at least three monthsA shuttered carbon dioxide plant is to reopen on Teesside with £100m of government investment in response to fears the war in Iran could trigger shortages of the gas that multiple industries rely on.The business secretary, Peter Kyle, has approved the reopening of the Ensus plant to help bolster production of CO2, which has uses ranging from carbonating drinks and keeping food fresh to medical procedures and the sedating of animals for slaughter. Continue reading......

Unruly behaviour, safety concerns and lost trade are forcing some landlords to act, but others argue pubs should remain for everyone“It was like the wild west. If you had an hour, I could talk you through so many scenarios,” says Egil Johansen, the landlord of the Kenton pub in Hackney, east London. He sounds exhausted just remembering them.Johansen is still shaken by the three-year-old who recently toddled behind the bar and tumbled down the cellar hatch while his parents sat, oblivious, in a different part of the pub. Continue reading......

Rising energy bills give Reform and Tories opening to attack net zero while government hesitant to make case for clean energyCould net zero become “the next Brexit”? That is the fear stalking climate advocates as the oil crisis caused by the war on Iran starts to bite.A powerful coalition of the well-funded Reform party, led by Nigel Farage, the Conservative party, some business interests, and the UK's right-wing media, are engaged in an onslaught against the longstanding target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Continue reading......

Clothing and homeware retailer working on assumption that war could last three monthsBusiness live – latest updatesNext has warned that the war in the Middle East will add £15m to its costs on the assumption it will last three months, adding that prices will have to go up if the conflict persists beyond that.The UK clothing and homeware retailer said it was currently offsetting the additional costs on fuel and air freight with savings elsewhere and it did not expect any affect on profits for the year ahead. Continue reading......

The Which? travel editor on the unexpected joys and considerable savings of house swapping. Plus top tips on how to do itImagine cutting the cost of accommodation on your next holiday to about £5 a day. You can have a whole house, rather than just a bedroom. And you can go almost anywhere in the world and stay as long as you like, within reason. Welcome to house swapping.You're sceptical, I know. I was, too. Our terrace house was too small. Too overflowing with stuff. The 1980s kitchen was too old (and battered). We aren't in a nice enough neighbourhood. Who would want to stay here? Lots of people, it turned out. Continue reading......

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsConsumer confidence in the UK has “collapsed” since the start of the Iran war, according to new research from the British Retail Consortium.The sharp rise in energy prices caused by the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz and attacks on infrastructure in the region has led to fears of higher inflation and weaker growth across oil-importing countries.“The Moneyfacts Average Mortgage Rate has hit 5.50% - heights last seen more than 18 months ago, marking another unwelcome milestone for borrowers this month. These rising costs are in direct response to the conflict in the Middle East which has dramatically shifted market expectations around inflation and future interest rates, with lenders scrambling to keep up with rising funding costs.“Moneyfacts' analysis of more than 30 years of historic rates data shows mortgage rates have historically averaged around 1.5-1.75 percentage points above Base Rate. If a couple of rate rises materialise...

Temporary ban on crypto donations is being introduced after review into countering foreign interference in politicsMinisters are introducing a temporary ban in cryptocurrency donations following an official review.Philip Rycroft, a former senior civil servant, made the recommendation as part of a review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. Continue reading......

Government says proposed levy for international tourists is part of initiative to improve arts fundingMinisters are considering charging international tourists to access permanent collections at national museums as part of an initiative to improve arts funding.The government said there was a need for long-term options to fund the struggling arts sector in its response to a review of Arts Council England, which distributes public funding to the arts. Among the options cited was a hotel levy, a policy being consulted on. Continue reading......

Surcharge, spurred by oil price spikes due to the Iran war, is set to take effect on 26 April and run until January 2027The US Postal Service (USPS) plans to introduce its first-ever fuel surcharge on packages to offset rising energy costs, according to a statement.The surcharge, set at 8%, is expected to take effect on 26 April and remain in place until 17 January 2027, under the current plan. Continue reading......

US president says he will host Chinese leader in a reciprocal visit later this yearDonald Trump will meet Xi Jinping in May during the US president's first visit to China in eight years, a closely watched trip that had been postponed due to the Iran war.Trump was initially slated to travel next week, but will now visit Beijing on 14 and 15 May, he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. Trump said he would host the Chinese leader in a reciprocal visit in Washington later this year. Continue reading......