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But their latest stunt suggests Reform may be hitting the law of diminishing returns with a press conference too farNige and Honest Bob. Honest Bob and Nige. Reform's answer to the Chuckle Brothers. Robert Jenrick is just about the only other member of Reform UK that Nige will be seen dead with now. Apart from Richard Tice, everyone's favourite fake-tanned beta male.Almost everyone else in Reform is dead to Nigel Farage. Zia Yusuf barely gets a look in now. Nadhim Zahawi and Suella Braverman? Buyer's remorse. Andrea Jenkyns and Sarah Pochin? Who? Continue reading......

Russian billionaire accused of missing 'last chance' to release money to help victims of Ukraine warUK officials are preparing for a possible court case against Roman Abramovich after he missed a deadline to release £2.4bn he raised from selling Chelsea FC.The Russian billionaire failed to hand over the money by the deadline of 17 March, amid a dispute over how it will eventually be used. Continue reading......

Supplies becoming sparse amid rise in demand since Kent outbreak, which has killed two and left 13 seriously illWorried parents are contacting pharmacies in an “increasingly desperate” effort to get their children vaccinated against meningitis after the outbreak in Kent that has killed two young people and left 13 seriously ill.The surge in demand has led to stocks of the vaccine running so low that many pharmacies cannot get hold of supplies from wholesalers. Continue reading......

Lack of confidence in the voluntary sector seems linked to a more general fraying of social bondsBBC Radio 1's Greg James reached the halfway point of his 1,000km bike ride for Comic Relief just outside Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, on Tuesday lunchtime. The Radio 1 stunt is a popular fixture of the annual charity fundraiser – played out all day long with regular updates on the station, and enthusiastic reminders to “text 10, 20 or 30”. On Red Nose Day, which falls on 20 March, Mr James and his tandem – on which assorted celebrities have joined him – can expect to be greeted by cheering crowds in Edinburgh.There is nothing not to like about this warm-hearted caper. The takings from these feats of endurance by presenters reached a record £2.2m last year – when Jamie Laing ran five ultra marathons in five days. But away from the buzzy spotlight of national radio, and seasonal appeals such as the Guardian's, which raised more than £1m between December and January, charities are fac...

Court finds Unite repeatedly breached injunction by blockading and 'slow walking' next to waste trucksThe union representing striking bin workers in Birmingham has been fined £265,000 for breaching an injunction which prohibited the blocking of waste lorries at depots.Justice Jefford found that Unite had repeatedly breached the injunction issued in July by blockading and “slow walking” next to vehicles. Continue reading......

But Michael Shanks says government will not be rushed into plans to reduce costs faced by households due to war in IranBritain's energy minister has said “every penny” levied on household energy bills will be scrutinised after suppliers warned that households could face a price hike of £250 a year due to the war in Iran.Michael Shanks told MPs that the government would stand ready to provide support wherever needed, but it would not be rushed into plans to reduce the costs faced by households or offer direct financial support. Continue reading......

Chancellor seeks 'genuine break with the past' in tackling centralised and 'geographically unequal' countryBusiness live – latest updatesRachel Reeves has announced that the Treasury will draw up plans to give regional leaders a share of national tax revenues as part of a radical plan to rebalance the English economy.Setting out her intention to create investment-led growth, the chancellor promised “a genuine break with the past” that would shift spending power away from Westminster. Continue reading......

Exclusive: Fixing a leak can be simple and equivalent to closing a coal power station, making lack of action maddening, say analystsThe world's worst mega-leaks of the potent greenhouse gas methane in 2025 have been revealed by an analysis of satellite data.The super-polluting plumes from oil and gas facilities have a colossal heating impact on the climate but often result from poor maintenance and can be simple to fix. The assessment found dozens of mega-leaks, each having the same global heating impact as a coal-fired power station. Continue reading......

Cheddar cheese from California-based Raw Farm identified as 'likely source' of infections across multiple statesCheese from the country's largest raw milk distributor has been linked to a multistate E coli outbreak.Raw cheddar cheese from the California-based company Raw Farm has been identified as the “likely source” of several E coli O157:H7 infections in California, Florida and Texas, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), PBS News reported, though no Raw Farm products have tested positive for E coli. Continue reading......

By considering consciousness a possibility, Anthropic is raising a fascinating proposition – that chatbots could rise up against their own algorithmsI am, in the way of my country, an over-apologiser. Colleague who ignored my email, woman who stepped on my foot, chair I tripped over: all will receive a fulsome apology for the terrible embarrassment of my being alive and bringing attention to it.All of which is my way of pre-emptively asking forgiveness when I admit that I extend these niceties to AI chatbots. “Good morning, Claude, thanks for your suggestions yesterday, they were great. Shall we work up some more?” I might say. (“I'd be delighted to,” returns Claude.) It was unintentional formality at first and then became deliberate, as I didn't want to get into the habit of speaking rudely in case that leaked into behaviour with humans (cue dystopian visions of someone shouting “WRONG, DO IT AGAIN” to a cowering staff member over a doughnut-shop mix-up). Manners, after all, are muscles t...

Huge vehicles are popular with drivers, but their wider impacts on road safety and the environment must be tackledNo one who walks, cycles or drives around London, or many of the world's big cities, could fail to notice the vastly increased size of the typical car. A type of vehicle once associated with rural settings and outdoor lifestyles is now ubiquitous. Heavily marketed as sports utility vehicles (SUVs), supersize cars are among the key consumer trends of recent decades. In 2022, they accounted for 46% of global new car sales.For manufacturers, these vehicles are big earners due to higher profit margins. For those inside them, they offer more space and a higher vantage point. But for those on the outside, SUVs have obvious downsides. The threat that they pose to pedestrians is one. Research shows that children are 77% more likely to die if struck by an SUV compared with other cars, due to their size and structure – particularly their raised bonnets. This finding was highlighte...

Weekly news magazine's parent company makes third significant ownership shake-up in its 183-year historyBusiness live – latest updatesCanadian billionaire Stephen Smith has bought a stake in the parent company of the Economist, held by Lynn Forester de Rothschild, in only the third significant ownership structure shake-up in its 183-year history.Smith and his family holding company, Smith Financial Corp, which owns financial businesses, including co-ownership of influential proxy advisory group Glass Lewis, has acquired a 26.9% stake in the Economist Group (TEG) for an undisclosed sum. Continue reading......

Carmaker reduces office-based roles and will not fill vacancies 'to ensure long-term competitiveness of business'Bentley is to cut 275 jobs in the UK as the carmaker faces a “challenging global market environment”.The luxury brand, owned by Germany's Volkswagen, is preparing to launch its first all-electric model but acknowledged it had some work to do to convince consumers to switch away from internal combustion engine vehicles. Continue reading......

Warner Bros might have swept the Oscars with Sinners and One Battle After Another, but the impending merger has those in the industry worried about the futureOn Sunday, Warner Bros snared 11 Oscars for One Battle After Another, Sinners and Weapons, equalling the record for most wins for a single film studio. Paramount, by contrast, did not earn a single nomination.Yet in an apparent case of a minnow swallowing a whale, Paramount is poised to gobble up Warner Bros in a deal worth $111bn. If approved by regulators, the two studios would be consolidated into one, redrawing the Hollywood map and sowing uncertainty for actors, directors and writers as well as millions of viewers. Continue reading......

One of the best-paid executives in Hollywood has already made $113m after selling shares in WBD this monthBusiness live – latest updatesDavid Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros Discovery, is in line for a $700m (£525m) payday from the $110bn sale of the Hollywood studio to Paramount Skydance.Zaslav could receive $34.2m in cash severance payments, $115.8m in vested stock and $517.2m in unvested share awards once the deal is complete, according to a filing from Warner Bros Discovery on Monday. Continue reading......

Nearly 700 deals pulled in two weeks and only a few fixed-rate products below 4% are available, says MoneyfactsBusiness live – latest updatesBritons taking out a new home loan face paying nearly £800 a year more on average than before the Iran war as “Trumpflation” pushes up UK mortgage rates, according to Moneyfacts.Nearly 700 mortgage deals have been pulled by lenders as the economic fallout from the war results in the biggest upheaval since the aftermath of Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget in 2022. Continue reading......

Board members Jørgen Vig Knudstorp and Beth Ford face scrutiny for the coffee chain's ongoing labor dispute Starbucks shareholders are pushing to remove two board members at the company who they argue have contributed to stalling the coffee chain's long-fought-over union drive.The SOC Investment Group, Trillium Asset Management, Merseyside Pension Fund, the non-profit Shareholder Association for Research and Education (Share), and the New York state and New York City comptrollers wrote a letter to Starbucks shareholders to vote “no” on the re-election of board members Jørgen Vig Knudstorp and Beth Ford at Starbucks's annual shareholders meeting on 25 March. Continue reading......

Ecotricity ranked top in Citizens Advice survey, followed by Outfox, Octopus and Co-operativeBusiness live – latest updatesAround 14 million households in the UK are receiving “below average” customer service from their energy supplier, a consumer group has warned.Citizens Advice said energy suppliers must improve their service, as its survey of 16 companies showed that half of gas and electricity consumers are with suppliers scoring less than three out of five stars for their customer service. Continue reading......

Specialist lender's shares plunge after short seller claims it will have to raise provision for compensation Business live – latest updatesThe banking group Close Brothers is to cut about 600 jobs and roll out the use of AI “at pace” after posting further losses in the face of a mounting compensation bill for the motor finance scandal.The specialist lender said the cuts – nearly a quarter of its 2,600-strong workforce – would be made over the next 18 months across its teams in the UK and Ireland. Continue reading......

Brent crude price climbs as operations suspended at Shah gasfield in UAE after Iranian strikeBusiness live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesOil and gas prices have risen again after Iran carried out attacks on production facilities for the first time since the start of the war with the US and Israel.Brent crude, the international benchmark oil price, climbed 3% to $103.2 (£77.52) a barrel on Tuesday and was up nearly 50% from levels before the war began on 28 February. Wholesale gas prices rose nearly 3% to €52 (£45) a megawatt hour, compared with about €30 before the war. Continue reading......