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With the army's size halved since the cold war, UK ambitions to be globally deployable do not match the reality, experts say Middle East crisis – live updatesIf Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a wake-up call for Nato, the war in the Gulf has brought some harsh realities home to the British public about the state of the UK's armed forces.While air defence systems and fighter jets were already in place or deployed relatively swiftly, the time it took to send a single destroyer to Cyprus in the form of HMS Dragon focused minds on Britain's military readiness and capabilities. Continue reading......

Experts point to Chinese backing for multinational attempts to introduce global governance of AIChina is now the “good guy” on AI rather than Donald Trump's US where the technology is being pursued in a dangerous “wild west” manner, a former UN and UK government adviser has told MPs.Prof Dame Wendy Hall, who was a member of the UN's AI advisory board and co-wrote a review of AI for Theresa May's government, told the House of Commons business and trade committee that China was backing multinational attempts to introduce global governance of AI in contrast to America, which had set up a race between profit-hungry companies that relied on hype. Continue reading......

David Hinton will only receive his £400,000 salary this year after thousands of customers were left without waterThe chief executive of South East Water has said he will forgo his bonus in an act of penitence for “unacceptable outages” that left thousands of customers in Kent and Sussex without water.David Hinton told MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs select committee that he had decided not to accept an additional “performance payment” this year. Instead, he will receive only his £400,000 salary. Continue reading......

Chancellor faced with fund's forecast that impact of Iran war will leave Britain as G7's biggest loserIran war escalation could trigger global recession, IMF warnsThe Iran war is bad news for the global economy. But for some countries, the unfolding conflict is having a bigger impact than for others. The International Monetary Fund's verdict is that Britain is the G7's biggest loser.Amid the rising damage from the Middle East war, the Washington-based fund warned UK economic growth rate would be 0.5 percentage points lower this year than it had predicted back in January – the biggest downgrade among the club of wealthy nations. Continue reading......

With a summer glut on cards, customers are being urged to use more energy when renewables are abundantGreat Britain households to be urged to use more power this summer as renewables soarGreat Britain is on the brink of a record-breaking summer for renewable energy which could lead to the first periods of zero-carbon electricity in the history of the power system.These green milestones are an important step towards the government's goal of creating a 95% gas-free grid by 2030 to power the electric vehicles, heat pumps and greener factories that will help the UK to reach its climate goals. Continue reading......

Recent losses on loans in relatively unregulated sector are not a systemic risk to financial sector, says JP Morgan bossThe boss of JP Morgan, Wall Street's biggest bank, said a downturn across the $3tn private credit market would not put financial stability at risk, adding that losses would have to be “very large” before the pain rippled out to major banks.Dimon played down the potential impact that a series of private credit loan defaults would have on the wider financial system, arguing that while there were some areas of of weakness, the unregulated industry did not pose a “systemic” risk. Continue reading......

Deal, subject to regulatory approval, would give Bezos firm access to Globalstar's network of two dozen satellitesAmazon said on Tuesday it would acquire a satellite company in an $11.57bn deal, bolstering its own fledgling space business as it looks to take on Elon Musk-led bigger rival Starlink.The deal gives Amazon access to Globalstar's network of two dozen satellites, boosting the tech giant's ambitions to challenge SpaceX unit Starlink, which currently has about 10,000 units in orbit. Continue reading......

Growth forecasts cut for US and global economy, while UK suffers sharpest downgrade in G7Business live – latest updatesA further escalation in the Iran war could trigger a global recession, spiralling inflation and a sharp backlash in financial markets, the International Monetary Fund has warned.Against an increasingly volatile backdrop, the Washington-based fund said the economic damage from the Middle East conflict was steadily rising as it cut its growth forecasts for 2026 based on the impact from the war so far. Continue reading......

Party says plan for 'radical change' will be funded in part through higher taxes on aviation, gambling and landlordsUK politics live – latest updatesThe Scottish Greens have called for free bus travel, thousands of extra teachers and doctors and a universal basic income among hundreds of uncosted manifesto pledges.The party is enjoying a bounce in Scottish opinion polls, with some putting it ahead of Labour, driven partly by the surging support for the Green party of England and Wales under the leadership of Zack Polanski. Continue reading......

The government hails the 'green revolution' as a solution to economic decline, but some young jobseekers say the rhetoric does not match their experienceOn paper, Jake Snell, 19, sounds like the perfect candidate for a role in the UK's burgeoning green energy sector. He has high grades in maths and physics A-level, a distinction in BTec engineering and another distinction in an extended engineering diploma. He has also done work experience at an engineering company.He is from Lowestoft, a coastal town in Suffolk, outside Great Yarmouth. Both towns contain areas that fall within the most deprived 20% in England and are part of a wider pattern of coastal places with low employment opportunities. Continue reading......

Workslop refers to AI-generated work that seems polished but is flawed and in need of heavy correctionsKen, a copywriter for a large, Miami-based cybersecurity firm, used to enjoy his job. But then the “workslop” started piling up.Workslop is an unintended consequence of the AI boom. It's what happens when employees use AI to quickly generate work that seems polished – at least superficially – but is in fact so flawed or inaccurate that it needs to be heavily corrected, cleaned upor even completely redone after it's passed on to colleagues. Continue reading......

Decision to reduce duty-free quotas by 47% aimed at curbing Chinese importsBusiness live – latest updatesThe EU is to go ahead with plans to double tariffs and halve quotas on imports of steel from July, in a move designed to curb Chinese imports but which could damage UK exports to the bloc.The decision by EU lawmakers and member states after late night talks on Monday, will reduce duty-free quotas by 47%. Exact country allocations have yet to be determined. Continue reading......

Kevin Warsh, seeking to replace Fed chair, Jerome Powell, had to file financial disclosures for Senate approvalKevin Warsh, the former Federal Reserve governor chosen by Donald Trump to lead the central bank, has submitted financial disclosures that suggest he holds assets worth well over $100m.The document is required for his nomination to advance through the Senate, beginning with a yet-to-be-scheduled hearing. Continue reading......

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......