War in Middle East ‘could wipe out growth in UK living standards’
Posted on Wednesday March 04, 2026

Rising oil and gas prices may affect increase of £300 a year for typical working-age households, says leading thinktankThe Middle East crisis could trigger an energy price shock that more than wipes out the £300 rise in living standards a typical working-age household could otherwise expect this year, a leading thinktank has warned.The Resolution Foundation said a “decent” one-off increase in average living standards in 2026 and a bumper rise for lower-income households could be reversed by rising oil and gas prices as the Iran conflict disrupts supplies. Continue reading...

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European Commission proposes ‘Buy EU’ plan to compete against China
Posted on Wednesday March 04, 2026

Plan, which aims to preserve jobs in clean tech and low-carbon sectors, could include UK if there is reciprocal market accessThe European Commission has proposed a “Buy EU” plan to boost domestic low-carbon industries and help the continent compete against China.The commission published a draft regulation – called the Industrial Accelerator Act – on Wednesday, setting demands for EU-made and low-carbon content on bodies spending public money. The rules mark a big shift in economic thinking from Brussels, long a bastion of open markets. Continue reading...

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Small investors turn on James Watt after BrewDog co-founder admits ‘many mistakes’
Posted on Wednesday March 04, 2026

Watt apologises to 200,000-plus ‘equity punks’ who joined crowdfunding rounds but were left empty-handed after cut-price saleThe co-founder of BrewDog, James Watt, met with short shrift from small investors who have been left empty-handed by the company’s sale for just £33m, after he admitted to “many mistakes”.Watt issued a mea culpa via the professional social networking site LinkedIn, a platform he has regularly used to espouse political views, including complaints about the level of tax he is asked to pay. Continue reading...

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Teacher v chatbot: my journey into the classroom in the age of AI
Posted on Tuesday March 03, 2026

I was a newcomer, negotiating all of usual classroom difficulties for the first time. Throwing AI into the mix felt like downing a coffee in the middle of a panic attackTwo years ago, at the age of 39, I began training to be a school teacher. I wanted to teach English – to help young people become stronger readers, writers and thinkers, with a deeper connection to literature. After 15 years of working as a freelance writer and as a novelist, I felt confident that I had something to offer. But the further I progressed in my training, the more uncertain I felt. One particular question taunted me for my lack of an answer. What to do about artificial intelligence?The immediate dilemma: what does it mean for English instruction that all pupils now have access to free online chatbots that can produce fluid, fairly complex prose on demand? This question sits atop a teetering pile of timeless pedagogical quandaries: What are we actually trying to do in school? How should we go about doing it? How do we know if we’ve succeeded? I was a newcomer, negotiating all of this for the first time. Throwing AI into the mix felt like downing a coffee in the middle of a panic attack. Continue reading...

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Europe’s next-generation fighter jet project may collapse if row continues, says warplane maker
Posted on Wednesday March 04, 2026

Dassault Aviation says €100bn project may soon be ‘dead’ if Airbus will not agree on how to share workloadFrance and Germany’s next-generation fighter jet project could soon be “dead”, one of the two companies tasked with delivering it has warned, amid a worsening corporate rift over who gets to build the aircraft.Dassault Aviation, France’s leading warplane maker, said Airbus’s defence arm – which represents Germany and Spain – needed to cooperate on the €100bn programme otherwise it would collapse. Continue reading...

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Brighton v Arsenal, Manchester City v Nottingham Forest, and more: Premier League – live
Posted on Wednesday March 04, 2026

⚽ Latest news from four games kicking off at 7.30pm GMT⚽ Live scores | Table | Follow us on Bluesky | And mail Niall⚽ Newcastle v Manchester United – follow it liveSome pre-game chat from Pep Guardiola, who confirms Nico O’Reilly is out of the squad after “feeling uncomfortable” in training with a knock.“We can only focus on ourselves for the rest of the games … I don’t know what is going to happen. Today is how we behave against Forest. Haaland has made an incredible impact since he arrived years ago. In the first quarter of this season he was outstanding. We need everyone. Everyone has to be ready.” Continue reading...

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Newcastle United v Manchester United: Premier League – live
Posted on Wednesday March 04, 2026

⚽ Premier League updates from the 8.15pm GMT kick-off⚽ Live scores | Table | Follow us on Bluesky | And mail Scott⚽ Brighton v Arsenal, Man City v Nottingham Forest – live2 min: Newcastle get onto the front foot immediately. Hall bombs down the left; Trippier probes down the right. Shaw looks to have tugged Trippier back, but the referee waves play on. Not too much in the way of fume from the players, but the fans aren’t happy that’s for sure.Manchester United get the ball rolling. They’re kicking towards the Gallowgate in this first half. Continue reading...

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