The Guardian Nachrichten

 

Revised figures increase fears about energy-intensive datacentres worsening climate emergencyThe UK government vastly underestimated the climate impact of artificial intelligence, it has emerged, after officials raised their estimate of carbon emissions from AI by a factor of more than 100.According to new data quietly published this week, energy use by AI datacentres in the UK could cause the emission of up to 123m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) – about as much as generated by 2.7 million people – over the next 10 years. Continue reading......

Creator card is designed for people making money through TikTok Live, some of whom have complained of delays in paymentsTikTok and Visa have launched a debit card for content creators in the UK that they say will allow people to quickly access their earnings from the platform.The creator card is designed for the growing numbers of people making money through TikTok Live, a live streaming feature where creators receive virtual gifts from viewers that are later converted into cash. Continue reading......

As domestic sales slow manufacturers are investing in AI and seeking growth in technology and in overseas marketsAt the world's biggest car fair, which opened in Beijing on Friday, there were hundreds of manufacturers, more than 1,000 vehicles, hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts – and hardly anyone behind a wheel.China's car companies have cornered the domestic electric vehicle market, and are increasingly visible on the global stage. Now they're turning their attention to what they are betting is the future of mobility: autonomous driving. Continue reading......

Login method for apps and websites stored on users' devices provides stronger security and is resistant to phishing and breachesThe UK's National Cyber Security Centre has called time on the password – from now on, you should use a passkey.The NCSC said this week it would no longer recommend using passwords where passkeys were available. They should be consumers' first choice of login across all digital services because passwords were not secure enough to stand up to modern cyber threats. Continue reading......

Rise of 0.7% in March was spurred by motorists filling their tanks, and the sun helping clothing and footwearBusiness live – latest updatesMotorists stocking up on fuel helped to push up retail sales in Great Britain last month as the Iran war prompted “panic at the pumps” amid rapid rises in petrol and diesel prices.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales rose by 0.7% last month, well above analysts' forecasts of just 0.1%. Continue reading......

Carriers will retain airport slots if they cancel services as passengers are urged to continue with travel plansPenalties on airlines that cancel UK flights because of jet fuel shortages have been eased, it has emerged, as the government issued fresh advice to reassure the public they can still fly and should stick to travel plans.Airlines who cancel flights will not lose their rights to valuable takeoff and landing slots at busy airports, which can be forfeited when flights fail to operate over a period. Continue reading......

Move will remove obstacle for confirmation of Kevin Warsh, Trump's pick to replace Powell as Federal Reserve chairSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US Department of Justice is dropping its criminal investigation against Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, clearing the path for Donald Trump's new nominee for chair to be confirmed.Jeanine Pirro, Trump's appointed US attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a social media post that she directed her office to close its investigation into renovations at the Fed headquarters that went over budget. Continue reading......

Sources say German group may struggle to recoup its investment as titles shift to less profitable modelsAxel Springer did not complete due diligence on the Telegraph before sealing its £575m takeover, with sources saying the German media company could struggle to recoup its eye-watering investment as the titles shift toward less-profitable digital subscribers.To wrap up the deal quickly, Mathias Döpfner, the chief executive of Axel Springer, decided to forgo the usual extensive due diligence process to vet the value and prospects of a company, according to multiple sources. Continue reading......

He is not a programme-maker or a politician, but he must rapidly develop a feel for both disciplines – and the stakes could not be higherThis panel comprises extracts from Letters to Matt Brittin: The New Director-General of the BBC, edited by John Mair and Andrew Beck, and original material Continue reading......

Sarah Breeden predicts 'adjustment' due to elevated risk including private credit and highly valued AI stocksBusiness live – latest updatesRecord-high global stock markets do not reflect the risks in the global economy, and will fall back, a deputy governor at the Bank of England has warned.Sarah Breeden, deputy governor for financial stability at the Bank, fears that macroeconomic risks are not fully priced into equity markets. Continue reading......

Exclusive: Owner says private members venue is changing policy after revolt over division of pre-Christmas moneyThe restaurant tycoon Richard Caring has admitted his private members club Annabel's made a “dumb mistake” after staff revolted over the use of more than £70,000 of their pre-Christmas service charge takings to pay managers' bonuses.Just one table of diners at the exclusive Mayfair venue, which has hosted celebrities, financiers and aristocrats ranging from Kate Moss and Harry Styles to the late queen, can spend more than £10,000 in an evening, according to workers. Continue reading......

Rival to government plans would scrap net zero policies, as party aims to woo sector after decades of job lossesReform UK has asked steel bosses to draw up an “alternative steel strategy” to rival recent government plans, stoking industry fears over a charm offensive by Nigel Farage's party as it eyes gains in former Labour heartlands.Richard Tice, Reform's deputy leader, met a group of bosses shortly before Labour announced new steel tariffs in March and commissioned them to draft a competing plan that will include scrapping net zero policies. Continue reading......

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsThe threat of a new UK-US trade war has reared up again, after Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the UK if it does not drop its digital services tax on US social media firms.Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office on Thursday, the US president said:“We've been looking at it and we can meet that very easily by just putting a big tariff on the UK, so they better be careful.“If they don't drop the tax, we'll probably put a big tariff on the UK.” Continue reading......

Meta said it would cut 10% of it employees while Microsoft will offer voluntary retirement to about 7% of workersMeta and Microsoft are trimming their workforces by thousands as they make heavy investments in AI and executives claim that the technology is meeting their companies' productivity needs.Meta told staff on Thursday that on 20 May it would cut some 10% of its personnel – just under 8,000 employees– to boost efficiency, part of a layoff plan made months ago. The company is also closing about 6,000 open roles. The same day, Microsoft announced to employees, for the first time, that it would offer voluntary retirement to about 7% of its American workforce of roughly 125,000. Continue reading......

US president accuses UK of thinking it can 'make an easy buck' from US tech companies, weeks after warning that UK–US trade deal can be changedDonald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the UK if it does not drop its digital services tax on US social media firms.The digital services tax, introduced in 2020, imposes a 2% levy on the revenues of several major US tech companies. Continue reading......

Iran's goal is to maintain chokehold on the global economy, even as some say it could run out of oil storage by SundayDonald Trump's indefinite shelving of the plan to bomb Iran's bridges and power stations on Tuesday night is being widely described as leaving the conflict in limbo, but that is anything but the truth.Pakistan insists the prospect of talks in Islamabad has not evaporated, and positive messages are still being exchanged, but in the meantime the site of kinetic activity has switched from land to sea. Continue reading......

MPs call for investigation into Essar Energy, owner of Stanlow refinery, which shifted loans from 'Putin's piggy bank' VTB to MauritiusDays after the first wave of Russian tanks surged over the border into Ukraine in March 2022, dockers at a port in northern England took a stand.Appalled by Vladimir Putin's brutality, workers at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire vowed never to unload any Russian oil destined for the nearby Stanlow refinery, a major hub for UK fuel supplies. Continue reading......

Some people are put off by myriad investment options. Here is a guide to the key decisions to help you choose 'Savvy Squirrel' ad campaign looks to push Britons towards investingThe UK government is keen to encourage people to invest. If you are thinking of dipping your toe into the stock market, an Isa is often the best way, as it lets you protect any gains from tax. Here's how to get started. Continue reading......

Forecasting service raises alarm over data from Paris airport used to settle Polymarket wagers on temperatureFrench police are investigating alleged tampering with national weather forecasting service equipment after a series of unusual temperature readings coincided with suspicious winning bets made on Polymarket.Data from a Météo-France weather station at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport was used to settle bets between online gamblers on what the temperature would be in Paris for March and the first weeks of April. Continue reading......

More than 200,000 have signed petitions urging the government to break contracts, amid concerns about the company's 'supervillain' manifestoOver 200,000 people have called on ministers to break contracts with Palantir in an apparent groundswell of public concern about the US tech company's role in the NHS, police, military and councils.Two petitions have attracted 229,000 signatures, one calling for the government to end all public contracts with the firm, whose software is used by Donald Trump's ICE immigration enforcement programme and the Israeli military, and another urging the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to cancel its £330 patient data contract with the NHS. Continue reading......