The Guardian Nachrichten

 

The company will open a research centre in Berkshire, in a move hailed by UK government as 'clear' vote of confidenceSyngenta is to build a new £100m research centre for agricultural bioscience, a move hailed by the government as a vote of confidence in the UK's science base.The Chinese-owned company, one of the biggest agrichemical groups in the world, will open the centreat its Jealott's Hill site in Berkshire to host hundreds of scientists. Continue reading......

Energy supply shock from US-Israeli attack on Iran fuels record valuations for Shell, ExxonMobil and ChevronBeyond the strait: why attacks on Kargh Island could keep oil prices highShares in big oil companies have soared to all-time highs since the war in Iran began and sparked historic price rises on global oil and gas markets.The combined market value of the six stock market-listed western “super majors” has soared by more than $130bn in the two weeks since the first US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Continue reading......

UK and Japan among countries that are considering options but yet to commit warships to blockaded shipping routeMiddle East crisis – live updatesCountries including the UK, Japan, China and South Korea have said they are still considering their options but without making commitments after the US president, Donald Trump, urged them to send warships to the strait of Hormuz to secure the vital shipping route.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called on the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and other countries to send ships to the waterway, the world's busiest shipping route, which is being violently blockaded by Iran. Continue reading......

Trams, buses and hire bikes will be integrated under molten orange and asphalt black brand highlighting industrial heritage, says Oliver CoppardSouth Yorkshire's transport system will be known as the “People's Network”, with trams, buses and hire bikes all coming under public control.The plan was unveiled on Monday by the region's mayor, Oliver Coppard, who said it would create an affordable, joined-up network in molten orange and asphalt black colours. A large fleet of electric buses and 25 new trams will be introduced over the next five years. Continue reading......

Hummus and pet grooming also join list of goods and services used to help judge the impact of rising prices Business live – latest updatesThe UK's increasing sobriety will be recognised from next month in the basket of goods used to calculate inflation after alcohol-free beer was added to a list by the Office for National Statistics totalling 760 items.Hummus and pet grooming were also included in the list of goods and services used to help judge the impact of rising prices on the cost of living. Continue reading......

Milan-based bank plans to up its near-30% stake in German lender to trigger formal talks despite strong opposition from BerlinTwo European banking powerhouses have become embroiled in a €35bn (£30bn) takeover battle after Italy's UniCredit stepped up its long-running pursuit of German lender Commerzbank, despite strong opposition from the German government.UniCredit first took a stake of 9% in Commerzbank in September 2024 and has since built up its holding to just under 30%. It said on Monday it was pushing to increase that holding further and push the rival lender into formal merger talks. Continue reading......

Latest effort involves paying off fines worth hundreds of millions of pounds as part of bid to stave off financial collapseBusiness live – latest updatesThames Water's lenders have put forward a £10bn rescue plan that would involve paying off the troubled water company's hundreds of millions of pounds-worth of fines for leaks and pollution, as part of an effort to stave off financial collapse.A group of private equity firms and investment groups said they would inject about £3.35bn of cash into Thames Water and raise £6.65bn in debt, in exchange for the company not falling into a government-handled administration, effectively a temporary nationalisation. Continue reading......

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsThe average shelf-life of a UK mortgage has shrivelled, even before the surge in energy price hammered hopes for interest rate cuts.Data provider Moneyfacts has calculated that the average shelf-life of a mortgage fell to 14 days, on the first of March, the lowest since August 2023.“Borrowers looking to refinance would be wise to act quickly to secure a new deal, as the significant push in mortgage activity during February has led to a significant fall in the average shelf-life of a mortgage to just 14 days.This is a complete contrast to the notable seasonal slowdown in activity during January. However, since this data was captured, there has been a notable shift in swap rates, amid the unrest seen in the Middle East. It is worth noting that the average shelf-life of a mortgage has not been this low (14 days) for over two years, last lower for August 2023, at 13 days. This was just one month after a record low of 12 days recorded for July 2023. C...

Latest Android superphone packs great cameras, fast chips, long battery, a stylus and first-of-its-kind privacy displaySamsung's latest Ultra superphone promises to keep shoulder surfers out of your business with a first-of-its-kind privacy display built into its huge 6.9in screen.The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung's top-of-the-line phone costing £1,279 (€1,449/$1,299/A$2,199) and is one of the most feature-packed handsets you can get, with four cameras on the back, an integrated stylus and AI assistance in every corner. Continue reading......

Exclusive: revelation comes as company faces mounting scrutiny over use of AI to provide health tipsGoogle has dropped a new artificial intelligence search feature that gave users crowdsourced health advice from amateurs around the world.The company had said its launch of “What People Suggest”, which provided tips from strangers, showed “the potential of AI to transform health outcomes across the globe”. Continue reading......

Another weekend of violence compounded global market concerns over war in the Middle East, following US strikes on the vital oil hubOil prices have climbed again amid mounting supply fears after the US struck Iran's vital Kharg Island oil hub and Donald Trump demanded allies help reopen the strait of Hormuz.Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 1.8% to $104.98 per barrel during early trading on Monday. Another weekend of violence across the Middle East compounded concerns over the conflict, and its ramifications for global energy markets. Continue reading......

US supreme court has 'ransacked' the country, president argues, in wake of its ruling against his trade agendaDonald Trump has claimed he has “the absolute right” to impose new tariffs after the US supreme court ruled many of the import duties he imposed last year were illegal.The president attacked the court in a late night broadside on Sunday, accusing it of having “unnecessarily RANSACKED” the US – and failing to show him sufficient loyalty. Continue reading......

Prime minister expected to set out tens of millions of pounds in help for heating oil users as conflict with Iran drives up costsKeir Starmer will on Monday announce tens of millions of pounds' worth of support for Britons hit by a spike in energy prices as a result of the Iran war.The prime minister will lay out the plans during a press conference in Downing Street on Monday, during which he will also take aim at some suppliers of heating oil for price gouging. Continue reading......

Borrowers coming off fixed deals hit hard as Savills says big spike in interest payments made up half the overall rise UK households spent a record £226bn to keep a roof over their heads last year, figures showed on Monday, with mortgage borrowers finishing fixed-rate deals particularly hard hit by rising payments.Overall housing costs have gone up by £66bn over the past five years, a rise of 41%, the property group Savills said. Continue reading......

National Audit Office highlights benefits of state rescue for jobs and orders but warns of continuing high cost The cost of keeping the UK's last remaining blast furnaces going at British Steel's Scunthorpe plant could exceed £1.5bn by 2028 if it continues at its current rate, according to the government's spending watchdog.Ministers took the plant into public control in April last year, after its Chinese owner – industrial firm Jingye – threatened to shut down the loss-making site. Continue reading......

Could we be at the beginning of a change never before seen by humans – allowing us to escape the drudgery of work?The other day I pulled into the parking lot of a client's offices and in the spot next to me was a woman sitting in her car blasting music. She caught me looking and rolled down her window and said, “I'll be inside in a minute … Just enjoying my last few moments of freedom!”Is this way we want to live? No, it's not. Continue reading......

It has been years since the four-day work week was floated as a solution to everything from traffic congestion to burnout. So why aren't we all doing it now?Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailDuring the global soul-searching that followed the rupture of Covid-19 lockdowns, one idea for how we might live better suddenly seemed plausible: the four-day work week.The model is simple but somewhat counterintuitive. Employees work fewer hours for the same salary while getting the same amount of (or even more) work done. Advocates say this is made possible by reducing meeting times, streamlining workflows and prioritising work more efficiently.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading......

The brand has enlisted JW Anderson to help brew a 17-piece range of luxury fashionware, from 'beer towel' shorts to branded trousers and topsYou too can look like a pub carpet – and for the bargain price of £1,295. Such sartorial elegance – perhaps an option for anyone stepping out to celebrate St Patrick's Day this week – is the aesthetic love child of a partnership between Guinness and the luxury clothing brand JW Anderson.Launched earlier this month, the tie-up allows fashionistas to get their hands on a range of Guinness-wear, exploiting the ongoing metamorphosis of the “black stuff” from unfashionable pub staple to social media status symbol. Continue reading......

The country's 900 billionaires have far too much influence over our government and economy. Here's how we can reduce the power of the ultra-richNot a day goes by without some news about billionaires throwing their weight around to bend the system in their favor or about politicians giving them tax cuts, government contracts or pardons. In today's new Gilded Age, the 900-plus billionaires in the US have far too much influence over our elections, our economy, our government policies and our news media, and it's urgent for Americans to create a movement to curb their power in order to preserve what's left of our democracy and assure we have an economy with some basic fairness.It's deeply troubling that billionaires have far more power in shaping our nation's politics and policies than do average Americans, whether they're auto workers, teachers, nurses, carpenters or supermarket cashiers. What's more, it's deeply disturbing that so many billionaires support the most authoritarian president in US hi...

Humiliating failure now looms, as symbolically damaging to US global standing and national self-esteem as Afghanistan or IraqDonald Trump menaces the world. He's global public enemy number one. He's steadily losing the illegal war with Iran he started but cannot stop. His violence-addicted Israeli sidekick, Benjamin Netanyahu, is terrorising Lebanon. And ordinary people everywhere, their security threatened, face a huge economic bill for his reckless folly.Add Trump's war-making to his daily debasing of democracy, appeasing of Russia, punitive tariffs, climate crisis denial and flouting of international law, and it's clear this White House travesty has gone on long enough. Americans must put their house in order and act decisively to restrain someone who endangers us all. Continue reading......