The Guardian

Watchdog says under-16 ban may affect older teenagers without passport or licence, and that ‘motivated children’ will skirt restrictions More than 100,000 British teenagers risk being locked out of social media in the UK if they do not have a passport or driving licence when an under-16 ban is introduced next year. Ofcom, the UK’s online watchdog, said about 150,000 16 to 17-year-olds do not own …

Thinktank says chancellor has given himself a mountain to climb after ducking big decisions in low-key speech John Healey has paved the way for a “brutal” spending review next year after his budget failed to cover a £28bn shortfall in the public finances needed to avoid a return to austerity, according to Britain’s leading tax and spending experts. A day after his address to the Commons , the Ins…

Acquisition will supercharge DoorDash’s grocery delivery, ‘one of the hardest things to get right online’, CEO says DoorDash is gobbling up Instacart in a $17bn acquisition that will supercharge its grocery delivery business. DoorDash said the Instacart brand name and app will remain, and Instacart shoppers can continue fulfilling orders for Instacart. Grocers can also choose to work with Instaca…

With no single European representative negotiating directly with Moscow, some leaders are establishing their own channels – with messy results The Nordic countries rarely fall out in public over foreign policy, least of all over Russia. But a 90-minute phone call this week to Vladimir Putin by the leaders of Finland and Norway drew an unusual rebuke from their Danish and Swedish neighbours. Conti…

Giving evidence at her husband’s rape trial, Laura Brand says couple previously split up over his promiscuity Russell Brand’s wife has told a court that they previously split up over his promiscuity but that he was a “wonderful father” and an “amazingly attentive husband”. Giving evidence at her husband’s rape trial, Laura Brand, 39, said they fell in love after meeting in 2006 but that the comed…

As John Lewis reports a 96% rise in searches for CD players, music fans share their reasons for ditching streaming CDs appear to be having a resurgence . John Lewis said searches for CD players are up 96% since July, while another report on trends in music and film this year found that CD sales are up 16%. With this in mind, we asked music fans why they favour discs over other formats, and if it …

Republican Mike Dunleavy plans search after Peltola accused of recruiting Dan Sullivan to confuse voters The Republican governor of Alaska announced plans to launch a criminal investigation after a report accused the campaign of Democratic senate candidate Mary Peltola of trying to confuse voters by recruiting a candidate with the same name as her opponent. Governor Mike Dunleavy wrote on social …

Growth is in sharp contrast to ​households’ assessment, reflected in ‌Trump’s record-low approval ratings The US economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter as resilient consumer spending and AI -driven ⁠business investment more than ⁠offset the impact ​of higher oil prices stemming from the conflict in the Middle East . Gross domestic product (GDP) increased at a 3.4% annualized rate …

Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon were on a trip in Rocky Mountains last weekend when heavy snowstorm hit Two Colorado college students have been found dead after going missing during a hiking trip in the Rocky Mountains last weekend when a heavy snowstorm hit, authorities said. The bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, of Ridgway, Colorado , and Jackson Donlon, 20, of New York, were found on Wednesday aft…

‘Compliance managers’ to have discussions with authority’s wealthiest customers in aim to raise tax revenues Business live – latest updates The UK’s tax authority is assigning dedicated “customer compliance managers” to more than 200 billionaires as part of a crackdown meant to raise £500m for the public purse. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said it had for the first time compiled a list of billio…

‘Miracle’ cache of letters written by French scientist who died in ill-fated La Pérouse mission give personal account of 1785 voyage As he prepared to climb the scaffolding to be publicly executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793, Louis XVI is reported to have asked: “Is there news of Monsieur de la Pérouse?” He was referring to Jean-François de Galaup, the count of Pérouse , a naval officer and …

Departure of Lagarde, seen as candidate to take over World Economic Forum, comes as eurozone struggles with weak growth and inflation Christine Lagarde, the eurozone’s top central banker, is stepping down nine months early. The European Central Bank announced on Thursday morning that Lagarde would step down as its president on 7 February 2027; her term was scheduled to run until the end of Octobe…

Former president says ‘these are not serious people’ as Trump holds rallies for Republican candidates Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. President Trump and the former president Barack Obama have continued to trade barbs on the campaign trail, with less than a week to go before congressional races that could shift the balance of power in Washington. A federal judge declined to order …

Pauline Hanson says Anthony Albanese made ‘unsolicited’ offer of advisor with $200,000 salary to one of her MPs The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, offered the One Nation MP David Farley an additional staff member in what the party has called an “unsolicited” move, made in an attempt to win over the new politician using taxpayer funds. In a statement posted on social media, Pauline Hanson claim…

Resolution Foundation says ‘poorest half of households will gain… just £14 more than the £144 received by the richest half’ Good morning. The day after the budget is often the moment when big initiatives announced by the chancellor the day before with a flourish start to unravel as experts pore over the small print. There is not much of that happening this morning – mainly because John Healey did…