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Conservative majority appears eager to hand president greater power – with one exception: the US central bankDonald Trump has tried his usual tactics when it comes to getting the US Federal Reserve to lower interest rates: bully when persuasion doesn't work, and then fire when bullying doesn't work.In an unprecedented assault on the central bank, the president has called the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, “stupid” and threatened to fire him for not cutting interest rates as quickly as Trump would like. Most recently, the justice department instigated a criminal investigation against Powell for testimony he gave about renovations at the Fed's headquarters. Even so, the Fed has not budged. Continue reading......

Change being considered amid global glut driven by supplies from China along with a rise in protectionism The UK is expected to reduce the amount of foreign steel it allows in tariff-free, as the government looks to protect its domestic industry amid a global glut and a rise in protectionism.Ministers are considering changing the quota system that allows a quantity of the metal to be imported before imposing a 25% levy on anything above that level. Continue reading......

Number of households complaining rises to 16,000 in 2025, with Southern Water the biggest targetComplaints about water companies in England and Wales to an independent monitor surged by more than 50% last year, as customers bristled at steep bill increases.More than 16,000 complaints were lodged in 2025 with the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), a government-sponsored body that represents customers' interests. Continue reading......

Electric van sales are behind government targets, but those fleets that have switched are seeing a real differenceSwinging a fully laden electric van around a training centre in Bishop's Stortford feels easy, with instant acceleration that belies the racks of heavy equipment in the back. Perhaps too easy, as the sudden shriek of its proximity sensor suggests the Guardian was a whisker away from a bill for some new paintwork.The van in question belongs to Openreach, BT's fibre broadband subsidiary. It is one of 6,000 electric vans out of 23,400 in Britain's second-largest commercial fleet – and a further 1,000 are expected to be added by March. Continue reading......

Amid the tumult of the WEF in Davos this week, some investors are leading the way by ditching US government bondsThere is a way to file for divorce from Donald Trump and Europe needs to grab the opportunity.To the public it will look as if nothing has changed. But behind the scenes the EU and the UK could close the joint bank account and cut up the credit cards, or at least set in motion a form of financial separation that limits the power of a controlling former partner. Continue reading......

To win votes, Trump can afford to face up to corporate power – to deliver his promised 1.5m homes, Starmer can'tIn an incredibly polarised society, there are fewer and fewer things that seem to unite both sides of the aisle in the US political system. Yet it turns out that an objection to Wall Street's grand heist of single-family homes has done just that.We might expect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren to rail against the incursion of institutional investors into residential real estate markets, causing rent prices to jump and effectively locking millions of households out of home ownership. However, I admit I was surprised to see JD Vance and Marjorie Taylor Greene striking a similar note. But I was completely dumbfounded to see the real estate tycoon and Wall Street darling Donald Trump sing from the same hymn sheet.Adam Almeida is a writer and researcher living in London Continue reading......

Attempt to reclaim alleged unpaid debts comes months after 25-year relationship with cinema chain came to an endCoca-Cola is taking legal action against Vue after the cinema chain switched to arch-rival PepsiCo as its supplier for soft drinks in Europe.Vue, which operates more than 90 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, put the contract up for tender last year. Continue reading......

Partnership with tech giant speaks to push to engage younger fans but also has wider strategic goals in mindIn this World Cup year, Fifa has come out of the blocks quickly. In the past few weeks any number of initiatives have been announced or activated, from a data partnership with Opta to facilitate more betting, to the Fifa Pass for speeding up visa applications for the US this summer, to the unveiling of the official Lego World Cup trophy. Among the ever-expanding list is an intriguing deal with TikTok, a partnership that will give digital creators front-row seats at the 104-match tournament.In Fifa language its partnership with the short-form video platform will make “the most inclusive event in football history … even more accessible”. According to TikTok's global head of content, James Stafford, it will bring fans “closer to the action in ways they can't get anywhere else”. It plans to do so by granting an unspecified number of online personalities behind-the-scenes access, giving them ...

Politicians call for more infrastructure funding amid anger that county is seen as 'holiday playground'Accessed by a steep, winding lane, the tiny settlement of Cucurrian in the far-west of Cornwall feels remote at the best of times. But over the last two weeks, the people who live here have felt even more isolated after they were left without a way of communicating with the outside world as a result of Storm Goretti.“I think people feel let down, angry, failed,” said Mark Pugh, an audiobook producer, who has spent more hours than he would care to tot up carefully picking his way out of Cucurrian and sitting in his car in a layby to find a mobile signal good enough to work from. “This storm has shown that Cornwall isn't resilient enough. A lot is promised, but not enough is delivered.” Continue reading......

Brooklyn's Instagram bombshell tested decades of image control, revealing how fame, PR and power collide behind the scenesOn a personal level, it's all extremely sad. A once close family ripped apart by feuding and bitterness. A much-loved son blocking all contact with his parents and siblings.From another perspective, however, for those who have followed the movements of David and Victoria Beckham in their 30 years in the (carefully curated) spotlight, the public falling out this week of Britain's alternative royal family has been a car crash from which it is hard to look away. Continue reading......

Hobbycraft removes product from sale after parent sent samples to a lab for testing but declines to issue a recallBottles of children's play sand have been withdrawn from shelves by the craft retailer Hobbycraft after a parent discovered they were contaminated with asbestos.The parent, who did not wish to be named, raised the alarm after her children played with the sand at a party. Continue reading......

Shift in relations and unpredictability of Donald Trump make it 'risky to store so much gold in the US', say expertsGermany is facing calls to withdraw its billions of euros' worth of gold from US vaults, spurred on by the shift in transatlantic relations and the unpredictability of Donald Trump.Germany holds the world's second biggest national gold reserves after the US, of which approximately €164bn (£122bn) worth – 1,236 tonnes – is stored in New York. Continue reading......

Trust says Reform UK leader was invited to WEF event by London-based venture capitalist as an honorary adviserNigel Farage's trip to Davos this week was hosted and paid for by the $10bn family trust of an Iranian-born billionaire, the Guardian has learned.The leader of Reform UK has been touring Davos this week, giving speeches in which he pledged to tax banks and “fight the globalists”. Continue reading......

Region has higher share of net zero economic output, data shows, and Labour leaders fear Reform would dismantle industry if it wins powerRachel Reeves has been urged to put the north of England at the heart of the UK's net zero strategy as research shows the sector contributes a larger share of the region's economy than it does nationally.The Labour peer Julie Elliott said the north must be “front and centre” of the Treasury's growth strategy for clean energy. Continue reading......

Brighton & Hove Albion football club owner confirms placing bets through accounts of Reform UK adviser George Cottrell, according to legal documentsThe billionaire owner of Brighton & Hove Albion football club has confirmed his syndicate placed millions of pounds worth of bets through the gambling accounts of the Reform UK adviser George Cottrell.The admission comes in a document filed to the high court by Tony Bloom, who also admits that he, Cottrell and a former employee, Ryan Dudfield, had an agreement under which winnings were due to be split between them. Continue reading......

Dissenting voices were few and far between as the US president brought his smash-and-grab politics to the WEF“If we're not at the table, we're on the menu.” The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, was the darling of Davos this week as he rallied resistance to Donald Trump's smash and grab politics and his voracious appetite for other countries' wealth and land.“Call it what it is,” he told delegates. “A system of intensifying great power rivalry, where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion”. He urged “middle powers” to band together or be crushed, and was rewarded with a standing ovation. Continue reading......

Campaigners believe evaluations have been suppressed as they cast further doubt on safety and economic benefitsUK politics live – latest updatesRoad campaigners and motoring organisations have urged UK government ministers to immediately release a series of “withheld” safety assessments of smart motorways – some dating back to 2022.Designed to increase capacity, smart motorways have the hard shoulder converted into a live lane of traffic, relying on occasional laybys and electronic overhead signs to close lanes in emergencies. Continue reading......

Megan Greene says apparent end to the decline in wage growth could hinder fight against inflationThe Bank of England may not be able to lower interest rates as much as expected this year, due strong UK pay growth and expected rate cuts in the US, one of its top policymakers has said.Megan Greene, a member of the Bank's monetary policy committee (MPC), which sets interest rates in the UK, said she was concerned that wages appear to be growing strongly again this year and this may stop inflation from easing. Continue reading......

Kristalina Georgieva says research suggests 60% of jobs in advanced economies will be affected, with many entry-level roles wiped outArtificial intelligence will be a “tsunami hitting the labour market”, with young people worst affected, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned the World Economic Forum on Friday.Kristalina Georgieva told delegates in Davos that the IMF's own research suggested there would be a big transformation of demand for skills, as the technology becomes increasingly widespread. Continue reading......

Well, maybe not all of us…See more of Fiona Katauskas's cartoons here Continue reading......