20 h. ago UK business activity falls for the first time since October 2023 as trade tensions hurt economy, and car sales slide – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsTrump’s foreign film tariffs could ‘wipe out’ UK movie industry, ministers toldCar sales across the UK fell by over 10% last month, compared to a year ago.New industry data shows that 120,331 new vehicles were registered in April, 10.4% fewer than in April 2024.In what is traditionally a quieter month following the March plate change, volumes were also impacted by the late timing of Easter, resulting in fewer working days.In addition, the implementation of VED changes affecting all new cars, including the Expensive Car Supplement which became applicable to many new EVs from 1 April, pushed transactions into March as shrewd buyers got ahead of the tax increases. Continue reading...

Economics

21 h. ago Ding Junhui's dad's opinion on snooker World Champion Zhao Xintong speaks volumes

Zhao Xintong was crowned World Snooker Champion on Monday night, beating Mark Williams in the final, and has been told exactly how his fellow potting countryman's father feels

Politics

21 h. ago UK car sales drop 10% in April; Ford predicts $1.5bn profit hit from Trump tariffs – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsTrump’s foreign film tariffs could ‘wipe out’ UK movie industry, ministers toldCar sales across the UK fell by over 10% last month, compared to a year ago.New industry data shows that 120,331 new vehicles were registered in April, 10.4% fewer than in April 2024.In what is traditionally a quieter month following the March plate change, volumes were also impacted by the late timing of Easter, resulting in fewer working days.In addition, the implementation of VED changes affecting all new cars, including the Expensive Car Supplement which became applicable to many new EVs from 1 April, pushed transactions into March as shrewd buyers got ahead of the tax increases. Continue reading...

Economics

33 h. ago Murillo earns Nottingham Forest vital point at Crystal Palace in race for Europe

Nottingham Forest aren’t finished just yet. A typically wholehearted performance from Nuno Espírito Santo’s side rescued a point that could eventually prove priceless for their hopes of reaching the promised land of the Champions League next season.It is to their immense credit that with three matches still to play, a team who ended last season in 17th place are still in contention to dine at Europe’s top table. Having fallen behind to Eberechi Eze’s penalty in front of a joyous Crystal Palace crowd still basking in the glory of their upcoming appearance in the FA Cup final, that they were back on terms within four minutes thanks to Murillo’s clever finish spoke volumes about the spirit Nuno has created at the two-time European champions since replacing Steve Cooper. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago The Guardian view on Trump’s shock therapy: warehouse and transport workers are the first victims of a class war | Editorial

Behind the slogans and tariffs lies a calculated strategy – fuelled by elite interests, eroding labour rights and stoking global recessionThe White House, eager to win a trade war it barely understands, has yanked the emergency brake on China-US trade without checking who’s inside the vehicle. Donald Trump’s early April trade decree has taken a month to hit the economy – that’s how long Chinese containers need to reach Los Angeles. And on cue, US pacific ports registered a 45% drop in container bookings this week from China. When warehouses fall quiet and trucks idle in California, the silence will creep eastward. Unemployment will surely tick upwards.Even if Washington reverses course by the end of May, and Beijing plays nice, the best-case scenario is delayed damage. Some goods are being rerouted to avoid charges, but you can’t reboot global logistics overnight. This isn’t strategic decoupling – it’s economic self-harm. By the time the Trump administration notices, it will be too ...

Events

37 h. ago Moment killjoy neighbours complain about music at David Beckham's 50th birthday bash at top Notting Hill restaurant

This is the moment a killjoy neighbour complained about the volume of the music blaring from David Beckham 's 50th birthday bash at a top restaurant in Notting Hill.

Events

39 h. ago Antonio Conte sends message to Man Utd about Scott McTominay that speaks volumes

Napoli manager Antonio Conte has claimed Scott McTominay has flourished in Italy because he has been given a more "complete" role than the one he had at Manchester United

Politics

45 h. ago Christian Horner warning speaks volumes after Lewis Hamilton incidents at Miami Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc endured a difficult day at the office in the Miami Grand Prix, with the Ferrari duo finishing a lowly seventh and eighth respectively

Events

48 h. ago Lewis Hamilton's furious Ferrari radio comments at Miami Grand Prix speaks volumes

Lewis Hamilton was making his feelings clear over team radio as he and Charles Leclerc fought over seventh spot with the new Ferrari driver still struggling for pace

Sport

63 h. ago The landscape artist who makes her paint from pearls, crystals and volcanic dust

Su Yu-Xin scours mines and federal lands for materials to carefully craft her own pigments in a Los Angeles workspace that’s part studio, part science labWhile in art school in London, Su Yu-Xin calculated that most painters used one of five brands of high-end oil paint, and that each brand produced only about 60 colors.“That’s really scary,” the Slade graduate said. “It’s like all the top chefs in the world shop from the same grocery store.” Continue reading...

Politics

64 h. ago Majorca joins Ibiza in rental car crackdown as part of war on tourists

Majorca wants to cap the number of cars on the roads and hopes that limiting the number of tourists on the road will help alleviate the large volume of traffic

Society

3 d. ago Henry Pollock revels in ‘special win’ over Leinster in hardest game of his life

Saints beat Irish province to make Champions Cup finalPhil Dowson says his players enhanced Lions prospectsNorthampton hope their extraordinary semi-final win over Leinster will be a springboard to further personal and collective success in the coming weeks. The Saints director of rugby, Phil Dowson, also believes several of his players have “undoubtably” enhanced their British & Irish Lions selection chances before Thursday’s tour squad announcement.Henry Pollock and Fin Smith, along with hat-trick try-scorer Tommy Freeman, could not have made a better impression on a high-pressure stage and Dowson believes Pollock’s exuberance is beneficial to any team. “It’s infectious and spreads throughout the team,” said Dowson. “Leinster are one of the best sides in Europe and the world. For our players to perform on that stage and execute under that pressure speaks volumes for them.” Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Sir Jim Ratcliffe's damning blast speaks volumes as he puts £200m club up for sale

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to sell Nice having signalled his intention to sell the Ligue 1 side back in March, with the British billionaire putting his full focus into Manchester United

Economics

4 d. ago Olaplex’s new shampoo and conditioner gave my hair “instant volume”

It’s been more than five years since the OG duo launched

Politics

4 d. ago HMRC rolls out new fuel charges this month with some drivers now paying £2,300

VAT road fuel scale charges help businesses calculate VAT owed on fuel used for private consumption of fuel in company vehicles, with HMRC providing standardised rates based on CO2 emissions

Economics

4 d. ago Scott McTominay response to major Man United Europa League statement speaks volumes

Latest Manchester United news as Scott McTominay sends his seal of approval after United's 3-0 Europa League semi-final win over Athletic Bilbao

Politics

4 d. ago Erling Haaland's reaction to Kevin De Bruyne on Man City return speaks volumes

Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne have struck up an impressive partnership throughout their three years together at Manchester City but the Belgian will soon depart

Politics

5 d. ago Chris Eubank Jr’s face compared with Conor Benn’s after fight speaks volumes

Chris Eubank Jnr secured a statement victory over rival Conor Benn on points at the weekend but he's still sporting some serious injuries when compared to his rival

Politics

5 d. ago Groundbreaking study links biological age to dementia risk... so take survey to see how old you REALLY are

An older biological age - the age of a person's cells and tissues based on physiological factors - is a significant influence on whether someone will develop Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.

Events

5 d. ago Kurtág: Játékok review – Aimard is perfect guide to major set of piano miniatures

Pierre-Laurent Aimard(Pentatone, two CDs)Kurtág himself approved Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s selection of 81 pieces from the composer’s 10 volumes of miniature pieces, now among the past half century’s great achievementsIn 1973, György Kurtág began composing piano miniatures to which he gave the collective title of Játékok (Games). He has continued to add to the series, so that now there are well over 400 such pieces, for both solo piano and four hands, which have been published in 10 volumes so far. The pieces, rarely more than a couple of minutes long and sometimes lasting just a few seconds, were first intended as didactic exercises, designed to elucidate a musical point or a detail of keyboard technique, but the collection soon began to encompass other occasional works and more personal expressions – birthday greetings, tributes and memorials to friends and fellow musicians, paraphrases of other music – becoming a complete encyclopedia of Kurtág’s compositional methods.The composer ...

Politics