US inflation jumped to 4.2% in May, the third consecutive increase since start of Iran war
Posted on Wednesday June 10, 2026

Before the conflict began, inflation was at 2.4%, but the closure of the strait of Hormuz has affected energy prices

US inflation jumped to an annual rate of 4.2% in May, the third consecutive monthly increase since the start of the Iran war and a three-year high, as Americans continue to face steep oil prices.

Prices have increased sharply over the past several months, rising at an annual rate of 3.3% in March before going up to 3.8% in April. In February, before the conflict began, inflation was at 2.4%.

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UK poised to ease steel tariffs as manufacturers warn of costs
Posted on Wednesday June 10, 2026

Exemptions being considered after March announcement of measures to support domestic steel production

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Ministers are expected to drop some planned tariffs on foreign steel after UK manufacturers warned the measures would significantly increase their costs.

Representatives of the Department for Business and Trade are meeting leaders of steel trading business groups on Wednesday and Thursday with a view to finalising details of a reprieve for certain industries.

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Weight-loss drug users save more than £400 a year on food as take-up triples
Posted on Wednesday June 10, 2026

Research suggests households that include a GLP-1 user collectively spent £780m less on grocery bills

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Weight-loss drugs are saving users’ households more than £400 a year on grocery bills, according to a survey, which found use of GLP-1s has nearly tripled in the past two years to 1.9 million adults.

More than 6.3% of households in Great Britain now include at least one GLP-1 user, according to the research by Worldpanel by Numerator. This marks a sharp rise from 4.1% of households in 2025 and 2.3% in 2024.

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Pub chain Fuller’s hopes for bumper summer of World Cup and staycations
Posted on Wednesday June 10, 2026

Company says it has strong bookings for England matches and has spruced up gardens for domestic holidaymakers

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The boss of the pub and hotel chain Fuller’s has said that the evening kick-off times of World Cup matches will provide a double-hit of business through the peak summer period, as the group gets “garden-ready” for fans before the tournament.

Simon Emeny, the chief executive of Fuller, Smith & Turner, said there had been strong advance bookings for the World Cup and that it had spruced up garden areas across its 337 pubs, hotels and inns to cater for a bumper summer.

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Crackdown on tech platforms will go ahead despite US intervention, says No 10
Posted on Tuesday June 09, 2026

US embassy came out against UK’s proposed under-16 social media ban, which would affect American firms

White House displeasure over the prospect of an under-16 social media ban will not deter the UK from cracking down on tech platforms, the British government has said.

The technology secretary, Liz Kendall, told the Guardian she was not concerned “in the slightest” by the Trump administration’s intervention in the debate over restrictions, after the US embassy in London posted a notice warning against a ban.

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Palantir to sue Sadiq Khan over blocked £50m Met police contract
Posted on Tuesday June 09, 2026

US spy-tech company to challenge London mayor’s intervention after he raised concerns over breach of procurement rules

Palantir intends to sue the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, after he blocked a contract between the US spy-tech firm and the Metropolitan police.

The Met had planned to use Palantir’s software to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations, until Khan intervened in late May, sparking a row between the UK’s largest police force and the mayor’s office.

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Stokes out of second Test with New Zealand over nightclub incident as Root made captain
Posted on Wednesday June 10, 2026

• Stokes in talks with agent and advisers over his future

• Atkinson also left out with Barker and Archer set to play

Joe Root will captain England in next week’s second Test against New Zealand after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were left out of the squad for breaking the team curfew as they celebrated victory in the first game of the series on Sunday night.

While the England & Wales Cricket Board continue their investigation into that incident Stokes, the team’s full-time captain, is being given some time to consider his future. He is reported to have spent Wednesday in meetings with his agent and advisers debating whether to permanently stand down as captain, or to end his international career completely. He may still choose to do neither, with the former England captain Michael Vaughan having joined those backing him to stay. “Yes, he broke a curfew,” Vaughan said. “Is that a sacking offence as England’s Test captain? I don’t think so. A short suspension would be fine, but this is not a big enough incident over which to lose the captaincy.”

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World Cup 2026 news: latest from the camps; UN urges US immigration ‘re-think’; Messi returns – live
Posted on Wednesday June 10, 2026

• News and buildup as World Cup countdown continues

• Player guide | Bracketology | Wallchart | Mail us here

The US isn’t the only World Cup host where politics and football are colliding messily, albeit that they’re being handled more sensitively. There have been protests in Mexico, where a demonstration blocked an avenue leading to Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium for hours on Tuesday, AFP reports.

Teacher protests in the capital have been ongoing and thousands took part in Tuesday’s protest, which was led by a breakaway group of the CNTE union following a week of demonstrations that President Claudia Sheinbaum has called a “provocation.” “As if to say, ’Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico,’” she told a press conference.

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