Foreign aid for fossil fuel projects quadrupled in a single year, a report has found, rising from $1.2bn in 2021 to $5.4bn in 2022. “This shocking increase in aid funding to fossil fuels is a wake-up call,” said Jane Burston, CEO of nonprofit the Clean Air Fund, which conducted the research. “The world cannot continue…
The British drugmaker GSK has struck an agreement to make a payment of up to $2.2bn (£1.7bn) to resolve litigation brought in the US over its heartburn treatment Zantac. The company said it had struck agreements with 10 plaintiff law firms who represent about 93%, roughly 80,000, of the US state court product liability cases…
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has launched its artificial intelligence assistant in the UK, alongside AI-boosted sunglasses modelled by Mark Zuckerberg. Meta’s AI assistant, which can generate text and images, is now available on its social media platforms in the UK and Brazil, having already been launched in the US and Australia. Regulatory…
We’d like to hear your questions about domestic gas and electricity use. Have you always wondered whether it’s more cost effective to have bath or a shower? Or whether it’s cheaper to use a dehumidifier or a tumble dryer? Whatever your energy use question, you can ask us below. We’ll put them to our experts…
The privatised English water system has been singled out for criticism by the UN special rapporteur on the human right to clean water. Prof Pedro Arrojo-Agudo said water systems should be managed as a publicly owned service, rather than run by private companies set up to benefit shareholders. In a report Arrojo-Agudo singled out for…
The Tropicana, a landmark hotel and the last true mob-era casino in Las Vegas, was reduced to rubble on Wednesday. The legendary haunt of the Rat Pack and the place James Bond said he had heard was quite comfortable in the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever, was destroyed in an elaborate implosion accompanied by a…
Most 17-year-olds spend their days playing video games, but Britain’s latest Nobel prize winner spent his teenage years developing them. Sir Demis Hassabis, who was jointly awarded the chemistry prize on Wednesday, got his big break in the tech world as co-designer of 1994’s hit game Theme Park, where players create and operate amusement parks.…
Keir Starmer has declined to rule out raising employers’ national insurance contributions amid speculation that the measure is being considered as part of the budget. Speaking at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Starmer refused to specify whether his manifesto commitment not to raise national insurance applied to employee and employer payments. Labour’s manifesto included a…
Tucking into a tub of Quality Street is a Christmas tradition for many British families, and once they have scoffed the chocolates the handy container often takes on a new life, being used for many years as a cake tin or Lego storage box. But the useful plastic tub could be looking at its last…
Chinese stocks have suffered their worst fall in 27 years after efforts by Beijing to stimulate the world’s second-largest economy disappointed investors. Stock markets in Asia fell sharply after China’s top economic planning authority failed to announce further measures to improve flagging growth. On Tuesday, the National Development and Reform Commission held a press conference…
