UK firms in âcritical financial stressâ jump by a third as costs rise, report finds
The Guardian (World)The Guardian (World)1h ago
Insolvency firm points to tax rises, staff costs and shaky consumer confidence after number increases to 62,193The number of UK businesses in âcritical financial distressâ has risen by more than a third over the past year, according to insolvency practitioners, as companies contend with a âslew of increased taxesâ and the impact of the Middle East conflict.Hospitality and leisure firms have been faring particularly badly because of shaky consumer confidence, and rising taxes and staff costs, according to research by the restructuring company Begbies Traynor. Continue reading...
A Senate committee is poised to advance Trumpâs pick as doubts linger over the Fedâs independence and Powellâs futureUS politics live â latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailKevin Warsh, âDonald Trumpâs pick to lead the Federal Reserve, is set to clear a key procedural hurdle on Wednesday, opening âthe way for him to succeed Jerome Powell in coming weeks amid the White Houseâs unprecedented efforts to exert control over the worldâs most powerful central bank.The Senate banking committee is set to vote at 10am EDT (1400 GMT) to advance Warshâs nomination to the full Republican-controlled Senate. All 13 Republicans on âthe panel are expected to support Warsh after Thom Tillis, a North Carolina senator, dropped his opposition following the Department of Justiceâs âdecision on Friday to end a criminal investigation into Powell that Tillis viewed as a threat to the â Fedâs political independence. Continue reading...
Rise in electricity demand in first quarter of 2026 was moderated by record output from rooftop solarGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore datacentres and warmer conditions helped push electricity demand to record highs in the first three months of the year, according to Australiaâs Energy Market Operator, while growth in batteries kept average wholesale prices down.Electricity demand â from households, business and industry â reached record levels of 25GW in Q1 2026, an increase of 1.2% compared with the same quarter last year. Across the grid, this growth was offset by record output from rooftop solar. Continue reading...
No individual or group has claimed responsibility for flag, which appeared on 120-metre Spire in SeptemberWhat goes up must come down â unless itâs a Palestinian flag at the top of Dublinâs tallest monument that no one knows how to remove.The flag appeared on the 120-metre Spire on OâConnell Street last September and for seven months it has defied every proposed measure to take it down. Who installed it and how remains a mystery. Continue reading...
Four years after presidentâs pledge, his would-be successors are divided on how to tackle rising guerrilla attacksThe landmark 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the largest insurgent army in Latin America succeeded in some ways: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) agreed to lay down their weapons, and the violence that had racked the country was substantially reduced.But the deal alone could not end the decades-long armed conflict for good. Subsequent administrations slow-walked the implementation of the settlement, which was rejected by Farc dissidents and other rebel factions. Continue reading...
Government request follows contingency to stop planes being grounded if Iran war supply shocks continueBusiness live â latest updatesBritish refineries have been asked to maximise jet fuel supply as part of government contingency planning, amid growing fears the Iran war will force planes to be grounded.Energy minister Michael Shanks said the government is closely monitoring UK jet fuel stocks and working with airlines, airports, fuel suppliers and other governments, as carriers face rocketing fuel costs as a result of the conflict. Continue reading...
New lawsuits allege employees urged company to notify authorities months before deadly Tumbler Ridge attackFamilies of seven victims of a mass shooting at a secondary school in British Columbia are suing OpenAI and the companyâs CEO for negligence after it failed to alert authorities to the shooterâs troubling conversations with ChatGPT.The lawsuits, filed on Wednesday in a federal court in San Francisco, allege that the violent intentions of the shooter, identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, were well-known to OpenAI. Employees at the company flagged the shooterâs account eight months before the attack and determined that it posed âa credible and specific threat of gun violence against real peopleâ, according to the lawsuit. Continue reading...
Nancy Pexton, 70, stabbed sister Jennifer Abbott, 69, and left her body to decompose in Camden flat for three daysA woman has been found guilty of murdering her sister by slashing her neck before making off with her diamond-encrusted gold Rolex watch.Nancy Pexton stabbed her sibling Jennifer Abbott 10 times and then left her body for three days in her flat in Camden, north London, a court heard. Continue reading...
Monarchâs meeting with president and speech to Congress features on front pages in UK and USKing Charlesâs address to the US Congress features on the front pages and websites of many publications on both sides of the Atlantic today. We take a look at how the kingâs speech has been interpreted by the UK and US media. Continue reading...
OxyContin maker to be replaced by new company aiming to combat opioid crisis as legal settlement takes effectOxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is set to be dissolved and replaced by a company focused on the public good by the weekâs end, as a sweeping legal settlement resolving thousands of lawsuits takes effect.A federal judge on Tuesday delivered a criminal sentence to the company to resolve a US Department of Justice investigation â a last necessary step to clear the way for the settlement. Continue reading...
Blockade threat in vital strait and Trumpâs stance lift crude, pushing pump prices to highest level since 2022Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAverage US gas prices have hit a new high at $4.23 per gallon, their highest since 2022 and a record since the start of the war with Iran, according to the motor club AAA.The price of Brent crude, the benchmark that influences the price of US gasoline prices, now stands at $114.60 a barrel, up nearly 25% from the recent low since mid-April. US gas prices a year ago averaged $3.16. Continue reading...
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe fined and deported after pleading guilty to immigration and firearms-related offences unrelated to recent shootingThree months after an employee was shot in the back at the Mugabe family home in a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg, Robert Mugabeâs youngest son has been fined and ordered to leave South Africa after pleading guilty to two unrelated charges.Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, 28, and his cousin Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, 33, were initially both charged with attempted murder after the incident on 19 February. Continue reading...
