-
Oil price slides as US and Iran pause fire; cancer treatments help AstraZeneca beat profit forecasts – business live
Oil prices dropped sharply on Monday morning after the US paused air strikes on Iran for a second consecutive night, easing fears of a wider Middle East conflict that had driven crude towards $100 a barrel last week. The de-escalation coincided with a busy morning for UK corporate news, including another takeover for the London…
-
Heathrow expansion would take thousands of jobs from other UK regions, report finds
An economic analysis of the government’s own forecasts has found that expanding Heathrow airport with a third runway would shift thousands of aviation jobs away from other UK regions rather than creating new employment nationally. The findings, drawn from a Department for Transport paper published last month, suggest airports across England and Wales would lose…
-
Britain is facing a ‘prolonged’ period of weak growth and a surge in unemployment, bleak new report reveals
A new report has warned that the UK economy faces a “prolonged” spell of weak growth alongside a sharp rise in unemployment, according to the Daily Mail. The findings add to growing concerns about the health of Britain’s economy, coming amid wider pressure on the government over fiscal policy and living standards, though the article…
-
Rising oil prices could force up UK interest rates, say economists
City economists warn that the Bank of England could be forced to abandon its current forecasts and raise UK interest rates later this year if oil prices climb back above $100 a barrel, following renewed conflict in the Middle East. The Bank’s monetary policy committee is expected to keep rates on hold at its meeting…
-
When the AI bubble bursts, what will Australia do with the tools it built? One man thinks he has the answer
Science fiction author and journalist Cory Doctorow, who coined the term “enshittification”, is bringing a warning to Australia ahead of a visit to promote his new book: when the AI bubble bursts, businesses that sacked staff in favour of AI tools will struggle to rebuild the human skills and knowledge they discarded. He argues the…
-
Corporate America may be using AI to cut jobs, but small businesses are using it to keep them
Business columnist Gene Marks argues that while large US corporations are using AI to cut jobs, small businesses are instead deploying it to make their existing, often stretched, workforces more productive. He cites examples such as a window and door retailer whose AI tool listens to sales conversations and auto-generates quotes, and a company using…
-
Trump’s threats to bomb Iran ‘back to the Stone Ages’ will backfire
The article text was not available, so its arguments and supporting evidence cannot be independently summarised. Based on the headline alone, it appears to argue that Donald Trump’s threats to devastate Iran through bombing would be counterproductive. The headline suggests the author believes attacks on civilians or broad destruction would worsen the conflict rather than…
-
‘Burnham bounce’ risks deflating unless focus remains on struggling households | Richard Partington
UK consumer confidence rose at its fastest monthly pace in almost three years in June, a shift data firm GfK partly attributes to Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster politics, alongside sunshine and England’s World Cup run. The improvement matters because household spending makes up around 60% of the UK economy, so any lift in sentiment…
-
South Africa’s illegal migration backlash mirrors political battles across the West
More than 160,000 undocumented immigrants have reportedly fled South Africa following mass street protests by citizens demanding that foreigners leave the country, reflecting a broader public backlash against the government’s border enforcement. Campaigners argue the movement echoes similar political shifts seen across Western nations, where anti-immigration sentiment has increasingly shaped mainstream politics and public discourse.…
-
Burnham rules out early election and refuses to commit to date on boosting defence spending to 3% of GDP – even though his Chancellor quit over Starmer’s dithering
Andy Burnham has ruled out calling an early election and declined to commit to a timeframe for raising UK defence spending to 3% of GDP, despite his Chancellor’s resignation over what was described as Sir Keir Starmer’s indecision on the issue. The story highlights ongoing tension within the government over defence funding commitments and the…