Business
Reeves plans to give England’s regional leaders a share of national tax revenues
Posted on Tuesday March 17, 2026
Chancellor seeks ‘genuine break with the past’ in tackling centralised and ‘geographically unequal’ countryBusiness live – latest updatesRachel Reeves has announced that the Treasury will draw up plans to give regional leaders a share of national tax revenues as part of a radical plan to rebalance the English economy.Setting out her intention to create investment-led growth, the chancellor promised “a genuine break with the past” that would shift spending power away from Westminster. Continue reading...
Oil and gas prices resume rise after Iran attacks production facilities
Posted on Tuesday March 17, 2026
Brent crude price climbs as operations suspended at Shah gasfield in UAE after Iranian strikeBusiness live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesOil and gas prices have risen again after Iran carried out attacks on production facilities for the first time since the start of the war with the US and Israel.Brent crude, the international benchmark oil price, climbed 3% to $103.2 (£77.52) a barrel on Tuesday and was up nearly 50% from levels before the war began on 28 February. Wholesale gas prices rose nearly 3% to €52 (£45) a megawatt hour, compared with about €30 before the war. Continue reading...
Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav in line for $700m payout from Paramount deal
Posted on Tuesday March 17, 2026
One of the best-paid executives in Hollywood has already made $113m after selling shares in WBD this monthBusiness live – latest updatesDavid Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros Discovery, is in line for a $700m (£525m) payday from the $110bn sale of the Hollywood studio to Paramount Skydance.Zaslav could receive $34.2m in cash severance payments, $115.8m in vested stock and $517.2m in unvested share awards once the deal is complete, according to a filing from Warner Bros Discovery on Monday. Continue reading...
Opinion
Technology
UK must learn lessons from AI race and retain its quantum computing talent, says minister
Posted on Tuesday March 17, 2026
Liz Kendall announces £1bn funding to help design large-scale quantum computers for scientists, researchers, public sector and businessThe UK will not let quantum computing talent slip through its fingers and must learn lessons from US dominance of the AI race, the technology secretary has said, as the government announced a £1bn quantum funding pledge.Liz Kendall said the government hoped to retain homegrown quantum startups, engineers and researchers rather than lose them to competing countries, with the US stealing a march on its western rivals in AI. Continue reading...
Child abuse material ‘systemic’ on Elon Musk’s X amid Grok scandal, Australian online safety regulator warned
Posted on Monday March 16, 2026
Exclusive: eSafety commission pointed to Musk’s promise that ‘removing child exploitation is priority #1’ in letter obtained by Guardian AustraliaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian online safety regulator warned Elon Musk’s X amid the Grok sexualised image generation scandal that it found child abuse material was “particularly systemic” on X and more accessible than on “any other mainstream service”, correspondence obtained by Guardian Australia reveals.The eSafety commissioner wrote to X in January after its chatbot, Grok, was used to generate sexualised images of women and children online, which the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, described as “abhorrent”. Continue reading...