Danish business, which has opened a new central London store, moves into space left empty by the pandemic and cost of living crisis

Family-owned homewares-to-crafting retailer Sostrene Grene is joining a raft of Nordic invaders hoping to revive the British high street, jumping into retail space emptied out by the pandemic and cost of living crisis.

The Danish retailer, which now has 47 of its market-like shops in the UK and is targeting 100 by 2027, will neighbour the bigger Nordic homewares retailer Ikea in central London, after opening a store yesterday just yards from Ikea’s new Oxford Street flagship which is set to open in May.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Experts warn of serious health risks of using exosome products that are harvested from human donors

Banned biological products harvested from human cells are being used in UK beauty clinics, according to experts who warn that the luxury treatments could carry serious health risks.

Exosomes have been touted as the latest “miracle” skincare treatment, with A-list celebrities such as Kim Kardashian seeking their rejuvenating effects and cosmetic clinics offering exosome facials and microneedling for hundreds of pounds a session.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Join a loyalty scheme and you often get a reward or discount on your special day – but it may have strings attached

Celebrating your birthday isn’t just about getting presents and cards from family and friends. Signing up to loyalty schemes and newsletters can give you access to a host of freebies, deals and discounts from retailers to mark the big day.

With my birthday on the horizon I decided to look at what was on offer, and see which gifts came with some small print.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Some voice regret over Musk’s backing of Trump, but others say CEO’s views do not detract from the car’s appeal

Tesla showrooms across the world are expected to face anti-Elon Musk protests on Saturday, as Musk’s senior role in the Trump administration has contributed to a European consumer backlash by some Tesla owners and prospective buyers.

It follows a 44% drop in Tesla sales in Europe on average last month, according to the research platform Jato Dynamics. Tesla’s European market share fell to 9.6% last month, the lowest it has registered in February for five years.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Specifics of deal remain unclear, including how X’s leaders will be integrated into new company

Elon Musk’s xAI artificial intelligence firm has acquired Musk’s X – the social media platform formerly known as Twitter – for $33bn, marking the latest twist in the billionaire’s rapid consolidation of power.

The all-stock deal announced on Friday combines two of Musk’s multiple portfolio companies, which also include automaker Tesla and SpaceX, and potentially eases Musk’s ability to train his AI model known as Grok.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Federal Communications Commission says its DEI efforts may breach equal employment opportunity regulations

The US’s top media regulator on Friday said it was opening an investigation into the diversity practices of Walt Disney and its ABC unit, saying they may violate equal employment opportunity regulations.

Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair, wrote to the Disney CEO, Robert Iger, in a letter dated on Thursday that the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts may not have complied with FCC regulations and that changes by the company may not go far enough.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Charlie Javice, who appeared in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for starting Frank, faked a list of 4 million customers

Charlie Javice, the charismatic founder of a startup company that claimed to be revolutionizing the way college students apply for financial aid, was convicted on Friday of defrauding one of the largest US banks, JPMorgan Chase, out of $175m by exaggerating her customer base by 10 times.

A jury in New York City returned its verdict after a five-week trial. Javice, 32, faces the possibility of a lengthy prison term.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Milton, sentenced to four years in prison last year, had donated $1.8m to a Trump re-election campaign fund

Trevor Milton, the founder of electric vehicle start-up Nikola who was sentenced to prison last year, was pardoned by Donald Trump late on Thursday, the White House confirmed on Friday.

The pardon of Milton, who was sentenced to four years in prison for exaggerating the potential of his technology, could wipe out hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution that prosecutors were seeking for defrauded investors.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Ministers seek carve-out from import taxes before 2 April deadline – but critics believe they may have offered too many concessions

UK ministers and senior officials at every level are holding talks with US counterparts this weekend in a last-ditch effort to secure a carve-out from swingeing import taxes.

Government sources said ministers were raising Donald Trump’s looming tariffs as the “No 1” issue in every conversation with the US.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Alastair Cochran’s successor to be appointed ‘in due course’ at critical time for cash-strapped company

Thames Water’s chief financial officer has quit his GBP1.3m-a-year job, the cash-strapped water company has announced.

Alastair Cochran, who had also recently served as interim chief executive at Thames, will leave his role within days. His departure comes at a critical time for the UK’s largest water company amid close scrutiny of its fragile finances.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Todd Boehly is understood to be talking to David Montgomery, the executive chair of National World

The Chelsea FC owner and chair Todd Boehly is in talks over a bid for the Daily Telegraph, in a plan that has seen him team up with the Fleet Street veteran David Montgomery.

Boehly is understood to be talking to Montgomery, the executive chair of National World and former boss of the parent of the Mirror, about mounting a bid, in an attempt to bring an end to two years of uncertainty over the newspaper’s fate.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Bank cuts its stress testing rate for home buyers after FCA urged lenders not to be ‘unduly restricting’

• Business live – latest updates

One of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders has relaxed its rules and will offer some borrowers up to GBP35,000 more to fund their home purchases.

Santander said it had adjusted the way it calculated affordability, meaning many customers applying for a mortgage would be able to borrow between GBP10,000 and GBP35,000 more from Friday.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Millions of devices have been left to go into ‘dumb’ mode, where they stop automatically transmitting readings

The energy regulator for Great Britain plans to crack down on suppliers that bungle smart meter installations after millions of the devices have been left to go into “dumb” mode, where they stop automatically transmitting readings.

Ofgem said households that request a smart meter should have one fitted within six weeks, and if the installation failed they should automatically receive GBP40 compensation if it was not fixed within 90 days.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

The widely reviled veep and his wife may not see much of the island they’d like to annex, but the US military base will be lovely at this time of year

There’s a Gerard Butler movie called Greenland, which – via a series of cataclysmic events handled incredibly Butlerishly – ends with Gerard cocooned in a remote secure bunker in Greenland. As the week has worn on, this has increasingly become the mood of today’s supposedly super-fun tourist trip to Greenland by the second lady of the United States, Usha Vance, and her husband, the vice-president, JD Vance. Who, come to think of it, does actually look like the Cabbage Patch Gerard Butler.

Anyway: Greenland. Like I say, the trip has evolved this week both in style and substance. Originally, it was announced that the second lady was going to take one of her sons, immerse herself in various local events – she’s apparently simply fascinated by Greenland’s culture – and attend the famous Avannaata Qimussersua dog sled race. No more. Now, it’s her husband instead of her son, and the Vances are only going to a military facility. This is a little bit like announcing you’re travelling to Kyoto to see the blossoms, then “recalibrating” your trip so that all you’ll actually be taking in is a tour of the storage facility where they keep the most boring documents from the signing of the 1997 climate protocol. Extremely important, no doubt – and extremely, extremely boring. Or as the White House has chosen to characterise this shift in emphasis: “The Second Lady is proud to visit the Pituffik Space Base with her husband to learn more about Arctic security and the great work of the Space Base.” It is unclear at time of writing if Pituffik has spa facilities. Presumably it’s got something of a year-round apres-ski vibe.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Alvaro Bedoya, who was involved in cases against firms such as Amazon, warns of apparent ‘quid pro quo’ deals

The US is in the midst of an extraordinary battle between “the rule of law versus the rule of billionaires”, a top Democratic government official and attorney has warned, after his unprecedented firing by Donald Trump.

Alvaro Bedoya, abruptly terminated as a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week, sounded a “blinking red alarm” over backroom “quid pro quo” dealmaking he said appears to be taking place inside the Trump administration.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Property to suit all tastes and budgets, from a terraced cottage in Essex to a manor house in Somerset

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

PAC says country still lacks safeguards to shield households facing ‘worryingly high’ energy debts

British bill payers remain exposed to another energy crisis while facing “worryingly high” energy debts and some of the highest electricity costs in the world, parliament’s spending watchdog has warned.

The public accounts committee (PAC) said ministers had not put in place sufficient safeguards to shield households against another energy crisis or taken steps to permanently reduce Britain’s energy prices.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Eight in 10 cars produced in Britain are exported, with high-end manufacturers much more reliant on the US market

The UK’s automotive sector describes itself as “the engine room of Britain’s international trade”, boasting how it generates “GBP1 in every GBP8 the UK earns from exporting goods”.

But the UK’s carmakers – including Jaguar and Land Rover owner JLR, the BMW-owned Rolls-Royce and Mini, and Aston Martin – are weighing up the potential impact of Donald Trump’s planned 25% tariffs on cars imported into the US. The new levies on cars and light trucks are due to take effect on 3 April.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has said the era of deep ties with the US 'is over', as governments — from Tokyo to Berlin and Paris — sharply criticise Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on car imports. 'We will respond forcefully,' Carney said. 'Nothing is off the table to defend our workers and our country.'

• End of an era for Canada-US ties, says Carney, as allies worldwide decry Trump’s car tariffs

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Nearly half of the cars sold in the US are imported and Trump’s 25% tariff will add at least $6,000 to the sticker price of the average car, industry experts say

After two months of flip-flopping on tariffs, imposing them one day and often suspending them the next, Donald Trump gunned the accelerator of his trade war on Wednesday by announcing a 25% tariff on autos and auto parts imported into the United States. That’s a very big deal, and while the president insists this hefty import tax on cars is going to be good for “anybody who has plants in the United States”, his move – like a car in desperate need of a tune-up – could easily backfire.

Nearly half of the cars sold in the US are imported, and Trump’s 25% tariff will add at least $6,000 to the sticker price of the average car, industry experts say. Domestic auto producers will be able to jack up their sticker prices because the new tariffs will make US automakers face considerably less price competition from imported cars. This expected sticker shock could anger America’s inflation-weary consumers and voters, especially since candidate Trump had pledged to battle to bring down prices. These higher car prices could cause a quick drop in auto sales in the US, and that could translate into a downturn in auto production, too.

Steven Greenhouse is a labor reporter.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

The government’s plan to ramp up defence spending means relying on carbon-intensive industries – and those won’t be the only policy compromises they have to make

The UK will become a “defence industrial superpower”, said the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in Wednesday’s spring statement, an ambition that will involve using much more steel, one assumes.

Now comes news that the Chinese owner of the UK’s second largest steel plant may close its two blast furnaces as early as June, which would further erode the UK’s already-thin steel-making capabilities. Indeed, closure of Scunthorpe would also mean an end to domestic steel-making from scratch using traditional carbon-intensive blast furnaces – the other two, at Tata’s Port Talbot site, closed last year.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Net zero is a target that countries should be striving for to stop the climate crisis. But beyond the buzzword, it is a complex scientific concept – and if we get it wrong, the planet will keep heating.

Biodiversity and environment reporter Patrick Greenfield explains how a loophole in the 2015 Paris climate agreement allows countries to cheat their net zero targets through creative accounting, and how scientists want us to fix it

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

We’ve already experienced a big jump in the cost of gas in Mid Wales and are worried it will soon be even higher

I read that the energy price cap is going up again in April and people are struggling to pay their bills, but I can’t find any information relating to homes with bulk LPG tanks.

Does anybody care about us? Is there any control over the spiralling cost of buying it?

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

After pulling out of the market Squid is charging parents who want to withdraw their remaining funds

A payments company that was used by parents to pay for school dinners has drawn criticism for charging them GBP10 to withdraw the remaining funds in their accounts after it pulled out of the market.

Squid, which was used by 600 schools around the UK to take payments, stopped its service earlier this month after announcing in February that the accounts would be ending.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Prices of some chocolate products have risen by 50% in a year while many have also shrunk in size, Which? reports

Shoppers are shelling out for smaller eggs this Easter as shrinkflation takes a bite out of the favourite seasonal treat.

The price of eggs made by big names including Cadbury, Mars and Terry’s have risen by as much as 50% in some cases while some have also shrunk in size, according to research by consumer champion Which?. When pack sizes are reduced and prices stay the same, or even go up, it is often dubbed “ shrinkflation”.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

What looks like an example of cloning is explained by a typo in an insurer’s claims reference number

Last summer I took my old Kia to a branch of the car broker webuyanycar to sell, only to discover that its database showed a car with my registration number had been “written off” and an insurance claim paid out.

This came as a shock. I have not been in an accident nor made any claims. I called up my insurer, which confirmed there was nothing on its records, and it told me to call the policy underwriter.

Initially the underwriter said it had no record of a claim either. However, after it consulted a national database, it could see that in February 2024 one had been paid out on my car.

It gave me the insurer’s name – 1st Central – and the claim number. However, when I called up, the company told me it had never insured a car with that registration and did not have any record of the claim.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg