Next says Middle East conflict could raise clothing prices by up to 10%

The boss of Next has said clothing prices could rise by 4% to 10% if conflict in the Middle East extends into the autumn and factories are hit by higher fuel and fabric costs.Simon Wolfson said the clothing and home retailer had so far seen little disruption to its supply chain.While container ships are being delayed by up to two weeks as they travel slowly to save fuel, he said the company already held enough spare stock to prevent gaps on shelves.He said these costs could amount to £15m if the conflict lasts three months and prices could begin to rise by about 1% from June or July if disruption dragged on until then.Lord Wolfson added that Next was offsetting additional costs on fuel and air freight with savings elsewhere and it did not expect any effect on profits for the year ahead

There are solutions to Britain’s energy crisis | Letters

The Iran war has exposed the cost of successive governments’ fixation on short-term, vote-winning policies, leaving Britain increasingly vulnerable to strategic coercion, particularly in energy (The UK sleepwalked into this energy price shock, 23 March).British companies currently lead a new, technologically proven, job-creating industry which, had it been supported earlier, would have strengthened security of supply and reduced costs. It is tidal stream energy.Britain has about 50% of Europe’s tidal resources, all within our territorial waters and flowing at different times. It is predictable, inexhaustible and can be operational within three years of consent, independent of global energy prices and weather variability

Google warns quantum computers could hack encrypted systems by 2029

Banks, governments and technology providers need to be prepared for quantum computer hackers capable of breaking most existing encryption systems by 2029, Google has warned.The tech company said in a blogpost that quantum computers would pose a “significant threat to current cryptographic standards” before the end of the decade and urged other companies to follow its lead.The company, owned by Alphabet, said: “The encryption currently used to keep your information confidential and secure could easily be broken by a large-scale quantum computer in coming years.”As it stands, quantum computers – which can rapidly carry out complex tasks – are a nascent technology with great potential and significant obstacles to being widely usable.Google, Microsoft and universities across the UK and the US are in the midst of building systems that harness the physics of quantum mechanics to perform extremely sophisticated mathematical calculations

Starmer vows to tackle social media’s ‘addictive features’ to protect children

Keir Starmer has said he will tackle “addictive features” in social media amid increasing signs the UK government is preparing to crack down on risks to children after a US court verdict that held Meta and YouTube responsible for harms caused by designing addictive technology.The prime minister said the verdict in a California court signalled a rising public expectation for more aggressive regulation and said: “I’m absolutely clear that we need to go further.”“The status quo isn’t good enough,” he said. “We need to do more to protect children. That’s why we’re consulting about issues such as banning social media for under-16s

Prem Rugby introduce minimum salary floor of £5.4m for clubs next season

Prem Rugby will introduce a minimum salary floor of £5.4m for each club next season as part of a long-term plan to increase competitiveness. The Rugby Football Union Council voted last month to ringfence the existing 10-team Prem until the 2029-30 season, when it is hoped two clubs will be added provided they meet minimum financial and sporting standards.Explaining the Prem’s growth plans in detail for the first time, its chief executive, Simon Massie-Taylor, revealed they are aiming to open expansion windows every four years, when up to two clubs could join. The first tender process will take place during 2027 and the most impressive applicants could be invited to join Champ Rugby the following season, with a view to moving up to the Prem in 2028-29 as long as they reach the playoffs in the second tier

Tom Brady, 48, says he explored return to NFL but league ‘don’t like that idea very much’

Tom Brady says he explored the idea of making a return to the NFL as a player but the league “don’t like that idea very much”.Brady’s last NFL game came in a defeat to the Dallas Cowboys in January 2023. Since then he has become a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders as well as a television analyst for Fox. A spokesperson for the league said that Brady, who turns 49 in August, would need to divest his stake in the Raiders if he was to return to playing.“I actually have inquired [about a return to playing], and [the NFL] don’t like that idea very much,” Brady told CNBC Sport this week