Toy

As the budget fight plays out fiercely online, Labor senator Ellie Whiteaker turns to a zebra and a giraffe for helpGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSelling a complicated federal budget isn’t exactly child’s play, but Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers could do worse than following the example of their colleague’s toy giraffe and zebra to help explain their contentious tax changes.The budget fight is dominating parliament and Senate estimates, but it’s being fought just as fiercely online. The weapons of choice? Memes, fluffy animals and a questionable reference to a serial killer cannibal. Continue reading...

• Pop Mart [HKG: 9992] shares jumped 7% in Hong Kong trading after billionaire investor Duan Yongping announced on social media he had swapped all his coal holdings, including China Shenhua Energy, for the toymaker's stock. • The move signals confidence in Pop Mart's business model and reflects a broader shift among major investors away from traditional energy sectors toward consumer discretionary stocks. • The swap demonstrates continued investor appetite for Chinese consumer-focused companies despite macroeconomic headwinds and regulatory scrutiny in the technology and finance sectors.

Carmaker gives one of biggest warnings yet of conflict’s impact on businesses while Trump tariffs also take tollToyota has reported a £3bn hit from costs from the war in Iran, as prices of parts and materials soared and sales dropped.The world’s biggest carmaker said profits declined in its financial year to March as it was “likely unable to absorb newly added impact from the Middle East”, in one of the largest warnings yet of the war’s impact on businesses. Continue reading...

Candle-making kits and rubber toys among products recalled after revelation about play sand sold by HobbycraftMore than 30 children’s toys have been recalled in the UK after the Guardian revealed that play sand sold by Hobbycraft was contaminated with asbestos.Over the past three months, other children’s products ranging from candle-making kits to stretchy rubber toys have been recalled by retailers including Tesco, Primark, Matalan and M&S after being found to contain the substance. Continue reading...

Starmer tells MPs he will not react to US president’s repeated insults amid Iran warMiddle East crisis – live updatesUK politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has dismissed British warships as “toys” in his latest jibe at Nato countries for their lack of involvement in the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, he claimed he had told the UK: “Don’t bother, we don’t need it.”Trump has previously alleged that he requested two aircraft carriers from the UK that Keir Starmer had initially rejected and then offered to send. Number 10 has denied that a request was made or denied. Continue reading...

A brushtail possum was found peering out among the toy kangaroos and dingoes in a retail store in Hobart’s airport, delighting staff and customersA passenger browsing in a gift shop in Hobart airport has stumbled across a remarkable discovery in the plush toy section.A real living and breathing brush tail possum had decided to join its fluffy friends in the shelves of Lagardère AWPL gift shop on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...

Toys powered by AI show a worrying lack of emotional understanding. But we need to understand the risks and benefits of the technology so the industry can be regulated, not outright banned