Royal Mail investigating claims that postal worker ‘binned Reform UK election leaflets’

Royal Mail is investigating allegations that a postal worker claimed to have “dumped” Reform UK campaign leaflets in a bin ahead of local elections on 7 May.A post on a Facebook group for Royal Mail staff said: “My DO had reform party’s D2D today. I dumped them all in a bin. They can sack me! Idgaf!”“DO” is an acronym for delivery office, “D2D” for door-to-door or unaddressed advertising mail, and “IDGAF” means “I don’t give a fuck”.The message was shared to a private 30,000-member Facebook group called Royal Mail Chat

Greggs rolls back self-service cabinets in shoplifting hotspots

Keir Starmer will attempt to call time on a “disgraceful” shoplifting epidemic afflicting the UK’s retailers, as Greggs became the latest to take action to deter thieves.The bakery chain has axed self-service display cabinets in stores that have been most severely hit by shoplifters.They are the latest measures aimed at combating a problem plaguing the high street. Last year official figures revealed annual shoplifting offences in England and Wales had passed half a million offences for the first time, and since then many retailers have reported high levels of crime in their shops.Starmer, whose government is attempting to introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker, will say on Monday: “Working people – grafters – go to work, do the right thing, keep our high streets thriving and yet too often they are abused or assaulted by people who think they can get away with it and just cheat the system

Cannes AI film festival raises eyebrows – and questions about future

In Cannes’ darkened screening rooms, the supposed future of cinema flickered into life this week and it was strange. The first edition of the World AI film festival (WAIFF) showcased visions of men with fish scales erupting from their necks and seaweed from their mouths, a heroine with a heart beating outside her body and so many massed armies of AI-generated tanned men sweeping across battlefields that David Lean would have blushed.Last week the Cannes film festival, entering its 76th year, banned the emerging technology from its Palme d’Or competition, insisting “AI imitates very well but it will never feel deep emotions”. But this week the Croisette was taken over by the upstart AI film movement and their big-tech backers amid increasing investment and attention from the Hollywood studios. A “nouvelle vague”, they said, is coming

Facing AI and a tough job market, gen Z turns to entrepreneurship: ‘I have to prove myself’

When Ashley Terrell graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2024, she planned to find a job in marketing, maybe for a tech company. She had a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a college résumé that included a student marketing job for Red Bull. But after months of applying, her only offer was to work in the power tools section at Home Depot. “It was quite a shock,” she told the Guardian. “I searched for jobs every single day in that Home Depot bathroom

Coco Gauff reaches fourth round despite vomiting on court at Madrid Open

Coco Gauff described how difficult it has been for players to remain healthy at the Madrid Open this year after she reached the fourth round despite vomiting on court and struggling with a virus that appears to have torn through the locker room.“I think I got a little cocky because I’ve been at tournaments where there were viruses and I never got it,” she said. “I saw it going around, I was like, ‘I’m not going to get it.’ And then here I am. I think it’s hard because you don’t know who’s sick, who’s not

Gloucester dent Exeter’s playoff hopes as Llewellyn and Trenholm double up

Almost 12 months ago to the day Exeter shipped 79 points in front of the Shed, precipitating a major coaching reshuffle and a finger-wagging post-match lecture from their chair Tony Rowe. This eventful defeat was not remotely on the same scale but there could yet be a sizeable price to pay as the end-of-season playoffs loom larger.The Chiefs have certainly chosen an awkward moment to suffer back-to-back league defeats, leaving them looking over their shoulders in fourth place with four regular season rounds remaining. On this occasion they could have no complaints whatsoever as a revitalised Gloucester grabbed only their third league win of the campaign with Max Llewellyn and Will Trenholm scoring two tries apiece.Having led 26-12 at half-time, the home side had to survive a last-quarter fightback but deserved their breathless victory which lifts them up to eighth and boosts their prospects of Champions Cup rugby next season