Is gen Z’s love of fried chicken pushing Britain to ‘peak pizza’?

Competition intensifies as former chief of Domino’s says days of ‘massive growth’ are overPizza has become ubiquitous on British dinner plates, with chains such as Pizza Express, Franco Manca, Domino’s and Goodfella’s dominating the market – but is its popularity starting to cool?Domino’s Pizza Group announced this week that its chief executive of two years had stepped down with immediate effect, less than two weeks after he appeared to suggest the UK may be approaching “peak pizza”.Andrew Rennie – who worked for Domino’s for more than two decades and in the top job for just two – told the Financial Times this month there was not “massive growth” left in the UK’s pizza market.Given the fast-growing demand for fried chicken, he said it was “pretty obvious” the group should broaden its menu.Rennie’s calculations are borne out by the shrinking presence of pizza restaurants on UK high streets after a period of rapid expansion more than a decade ago.The number of chain pizza restaurants has fallen from 5,000 in 2015 to 3,750 today, according to the restaurant analysts CGA, with companies such as Pizza Express, Pizza Hut and Papa Johns closing outlets in recent years

Net migration is plummeting. Why can’t Labour say so? | Heather Stewart

Keir Starmer’s response to the 69% fall in net migration revealed in official figures last week was to remark: “That’s a step in the right direction.”Describing a reduction of more than two-thirds of any indicator in a single year as a “step” would be a creative use of statistics, putting it kindly.But on this most polarising of topics, and for the prime minister, whose job it is to shape public opinion, not cower before it (to “teach”, as the longtime political commentator Steve Richards calls it), it was inexcusable.Starmer’s insouciance about the collapse in numbers – from 649,000 last year to 204,000 in the year to June – was just the latest example of how damagingly detached from reality political debate about migration has become.Since Brexit, net migration has been on a rollercoaster ride more dramatic than anything at Alton Towers – a record rise followed in short order by a record decline

How big tech is creating its own friendly media bubble to ‘win the narrative battle online’

At a time when distrust of big tech is high, Silicon Valley is embracing an alternative ecosystem where every CEO is a starA montage of Palantir’s CEO, Alex Karp, and waving US flags set to a remix of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck blasts out as the intro for the tech billionaire’s interview with Sourcery, a YouTube show presented by the digital finance platform Brex. Over the course of a friendly walk through the company offices, Karp fields no questions about Palantir’s controversial ties to ICE but instead extolls the company’s virtues, brandishes a sword and discusses how he exhumed the remains of his childhood dog Rosita to rebury them near his current home.“That’s really sweet,” host Molly O’Shea tells Karp.If you are looking to hear from some of tech’s most powerful people, you will increasingly find them on a constellation of shows and podcasts like Sourcery that provide a safe space for an industry that is wary, if not openly hostile, towards critical media outlets. Some of the new media outlets are created by the companies themselves

More than 1,000 Amazon workers warn rapid AI rollout threatens jobs and climate

More than 1,000 Amazon employees have signed an open letter expressing “serious concerns” about AI development, saying that the company’s “all-costs justified, warp speed” approach to the powerful technology will cause damage to “democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth.”The letter, published on Wednesday, was signed by the Amazon workers anonymously, and comes a month after Amazon announced mass layoff plans as it increases adoption of AI in its operations.Among the signatories are staffers in a range of positions, including engineers, product managers and warehouse associates.Reflecting broader AI concerns across the industry, the letter was also supported by more than 2,400 workers from companies including Meta, Google, Apple and Microsoft.The letter contains a range of demands for Amazon, concerning its impact on the workplace and the environment

Head ready to open again in second Ashes Test and says flexible batters will be key

Having swashbuckled Australia to victory after vaulting to the top of the order in the first Ashes Test, Travis Head arrived in Brisbane on Sunday to begin his preparations for the second, saying that the future of the format lies in the hands of batters who can flex into a variety of positions. Head described pliable positions as “where the game’s going to”, proposing that Australia could already “use these players in a range of different ways to win games of cricket”.Last month Pat Cummins, Australia’s injured captain, described the concept of batting orders as “pretty overrated”, insisting quality players “can bat wherever” – an opinion Head echoed.“I think you could use this order and these players in a range of different ways to win games of cricket,” he said. “We’ve seen it in red-ball, and particularly pink-ball, as well as non-traditional stuff, with double nightwatchmen, and how you use orders and how you use players in certain situations

Eli Katoa hopeful of NRL return as he pays tribute to partner and Storm after brain surgery

Eli Katoa remains hopeful of a return to the NRL, saying his recovery from brain surgery is “going well” as he paid tribute to his partner and fans for supporting him.Katoa was ruled out of the 2026 NRL season after undergoing emergency surgery in New Zealand to treat a brain bleed that he suffered while playing for Tonga in the Pacific Championships in early November.The Melbourne Storm second-rower’s career was thrown into doubt after he suffered three head knocks in 90 minutes and required oxygen on the sidelines.Katoa spent more than two weeks in hospital before consulting with specialists in Melbourne, who advised that he not play next season.The 25-year-old is continuing his rehabilitation and recovery under the watch of the Storm medical staff, and said he hoped to play again