42 h. ago From the archive: Food fraud and counterfeit cotton: the detectives untangling the global supply chain – podcast

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2021: Amid the complex web of international trade, proving the authenticity of a product can be near-impossible. But one company is taking the search to the atomic levelBy Samanth Subramanian. Read by Raj Ghatak Continue reading...

Politics

47 h. ago UK sent Israel thousands of military items despite export ban, study finds

Trade data analysis shows British firms have exported items including munitions since suspension of key licencesUK firms have exported thousands of military items including munitions to Israel despite the government suspending key arms export licences to the country in September, new analysis of trade data shows. The research also raises questions over whether the UK continued to sell F-35 parts directly to Israel in breach of an undertaking only to sell them to the US manufacturers Lockheed Martin as a way of ensuring the fighter jet’s global supply chain was not disrupted, something the government said was essential for national security and Nato. The findings have led the former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell to call for a full investigation, adding it was a resigning matter if the foreign secretary, David Lammy, was shown to have misled parliament in breach of the ministerial code when he told MPs in September that much of what the UK sends to Israel was “defensive in n...

Events

3 w. ago The cost of gaming is soaring – but for many fans, a game is ‘worth’ more than its price tag

As tariffs raise the price of consoles, is it time for gamers to reevaluate our relationship with new releases?Now is not a good time to buy a new games console.The shock waves from Donald Trump’s will-he-won’t-he approach to trade tariffs were always going to hit video games, an industry that relies on incredibly complex global supply chains. On Monday, Nikkei Asia reported on analysis from a major electronics supplier suggesting that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be subject to Trump’s 145% tariff on goods imported to the US from China, despite his apparent decision to exempt smartphones and computers. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s industrial policy: inward turn by ultimatum | Editorial

The US is retreating behind chokepoints and tariffs. It remains determined to invent the future but is struggling to ensure its control Globalisation is out; reshoring is the new realism. Intel’s half-built Ohio campus and Nvidia’s US supercomputer plan demonstrate the very different routes taken by Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the search for homegrown tech dominance. Mr Biden relied on institutions: grants, land and investment incentives. That approach has stalled after last year’s election, rendering Intel’s plant idle. Mr Trump prefers court politics: flattery, pressure and tariff threats. Nvidia’s move seems driven less by design than executive ultimatum. Industrial strategy lives on – but, and this is a concern, increasingly through presidential menace, not policy.There’s another important message in the Nvidia announcement. In an era where ideas spread freely, power lies not in invention but in chokepoints, such as artificial intelligence supercomputer fabrication, that deter...

Events

3 w. ago Why British businesses won’t abandon manufacturers in China despite Trump tariffs

China has vowed to ‘fight to the end’ in a trade war with the US which threatens to up-end global supply chains

Economics

3 w. ago Why British businesses say they won’t abandon their manufacturers in China despite Trump tariffs

China has vowed to “fight to the end” in a trade war with the US which threatens to up-end global supply chains

Economics

3 w. ago Global supply chains under pressure as Trump tariff uncertainties continue

Companies face rising freight costs, disrupted logistics and congested ports as trade networks reel from Trump’s policiesThe container ship was halfway across the Atlantic when Donald Trump levied tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US from most countries during his first term in office.At the stroke of a pen on a US presidential executive order, about £100,000 was added to the cost of one of the shipments on board, from UK advanced materials manufacturer Goodfellow, destined for a US customer. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Terrible timing and huge uncertainty: how ports and shipping are handling tariff turmoil

As they reel from Trump’s policies, companies say volatile freight costs and congestion are now the norm The container ship was halfway across the Atlantic when Donald Trump levied tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US from most countries during his first term in office.At the stroke of a pen on a US presidential executive order about £100,000 was added to the cost of one of the shipments on board, from the UK advanced materials manufacturer Goodfellow, destined for a US customer. Continue reading...

Events