The Guardian
58 minutes ago
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Spain to launch €60 monthly nationwide public transport pass
Bus and train initiative comes as government struggles to survive corruption and sexual harassment allegationsSpain’s socialist-led government is to launch a national public transport pass that will allow people to travel anywhere in the country by bus or train for a flat monthly fee of €60 (£52.70).The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, unveiled the initiative on Monday, saying it would come into effect in the second half of January and was intended “to change the way Spaniards understand and use public transport for ever”. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 hour ago
Morrisons becomes first UK supermarket to delay net zero targets
Britain’s fifth-biggest grocer postpones goal by 15 years to 2050, saying revised plan will now cover entire supply chainMorrisons has become the first UK supermarket chain to postpone its net zero carbon emission targets, delaying them by 15 years to 2050.Britain’s fifth-biggest grocer said its new targets would cover the entire supply chain, as well as Morrisons stores, including emissions from agriculture and land-use sources. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 hour ago
Jockey Club behaves like old-style lord of the manor over secretive Kempton sale plans
There is a hint of feudalism about the way the unelected body has treated those who love the track like its serfsIt has taken the better part of a decade but the Jockey Club, the private, self-appointed body that has wielded immense power in racing for nearly 300 years, seems poised to realise its long-standing ambition to see one of the sport’s most historic racecourses bulldozed for housing. If the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day is on your racing bucket list, next week’s renewal might be one of the final chances to tick it off.That, sadly, is the only conclusion to be drawn from what was almost a throwaway comment by Jim Mullen, the Jockey Club’s new chief executive, to the Racing Post’s industry editor, Bill Barber, over the weekend. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
Samuel Ojo on the perils of Christmas shopping – cartoon
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
The big quarrels over the workers’ rights bill have barely started | Nils Pratley
Many critical details have been deliberately left to be resolved in secondary legislation – including the introduction of guaranteed hours contractsBusiness groups urge Tory peers to stop blocking Labour’s workers’ rights billWill the employment rights bill be passed by Christmas? Well, the chances are slightly improved after six leading business groups published a temperature-lowering letter on Monday that said parliament, which in this instance means the blockers in the House of Lords, should get on with it.The employers, note, are still unhappy about the issue that triggered the most recent revolt by Conservative peers and a few cross-benchers: the removal of a cap on compensation claims for unfair dismissal. But they’re more worried that further delays would jeopardise their negotiating victory last month, namely the government’s U-turn on rights guaranteeing workers protection against unfair dismissal from day one of employment. A six-month qualifying period was adopted instead, with the blessing of the TUC, which was similarly motivated by trying to get the bill over the line quickly. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
Rishi Sunak tells Covid inquiry he was worried about UK’s ability to fund itself
Reflecting on chaos of early pandemic, former chancellor said it was ‘acutely stressful’ to see rising interest bill on government bondsRishi Sunak was concerned about the UK’s ability to fund itself in March 2020 after the government announced rescue measures costing tens of billions of pounds to prevent mass redundancies, the Covid-19 pandemic inquiry has heard.The former prime minister, who was chancellor when the first UK lockdown was announced, said he feared foreign investors had become more concerned about Britain’s ability to pay its way than other countries in a similar situation. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 hours ago
UK mortgage shake-up: people on variable incomes could have more payment flexibility
Some potential first-time buyer groups ‘could be better served’, regulator says in reviewFreelancers and gig economy workers could enjoy more flexibility over how and when they pay their mortgage under plans designed to help more people get on the property ladder.A shake-up of the rules so people whose income is “variable or irregular” could be freed up from having to make monthly mortgage payments is one of a number of changes being considered by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that could make it easier for millions of “underserved” UK consumers to get a home loan. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 hours ago
Who had the trickiest job this year? The makers of joyful, uplifting Christmas ads | Zoe Williams
How do you sell turkey and all the luxury trimmings when the world’s in chaos and the cost of living crisis continues? It’s no surprise that this year’s adverts are a complicated lotThere can’t be anyone skirting closer to burnout, more deserving of our sympathy and complicated respect, than the people who conceive Christmas ads. The goal is straightforward: make people feel good about Christmas so that they spend more than they otherwise might. Amp up the love and affection of the season; play down the labour (emotional and otherwise); make everyone feel a bit hungrier and thirstier – job done.This must be at least the fifth year, though, that the world looks so perilous, so fraught and vexed, so sad and chaotic, that what’s an honest supermarket to do? The retailers weathered the first Covid Christmas, when demand for nut multipacks and pigs in blankets was poignantly low; then they weathered Christmas 2021, when restrictions came back so unexpectedly that it wasn’t unusual for a household to have 14 times as much turkey as they could possibly eat. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 hours ago
Business groups urge Tory peers to stop blocking Labour’s workers’ rights bill
Six of Britain’s biggest employer groups fear compromise deal brokered with bosses and union leaders is at riskNils Pratley: The big quarrels over the workers’ rights bill have barely startedBritain’s biggest business groups have urged Conservative peers to stop blocking Labour’s workers’ rights bill in the House of Lords to avoid throwing away a compromise deal reached with trade unions.With the clock ticking before Christmas, six of the country’s biggest employers’ groups warned that failure to pass the legislation before parliament rises on Thursday could put at risk a deal brokered with bosses and union leaders. Continue reading...
The Guardian
4 hours ago
Brighton’s struggling independent stores: ‘The nation of shopkeepers will go on the dole’
City’s small shops are reaching tipping point amid higher business rates, staff costs and big chains eager to move inIt’s lunchtime at Dormitory, an independent bedlinen store on Gloucester Road in Brighton, and proprietors Sue Graham and Cathy Marriott are peering across the street at the Brighton Sausage Co. They can tell when shoppers have stayed indoors by the number of sausage rolls left in the window. It’s a Tuesday before Christmas – supposedly the busiest time of the year. But there’s still a big pile remaining.“In 10 years’ time, we’re all going to be going, ‘We need shops. Where have they all gone?’,” Marriott says. Her warning echoes widespread fears for Brighton’s plentiful independent shops, which have given the Sussex city international renown. Continue reading...
The Guardian
4 hours ago
Chances of EU trucking industry hitting zero emissions targets are dire, says industry body
Only 10,000 out of economic bloc’s 6m trucks are electric and are more likely to be operating on short routesBusiness live – latest updatesThe chances of the European trucking industry hitting zero emissions targets are “dire”, an industry body has warned, as it emerged that only a tiny amount of lorries delivering goods in the EU are electric.Speaking as the European Commission prepares to water down electric car targets, the boss of the association for commercial vehicles called on the commission to commit to an urgent review of the sector, tackling problems including a lack of public charging points, a lack of tax breaks for trucks and high energy costs. Continue reading...
The Guardian
5 hours ago
AA on road to potential £5bn sale or flotation, while RAC aims for London listing
AA sounds out buyers, and owners of fellow roadside assistance provider prefer IPO of similar valueThe private equity owners of the AA, Britain’s biggest roadside recovery business, are looking for a potential £5bn sale or stock market flotation, while the owners of the rival RAC are targeting a London listing with a similar valuation. The AA, which provides roadside assistance as well as insurance and driving lessons, is owned by a consortium including TowerBrook Capital Partners, Warburg Pincus and Stonepeak, and has been sounding out buyers, in news first reported by the Financial Times.The AA’s owners are understood to value it at £5bn or more. They are also considering floating it on the London stock market – a decade on from its flotation by previous private equity owners. The plans are still in the early stages. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
‘It’s a timebomb’: Ghana grapples with mass exodus of nurses as thousands head to the west
An estimated 6,000 nurses left in 2024 for roles in countries including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Three nurses explain what made them decide to leave or stayWhen Bright Ansah, a nursing officer in Accra, goes searching for colleagues who have failed to show up for a shift at the overstretched hospital where he works, he knows where to look. “When you see ‘In God we trust’ on their WhatsApp status, that’s when you know they’re already in the US,” he says.The motto of the US has been co-opted by Ghanaian medical professionals who are leaving the west African nation in droves. Many believe their faith has finally been rewarded when, after years of planning, they reach the promised land of the well-equipped, well-resourced hospitals of the US. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
Russia seeks $230bn in damages from Euroclear over seized assets
Kremlin aims to fire warning shot against EU’s plan to use €90bn of frozen funds to give loan to UkraineBusiness live – latest updatesRussia’s central bank has said it is seeking $230bn (£170bn) in damages from Euroclear, as the Kremlin fired a warning shot against the use of Russian frozen assets to aid Ukraine.The Russian central bank said on Monday that it was claiming 18 trillion roubles, according to local state media reports about the case launched last week. Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
He wrote the world’s most successful video games – now what? Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser on life after Grand Theft Auto
He rewrote the rule book with Rockstar then left it all behind. Now Dan Houser is back with a storytelling-focused studio to take on AI-obsessed tech bros and Mexican beauty queensThere are only a handful of video game makers who have had as profound an effect on the industry as Dan Houser. The co-founder of Rockstar Games, and its lead writer, worked on all the GTA titles since the groundbreaking third instalment, as well as both Red Dead Redemption adventures. But then, in 2019, he took an extended break from the company which ended with his official departure. Now he’s back with a new studio and a range of projects, and 12 years after we last interviewed him, he’s ready to talk about what comes next.“Finishing those big projects and thinking about doing another one is really intense,” he says about his decision to go. “I’d been in full production mode every single day from the very start of each project to the very end, for 20 years. I stayed so long because I loved the games. It was a real privilege to be there, but it was probably the right time to leave. I turned 45 just after Red Dead 2 came out. I thought, well, it’s probably a good time to try working on some other stuff.” Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
A hurricane destroyed their homes in Jamaica. Now they fear losing the jobs they rely on in the US
Thousands of Jamaican workers who come to the US on an H-2A visa say they aren’t sure if they’ll be able to return from one year to the nextFarm worker Owen Salmon has picked apples in upstate New York for almost a decade, some 1,500 miles (2,400km) from home. In the midst of harvest season this year, Hurricane Melissa, a record-breaking category 5 hurricane, made landfall in Jamaica.“It was terrifying,” said Salmon, whose wife and two children were at home near Black River, a town on the country’s south-western coast. “For days, I couldn’t hear from them. When I finally did, I heard my roof was completely gone. My wife and kids had to run for their lives, but thank God they’re alive.” Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
Why universal basic income still can’t meet the challenges of an AI economy
Andrew Yang’s revived pitch suits the automation debate, but UBI can’t fix inequalities concentrated tech wealth drivesUniversal basic income (UBI) is back, like a space zombie in a sci-fi movie, resurrected from policy oblivion, hungry for policymakers’ attention: brains!Andrew Yang, whose “Yang Gang” enthusiasm briefly shook up the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 promoting a “Freedom Dividend” to save workers from automation – $1,000 a month for every American adult – is again the main carrier of the bug: offering UBI to save the nation when robots eat all our jobs. Continue reading...
The Guardian
7 hours ago
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai convicted of national security offences – video
Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon, is facing life in prison after being found guilty of national security and sedition offences in one of the most closely watched rulings since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.The Guardian's correspondent Helen Davidson explains what happenedJimmy Lai: conviction of Hong Kong pro-democracy figure decried as attack on press freedomThe rise and fall of Jimmy Lai, whose trajectory mirrored that of Hong Kong itself Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
The US supreme court’s TikTok ruling is a scandal | Evelyn Douek and Jameel Jaffer
The decision means TikTok now operates under the threat that it could be forced offline with a stroke of Trump’s penJudicial opinions allowing the government to suppress speech in the name of national security rarely stand the test of time. But time has been unusually unkind to the US supreme court decision that upheld the law banning TikTok, the short-form video platform. The court issued its ruling less than a year ago, but it is already obvious that the deference the court gave to the government’s national security arguments was spectacularly misplaced. The principal effect of the court’s ruling has been to give our own government enormous power over the policies of a speech platform used by tens of millions of Americans every day – a result that is an affront to the first amendment and a national security risk in its own right.Congress passed the TikTok ban in 2023 citing concerns that the Chinese government might be able to access information about TikTok’s American users or covertly manipulate content on the platform in ways that threatened US interests. The ban was designed to prevent Americans from using TikTok starting in January 2025 unless TikTok’s China-based corporate owner, ByteDance Inc, sold its US subsidiary before then.Evelyn Douek is an assistant professor at Stanford Law SchoolJameel Jaffer is inaugural director of the Knight first amendment institute at Columbia University Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
Roomba maker iRobot bought by Chinese supplier after filing for bankruptcy
US-listed company, whose profits have been in decline since the pandemic, will be taken over by PiceaBusiness live – latest updatesThe US company behind the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner has filed for bankruptcy protection and agreed to be taken over by one of its Chinese suppliers.iRobot, which is best known for debuting the Roomba vacuum cleaner in the early 2000s, will be taken over by a subsidiary of its main supplier, Picea Robotics. Continue reading...
The Guardian
9 hours ago
‘Our industry has been strip-mined’: video game workers protest at The Game Awards
Outside the lavish event, workers called out the ‘greed’ in the industry that has left games ‘being sold for parts to make a few people a lot of money’It’s the night of the 2025 Game Awards, a major industry event where the best games of the year are crowned and major publishers reveal forthcoming projects. In the shadow of the Peacock theater in Los Angeles and next to a giant, demonic statue promoting new game Divinity, which would be announced on stage later that evening, stands a collection of people in bright red shirts. Many are holding signs: a tombstone honouring the “death” of The Game Awards’ Future Class talent development programme; a bold, black-and-red graphic that reads “We’re Done Playing”; and “wanted” posters for Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick and Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer. This is a protest.The protesters, who were almost denied entry to the public space outside the Peacock theater (“they knew we were coming,” one jokes), are from United Videogame Workers (UVW), an industry-wide, direct-join union for North America that is part of the Communications Workers of America. “We are out here today to raise awareness of the plight of the game worker,” says Anna C Webster, chair of the freelancing committee, in the hot Los Angeles sun. “Our industry has been strip-mined for resources by these corporate overlords, and we figured the best place to raise awareness of what’s happening in the games industry is at the culmination, the final boss, as it were: The Game Awards.” Continue reading...
The Guardian
9 hours ago
UK house prices ‘could rise by up to 4% in 2026 as interest rates fall’
City watchdog the FCA announces plans to help first-time buyers and self-employed get on the property ladderBusiness live – latest updatesHouse prices in the UK could rise by as much as 4% next year but getting on the property ladder may become slightly less difficult, according to forecasts from the lender Nationwide.Robert Gardner, the chief economist at the building society, said prices were likely to increase by 2-4%. “We expect housing market activity to strengthen a little further, as affordability improves gradually via income growth outpacing house price growth and a further modest decline in interest rates,” he said. Continue reading...
The Guardian
11 hours ago
Prem Rugby to seek investors if RFU backs relegation-free franchise league
Approval expected next year; US investors interested27% of Prem’s commercial rights were sold to CVC in 2019Prem Rugby is planning to launch a tender process to secure external investment in the competition after it has received formal approval from the Rugby Football Union to become a closed franchise league, which it expects will happen next year.The English top division engaged the investment bank Raine Group and the accountancy firm Deloitte to conduct a review of the sport’s finances and potential funding options this year, and is preparing to go to market in the second quarter of 2026. Continue reading...
The Guardian
11 hours ago
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