EU drops plans to hit American bourbon with retaliatory tariffs

Amid the economic maelstrom of Donald Trump’s trade war, drink makers might take a small drop of comfort: the EU has dropped plans to hit American bourbon with retaliatory tariffs.Bourbon and other US whiskeys have escaped EU countermeasures after heavy lobbying from the EU’s drinks-producing countries – such as whiskey-making Ireland and the wine behemoths Italy and France – who feared their alcohol industries would become casualties of a global trade war.Bourbon and wine have been removed from a draft list of US goods that will be subject to EU retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump’s duties on steel and aluminium announced last month, according to a leaked list first reported by Reuters.EU member states will vote on the final list on Wednesday, which targets €21bn goods, down from €26bn originally foreseen, after talks with the EU’s 27 member states and many industry bodies. The list of potential targets facing mostly 25% retaliatory tariffs now ranges from almonds to yachts, via diamonds and dental floss, soya beans and steel parts

Reeves tries to soothe market jitters after sell-off driven by Trump tariffs

Rachel Reeves stepped in to soothe stock market jitters on Tuesday amid signs that the punishing global sell-off triggered by US trade tariffs was starting to ease.The chancellor told parliament she had spoken to Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, who confirmed “markets are functioning effectively and that our banking system is resilient”.Reeves’s comments came as stock markets in the US and Europe entered positive territory on Tuesday. Some investor optimism has returned after heavy falls as a result of Donald Trump’s “liberation day’” tariff announcements last Wednesday.Shares rallied after the US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said that he believed the US could reach “some good deals” with trading partners

Gen Z and the gym boss: ‘They cite mental health as high as physical health in terms of reason to join’

Will Orr, head of The Gym Group, is riding a wave of growth as young people embrace exercise as something beneficial for more than just the bodyIf you have health-conscious friends, chances are you’ll have seen at least one posting online about a Hyrox race, the gruelling competitive circuit-training trend that has swept the fitness sector.Will Orr knows a thing or two about it. His company, The Gym Group, has rolled out Hyrox training sessions to about half of its 245 sites and prides itself on being the biggest club for the discipline in the UK.However, the silver-haired chief executive has a confession to make: he has never done a Hyrox competitive event, although he has done some training.“They’re quite demanding; that’s not to say I couldn’t do it,” he tells the Observer as we meet in the no-frills gym chain’s new site in Elephant and Castle, south London

‘WH Smith wasn’t just a workplace’: ex-staff and shoppers on the high street chain

After 233 years, the household name of WH Smith will soon disappear from high streets and the stores will be rebranded under the fictitious “family” brand name TGJones.The high street business, which employs 5,000 staff, will sell its 480 high street stores to the Hobbycraft owner, Modella Capital, but will retain its brand for travel shops in airports, railway stations and hospitals.From memories of staff choosing which records to play to buying their first Parker pen, six people describe what WH Smith means to them and how the stores have changed over the years.Matthew Kempson’s family have had a long association with the high street shop, starting with his grandfather Roy who worked at WH Smith from the 1930s to the 1970s. “He was so proud of the valuable role that the shop had as part of providing a service to the community,” said Matthew, 47, a project manager from Cottingham, East Yorkshire

US workers feel effects of Trump cuts: ‘I am seeing my work dry up’

Americans are grappling with climbing costs, falling sales and dwindling work as Donald Trump moves to overhaul the federal government and economy.As the US president pushes forward with an array of controversial policies, from sweeping cuts to blanket tariffs, the Guardian asked US workers how they have been affected. Some requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.Knock-on effects from Trump’s attempt to rapidly shrink the federal government by firing workers, slashing funding and cancelling grants are already reaching the private sector, with workers reporting layoffs, price hikes and supply issues.Consumer confidence in the US has dropped in March to the lowest level in four years

Sir Philip Green loses legal case against UK over use of parliamentary privilege

The retail tycoon Sir Philip Green has lost a legal case against the UK government after complaining about being publicly named in the House of Lords as facing misconduct allegations.The case, which was said to be a test of the concept of parliamentary privilege, was launched after Lord Hain announced in the House of Lords in 2018 that Green had used the courts to obtain an interim injunction against the Telegraph to stop publication of the allegations.Parliamentary privilege allows members to speak freely and their comments to be reported without the fear of being sued.On Tuesday, the European court of human rights (ECHR) ruled against the Monaco-based businessman, who had alleged that the lack of controls on the use of parliamentary privilege breached his right to privacy.Lawyers for Green, the former chair of the then Topshop owner Arcadia, had argued that the UK, as a member of the ECHR, must ensure that parliamentary privilege was not used to circumvent court orders