UK private sector shrinks as export orders slump; state borrowing nearly £15bn above official forecast – as it happened

The UK’s private sector went into decline for the first time in 1 1/2 years, as new export orders fell at the fastest rate in almost five years, in a sign that trade wars are taking their toll on the British economy.Weaker demand from international markets weighed on business activity in both the manufacturing and service sectors, according to a closely watched survey.At 48.2 in April, down from 51.5 in March, the headline ‘flash’ reading from S&P Global was below the 50 mark (that separates expansion from contraction) for the first time since October 2023

NatWest chair thanks UK taxpayers for bailout ahead of return to private ownership

The chair of NatWest has thanked UK taxpayers for the bank’s 2008 bailout weeks before the bank returns into private ownership, assuring shareholders that bosses had “fixed the issues of the past” and would not “open up floodgates of risk” despite government pressure.Rick Haythornthwaite made the comments as a small group of shareholders gathered at the Gogarburn campus on the outskirts of Edinburgh on Wednesday for the bank’s annual investor meeting.He said NatWest – formerly known as Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) – was indebted to taxpayers for the £46bn rescue package that kept the bank afloat during the financial crisis.The bailout was engineered by the late former chancellor Alistair Darling and then prime minister Gordon Brown, amid fears the UK’s biggest bank could run out of cash after a period of expansion under Fred Goodwin, who was later stripped of his knighthood.“It is important that we recognise the bold decision taken by the government of the day to step in and stabilise our banking system and, by extension, our economy, Haythornthwaite said in a speech on Wednesday

Elon Musk to pull back in Doge role starting May amid 71% dip in Tesla profits

The Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk, said he will start pulling back from his role at the so-called “department of government efficiency” starting in May. Musk’s remarks came as the company reported a massive dip in both profits and revenues in the first quarter of 2025 amid backlash against his role in the White House.On an investor call, Musk said the work necessary to get the government’s “financial house in order is mostly done”.“Starting probably next month, May, my time allocation to Doge will drop significantly,” he said.That said, he expects to spend one to two days a week continuing to do what he referred to as “critical work” at Doge “for as long as the president would like me to do so and as long as it is useful”

AI images of child sexual abuse getting ‘significantly more realistic’, says watchdog

Images of child sexual abuse created by artificial intelligence are becoming “significantly more realistic”, according to an online safety watchdog.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said advances in AI are being reflected in illegal content created and consumed by paedophiles, saying: “In 2024, the quality of AI-generated videos improved exponentially, and all types of AI imagery assessed appeared significantly more realistic as the technology developed.”The IWF revealed in its annual report that it received 245 reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery that broke UK law in 2024 – an increase of 380% on the 51 seen in 2023. The reports equated to 7,644 images and a small number of videos, reflecting the fact that one URL can contain multiple examples of illegal material.The largest proportion of those images was “category A” material, the term for the most extreme type of child sexual abuse content that includes penetrative sexual activity or sadism

Emma Raducanu returns to action with Madrid Open win over Suzan Lamens

Emma Raducanu opened her Madrid Open campaign with a gritty victory against a quality, in-form opponent, holding off Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the second round.Over the past three-and-a-half years, as Raducanu has tried to navigate the pressure, stress and ­discomfort that accompanied her spectacular arrival, there have been times where it seemed like she might find her way. Those hopeful moments were usually fleeting, with a series of tough losses, injuries or a self-sabotaging decision always around the corner.Here she is again, after reaching the quarter-finals in Miami, her most impressive performance since her US Open triumph, trying to ­maintain her good form and ­properly establish herself at the highest levels of the sport.Although the 22-year-old struggled to find her best level for any sustained period against a quality opponent, this performance was a reflection of her resilience and adaptability as she found a way through her first clay-court match of the ­season

Pipeline of Australian punting talent shakes off backlash to pin hopes on NFL draft | Jack Snape

A mulleted former Collingwood VFL player with the ability to kick with both feet heads a crop of Australians seeking to prove themselves at the highest levels of American football, as the sport’s spotlight shines on Green Bay for this week’s NFL draft.An upcoming NFL regular season match in Melbourne – for which 90,000 people have already registered an interest – and the rise of former rugby league junior and now Super Bowl winner Jordan Mailata underline the growing reputation of the American code in Australia. But the momentum of the NFL in the homeland of AFL has not been universally welcomed, with some Americans dismayed by the dominance of mature punting imports within the college ranks.Five-year Florida State punter Alex Mastromanno, who grew up in Brighton and played in the Magpies’ VFL team once in 2017, is in contention for selection in the NFL draft which gets under way on Friday morning AEST and runs over three days.Prokick Australia’s Nathan Chapman, who helped fine-tune Mastromanno’s game and prepare him for college, says the Victorian was one of several punting prospects who could be picked, including Jeremy Crawshaw from Florida, James Burnip from Alabama and Jesse Mirco from Vanderbilt