‘Tariff man’ Trump puts Britain in firing line of new global trade war

Donald Trump’s US election campaign threat to impose 10% levies on US trading partners could hurt the UK economyOutside the US embassy in London, a steady line of visitors arrive for visa appointments. On the windswept south bank of the Thames, the fortress-like building is not the most welcoming proposition: it stands isolated, a cold glass cube hemmed in by a medieval-style moat.Inside, after Donald Trump’s election victory last week, the atmosphere was not much warmer. Having flown in to promote US trade links with Britain, the governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, knew his job had just got a lot harder.“It is the elephant in the room

In no great rush to get back to the office? UK home workers may not have a choice

Supermarket chain Asda has joined the growing number of firms demanding staff return to the workplace. Does this signal the end for remote working or is it a new battle line?For anyone who has recently spent their morning commute nestled under a stranger’s armpit, it may come as a surprise to hear that passenger numbers on public transport have not returned to pre-Covid levels.What Transport for London calls “ridership” has remained stubbornly stuck at about 90% of the levels seen before the pandemic. A similar picture prevails for light rail and tram systems across the rest of England, as a result of fewer people travelling daily to and from their workplaces.More than four and a half years after the first Covid lockdowns kept workers in the UK and other western nations at home, the story told by transport companies appears to reflect how the world of office-based work has changed – it seems for good

How Elon Musk became Donald Trump’s shadow vice-president

As Donald Trump watched election results roll in from a party at his Mar-a-Lago compound, Elon Musk sat arm’s length away, basking in the impending victory he had helped secure. In less than five months, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO had gone from not endorsing a candidate to becoming a fixture of the president-elect’s inner circle.“The future is gonna be so 🔥 🇺🇸🇺🇸,” Musk posted to his social media platform, X, just after midnight, along with a photo of himself leaning over to talk with Trump at the Mar-a-Lago dinner.Musk’s place at the head table was the result of months of political efforts by the world’s richest man, and an injection of at least $130m of his own money. Musk campaigned for Trump both online and offline, funded advertising and get-out-the-vote operations for a campaign at a severe financial disadvantage to its opponent

Ofcom warns tech firms after chatbots imitate Brianna Ghey and Molly Russell

Ofcom has warned tech firms that content from chatbots impersonating real and fictional people could fall foul of the UK’s new digital laws.The communications regulator issued the guidance after it emerged that users on the Character.AI platform had created avatars mimicking the deceased British teenagers Brianna Ghey and Molly Russell.Under pressure from digital safety campaigners to clarify the situation, Ofcom underlined that content created by user-made chatbots would come under the scope of the Online Safety Act.Without naming the US-based artificial intelligence firm Character

Coco Gauff v Zheng Qinwen: WTA finals title decider – live

Lots of flashing purple lights and heady drums in Riyadh, but Tim Henman is still in a smart jacket so no need to panic. I imagine the players will be out soon.This was Tumaini Carayol’s take on the finals mid-week.Good afternoon! Welcome to the WTA final from Riyadh – a battle of the bright young things, between the USA’s Coco Gauff (20), who is finishing the season with a bang, and the charismatic Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen (22) – whose record since an early defeat at Wimbledon has been astonishing, winning 31 of 36 matches, and picking up two titles plus that Paris triumph. She is playing in her first WTA final, the second Chinese player after Li Na

Mark Cavendish confirms that Sunday will be ‘final race of my cycling career’

Mark Cavendish has confirmed he will retire on Sundaytoday, ending a career that includes the all-time record for most stage victories at the Tour de France and four world titles on the track and road.The 39-year-old, who announced his retirement last May before reversing that decision five months later, revealed his decision with a post on Instagram, which showed his greatest victories before ending with a simple message: “My racing career … completed it.”Cavendish said he would hang his cleats up after the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium.“Sunday will be the final race of my professional cycling career,” said Cavendish, who won 17 stages of the Giro D’Italia, three in the Vuelta a España, an Olympic silver medal in the Omnium in 2016, the Milan-San Remo in 2009 and a Commonwealth scratch gold in 2006 representing the Isle of Man.“I am lucky enough to have done what I love for almost 20 years and I can now say that I have achieved everything that I can on the bike