50 h. ago Temu and Shein warn of US price hikes from next week due to Trump tariffs

Shein says ‘operating expenses have gone up’ as both Chinese retailers also drop ad spending in USTwo of China’s largest fast fashion retailers, Temu and Shein, have warned US customers that they will face price hikes from next week, as Donald Trump’s hefty tariffs on Chinese imports come into force.Both companies will be hit by new import levies, which will mean taxes of up to 145% being applied to Chinese goods. They will also suffer from Trump’s cancellation of so-called “de minimus” exemption, under which shipments worth less than $800 (£600) could be imported duty-free. Continue reading...

Events

55 h. ago Temu and Shein drop US ad spending as they face tariffs on even small sales

E-tailers also hiking prices after Donald Trump ends ‘de minimis’ exemption for cheap shipments from China and Hong KongTemu and Shein are cutting back their spending on US social media advertising as they lose an exemption on tariffs for many of their shipments from China and Hong Kong.The online e-tailers, both of which ship low-priced China-made goods direct to US shoppers, had been on an ad spree until recently. But under an executive order from Donald Trump, as of 2 May their sales valued at under $800 will no longer be exempt from US tariffs. Continue reading...

Economics

2 d. ago Dutton admits he made mistake on Indonesia in ABC leaders’ debate as Albanese evasive on electricity prices

Opposition leader also says ‘I’ll let scientists pass that judgment’ when asked if climate change impacts getting worse in second showdownPolls tracker; election guide; full federal election coverageAnywhere but Canberra; interactive electorates guideListen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcastPeter Dutton has admitted he made a mistake by wrongly claiming the Indonesian president had announced a proposal for Russia to base military aircraft in Indonesia, and declined to state whether the impacts of climate change were getting worse.The opposition leader has also confirmed his plan to reduce the size of the federal public service by 41,000 positions by 2030 would not pay for the entirety of the Coalition’s policy platform, suggesting further cuts to government spending may be necessary.Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Europe's race to rearm is pointless if its adversaries are waging war online | Johnny Ryan

Ireland holds the algorithm off-switch. Ursula von der Leyen must force Dublin to use itEurope is scrambling to remilitarise. The European Commission is raising a €150bn (£129bn) defence fund and is calling on EU countries to invest €650bn (£561bn) more. Germany has cast aside its government debt limit to invest hundreds of billions of euros in defence. Poland will train every male of fighting age for battle, and envisages an army 500,000 strong. Latvia’s president has urged the rest of Europe to conscript citizens, as Latvia does. Even neutral Ireland is buying combat jets. No wonder Europe’s defence industry is booming. In just a few months, the share prices of several big weapons manufacturers have nearly doubled and doubled again. But, despite this new martial pulse, the continent is still sleepwalking towards disaster.Europe can harden its shell and sharpen its claws, but it has done little to protect its soft underbelly against political manipulation. The US is capitulating to...

Events

6 d. ago ‘It’s going to be messy’: Americans on how Trump’s tariffs are shaping their spending

Fallout from Trump’s trade war is forcing some Guardian readers to cut back or stock up on items from food to carsA few weeks ago, Dane began stocking up on “paper products”, “cases of paper towels, toilet paper”, “piddle-pads” for their shih-tzu, and his wife upgraded from an iPhone 8 to 14.The 73-year-old in South Carolina said the purchases – which were made to get ahead of Donald Trump’s trade policies – reminded him of the early weeks of the Covid pandemic, when he scrambled to buy masks, gloves and toilet paper. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago The best bank debit cards to use for spending abroad in 2025

If you opt for cards over cash when abroad then always ensure you’re not charged a fee

Economics

1 week ago Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing review – nothing about this shocking tale feels OK

This grim documentary shines a light on child social media star Piper Rockelle, the hugely murky ethics surrounding this kind of content – and the high-profile lawsuit that engulfed their careerThe title of the new documentary Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing is interesting. It could be said to presuppose the existence of a good side to allowing, encouraging or coercing young children and early teens to put their lives online for attention and validation (or deliberately creating content to attract subscribers, brand interest and sponsorship deals). But perhaps, you think, I am being hopelessly old-fashioned. Perhaps this is the way forward. Perhaps it is the way things are these days. Who am I to say how youngsters should connect, spend their time, be raised in 2025?I understand this impulse to ignore the past. I almost admire it. It is good for us all, as we get older, to fight against the creeping belief that the past was better. It is a canard, a conflation of the ha...

Events

2 w. ago Live and work on a remote Scottish island with less than 20 residents this summer

A rare chance has opened up to spend summer 2025 working in one of the country's most special places

Politics

2 w. ago Clean energy spending boosts GOP districts. But lawmakers are keeping quiet as Trump targets incentives

We asked 18 Republicans whose districts benefit most from Biden’s IRA climate law if they back Trump’s demandsBillions of dollars in clean energy spending and jobs have overwhelmingly flowed to parts of the US represented by Republican lawmakers. But these members of Congress are still largely reticent to break with Donald Trump’s demands to kill off key incentives for renewables, even as their districts bask in the rewards.The president has called for the dismantling of the Inflation Reduction Act – a sweeping bill passed by Democrats that has helped turbocharge investments in wind, solar, nuclear, batteries and electric vehicle manufacturing in the US – calling it a “giant scam”. Trump froze funding allocated under the act and has vowed to claw back grants aimed at reducing planet-heating pollution. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Six in 10 people will spend on ‘bucket list’ dream activities in 2025 – survey

Nearly half of people are planning to spend more on experiences this year and some will cut back on other spending to do so, according to Mastercard.

Politics

3 w. ago Young Brits plan big holiday spends this year despite cost of living crisis

Young Brits, including Gen Z and Millennials, are more likely to spend big on holidays for 2025, than any other generation, new research by Aviva has revealed

Economics

3 w. ago Spring Budget 2025 RECAP: Chancellor Rachel Reeves outlines spending cuts in Spring Statement

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her Spring Statement, confirming the 2025 growth estimate for the UK has been halved to 1 per cent by the government's official forecaster

Economics

3 w. ago Will Rachel Reeves’s tough decisions pay off? Our panel on the spring statement

The chancellor boosted defence spending while piling on further welfare cuts – all set against gloomy growth forecasts Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Spring Budget 2025 LIVE: Chancellor Rachel Reeves outlines spending cuts in Spring Statement

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her Spring Statement, confirming the 2025 growth estimate for the UK has been halved to 1 per cent by the government's official forecaster

Economics

3 w. ago Spring Budget 2025 LIVE: Chancellor Rachel Reeves to outline spending cuts in Spring Statement

Welcome to The Scotsman’s live blog.

Economics

3 w. ago Spring Statement 2025: Rachel Reeves set to reveal spending cuts – follow live

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will present her first highly anticipated Spring Statement to parliament on Wednesday.

Politics

3 w. ago Spring Statement 2025 latest: Rachel Reeves to cut benefits as Labour slashes public spending

The Chancellor will deliver the Spring Statement to the Commons around 12.30pm on Wednesday - shortly after PMQs - to update on the state of the nation's finances

Politics

3 w. ago Further benefits cuts planned as Rachel Reeves forced to find extra £1.6bn

Chancellor risks wrath of Labour backbenchers with spring statement set to confirm deeper cutsRachel Reeves will make additional welfare cuts in her spring statement on Wednesday after the Office for Budget Responsibility rejected her estimate of savings from the changes announced last week.The chancellor hoped to shift the focus from the benefits cuts, which appalled some Labour backbenchers, to promising to “secure Britain’s future” with a £2.2bn increase to defence spending. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Budget 2025 latest: Reeves boosts defence spending by £2.2bn as more benefit cuts foreshadowed

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is under pressure to deliver in her spring statement

Economics

3 w. ago Rachel Reeves to announce extra £2.2billion defence spending in Spring Statement

Ms Reeves will insist the spending is the ‘right decision in a more insecure world’

Economics