Ministers could give billions raised by business rates to England’s regions
Posted on Sunday June 14, 2026

Exclusive: devolving tax is part of plans to give local areas more power in areas including justice, health and education

Ministers are considering handing over billions of pounds raised by business rates to regional mayors as part of one of the biggest shake-ups of the English tax system in recent years.

Steve Reed, the local government secretary, said the government was working on plans to devolve the tax, which has been the subject of recent protests by pubs and other hospitality businesses.

Read more...

UK poised to water down 2030 EV sales targets after industry and union pressure
Posted on Sunday June 14, 2026

Keir Starmer ready to overrule Ed Miliband after warnings manufacturers would be penalised and jobs put at risk

The UK government is poised to water down its 2030 targets for electric vehicle sales after intensive lobbying by the car industry and unions.

The government is preparing to consult on less ambitious targets for the transition to fully battery-powered electric cars over the rest of the decade after carmakers and unions warned that they would penalise manufacturers and put jobs at risk.

Read more...

Starmer to announce ‘Australia plus’ ban on social media for under-16s
Posted on Sunday June 14, 2026

Sources say hardline measures will also prevent young users from being able to talk to strangers on gaming apps

• Why is the UK launching an ‘Australia plus’ social media ban and how will it work?

Keir Starmer will ban under-16s from major social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and X in sweeping restrictions described as “Australia plus”, the Guardian understands.

Teenagers will be banned from all the main social platforms, and online products that are not covered by the ban – such as gaming apps – will face new restrictions such as having the option to chat to strangers removed. There will also be restrictions for older teenagers up to the age of 18 that prevent “scrolling” late at night – after 8.30pm.

Read more...

‘People start connecting the dots’: why an investment fund is rewilding a North Yorkshire estate
Posted on Sunday June 14, 2026

Rebalance Earth is investing in Broughton Sanctuary to generate financial, environmental and social returns

From a high point on the hill, the North Yorkshire landscape unrolls below. The moorland above gives way to grassland, trees and then pasture, divided by the region’s traditional dry stone walls.

The view may be idyllic, but it belies the condition of parts of this land, belonging to the sprawling 1,100 hectare (2,500-acre) Broughton Sanctuary estate, near Skipton.

Read more...

X accused of giving racists ‘impunity’ after refusing to bar N- and P-word posts
Posted on Sunday June 14, 2026

Site takes no action over hate posts against UK politicians including Kemi Badenoch, Shabana Mahmood and Zia Yusuf

X has refused to take down dozens of social media posts reported as “hate, abuse or harassment” in which prominent UK politicians, including Kemi Badenoch, have been racially abused.

In May, researchers from the social inclusion thinktank British Future reported 30 posts from this year in which the Conservative party leader was called the N-word. In each case the researchers used the platform’s “hate, abuse or harassment” reporting option. X refused to act in the majority of cases, despite repeated requests.

Read more...

Anthropic to disable its most advanced AI models after US order limiting foreign access
Posted on Saturday June 13, 2026

Company said US government believes safeguards can be bypassed and product used to identify software vulnerabilities

Anthropic said it will “abruptly disable” its most advanced AI models for all users after the US government ordered it to suspend access to the models for foreign nationals, citing national security concerns.

The company received the export control directive to suspend access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all foreign nationals, without being given specific details of the national security concern, Anthropic said in a statement.

Read more...

Germany v Curaçao: World Cup 2026 – live
Posted on Sunday June 14, 2026

⚽ Kick-off: 12pm local/1pm EDT/6pm BST/3am AEST
⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden boot | Email Daniel

Email! “Tiny Curaçao has just 158,000 citizens, apparently,” says Justin Kavanagh. “So after tonight (assuming they throw on at least four subs), one in every 10,500 Curaçao’s will have played against Germany at a World Cup finals.”

It’s amazing isn’t it? With the expansion of the competition, Curaçao saw the glimmer of an opportunity, backed themselves by appointing first Guus Hiddink then Patrick Kluivert, and Advocaat finished the job. There’ll be a decent atmosphere on the island this lunchtime, I shouldn’t wonder.

Read more...

Lewis Hamilton earns maiden F1 Ferrari win in Barcelona but Antonelli fails to finish
Posted on Sunday June 14, 2026

• Hamilton leads British top three with Russell and Norris

• Championship leader Antonelli out just after taking second

Lewis Hamilton triumphed for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix with a magnificent drive to seal an emotional maiden win for the Scuderia. The veteran British driver and seven-times world champion ended a run of 40 grands prix without victory and denied his compatriot, second-placed George Russell of Mercedes, who was outmaneuvered by Ferrari’s three-stop strategy and his teammate Kimi Antonelli.

But there was intense drama behind Hamilton late on as Antonelli, the drivers’ championship leader, and his teammate Russell battled for second – with the Italian forced to retire straight after overtaking Russell with five laps left. Lando Norris of McLaren, as a result, rounded out an all-British podium, the first since 1968. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, having fought his way up the field from 10th on the grid after a qualifying crash, was forced to retire at the last due to a technical issue. Max Verstappen of Red Bull was fourth, Oscar Piastri fifth for McLaren, Isack Hadjar sixth for Red Bull and Pierre Gasly seventh for Alpine.

Read more...