Fertiliser shortages will have ‘dramatic’ effect on global food prices, warns farming boss

Fertiliser shortages caused by the Iran war have driven up costs for UK farmers by up to 70% and will have a “dramatic” impact on food prices globally next year, according to one of Britain’s most powerful property and farming companies.Mark Preston, executive trustee of the 349-year-old Grosvenor Group, controlled by the Duke of Westminster, said fertiliser “was already quite expensive” before the 50% to 70% surge in prices since the start of the Iran war in late February.The effective closure of the strait of Hormuz – which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday could soon reopen – has throttled global supplies of fertiliser, crucial to growing food crops.Preston said that, although UK crops were unlikely to be affected this year as most fertiliser had already been used, the knock-on effect could arrive next year. “Farmers are not buying that fertiliser, they’re sitting on their hands and hoping things will improve, which they probably won’t,” he said

Trainline says Middle East tensions hitting European rail bookings

Trainline has said the US standoff with Iran is hitting its revenues, with rail ticket sales to foreign visitors to Europe affected.The UK-based international ticketing agent said it expected revenues to stay flat or decline over the coming year, citing “the effects of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on inbound air traffic into Europe”.Airlines have reported later bookings, with considerable consumer uncertainty around summer travel plans. The US-Israel war on Iran, closure of the strait of Hormuz and subsequent blockades have raised doubts about global jet fuel supply, with carriers already beginning to cancel thousands of flights.Shares in the company fell on its earnings guidance, with Middle East tensions adding to Trainline’s prior warnings of headwinds, including UK ticketing policy

Shivon Zilis, mother of four of Elon Musk’s children, testifies in OpenAI trial

Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive and the mother of four of Elon Musk’s children, took the stand on Wednesday as one of the most highly anticipated witnesses in Musk’s case against OpenAI. The ChatGPT maker has argued that, while Zilis worked with OpenAI from 2016 to 2023, she was also involved in a secret relationship with Musk, acting as an informant for him.Musk’s case against OpenAI alleges that the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, and president, Greg Brockman, co-founders of the company with Musk, broke a founding agreement when they restructured it from a non-profit to a for-profit enterprise. The Tesla CEO accuses Altman and Brockman of unjustly enriching themselves and wants both removed from their positions at the startup, one of the most valuable in the world. He is also seeking the undoing of the for-profit restructuring and $134bn in damages to be redistributed to OpenAI’s non-profit arm

No flattery please, Claude: I’m British | Brief letters

The otherwise admirable Richard Dawkins should adjust the local settings of the chatbot or tell it to be less obsequious (Richard Dawkins concludes AI is conscious, even if it doesn’t know it, 6 May). Such bots are initially geared to American overenthusiasm and egregiously flattering reinforcement, but just tell them you want British attitude. They’re only simulating you know.Brian Reffin SmithBerlin, Germany With artificial intelligence bringing “large language models” into everyday use, the LLM after my name has acquired a new meaning. For 70 years I assumed that it referred to my Cambridge master of laws

Runner dies after medical emergency during 253-mile ultramarathon in Arizona

A runner at the Cocodona 250 ultramarathon in Arizona has died after a medical emergency, organizers said on Tuesday.According to a statement posted on Instagram, a participant experienced a “serious medical emergency” during the 253-mile endurance race, which began Monday and continues through Saturday.“Out of respect for the runner’s family and loved ones, we are not sharing additional personal details at this time,” the statement said. “Our team is supporting those directly involved and will share more only when appropriate.“Please keep the runner’s family, friends, fellow runners, volunteers, and first responders in your thoughts

A UConn reunion and Caitlin Clark’s return: WNBA storylines to follow in season 30 | Jordan Robinson

From the Dallas Wings’ big moves to the most valuable team, here’s what we’ll be watching as the 2026 campaign begins on FridaySign up to get WNBA 30 in your inbox every TuesdayI’ve been obsessed with basketball for as long as I can remember (and have played it since I was five). Now, I cover the sport full-time. I co-wrote a book on the history of women’s hoops, Court Queens, and host the Audacy podcast The Women’s Hoops Show. I grew up a Sacramento Monarchs fan, and proudly own the signature sneakers of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and A’ja Wilson. (Angel Reese, you’re next