Financial news

• UK exposed to ‘serious harm’ by failure to tackle AI risks, MPs warn

  20-01-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Government, Bank of England and FCA criticised for taking ‘wait-and-see’ approach to AI use in financial sectorConsumers and the UK financial system are being exposed to “serious harm” by the failure of government and the Bank of England to get a grip on the risks posed by artificial intelligence, an influential parliamentary committee has warned.In a new report, MPs on the Treasury committee criticise ministers and City regulators, including the Financial Conduct Authori
  
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• Water firms could be let off pollution fines as part of government overhaul

  19-01-2026 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Campaigners claim changes will let companies ‘off the hook’, as government prepares to unveil new white paper for water industryWater companies could be let off fines for polluting the environment under changes announced in the government’s new white paper.The environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, hailed the changes as “once-in-a-generation reforms” featuring “tough oversight, real accountability and no more excuses”. Continue reading...
  
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• What are Trump’s latest tariff threats and could EU hit back with ‘big bazooka’?

  19-01-2026 19:12 via theguardian.com
  Europe could use powerful but untested law amid pressure over Greenland – but it could also lose out from a trade warMarkets stay calm amid Trump’s gambit, but long-term risks are hugeEuropean industry hits out at ‘ludicrous’ demandsEurope live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s threat to impose punitive US import tariffs on eight European countries opposed to his ambitions in Greenland has raised fears of a full-blown transatlantic trade war. Continue reading...
  
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• Markets stay calm amid Trump’s gambit, but long-term risks are huge | Nils Pratley

  19-01-2026 19:02 via theguardian.com
  Traders have learned to live with the US president’s rhetoric, but the EU’s measures could go beyond tariffs and into capital marketsThat’s how the chancellor’s luck runs these days. You arrange to open the day’s trading on the stock exchange to hail a “new golden age” for the City and bask in the sight of the FTSE 100 index above 10,000, and what happens? You have to skip off to the prime minister’s statement on Greenland.In the event, Rachel Reev
  
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• Markets fall and gold and silver hit new highs after Trump’s latest tariff threat

  19-01-2026 18:34 via theguardian.com
  European carmakers among hardest hit with US president’s talk of Greenland-linked trade levies also pushing down the dollarMarkets stay calm amid Trump’s gambit, but long-term risks are hugeCould the EU hit back with its ‘big bazooka’?Europe live – latest updatesEuropean stock markets fell on Monday and gold and silver prices hit record highs after Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on eight European countries in an increasingly aggressive attempt
  
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• Ex-gambling bosses facing UK criminal trial lose civil case against regulator

  19-01-2026 17:54 via theguardian.com
  Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman ordered to pay Gambling Commission’s costs after claim dismissedTwo gambling executives who are facing criminal charges of bribery and fraud have failed in a separate civil suit against the Gambling Commission, in which they accused the regulator of breaching their right to privacy.Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman, the former chief executive and chair of Entain, the Ladbrokes and Coral owner, sued the gambling regulator last year over its intervention in thei
  
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• World’s oldest monastic brewery to be sold as German beer sales slide

  19-01-2026 16:38 via theguardian.com
  Brewing tradition of nearly 1,000 years at Weltenburg Abbey in Bavaria to be bought up by Munich company Schneider WeisseThe world’s oldest monastic brewery, Germany’s Weltenburger, is being sold to the Munich brewers Schneider Weisse as part of consolidation in the sector in response to plunging sales.Beer has been brewed at Weltenburg Abbey, a stunning, still active monastery on the banks of the Danube in Bavaria, for nearly 1,000 years. Continue reading...
  
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• Starmer: ‘We don’t want a trade war’ – podcast

  19-01-2026 14:19 via theguardian.com
  Keir Starmer has held an emergency press conference in response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland. Pippa and Kiran discuss what the UK prime minister said and how it may be received Continue reading...
  
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• In Davos, the rich talk about ‘global threats’. Here’s why they’re silent about the biggest of them all | Ingrid Robeyns

  19-01-2026 14:10 via theguardian.com
  Economic inequality is at the heart of all humanity’s major problems, but the wealthiest refuse to confront a system that benefits themThis week, hundreds of government leaders, heads of state, and business executives are gathering at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. They will be discussing solutions to the world’s biggest risks and problems.But everything suggests that, once more, what will not be addressed at their meeting is the biggest threat to huma
  
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• ScottishPower named worst energy supplier for customer service

  19-01-2026 12:12 via theguardian.com
  Which? survey ranks many of Great Britain’s biggest suppliers near bottom, with British Gas and EDF Energy also scoring poorlyBusiness live – latest updatesScottishPower has been ranked Great Britain’s worst energy supplier for customer service in a survey from a leading consumer body, which placed many of the biggest suppliers near the bottom of the league table.British Gas and EDF Energy were just above ScottishPower at the foot of the annual Which? rankings. These are based
  
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• Make films shorter if you want them shown in cinemas, says Picturehouse director

  19-01-2026 11:34 via theguardian.com
  Clare Binns says three-hour runtimes deter audiences as she is named Bafta recipient for outstanding British contribution to cinemaDirectors should make shorter films if they want their work screened in cinemas, the head of one of the UK’s leading cinema and distribution companies has said.Clare Binns, the creative director of Picturehouse Cinemas, made the comments after being named the recipient of this year’s Bafta award for outstanding British contribution to cinema, amid concern
  
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• HMRC '10 months' alert as people across UK owed cash

  19-01-2026 10:42 via express.co.uk
  Professional bodies say the problem is widespread
  
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• Out of sight: spectacular HS2 tunnels offer glimmer of hope for stalling project

  19-01-2026 09:37 via theguardian.com
  Despite much soul-searching over UK’s inability to build infrastructure, two sections of HS2 under Chilterns are being hailed for their engineeringSeventy metres down, in deep incognito beneath a disguised ventilation shaft in the Chilterns countryside, lies HS2’s buried treasure: two 10-mile tunnels, built to avoid an area of outstanding natural beauty, eerily spectacular in gleaming concrete.They are, laments a staffer on the high-speed railway scheme, what all of the route should
  
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• 'I'm a pension expert - 6 things to consider now if you plan to retire in 2026'

  19-01-2026 08:16 via express.co.uk
  Only 21% of people retiring in 2026 have made a retirement plan.
  
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• E.ON cancelled £13,000 bill it sent to my late mother, but still owes £3,360

  19-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  A bereaved young customer was baffled by the wildly fluctuating balances the energy supplier claimed on a family’s accountWhen my mother died of cancer, my aunt adopted me. She, too, died of cancer in 2024. At 26, I am now alone and struggling to deal with enormous, nonsensical energy bills from E.ON Next. In 2022, I discovered my aunt had been paying massively inflated bills for the flat I shared with her, so I had the account closed and a new one set up in my name. An E.ON agent took met
  
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• Pension savers urged to get 3 things 'right' in 2026 for 'comfortable retirement'

  19-01-2026 07:31 via express.co.uk
  Approximately 14.6 million people are making a crucial pension mistake.
  
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• China’s economy hit growth target last year despite Trump trade war and property crisis

  19-01-2026 07:26 via theguardian.com
  Economy weathered a fraught geopolitical landscape to reach 5% goal but domestic structural challenges ‘not going away’, say expertsChina’s population falls again as birthrate hits record lowBusiness live – latest updatesChina has said its economy grew 5% last year, hitting Beijing’s official target as the world’s second-largest economy overcame Donald Trump’s tariff war with a record trade surplus.Data released on Monday by Beijing’s National Bure
  
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• The UK’s top 10 most expensive postcodes outside of London

  19-01-2026 07:15 via express.co.uk
  The most expensive postcode has an average house price of £1,875,000.
  
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• UK property market ‘on the up’ amid new year bounce in asking prices

  19-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Average price of a home coming up for sale rises almost £10,000, the largest monthly jump in a decadeThe UK housing market is enjoying a new year bounce, with the average price of a home coming up for sale increasing by the largest monthly amount in a decade, data shows.The property website Rightmove said almost £10,000 was added to the average asking price of a British home in the space of five weeks. Continue reading...
  
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• Scottish Power ranked UK’s worst supplier for customer service by Which?

  19-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Consumer group gives many of the biggest suppliers low ratings in its annual survey of energy provider performanceScottish Power has been ranked Britain’s worst energy supplier for customer service in a survey from a leading consumer body that placed many of the UK’s biggest suppliers at the bottom of the league table.British Gas and EDF Energy were just above Scottish Power at the foot of the annual Which? rankings. These are based on a satisfaction survey of almost 12,000 energy cu
  
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• Halifax to close 2 bank branches this week - full list of locations

  19-01-2026 06:37 via express.co.uk
  It comes as more than 100 bank branches are set to close in 2026 as the retreat from the high street continues at pace.
  
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• ‘Brazen’ political influence of rich laid bare as wealth of billionaires reaches $18.3tn, says Oxfam

  19-01-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Governments opting for oligarchy while brutally repressing protests over austerity and lack of jobs, charity report saysThe world saw a record number of billionaires created last year, with a collective wealth of $18.3tn (£13.7tn), while global efforts stalled in the fight against poverty and hunger.Oxfam’s annual survey of global inequality has revealed that the number of billionaires surpassed 3,000 for the first time during 2025. Since 2020, their collective wealth grew by 81%, or
  
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• Trump tariff bombshell sends global markets reeling with FTSE 100 set to drop

  18-01-2026 23:52 via express.co.uk
  Donald Trump said he will impose 10% tariffs on eight countries including the UK.
  
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• Thousands of Kent residents still dealing with water supply issues

  18-01-2026 23:51 via theguardian.com
  South East Water treatment works fault, power outage and burst mains leave homes with no water or low pressureThousands of residents across Kent are still dealing with water supply issues after yet more outages from the under-fire operator, South East Water.The water supply of more than 5,500 households was affected on Sunday evening due to a treatment works fault, a power outage and two burst mains. Continue reading...
  
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• Labour-run council offers support to staff made redundant after major chain closes sites

  18-01-2026 23:34 via express.co.uk
  The council said residents looking for a new role can get free help including CV advice and guidance on job opportunities.
  
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• UK construction company enters administration putting 400 jobs at risk

  18-01-2026 23:04 via express.co.uk
  Administrators said the construction industry has faced "challenging trading conditions over recent years", including rising costs and delays to schemes.
  
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• Brits urged to make 1 move to save £203 on broadband as bills jump in April

  18-01-2026 22:05 via express.co.uk
  Some mobile and broadband customers could expect hikes of up to 13%.
  
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• State pensioners handed 3 new Council Tax exemptions to cut bill to £0

  18-01-2026 20:23 via express.co.uk
  A rule change is set to take effect this month.
  
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• If it wasn’t clear before, it is now: Britain needs an escape plan from the Trump world order | Gaby Hinsliff

  18-01-2026 17:59 via theguardian.com
  The US president’s trade war for Greenland tells us that the time for fence-sitting or wishful thinking is overOne way or the other, President Trump said, he will have Greenland. Well, at least now we know it’s the other; not an invasion that would have sent young men home to their mothers across Europe in coffins, but instead another trade war, designed to kill off jobs and break Europe’s will. Just our hopes of an economic recovery, then, getting taken out and shot on a whim
  
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• Nicola Jennings on Greenland, Trump and tariffs – cartoon

  18-01-2026 17:54 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• Expand credit unions to boost cheap credit to low-income people, Labour MPs urge Reeves

  18-01-2026 16:42 via theguardian.com
  Influential MPs including committee chairs say millions could benefit with minor changes to financial inclusion bill A group of Labour MPs have called on Rachel Reeves to support a huge expansion of credit unions to increase access to cheap credit for millions of people on low incomes.The move coincides with celebrations on Monday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the UK’s military credit unions, which are supported by Queen Camilla and provide “an ethical and affordable alternative
  
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• ‘America first’? Trump financial products raise questions about potential presidential conflicts of interest

  18-01-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Five exchange-traded funds have been launched by Trump Media, owner of the president’s social media platform Truth SocialThe word “Truth” was plastered all around the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning. At 9.30am, when the market opened, a small crowd stood on the balcony above the trading floor to ring in the day.The group was celebrating the launch of five exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, that are tied to Truth Social, Donald Trump’s social media platform that h
  
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• Trump tariff threats are bad, but the uncertainty they instil is much worse

  18-01-2026 12:45 via theguardian.com
  The spectre of rising inflation, slowing global trade and jittery markets has re-emerged as US economic policy divorces itself from any logicTrump threatens 25% tariff on European allies Markets brace for turbulence after latest Trump tariff shockDonald Trump’s latest tariff threat, in pursuit of his goal of seizing Greenland, is a political nightmare for European leaders, but it could create a severe economic headache too.As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has repeatedly pointed out
  
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• Why Rachel Reeves should give bankers more of the cold shoulder at Davos 2026 | Heather Stewart

  18-01-2026 12:01 via theguardian.com
  The chancellor has been cosseting City lenders to fuel economic growth but studies show UK plc would be better served by trying to keep them in checkBack-slapping bankers will be thick on the ground in the Swiss ski resort of Davos this week as Rachel Reeves flies in to mix with the global elite. But she might be wise to treat the finance bros with a certain froideur.That has not been Labour’s approach thus far: Reeves spared the banks from a windfall tax in her 26 November budget, and the
  
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• ‘A gaming success story’: how Warhammer became one of Britain’s biggest companies

  18-01-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Worth £6bn and with revenues recently rising by 10.9%, the niche interest game has become a global businessYou don’t need to spend your weekends organising a face-off between bloodthirsty orcs and elves to have heard of the game Warhammer.So popular is the fantasy game that its parent company Games Workshop is valued at a staggering £6bn and is almost ever-present on British high streets. Continue reading...
  
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• Royal Navy shipbuilder in limbo owing to cash shortage at Liberty Steel plant

  18-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Call for UK state to step in after Gupta-owned Dalzell works in Scotland unable to produce metal for three new warshipsA shipbuilder for the Royal Navy faces an uncertain wait for the steel to build three warships because of a shortage of cash at the Scottish steel mill that has won the contract.Liberty Steel Dalzell in Scotland has been unable to start production in earnest because there is “no cashflow to buy slab”, despite an order to supply 34,000 tonnes of metal plates to build
  
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• January blues? Longing for an escape to the sun? Perfect timing for criminals to cash in

  18-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  This is one of three key months when fraudsters ramp up the number of scams to trap travellers into paying for a ‘bargain holiday’ … that doesn’t existStress-free travel: plan now to avoid holiday scams and pitfallsYou are battling the January blues and see a cheap deal on one of your socials for a two-week break in Spain during August. Better still, the price is £200 cheaper than elsewhere, possibly because the holiday is almost sold out.When you text to confirm t
  
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• Dublin Bay’s oyster graveyard rises from dead in effort to restore rich ecosystem

  18-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Pioneering scheme hopes species that thrived for thousands of years in Irish waters can do so againThe dinghy slowed to a stop at a long line of black bobbing baskets and David Lawlor reached out to inspect the first one.Inside lay 60 oysters, all with their shells closed, shielding the life within. “They look great,” beamed Lawlor. So did their neighbours in the next basket and the ones after that, all down the line of 300 baskets, totalling 18,000 oysters. Continue reading...
  
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• Prince Harry v the Daily Mail: high-stakes trial could have profound effects on UK media

  18-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Royal will join a group of notable figures in his action against the tabloid and its stablemate, the Mail on Sunday, in a trial expected to last nine weeks On Monday morning, Prince Harry’s legal war with the Daily Mail, one of the British media’s most formidable forces, will finally come to trial in court 76 of the high court in London.The prince is joined in his action by some of the most recognisable figures in British life: the singer and songwriter Elton John and his husban
  
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• Davos 2026: the last-chance saloon to save the old world order?

  18-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Donald Trump will lead the largest US delegation ever at the World Economic Forum, as others plan a fightback against his policies including his latest tariff threats“A Spirit of Dialogue”: the theme for this year’s World Economic Forum, the gathering of the global elite in the sparkling Alpine air of Davos, seems a heroic stretch, when star guest Donald Trump has spent the past year smashing up the world order.The president will touch down alongside the snowcapped Swiss mounta
  
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• Trump buys $1m in Netflix and Warner Bros bonds days after saying he’ll ‘be involved’ in merger

  17-01-2026 18:21 via theguardian.com
  Warner Bros is also being pursued by Paramount Skydance, helmed by David Ellison, son of president’s allyDonald Trump bought at least $1m worth of bonds in Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), according to a financial disclosure form, days after he said would “be involved” in a proposed merger between the two companies.The White House released a financial disclosure report on Friday, which showed that Trump made two purchases from Netflix and two purchases from WBD, each am
  
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• How Trump’s promise to slash energy bills in half has failed across the US

  17-01-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Guardian analysis shows electricity bills were up 6.7% last year, and much higher in some states, and gas bills up 5.2%Trump’s failed energy bill pledge leaves US households struggling: ‘It’s obscene’Donald Trump has comprehensively failed to meet a key election promise to slash Americans’ energy bills in half within the first year of his presidency, with power prices instead surging across the US.The average household electricity bill in the US was 6.7% more expens
  
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• ‘I’m losing £1,800 a day’: the stark reality for Britain’s dairy farmers

  17-01-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  The cost of producing milk is higher than that being paid by milk processors, leaving farmers operating at a loss“Every morning that I roll out of bed at 4.40am, I know I’m losing £1,800 that day, just by getting up.” This is the stark daily reality for Paul Tompkins, as he and his fellow dairy farmers struggle in the face of plummeting milk prices.Tompkins, who is the third generation to run his family’s 234-hectare (600-acre) farm in the Vale of York, can produce
  
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• ‘Big, firm, crunchy’: the best supermarket granola, tasted and rated

  17-01-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  This week, we got crunching on a batch of widely available granolas, tasting for flavour, ingredient quality and provenance• The best supermarket runny honeyGranola is similar to muesli, but baked with a sugar syrup (maple syrup, honey or golden syrup, say). It’s by definition sweet, and I find sugar addictive, so I enjoy it only rarely as a treat. The best ones come in golden clusters; sweet, but not too sweet (under 10% is low, over 15% high), with a touch of salt and a range of who
  
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• ‘We could hit a wall’: why trillions of dollars of risk is no guarantee of AI reward

  17-01-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Progress of artificial general intelligence could stall, which may lead to a financial crash, says Yoshua Bengio, one of the ‘godfathers’ of modern AIWill the race to artificial general intelligence (AGI) lead us to a land of financial plenty – or will it end in a 2008-style bust? Trillions of dollars rest on the answer.The figures are staggering: an estimated $2.9tn (£2.2tn) being spent on datacentres, the central nervous systems of AI tools; the more than $4tn stock mar
  
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• Stress-free travel: plan now to avoid holiday scams and pitfalls

  17-01-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Top tips on holiday booking essentials, from how to pay to what insurance to buy and whenIt’s chilly and the days are short, so, to beat the January blues, many people’s thoughts are turning to holidays.Although the high cost of living is continuing to put a strain on household finances, for many the annual getaway to somewhere sunny is sacrosanct, with travel companies predicting a 5% rise in bookings this year. Continue reading...
  
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• HMRC taking more than a year to pay out tax rebates

  17-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Taxpayers talk of having to borrow cash and wait for months amid ‘significant backlogs’ in processing of claimsSome people are waiting a year or more for HM Revenue and Customs to refund overpaid tax and national insurance contributions (NICs).In some cases, refunds that were previously processed within a few weeks are taking 10 months or more, an investigation by Guardian Money has found. Continue reading...
  
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• Greenland crisis: Europe needs the US, but it also needs to stand up to Trump

  17-01-2026 06:15 via theguardian.com
  US president’s increasingly bellicose demands for control of the island may force the EU to draw a line in the snow Greenland: new shipping routes, hidden minerals – and a frontline between the US and Russia?The crisis over Greenland may deliver the moment when Europe must stand up to Donald Trump, as officials have said a US attempt to annex the territory could shatter the Nato transatlantic alliance.European leaders have entertained Trump’s demands for nearly a year as he has
  
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• Trump threatens to impose tariffs on countries opposing Greenland plan – video

  16-01-2026 18:50 via theguardian.com
  Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not 'go along' with his plan to annex Greenland, increasing pressure on European allies who have opposed his effort to take over the Arctic territory. Speaking at a White House event about the tariffs he slapped on pharmaceutical imports from the EU as part of his efforts to lower drug prices in the US, Trump added: 'I may do that for Greenland too. I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, beca
  
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• BT and EE hit out-of-contract customers with new price rise

  16-01-2026 17:24 via express.co.uk
  Customers no longer in contract with EE or BT will be asked to pay more from March, the company has announced.
  
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