The Guardian
15 minutes ago
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‘Your devices could be at risk’: how McAfee antivirus scams trade on fear
Urgent renewal emails and huge discounts figures are used to pressure people to hand over their dataYou have had McAfee antivirus software installed on your laptop for years after becoming fearful that your computer would be infected. So when an email arrives to say your protection is about to expire, you are not surprised. Better still, there is a “renewal discount” of 89% if you pay on the same day.“Once the expiration date has passed, your computer becomes susceptible to many different virus threats,” the email warns. Continue reading...
The Guardian
55 minutes ago
Recruiter who was allowed to buy back his insolvent firm falls behind on payments after offering staff Vegas trip
Premier Group Recruitment went into administration with debts of £2.9m – including £647,000 owed to HMRCA recruitment executive – who was allowed to buy back the assets of his bust company in instalments despite it accumulating almost £3m of debt – has fallen behind on promised payments after pledging to send staff on an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas.The development is the latest case to raise questions about the practice of “phoenixism”, accounting’s controversial art of liquidating companies to allow directors to rise from the ashes with a new entity, free of debts. Continue reading...
The Guardian
4 hours ago
From bikinis to cat bowls: how museum gift stores became the place to shop
Curated edits mean people are treating museums as stand-alone shopping destinations rather than simply exit points First it came for bookshops. Then your favourite coffee shop. Now there is a new frontier when it comes to upping your merch game: museums.Instead of art print postcards and coffee table books, you are now more likely to find everything from slogan T-shirts to coffee mugs when you “exit through the gift shop”, as museums look to merch-maxx in order to boost revenue Continue reading...
The Guardian
4 hours ago
‘The potential is huge’: Plymouth hopes defence money will have it sailing again
Local leaders are optimistic investment and regeneration plans will help make ‘ocean city’ an appealing place to livePlymouth may only have been rebranded as “Britain’s ocean city” in recent years, but its role as a centre of UK defence can be traced back to the 16th century thanks to its strategic location on Devon’s south coast. Sir Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth on his circumnavigation of the globe and it was here the Pilgrims finally departed England for America on board the Mayflower.In more recent decades, a dependence on the defence sector no longer seemed an asset, as spending cuts and the loss of dockyard jobs forced the city with a proud maritime history to square up to a new foe: economic uncertainty. Continue reading...
The Guardian
5 hours ago
When will the EU punch its weight in a perilous world? That’s the question countries eager to join should be asking | Simon Tisdall
Twin threats from east and west have clearly made the bloc more appealing – but its rule-bound institutions need urgent attentionGiant butter mountains, wine lakes and an apocryphal EU ban on bendy bananas formed the mythological backdrop to Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum debacle. Yet while many Vote Leave claims were exaggerated, inaccurate or blatantly untrue, the EU’s capacity for laying itself open to ridicule is undiminished 10 years on. Take the strange case of the whingeing EU commissioners, annoyed that their officially provided electric vehicles cannot manage the time-consuming 280-mile journey between Brussels and Strasbourg without stopping to recharge.This important issue, first reported by Politico, raises vital questions. Do these highly paid bureaucrats really need chauffeur-driven “company cars”? Surely they could catch a train, or fly, or cycle. EV use is mandatory for road trips. The vehicles are supplied in line with the EU’s Green Deal emissions-cutting policy, which commissioners might be expected to support, not carp about. So why is the commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, allowed a petrol engine? The biggest question of all is why make these tedious Brussels-Strasbourg journeys in the first place?Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...
The Guardian
5 hours ago
‘One day I thought, that’s enough’: the people fighting back against pothole-riddled roads
The dire state of roads has provoked pothole vigilantes and become a political flashpoint from Manchester to Manhattan. How did we get here?Sitting in St Albans crown court, waiting for his case to be called, Derek Bennett’s anger momentarily gave way to a sense of disbelief. “I mean, there’s rape and murder cases going on,” he says. “I couldn’t believe I was there, with this stupid subject.”Initially, neither could the judge, whom Bennett says remarked that such issues were surely a matter for the magistrates. But Bennett, a 68-year-old construction consultant who has spent decades navigating building rules and regulations, had read the law carefully. Section 56 of the UK’s Highways Act 1980 clearly states the “highway authority or other person” responsible for a road in Britain is liable to maintain it, and should it fall into “disrepair”, a member of the public may apply for a crown court order to fix it. The other crimes would just have to wait. Bennett was here about potholes. Continue reading...
The Guardian
5 hours ago
Germany’s embattled nightlife scene welcomes plan to reclassify clubs
There is hope that a change to building regulations could resurrect music clubs, which have been hit by rising rents, social shifts and noise disputesA move by the German government to reclassify nightclubs to distinguish them from amusement and adult entertainment facilities could give a much-needed boost to the country’s struggling nightlife, industry advocates say.Under a fundamental change to building regulations approved by Friedrich Merz’s cabinet last week, nightclubs will be formally recognised as providing cultural and artistic value, making it more difficult for developers to evict venue operators in favour of new construction. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
The household battery revolution that could change energy bills … and the world
Australia is pioneering a revolution in home renewables and battery use, proving what is possible with the right policiesThe timing was rich with symbolism. As intense heatwaves pummelled Europe and Asia, and oil markets around the world leapt and sputtered, the two big chimneys of one of Australia’s largest power stations were being demolished. Meanwhile, the Australian energy minister was holding a media conference to hail a fall of up to 10% in the benchmark electricity price in parts of the country.Quietly, and with surprisingly little fanfare from the rest of the world, Australia is pioneering a revolution in home renewables and battery use, proving what is possible with the right policies. The country was already one of the global leaders in domestic solar power, with panels on one in three homes. It also remains, however, a major contributor to the climate crisis through its vast fossil fuel exports. But it is batteries that are giving Australia a new burst of speed. Continue reading...
The Guardian
10 hours ago
Former M&S chief appointed to tackle UK youth unemployment crisis
Part of Marc Bolland’s government advisory role will be to help disabled or depressed young people to find training or jobA former chief executive of Marks & Spencer has been appointed as a government jobs adviser in its latest attempt to tackle the growing youth unemployment crisis.Marc Bolland, who oversaw the retail chain from 2010 to 2016, will lead a summit of business leaders, amid warnings that the country risks a “lost generation” without urgent intervention. Continue reading...
The Guardian
12 hours ago
Anthropic’s alliance with pope on AI harms: all in good faith or ‘Vatican-washing?’
Experts say AI firm’s engagement with Vatican risks creating ‘feelgood’ discourse that lacks critical examinationWhy did Anthropic’s founder sit beside the pope during a warning about AI?In the first major written teaching of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV took artificial intelligence to task. The pontiff delineated the technology’s most concerning threats to humanity: replacing workers, accelerating war and exploiting the environment. At a ceremony honoring the holy teaching the day of its release at the Vatican, the pope was flanked by an unusual guest speaker: Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah, one of the people behind the AI boom so worrying Leo. Continue reading...
The Guardian
21 hours ago
What’s gone wrong at Everyman and can the luxury cinema chain regain its magic?
More competition and loss-making sites are among the challenges for the new turnaround chief executiveWith its comfy sofas and a menu of gourmet treats including Béarnaise smash burgers and trendy Whispering Angel rosé wine at £47 a bottle, Everyman has thrived as the go-to chain for a luxury cinema trip.Yet a quarter of a century after reinventing the movie-going experience, growing from a single venue in Hampstead in London to a national player with 49 sites, the arthouse chain finds itself struggling as rivals ape its successful formula. Continue reading...
The Guardian
21 hours ago
Palace was given emails about Andrew’s trade envoy activities six years ago, report says
Emails appearing to show Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential information were handed to Buckingham Palace in 2020, says BBCEmails handed to Buckingham Palace six years ago appear to show that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential information while he was a government trade envoy, it has been reported.The BBC said on Saturday that an archive of more than 30,000 emails was handed to the lord chamberlain, the most senior officer in the royal household, in 2020. Continue reading...
The Guardian
22 hours ago
Why $1bn in Balkans energy contracts are going to an obscure company connected to Donald Trump
Guardian investigation shows how US presidency blurs line between policy and enrichment of American ruling family and those around itOn a graffitied Sarajevo backstreet, a path leads past an overgrown patch of garden to a white door. Beyond is the registered office of a company that is on the brink of winning contracts worth more than $1bn.AAFS Infrastructure and Energy is close to securing a concession to build and operate a pipeline across the Balkans to allow fossil gas shipped from the US to replace supplies that come from Russia. “This could be the most important infrastructure project ever in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” says one of the country’s top officials, who, like others, asks to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive negotiations. Continue reading...
The Guardian
22 hours ago
US garbage incinerators are failing to eliminate ‘forever chemical’ air pollution, experts warn
The virtually indestructible Pfas waste puts largely low-income neighborhoods at risk, public health advocates sayThe nation’s garbage incinerators are largely failing to eliminate Pfas “forever chemicals” air pollution, and are putting people in largely low-income neighborhoods at risk, public health advocates and independent experts warn.The powerful waste management industry is increasingly pushing incinerators as a solution to virtually indestructible Pfas waste, and a new industry trade group report alleges Minnesota’s incinerators are reducing their forever chemical emissions by 99.6%. Other incinerator operators have made similar reduction claims. Continue reading...
The Guardian
22 hours ago
Inflation won Trump the presidency, but could cost him the midterms
Trump’s pursuit of policies that drive up prices, including tariffs and war, might be punished in November’s electionsFor such an uncannily successful politician, Donald Trump exhibits a perplexing political myopia. His most recent own-goal was endorsing Ken Paxton, a state attorney general, against four-term senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary for Senate in Texas. Trump’s endorsement helped push the ethically compromised Maga firebrand over the top, to run against popular Democrat James Talarico in November, complicating the Republicans’ chances to keep the seat.But what truly screams “I want us to lose the midterms” is what Trump is doing about inflation, which is becoming his most vulnerable issue. According to a New York Times/Siena poll of registered voters earlier in May, Trump’s approval on handling the cost of living is underwater by 42 percentage points, poorer than his rating on handling the economy (minus 31 points) and the unpopular war in Iran (minus 34 points). Continue reading...
The Guardian
23 hours ago
‘Maybe it’s because we love the sesh’: how Wales is bucking Britain’s pub-closing trend
At least six new pubs and taphouses have opened in recent months, including the Pig & Swill in Cardiff On a hot Thursday evening in Canton, a buzzy Cardiff neighbourhood, a steady stream of people in sunglasses, shorts and dresses went back and forth between bar and garden at the city’s newest pub, the Pig & Swill.Next door, in Victoria Park, the splash pad was still heaving with families making the most of the tail-end of the May heatwave. Many parents and carers stopped by for takeaway pints and small plates. Continue reading...
The Guardian
23 hours ago
Americans echo Pope Leo’s concerns about AI: ‘It threatens workers, privacy and human life’
Guardian readers in the US spoke of fears about unregulated AI in response to the pope’s encyclical warning about the risks of the technologyIn his first major papal text since assuming leadership of the Catholic church last year, Pope Leo issued a stark warning about the rise of artificial intelligence this week, denouncing the “culture of power” driving the AI age.Calling for the “most rigorous” ethical constraints on AI – which he described as one of the greatest threats facing humanity today – the first US-born pope also warned of “new forms of slavery” emerging through the digital economy. Continue reading...
The Guardian
23 hours ago
Looming Iran peace deal shows how Trump’s maximalist goals have shrunk
Sobering reality for president after three-month odyssey that threatens to take him back to where he startedAfter the hubristic beginnings came the reality.The road travelled since the most momentous foreign policy decision of his presidency seems to have delivered Donald Trump to a sobering destination: that Iran has been the nemesis of several US presidents before him for a reason and is an adversary not to be taken lightly. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Trump’s ‘art of the deal’ is nowhere to be seen with Iran | Mohamad Bazzi
The self-proclaimed master dealmaker can’t seem to stop sabotaging his own negotiationsFor weeks, Donald Trump has tried to find a way to end the war he started with Iran – a deal that would allow him to declare victory and move past the conflict before it causes severe damage to the global economy and sinks Republican chances in the US midterm elections. But the self-proclaimed master dealmaker can’t seem to stop sabotaging his own negotiations or to acknowledge that Iran is now in a better position to demand concessions than it was before the war.Over the Memorial Day holiday, Trump skipped his eldest son’s wedding in the Bahamas and canceled plans to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club. The last-minute changes heightened speculation that Trump was ready to unveil a deal to end the war. Trump then announced that he would hold a cabinet meeting on Wednesday at Camp David, the presidential compound in Maryland that has been the site of historic diplomatic summits and pronouncements. But that meeting was moved back to the White House, as it became clear that Trump had not been able to close a deal he could announce with great fanfare at Camp David. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
‘That’s why we work in finance – so one day we can afford air-con’: Britain’s unequal heatwave
While some found this week’s heat a breeze, many in poorer areas face health risks in furnace-like homesTravelling from his air-conditioned flat to the air-conditioned Elizabeth line to his air-conditioned office, 27-year-old banker Aykhan found this week’s heatwave a breeze.Smiling while grabbing lunch in the shopping centre under the gleaming One Canada Square skyscraper in Canary Wharf, he said he’d been sleeping very well over the last few days. “It’s a new flat, the air-con is great, my bedroom is cool.” Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
On-street EV charging in UK is postcode lottery as drivers face council objections
Despite government pledges, more than 20 authorities will not allow gullies, citing safety, legal and parking concernsThe energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said charger gullies to connect electric cars parked on streets will help cut costs for drivers, yet millions of UK households may be unable to use the simple technology because their local councils will still not allow charging cables to cross the pavement.Despite government promises to “slash red tape” and make it easier to put in gullies, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Resident group’s objections to bar and restaurant licences ‘destroying Soho’s reputation’
Soho Society, funded by Westminster council, is ferociously opposing all new proposals, venue owners sayA society of residents funded by the council could “destroy Soho’s reputation on the international stage” as London’s entertainment district by ferociously objecting to all new bar and restaurant licences, operators in the area have said.The Soho Society, a group of residents established in 1972 aimed at “preserving the character of Soho”, voted in its AGM on Thursday for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including renewals of existing licences. It will also object to any venue that wishes to open beyond “core hours”, which Westminster council decrees end at 11pm. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Gluten-free basics ‘now a luxury’ as price of a small branded loaf nears £4
People with coeliac disease say inflation and shrinking ranges are making food staples unaffordableGluten-free versions of everyday staples such as bread and biscuits are becoming a luxury, with shoppers complaining that a “decent” small loaf now costs nearly £4.Consumers have always paid a premium for these specialist foods, making any price increases a source of concern, particularly for people who follow a gluten-free diet for medical reasons. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
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