Food inflation forecast to fall this year after dairy, meat and vegetable oil costs drop – business live

The boss of supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has predicted that food inflation will continue to fall in 2026.Following this morning’s Christmas trading update, Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts told reporters:“We’ve seen food inflation come down and when you think about the outlook for the year ahead we’d expect that to continue,”Roberts said that commodity prices were likely to be more stable in 2026 – speaking shortly before the UN reported that global food prices had dropped again in December (see previous post).European nations have backed the biggest ever free trade agreement with a group of South American countries, ending 25 years of negotiations but risking further tensions with farmers around the bloc.France, Poland, Austria, Ireland and Hungary opposed the deal in the face of protests from the agricultural sector, but Italy dropped its opposition allowing the landmark deal to be adopted under the majority voting system.The deal with Brazil, Argentina, Paraquay and Uruquary, must still get the approval of the European Parliament but bar any major U-turns by member states, it could be signed off as early as next week by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen

Sainsbury’s blames ‘significant headwinds’ for drop in Argos sales at Christmas

Sainsbury’s has blamed “significant headwinds” from weak consumer confidence, heavy online competition and widespread discounting for a fall in sales at its Argos chain over the all-important Christmas quarter.The UK’s second-largest grocer said its supermarkets increased sales by 3.4% at established stores in the three months to 3 January but Argos sales fell 1% in the period.Argos, which has more than 600 stores and 400 collection points, most of which are within Sainsbury’s outlets, performed particularly badly in the crucial final six weeks, with total sales down 2.2% compared with the Sainsbury’s chain’s 4

UK ministers considering leaving X amid concern over AI tool images

UK ministers are considering leaving X as a result of the controversy over the platform’s AI tool, which has been allowing users to generate digitally altered pictures of people – including children – with their clothes removed.Anna Turley, the chair of the Labour party and a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, said on Friday that conversations were happening within the government and Labour about their continued use of the social media platform, which is controlled by Elon Musk.The government has come under mounting pressure to leave X after the site was flooded with images including sexualised and unclothed pictures of children generated by its AI tool, Grok.Turley told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “X, first and foremost, has to get its act together and prevent this. It has the powers to do this, and we need to make sure there are firm consequences for that

Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery

Grok, Elon Musk’s AI tool, has switched off its image creation function for the vast majority of users after a widespread outcry about its use to create sexually explicit and violent imagery.The move comes after Musk was threatened with fines, regulatory action and reports of a possible ban on X in the UK.The tool had been used to manipulate images of women to remove their clothes and put them in sexualised positions. The function to do so has been switched off except for paying subscribers.Posting on X, Musk’s social media network, Grok said: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers

NFL playoff predictions: who will seize a wide-open Super Bowl race?

The postseason kicks off on Saturday. Our writers pick the dark horses, players to watch and make their tips for the NFL’s championship gameMelissa is right about the Lions (see below), but how about the Dallas Cowboys? Their defense was nauseating, and nobody wants a playoff weekend spoiled watching that. But their offense was electric. They finished fifth in the league in EPA/play in the regular season. And with Dak Prescott, a solid o-line and George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, they had the potential to drop 30 points on any playoff group

Chess: Hastings Masters guards tradition and produces an English co-winner

Hastings is the grandfather of international chess tournaments, first staged in 1895 and then every year since 1920, with breaks for war and pandemics. Its vintage years were the 1930s, 50s and 70s, when world champions and challengers lined up to compete, while the badminton legend Sir George Thomas and the Bletchley Park codebreaker Hugh Alexander both shared first after defeating renowned opponents.Nowadays, Hastings has publicity problems, sandwiched as it is between the London Classic and Tata Steel Wijk and Zee, and running simultaneously with the Magnus Carlsen show in the World Rapid/Blitz.Its traditional support from Hastings borough council has completely vanished, so that this year’s event lacked any player from the world’s top 200 grandmasters. Hastings had a £10,000 prize fund, compared with £50,000 for the London Classic and €1m for the World Rapid/Blitz in Qatar