E.ON agrees to buy Ovo in deal to create UK’s biggest energy supplier

The German energy group E.ON has agreed to buy struggling UK rival Ovo in a deal that would create Britain’s biggest gas and electricity supplier by number of households served.The combined company will supply about 9.6 million customers, overtaking the market leader, Octopus, which serves almost 8m homes in the UK.The value of the deal was not disclosed, but reports have estimated it at £600m

Thinktank calls for ‘double lock’ England private rent cap to ease living costs

One of the thinktanks closest to the Labour government is urging ministers to introduce private sector rent controls in England, as the chancellor weighs up how to ease a surge in living costs caused by the Iran war.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has published a paper calling for a rent “double lock”, which would link rent increases to either wages or inflation, depending on which was lower.While others on the left have previously called for rent controls, the IPPR’s extensive links inside government will increase pressure on ministers to include the idea in a cost of living package to be announced by Rachel Reeves later in May.The Guardian revealed last month that Reeves had been considering a one-year rent freeze to deal with a rise in inflation which economists say is now inevitable, but the idea was quickly dismissed by Downing Street.Maya Singer Hobbs, the author of the paper, said: “There are millions of people living with unaffordable housing costs, and if you want to bring those down quickly there are not many options

Google developers significantly misstate carbon emissions of proposed UK datacentres

Developers working for Google have significantly misstated how much carbon two proposed AI datacentres will contribute to the UK’s total emissions in planning documents reviewed by the Guardian.The tech company wants to build two huge datacentres – one 52-hectare (130 acre) project in Thurrock and another at an airfield in North Weald, both in Essex. To do so, developers are required to submit planning documents calculating how much carbon these projects will emit as a proportion of the UK’s total carbon footprint.In both cases, they appear to have compared one year of the proposed datacentre’s emissions with the UK’s entire five-year carbon budget, understating the significance of their emissions by a factor of five, according to experts at the tech justice nonprofit Foxglove.Greystoke, a company planning to build another datacentre in north Lincolnshire, one of the largest in the UK, also appears to have misstated the emissions of its project in the same way

What I saw at the Musk-OpenAI trial: petty billionaires, protests and a stern judge

For the past couple of weeks, on the fourth floor of a courthouse on a quiet street in downtown Oakland, the world’s richest man and one of the world’s most valuable startups have been at war over the future of artificial intelligence.Being one of the reporters in the room has felt like watching an updated, opposite-coast version of Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities – ambition, ego, greed and the spectrum of social class on full display. The supporting cast has included Elon Musk fanboys, a stern judge and a who’s-who of Silicon Valley’s most influential people.All courtroom battles are theatre, but this one has proved to be a unique spectacle, with the judge chastising the lawyers for leading the witness, raising meritless objections and even too much coughing. With Musk on the stand, he griped that an opposing attorney had asked a leading question, to which the judge told him to “tell the jury you’re not a lawyer”

I can tell Stephen A Smith why many Black people don’t like him | Etan Thomas

Dear Stephen A Smith,Let me first say that I tremendously respect all you do for historically Black colleges and universities. You have helped generate millions in scholarships, promoted student enrollment and brought national media attention to HBCUs across the United States. Specifically, as ambassador, you have promoted the annual HBCU College Fair, which has garnered over $12m in scholarships. You encourage students to consider HBCUs for their higher education, highlighting the community and nurturing environment they provide.And yet, you wonder why many Black people in America feel that you “betrayed your race”

Bookmaker subject to AFL integrity unit probe continues in role for Gold Coast Suns

A bookmaker continues to work inside the Gold Coast Suns’ dressing room while he is subject to an AFL integrity unit investigation, as the competition’s chief executive Andrew Dillon flagged the apparent conflict of interest will be addressed.Mark Opie’s gambling firm Okebet was fined $100,000 by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) in 2024 for inducing bets by players at local footy clubs.Opie – a Richmond Tigers life member who moved to the Suns in 2024 – managed warm-ups for the Suns before their weekend victory over St Kilda in Darwin, despite the investigation being triggered last week.AFL chief executive Andrew Dillion said on Monday the league is looking at the link.“What I can say is the integrity unit’s aware of it and that we’re liaising with the Gold Coast Suns in relation to that, and there’ll be more to say on that later