Ex-Barclays boss claims his marriage is at risk after admitting in court to sex with Epstein employee

The former bank boss Jes Staley has claimed his honesty in court has “put my marriage at risk” after his lawyer complained that forcing him to disclose he had sex with a member of Jeffrey Epstein’s staff had resulted in “public humiliation”.The ex-Barclays chief executive capped off three and a half days of cross-examination by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) by suggesting his willingness to endure scrutiny showed he had no interest in misleading the regulator, which alleges he lied about the depth of his relationship with Epstein.Staley is trying to overturn the FCA’s 2023 ruling that led to a lifetime ban from the City and the loss of £18m in pay and bonuses from Barclays.Speaking at the Upper Tribunal in London on Thursday, he said: “On my own costs, I crossed the Atlantic to be in the tribunal to be open and honest. I could have stayed at home

UK food and drink exports to the EU down 34% since Brexit

British food and drink exports to the EU have tumbled by more than a third since Brexit, according to new trade body figures highlighting how bureaucratic barriers have changed the relationship between the UK and its most important trading partner.Products including whisky, chocolate and cheese remain popular with EU customers but overall food export volumes to the bloc fell to 6.37bn kg in 2024, representing a 34% decline compared with 2019 levels, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) found.While some of the fall in exports since the UK left the union in January 2020 can be attributed to global events including the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the FDF’s latest trade snapshot reveals other European countries including the Netherlands, Germany and Italy have increased their export volumes since 2020. The trade body has blamed post-Brexit trading arrangements for the slump in UK exports

How to end your phone addiction once and for all | Letter

The Guardian has published quite a lot of articles recently expressing some concern over the use of smartphones. Emma Beddington’s piece (My phone knows what I want before I do. That should be worrying – but it’s oddly comforting, 10 March) is perhaps the most alarming to date, mitigated to only some degree by her self-awareness. But help is at hand.There is a simple way in which we can set ourselves free

Crypto reaps political rewards after spending big to boost Trump

Hello, and welcome to TechScape. In this week’s edition, the crypto industry’s political investments pay off in spades, the left attempts to reclaim an optimistic view of our shiny technological future, and your memories of Skype.The US president hosted prominent crypto leaders at the White House on Friday in what seemed like a choreographed climax to weeks of handing the industry win after win.The day before, Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a “strategic reserve” of cryptocurrency for the US, which he called “digital Fort Knox for digital gold to be stored”. It’s just one of several recent announcements that indicated a new and friendly posture toward the industry

NBC Universal agrees to $3bn extension to broadcast Olympics in US

NBC Universal has unveiled a $3bn extension of its Olympics deal, ensuring the Summer and Winter Games remain on NBC and its Peacock streaming service in the US until 2036.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Comcast, the telecoms conglomerate which owns NBC, announced their latest lucrative partnership – the biggest single biggest source of revenue for the IOC – on Thursday.As a result, the US network will continue to broadcast the Olympics beyond the 2032 Games in Brisbane, when its previous deal was set to conclude. LA will host the Olympics in 2028.The deal means the 2034 Winter Olympics, in Salt Lake City, and the 2036 Summer Olympics, the host city of which has yet to be selected, will air on NBC in the US

Wales will combine ‘heart and brain’ as Sherratt aims to sign off with a win

Wales are aiming to surprise England with a combination of “heart and brain” when the two teams meet in Cardiff on Saturday. The caretaker Wales coach, Matt Sherratt, in his final game in charge, believes his team can upset the odds and avoid a 17th successive Test defeat and a second consecutive tournament whitewash.Sherratt has already helped improve squad morale after the abrupt mid-season departure of Warren Gatland and would love to conclude the campaign with a win to reward the hard work of all involved in the Welsh setup. “If that win comes it would give everyone a massive lift, especially against England at home,” said Sherratt, who will revert to his existing job with Cardiff next week.“I would love to sign off [with a win], not for me but for the players and staff who have been here for a long time