Financial news

• Tech firms must remove ‘revenge porn’ in 48 hours or risk being blocked, says Starmer

  18-02-2026 23:30
  PM says measure, also applied to deepfake nudes, is needed owing to a ‘national emergency’ of online misogynyDeepfake nudes and “revenge porn” must be removed from the internet within 48 hours or technology firms risk being blocked in the UK, Keir Starmer has said, calling it a “national emergency” that the government must confront.Companies could be fined millions or even blocked altogether if they allow the images to spread or be reposted after victims give
  
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• Tesla avoids California sales ban by removing ‘autopilot’ from marketing

  18-02-2026 21:05
  State regulators walk back suspension threat and say Tesla has stopped misleading drivers about the safety of its carsTesla will avoid a 30-day suspension of its dealer and manufacturer licenses in California, its biggest market, after the US electric vehicle maker stopped using the term “autopilot” in the marketing of its vehicles in the state.Tesla now uses the term “supervised” in references to its full self-driving technology and has stopped using “autopilot&rdq
  
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• State pension triple lock future ‘up for debate’, says Nigel Farage

  18-02-2026 19:38 via express.co.uk
  New Reform UK chancellor Robert Jenrick previously pledged support for the policy.
  
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• The Guardian view on UK-EU defence: moving in the right direction, much too slowly

  18-02-2026 19:30
  The threat of Russian aggression makes a compelling case for urgent continental cooperationFor Vladimir Putin, peace talks with Ukraine are war pursued by other means. That is why progress has been so slow in negotiations, which resumed in Geneva this week. The Russian president demands the surrender of territory that his army has failed so far to win in combat. Since Mr Putin cannot be trusted to honour any agreement, Volodymyr Zelenskyy rightly insists on robust security guarantees. The Kremli
  
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• The Guardian view on Scotland’s housing crisis: supply has failed to keep pace with need

  18-02-2026 19:25
  The country’s homelessness legislation is ambitious and humane. But too many people are still sleeping on the streets or in temporary accommodationRough sleeping in Scotland has risen by 106% over the past three years. Record numbers of children are now living in temporary accommodation, official figures released this month show. In Glasgow, the city council leader warned last year that the authority had run out of temporary housing. This looks like a system approaching crisis point.The pa
  
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• ‘By the end of the day we’re just knackered’: business booms for UK’s south Asian jewellers as gold prices soar

  18-02-2026 17:00
  Economic uncertainty drives customers to snap up 22-carat gold bars and coins or sell off unworn jewellery“With everything that’s going on in the economy and Donald Trump banging his chest against the world, we’re finding there’s no trust in the banks because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Sandeep Kanda says.Kanda is the owner of Sunny Jewellers, situated along a stretch of Leicester known as the Golden Mile, and is a beneficiary of consumers see
  
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• Britons living in EU face repayment hikes amid Reeves student loans row

  18-02-2026 16:43
  Exclusive: UK graduates in Germany, Belgium and possibly other countries informed of rises as salary threshold is cutBritons living in some European countries face a huge rise in their student loan repayments later this year, the Guardian can reveal, in a move that threatens to trigger a fresh backlash for Rachel Reeves.UK graduates working in Germany and Belgium – and possibly other countries – have been told that their monthly repayments will increase from April, the Guardian can r
  
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• HMRC could owe people who work in a uniform up to £2,044

  18-02-2026 15:50 via express.co.uk
  Thousands of UK workers may be eligible for HMRC tax rebates
  
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• Household energy bills in Great Britain forecast to fall by £117 a year

  18-02-2026 15:13
  Consultancy’s prediction comes after Rachel Reeves said green subsidy costs would be removed from domestic billsHousehold energy costs in Great Britain are expected to tumble by an average of £117 a year from April after Rachel Reeves announced in November’s budget that the cost of green subsidies would be removed from domestic bills.The government’s quarterly cap on energy bills is forecast to fall after the chancellor’s decision to shift the levies used to support
  
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• Speeding, jaywalkers and imported ‘clunkers’: Romania in safety drive to improve EU’s deadliest roads

  18-02-2026 15:00
  Government has taken first serious steps to crack down on dangerous driving but pace of change is frustrating campaignersThe first time Lucian Mîndruță crashed his car, he swerved to avoid a village dog and hit another vehicle. The second time, he missed a right-of-way sign and was struck by a car at a junction. The third time, ice sent him skidding off the road and into two trees. Crashes four to eight, he said, were bumper-scratches in traffic too minor to mention.That Mî
  
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• The bogus four-day workweek that AI supposedly ‘frees up’

  18-02-2026 14:00
  Business leaders tout AI as a path to shorter weeks and better balance. But without power, workers are unlikely to share the gainsThe front-page headline in a recent Washington Post was breathless: “These companies say AI is key to their four-day workweeks.” The subhead was euphoric: “Some companies are giving workers back more time as artificial intelligence takes over more tasks.”As the Post explained: “more companies may move toward a shortened workweek, several
  
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• ‘Like an electrical gong bath!’ The Sheffield supermarket going viral for the symphonic sound of its freezers

  18-02-2026 12:48
  Redditors are thrilled by the Co-op on Ecclesall Road, where a magnificent drone is reminiscent of Brian Eno’s ambient music. We take a visit to the back aislesThere’s a new sound gripping Sheffield. You won’t find it at one of the city’s eclectic jazz nights; nor in any of its clubs or live music venues. You’ll find it in the back aisle of a Co-op supermarket on Ecclesall Road.“Anyone noticed how nice the freezers sound in the eccy road co-op?” someone
  
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• The brutal hunt for low-paid work: ‘It’s like The Hunger Games – but for a job folding clothes’

  18-02-2026 11:00
  It used to be fairly easy to get work that paid at or around the minimum wage. But with a shrinking number of positions come ever more hoops to jump through, from personality tests, to trial shifts, to towers constructed of marshmallows
  It is 10.30am, and Zahra is sitting in a business centre in Preston, attaching marshmallows to sticks of uncooked spaghetti. There are 30 interview candidates in the grey-carpeted room, split into groups of five, competing to build food towers. Already today they
  
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• Go the extra mile: how to cut costs if you’re running a marathon

  18-02-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Spending on gear, travel and race fees can easily add up – here’s how to make getting to the start line affordableBefore you enter a race, it’s vital to think about whether you’re in shape to make it through the training. For a marathon, you’ll probably need to be a regular runner who has completed several 10ks or the half distance. Continue reading...
  
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• Should we be impressed or worried by China's humanoid robot display? – video

  18-02-2026 06:18
  China Media Group's 2026 Spring Festival Gala drew widespread attention with a performance of humanoid robots that appeared to do martial arts alongside young performers. However, as the videos spread, viewers expressed both admiration and unease over the accelerating development of the machines. Experts have mixed views. China’s dancing robots: how worried should we be?Continue reading...
  
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• From the archive: ‘Who remembers proper binmen?’ The nostalgia memes that help explain Britain today – podcast

  18-02-2026 06:00
  We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2022: Idealising the past is nothing new, but there is something peculiarly revealing about the way a certain generation of Facebook users look back fondly on tougher timesBy Dan Hancox. Read by Dermot Daly Continue reading...
  
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