Billionaire Gautam Adani charged in US over alleged $250m bribery plot

Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men, has been indicted in New York over an alleged multi-billion-dollar scheme to pay $250m in bribes and conceal the scheme from US investors.Prosecutors charged the chair of Indian conglomerate Adani Group and two other executives of a renewable energy company with securities fraud and conspiring to commit securities and wire fraud.The US attorney’s office in Brooklyn accused the executives of agreeing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of bribes to Indian government officials between 2020 and 2024, in a bid to obtain solar energy supply contracts expected to yield $2bn in profits over 20 years.Separately, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the US’s top markets watchdog, charged Adani, 62, and two other executives over conduct it said had arisen out of a “massive bribery scheme”.Adani Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment

UK inflation rises to 2.3%, increasing pressure to delay interest rate cut

Inflation could rise above 3% next year after it increased to 2.3% in October, heaping pressure on the Bank of England to delay further interest rate cuts until the spring.Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday showed that a rise in energy bills pushed up the consumer prices index (CPI), reversing a downward trend this year in inflation, which was 1.7% in September.The figure for the year to October was slightly above the 2

Opt out: how to stop tech companies spying on your phone as Trump promises mass deportations

There are no federal privacy regulations to protect your information – here’s how you can do it yourselfWelcome to Opt Out, a semi-regular column in which we help you navigate your online privacy and show you how to say no to surveillance. The last column covered how to talk to your family about not posting your baby’s photos on the internet.President-elect Donald Trump has promised to execute the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in American history, and many rights groups are concerned he’ll also introduce or reinstate rules that target broader immigrant communities as well – even if they’ve come through legal pathways or have been naturalized. If his prior administration is any indication, that can include people from certain Muslim-majority countries, asylum seekers and refugees.Civil liberties groups are bracing for what this will mean for the privacy and data security of immigrants around the country

Can a fluffy robot really replace a cat or dog? My weird, emotional week with an AI pet

Casio says Moflin can develop its own personality and build a rapport with its owner – and it doesn’t need food, exercise or a litter tray. But is it essentially comforting or alienating?It looks faintly like one half of a small pair of very fluffy slippers. It squeaks and wriggles and nestles in the palm of my hand, black eyes hidden beneath a mop of silvery-white fur. It weighs about the same as a tin of soup. It doesn’t need to be fed or walked and it doesn’t use a litter tray; it’s guaranteed not to leave “gifts” on my doorstep

Warren Gatland doubles down on Wales job but public support in short supply

The last rites, if that is what they are, are going to drag on a while longer yet. On Wednesday, Warren Gatland reiterated that he would resign as head coach if it were “in the best interests of Welsh rugby”, while also making it very clear that in his opinion it is not.Gatland says he had the ­conversations with his family and his employers after Wales lost 52-20 to Australia on Sunday, their 11th straight defeat. Whatever was said, it has left him “focused solely on preparing the team for this week”.Which brings the ominous prospect of a match against South Africa, the back-to-back world champions

Rejigged India can draw strength from 2021 – but still face uphill struggle | Geoff Lemon

Arriving in Australia in the ember weeks of 2024, the Indian Test team is in an unusual position. They are, in a sense, defending champions. Starting in 1947, Asian teams toured Australia 30 times in a row without winning a series. Most of the time they didn’t come close: Australia won 24, six drawn. It was January 2019 in Sydney, after more than seven decades, that India’s run mountain while leading the series forced the home team to bat for a draw