53 h. ago China accuses US of ‘seriously violating’ trade war truce; UK factory output shrinks again – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsToday’s UK PMI report (see 9.52am) also shows that business confidence at British factories remained ‘subdued’ last month.Manufacturers continued to raise concerns that turbulent trade conditions, the weak economic outlook and rising cost burdens will make market conditions tough during the year ahead.Weak global market conditions, trade uncertainty, low customer confidence and cost pressures resulting from recent increases to UK employer NICs and minimum wages also contributed to clients’ reluctance to spend. That said, a recent bout of good weather did boost sales at some manufacturers. Continue reading...

Economics

55 h. ago China vows ‘forceful measures’ after accusing US of violating tariffs truce

Beijing says it is ‘strictly implementing’ consensus reached in Geneva but US is taking steps that ‘seriously undermine’ it

Politics

55 h. ago China accuses US of ‘seriously violating’ trade war truce – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsTrade war fears don’t seem to have hurt the UK housing market last month.Lender Nationwide has reported that the average house price rose by 0.5% duing May, reversing most of the 0.6% fall recorded in April.“Despite wider economic uncertainties in the global economy, underlying conditions for potential home buyers in the UK remain supportive.“Unemployment remains low, earnings are rising at a healthy pace (even after accounting for inflation), household balance sheets are strong and borrowing costs are likely to moderate a little if Bank Rate is lowered further in the coming quarters as we, and most other analysts, expect.“What China is doing is they are holding back products that are essential for the industrial supply chains of India, of Europe. And that is not what a reliable partner does.” Continue reading...

Events

60 h. ago China accuses US of ‘seriously violating’ trade truce and vows to respond

Beijing promises to take strong measures to defend its interests

Politics

2 d. ago British businessman accused of plotting to smuggle US military technology to China

John Miller and Chinese national Cui Guanghai are facing extradition in connection with an FBI investigationA British businessman has been indicted in the US with attempting to traffic sensitive American military technology to China and silence a critic of the Chinese president.John Miller, 63, was named by US authorities at the weekend after his arrest in Serbia, where he is facing extradition in connection with an FBI investigation. The Mail on Sunday reported that he was from Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago China accuses Pete Hegseth of sowing division in Asia in speech ‘filled with provocations’

US defence secretary ‘vilified china with defamatory allegations’ at Shangri-La DialogueChina’s government has accused Pete Hegseth of trying to “sow division” in the Asia Pacific region over his speech at a Singapore defence conference where he warned China was a potentially “imminent” threat.On Saturday Hegseth said China was “credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific”, and was rehearsing for “the real deal” of invading Taiwan. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Donald Trump accuses China of ‘totally violating’ tariffs deal with US in blow to moves to avoid trade war

Trade talks between Washington and Beijing were said to be a ‘bit stalled’

Economics

5 d. ago NHS breakdown of exactly how much screen time your children should have by age

The NHS has set out its recommendations when it comes to how much time children should spend in front of a screen based on their age - but some parents argue it's more about what they're consuming online

Politics

5 d. ago China accused of ‘indoctrinating’ Tibetan children from age of four with state

Group says lives of Tibetan children are ‘irrevocably altered to serve the purposes of the Chinese government’

Politics

8 d. ago Pair of portraits by Dutch master Frans Hals return to the Netherlands

A pair of paintings by Dutch Golden Age master Frans Hals, possibly depicting his own children, are returning to the Netherlands after more than a century overseas in the hands of private owners

Politics

8 d. ago Who is Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron?

The pair were pictured having a squabble in Vietnam,

Politics

1 week ago ‘When power can define madness’: China accused of using mental health law to lock up critics

More than a decade after China passed a groundbreaking mental health law, victims and activists say that involuntary hospitalisation remains commonZhang Po was barely one year out of school when an out of control mine-cart barrelled into him deep in a pit in Anhui province, causing injuries that ended his brief career as a coalminer. Since the accident in 1999, he has been living off disability allowances provided by his former employer in Huainan, Anhui’s coal city. But in 2024 Zhang was sent to hospital once again – this time to a psychiatric ward.Zhang was sectioned for 22 days in June after he protested outside the office of his former employer, demanding an increase in his disability allowance. “I endured more than 20 days of humiliation in there. There was no phone, and my belt and shoelaces were taken away,” Zhang said in a recent interview with Chinese media. Zhang said that he was forced to take medicines and tied to his bed for several hours a day. After the three weeks in...

Society

1 week ago NSPCC advice on age you can leave children home alone ahead of half term

It will be a question on a lot of parent's minds over the coming week

Society

1 week ago I’ve studied the history of death. I know how we can better face up to our grief – and our own mortality | Molly Conisbee

How we deal with bereavement has changed enormously over the years. But not all the old traditions should be forgottenMany years ago, as part of a school homework project, I asked my grandparents what the most significant social change had been during their lifetime. Two of them answered “child mortality”. I was surprised. Weren’t there other, more significant experiences in long lives that had stretched from the first and second world wars to the 1980s?But now that I am older and have experienced bereavement, I understand their replies. Both grandparents had sisters who died of diphtheria. And my grandfather’s younger brother died of sepsis, meaning his parents had buried two of their four children before the age of three. Their childhoods had been profoundly shaped by loss. Child mortality was, at that time, horrifyingly common, and from their earliest years many people spent a great deal of their lives coping with the emotional fallout of grief, which shaped their lives into olde...

Events

2 w. ago UKHSA issues warning over 'serious' infection that is also 'highly contagious'

While it primarily affects young children, it can be contracted at any age

Events

2 w. ago Millions of food parcels handed out in UK as number rises 51 per cent

There has been a 46% rise in food parcels provided to families with children, and a 32% rise in parcels to support children under the age of five

Politics

2 w. ago Interrail passes are free for kids – so I borrowed my niece for a rail tour of Europe’s great cities

It took a few adjustments on both sides – she wasn’t keen on snails or Rembrandt – but after seeing Paris, Berlin and Venice, she wants to go again next yearA year ago, I discovered a bit of a travel hack – that if accompanied by an adult (obviously) children under the age of 12 can explore Europe by train for absolutely zilch. Profoundly susceptible to any sort of bargain, even those that promise a net deficit in the long run, I determined to take advantage of Interrail’s generous offer, despite lacking dependents of the specified vintage.Sourcing someone under 12 was far easier than I’d imagined. When I lodged an enquiry about my 10-year-old niece, asking if Annabelle might be available for an Interrailing stint at Easter, my brother couldn’t sign her up fast enough. (Though he did insist on some caveats: in bed by 10pm, out of bed by 9am, and no watching sweary Gordon Ramsay shows). Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago China’s ‘interference’ blamed on resignation of Solomon Islands minister from group critical of Beijing

China has been accused of interference in the Solomon Islands for allegedly forcing a minister to quit from a global alliance of parliamentarians critical of Beijing’s growing influence.

Politics

3 w. ago Charity raises concerns as kids are 'forming romantic attachments to AI bots'

A children's online safety charity has revealed that British children are increasingly bypassing age verification checks to form both sexual and emotional relationships with AI chatbots

Politics

4 w. ago The dangers of TikTok for children as millions under the age limit use video app

The NSPCC has shared the risks involved with the popular social media platform, which millions of kids younger than the age limit are using.

Politics