Golf club firm owned by Trump’s sons merges with drone manufacturer

A golf club company backed by the sons of Donald Trump is merging with drone manufacturer Powerus in a deal designed to take the drone technology company public.The merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings is the latest in Eric and Donald Trump Jr’s growing investments in the drone sector, following last month’s $1.5bn tie-up between Israeli drone maker XTEND and Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings. Drones have become a major procurement priority for the Pentagon and are widely used in Ukraine, where dense air defense systems near the frontlines limit the deployment of conventional aircraft.This growing reliance has also drawn significant Silicon Valley funding into drone and military artificial intelligence startups, boosting valuations of US companies such as Anduril Industries and Shield AI

How high could oil prices go – and what might the global economic fallout be?

Fears over the global economy have been stoked by the oil price soaring past $100 a barrel as a result of the US-Israel war with Iran.Economists say the increasing likelihood of a prolonged conflict in the vital energy exporting region could have serious consequences for living standards around the world amid the threat of a renewed inflation shock.Against a highly uncertain backdrop, financial markets are under heavy selling pressure, consumers are facing rising prices, central banks could be forced to increase borrowing costs and governments will come under pressure to support households and businesses.Oil prices passed $119 a barrel on Monday, the highest level since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Analysts say the continued closure of the strait of Hormuz could drive the price close to $150 a barrel, above the record high of $145

Rachel Reeves warns fuel retailers not to make ‘excess profits’ from oil crisis; G7 ‘stands ready’ to release crude reserves – as it happens

Time for a recap, after a dramatic day in the financial markets.UK chancellor Rachel Reeves has warned petrol, diesel and heating oil retailers not to take advantage of the surge in oil prices.Updating MPs about the situation, after an alarming surge in oil prices last night, Reeves said she would “continue to monitor prices” at the pumps as the situation develops.She told the House of Commons:double quotation markI have also asked the Competition and Markets Authority to be vigilant across prices, including essentials like road fuel and heating oil.Let me be absolutely clear

How will war in the Middle East affect your finances?

The war in the Middle East is continuing to tighten the screw on the finances of people around the world. Stock markets have fallen and the oil price has surged over $100 a barrel for the first time in four years – fuelling fears of a new cost of living crisis.Here is how it could affect your bills, spending and investments if you live in the UK.“Average petrol and diesel prices have rocketed in the last week and are unfortunately likely to keep on rising, so the situation for UK drivers is looking increasingly bleak,” said Simon Williams, the head of policy at the RAC.Speaking on Monday morning, he said petrol had risen by 5p to 137

Live Nation reaches surprise settlement with justice department in antitrust case

Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, has reached a surprise settlement with the Department of Justice in its antitrust case just one week after the trial began.Under the agreement, Live Nation will create a $280m settlement fund for states that participated in the lawsuit and Ticketmaster will be required to open parts of its platform to rival ticketing companies, Live Nation announced Monday.The agreement also will require Ticketmaster to divest from exclusive booking agreements it has with 13 amphitheaters in the US and cap service fees at 15% of the ticket price. The agreement also limits long-term exclusivity contracts utilized by Ticketmaster when partnering with venues.An attorney for New York State told jurors last week that Ticketmaster keeps an average of $7

Yorkshire Water receives fresh funding despite sewage fines and pay row

A leading European investor will pump fresh funding into Yorkshire Water including helping to cover a £600m loan, despite recent heavy sewage fines and a scandal over executive pay at the utility company.EQT, a Swedish private equity group, said on Monday it would take a 42% stake in Kelda Holdings, the Jersey-registered parent company of Yorkshire Water, which has 5.7 million customers across Yorkshire and parts of the East Midlands and Lincolnshire.The move will effectively make it Yorkshire Water’s joint owner, bringing the stake of an existing shareholder, GIC, an investment firm, to 42%, and TCorp, the investment vehicle of Australia’s New South Wales public sector, to 16%.EQT said part of the deal would involve contributing to a £600m “inter-company loan repayment” that is due before March 2027, while it was “fully supportive” of spending plans to clean up Yorkshire’s record on sewage spills

British AI datacentre firm Nscale raises $2bn as Sheryl Sandberg and Nick Clegg join board

Nscale, a UK company vital to the government’s AI ambitions, has raised $2bn (£1.5bn) in a funding round and appointed the former Meta executives Sheryl Sandberg and Nick Clegg to its board of directors.It brings the valuation of the London-based startup, which is backed by the US tech company Nvidia, to $14.6bn, it said in a statement, and follows a $1.1bn funding round the company raised last September

UK interest rate cuts unlikely this year amid Iran war – and a rise could be ahead

UK interest rates are not expected to be cut this year and could even rise next summer, according to financial markets, in a dramatic reversal of forecasts before the US-Israel war on Iran.Markets data on Monday showed that investors predict the Bank of England will most likely keep its base rate on hold at 3.75% for the remainder of the year, and would raise them to 4% next June.Before the Iran war began, a rate cut at the Bank’s next meeting on 19 March had been an 80% chance, but policymakers are now expected to wait to see how the conflict develops, with a 99% probability of a hold at the meeting and no rate cuts for the rest of 2026, markets indicate.Statements from the Iranian leadership and Donald Trump at the weekend showed both sides in the conflict were prepared to fight for several more months, leading financial markets to register sharp falls

Top US banks weigh suing federal regulator over crypto banking rules

Some of the largest US banks are considering suing their financial regulator, arguing that a new raft of licenses for crypto, payment and fintech could put American consumers and the wider financial system at risk.The Bank Policy Institute (BPI), which represents 40 of the biggest US lenders including JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, is understood to be weighing its legal options after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) failed to heed repeated warnings from influential banking groups and state regulators over its reinterpretation of federal licensing rules.The OCC, which is led by Jonathan Gould, a Donald Trump appointee and former crypto executive, has effectively made it easier for crypto and fintech upstarts to secure and operate under a national bank trust charter, giving them the right to serve customers across all 50 states.However, banks say giving these firms the OCC’s stamp of approval means letting firms loose into the US financial system without the same rigorous supervision and controls required of fully fledged banks.The reforms brought forward by the OCC are widely seen as playing into the Trump administration’s ideological push to bring crypto and previously fringe financial firms into the mainstream

Average UK office attendance ‘settling’ at highest level since before Covid

Workers are heading back to offices across the UK in droves, pushing office occupancy to the highest since before the Covid-19 pandemic, as an expert described the numbers as “no longer in freefall nor in recovery mode but settling”.Investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chasehave led the push with strict return-to-office mandates despite anger among many employees about being ordered back to the office five days a week. Companies in other sectors have also increased days in the office but many businesses, including law and accounting firms, still allow staff to work remotely two days a week.Average office attendance in the UK has been above 40% every week since early January, reaching 44.2% in the week to 13 February, according to Remit Consulting’s ReTurn report

Ending UK customs relief on low-value imports could push up prices, BCC says

Removing the UK’s tariff exemption for low-value imports could push up prices and harm small companies and trade, a leading business group has said, as it called for a phased-in approach to ending the “de minimis” rules.The UK government plans to end the tax break on imports of goods worth less than £135, making them subject to customs duty, with the changes to take effect in March 2029 at the latest. The US removed its longstanding de minimis exemption on 29 August. Before that packages valued at less than $800 (£597) were allowed to be shipped into the US tariff-free.The European Union has said it will do the same, and introduce new handling charges for cheaper packages as well

Britain’s job market ‘floundering’ as companies remain cautious about hiring

Britain’s jobs market is “floundering” amid weak hiring demand, with only limited signs of recovery, data has revealed.Companies remain cautious about hiring staff amid cost pressures and economic uncertainty, according to two reports released on Monday. They show the labour market continues to be in a fragile position.A monthly employment index from BDO, an accountancy and consultancy firm, is running at its weakest level in nearly 15 years. It has had its worst reading since March 2011, when the jobs market was still recovering from the financial crash

Trillium, Birmingham B4: ‘There’s a general feeling of people – gasp! – actually enjoying life’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Trillium, the latest Birmingham restaurant by Glyn Purnell, is absolutely not one of those po-faced, sedate, mumbly kind of places where some Ludovico Einaudi is piped plinky-plonkily throughout the dining room while guests stiffly eat six teensy courses. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, even if Purnell, via the likes of Purnell’s and Plates, is pretty much synonymous throughout the Midlands with fancy, special-occasion, Michelin star-winning refinement. Yet on a recent Saturday night, in this brand new, glass-fronted, multicoloured mock birdcage, the talk is loud, the music is roaring and the plates of battered potato scallop with soured cream are appearing thick and fast.Trillium is a genuine attempt by a Michelin-starred restaurateur to translate some of their best bits into a semi-rowdier yet still upmarket stage. It’s been attempted many times by other chefs (see Corenucopia and Bar Valette for details), but, miraculously, Purnell seems to have pulled it off

Has dinner been served with a side of romance? | Brief letters

I can’t be the only person wondering if Dining across the divide (1 March) is possibly resulting in more romantic liaisons than Blind date? Some of them are heartwarming.Ed ClarkeManchester Why all the excitement about a cricket ground within the boundaries of a World Heritage Site (Letters, 27 February)? Derwent Valley Mills has five (viz Cromford Meadows, Ambergate, Belper Meadows, Duffield Meadows and Darley Abbey).Paul EnglishBelper, Derbyshire My anorak has a “funnel” neck (Hiding in plain sight: everyone from Meghan to the Beckhams wants a funnel neck, 27 February). Fortunately, it doesn’t allow rain to cascade through it.Theresa GrahamClevedon, Somerset I was surprised and pleased to see Felicity Cloake’s reference to Farmhouse Fare (How to make the perfect bara brith – recipe, 1 March)

Helen Goh’s recipe for lemon curd layer cake | The sweet spot

This is both simple and celebratory, which in my book makes it just right for Mother’s Day next weekend. It has a fine, tender crumb, which pairs beautifully with the soft, creamy tang of lemon mascarpone, and I use lemon curd in the batter (shop-bought for ease) to bring a particular smoothness and depth of lemon flavour. Finished with a little extra curd and a scattering of edible flowers, it is pretty and unfussy and will hopefully make your own mother’s day.Prep 5 min Cook 1 hr Serves 8-10330g plain flour 2½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp fine sea salt 225g room-temperature unsalted butter225g caster sugar Finely grated zest of 2 lemons 3 large eggs, at room temperature160g lemon curd 250ml whole milk Small edible flowers, to decorateFor the lemon mascarpone 250g lemon curd, plus extra to decorate250g mascarponeHeat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and line the base and sides of two 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl

Women ​built​, and still shape, our culinary culture every day

On 8 March each year, the calendar lights up: dinners celebrating women, panel talks, articles and online events amplifying female voices. The mood on International Women’s Day is joyful, the conversations energised and it feels as if the world is finally paying attention. But then 9 March arrives. Do the celebrations stop? Do we tuck away the banners with the last of the desserts? When the events conclude, are women no longer worth celebrating? The sad truth is that many International Women’s Day events can feel like lip service.Less so in the food world – or at least in our corner of it

The future is rosy for English red wines

When did you last buy a bottle of English red wine? Chances are, you never have. Though increasingly available on the high street – Ocado and Waitrose Cellar both stock a couple – reds grown in Blighty have struggled to shift a reputation for being overpriced: the vast majority still cost £15-25 a bottle, which is well outside what most people might consider “everyday drinking”.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for apple, honey and poppy seed cake | A kitchen in Rome

Honey is, among other things, a successful embalming agent. It is also a humectant, which isn’t an eager cyborg, but one of many short-chained organic compounds that are hygroscopic, meaning they attract and hold water, which in turn prevents hardening and encourages softness. Other hardworking humectants are glycerine, which is what keeps face creams creamy and hydrating, and sorbitol, which ensures toothpaste can be squeezed and smeared all over the sink and on the mirror. Honey, though, is the humectant that’s most suitable for this week’s recipe: a one-bowl, everyday cake inspired by my neighbour’s Polish honey cake, miodownik, combined with the tortino di mele e papavero (apple and poppy seed cake) enjoyed at a station bar in Bolzano.Not only does honey keep the cake moist, its sweetness comes largely from fructose, which is naturally sweeter than refined sugar, so the perception of sweetness is much greater even when less is added

My whey: dairy milk back on menu as protein boom cuts demand for plant-based alternatives

Gabriel Morrison hadn’t touched dairy milk for a decade until he read the ingredients label on his cheap carton of oat milk.“It’s [so much] canola oil and you imagine that in your glass, and imagine discovering that much olive oil, you’re like, that’s actually really gross,” he says.“I was just like, ‘ooft, I should stop this’.”The 28-year-old cinematographer had exclusively drunk soy, then almond, then oat milks since 2015 but had started worrying about processed foods – despite expert reassurance.In early 2025, with his housemate already buying cheaper dairy, he gave the old classic another look

It’s crunch time! Gala apples and nashi pears among Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for March

It’s a core month for pome fruit, with apples, pears and quince all heralding the start of autumn. “The first cab off the rank is the gala – a big sweet and juicy apple,” says Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne.Granny smith, jazz and kanzi apples will come in during March too, and “Australia’s most popular variety, the pink lady, generally starts in April,” he says.Royal gala apples are between $5 and $8 per kilo at supermarkets. They’re $7 to $9 per kilo at Sydney’s Galluzzo Fruiterers, and Gee is selling them for about $3 to $5 per kilo; Spudshed in Perth is selling bags of prepacked new season apples for $3

How to turn limp rhubarb into tasty jam – recipe

Rachel de Thample is one of my food heroines. She’s the author of six books, and has also been course director of the College of Naturopathic Medicine’s natural chef diploma, head of food for Abel & Cole and commissioning editor of Waitrose Food Illustrated, among so much else. She trained with the likes of Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal and Peter Gordon, and now teaches fermentation and gut health at River Cottage HQ, where I cut my own teeth in teaching eco-gastronomy more than 20 years ago. While researching honey fermenting recently, I came across her recipe in River Cottage’s Bees & Honey Handbook, which I’ve adapted here so you can make as much as you like using a variety of aromatics.The Guardian’s journalism is independent

£25 for a cookie? What the baffling luxury bakery boom tells us about Britain

Amid a cost of living crisis, pricey patisserie is all the rage – and not just in London. Our reporter goes on a crawl to find out if a tart can really be worth £45There was a time when you could get a stuffed vanilla cream slice or a neon-pink Tottenham cake for about £1 on the leafy, residential corner of Hackney, east London, where I stand today. But the branch of Percy Ingle bakery that was here for nearly 50 years is gone. In its place sits Fika, a cafe where a cinnamon bun costs £4.20 and a pistachio croissant will set you back nearly £5

Stuffed peppers and aubergine dip: Sami Tamimi’s recipes for savoury Palestinian snacks

I still remember, when I was a kid, the end of spring and early summer when markets in Jerusalem and across Palestine overflowed with freshly harvested freekeh. As you approached, the air carried a smoky, earthy aroma. Freekeh is an ancient grain, a staple across the Middle East and Turkey, made from green wheat roasted over open fires to burn off the husks, which gives it the characteristic nutty flavour. The name comes from the Arabic freek, meaning “to rub”, which describes how the grains are cleaned, dried, cracked and stored for the year.Throughout the Middle East and Palestine, mahashi (stuffing vegetables) is a true labour of love, creating dishes that are designed to be shared

Australian supermarket muesli bars taste test: the worst is ‘both dry and moist’

During a blind taste test of 19 muesli bars, for the first time in his life Nicholas Jordan asks: ‘Is this too much cinnamon?’Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you value our independent journalism, we hope you’ll consider supporting us todayI have a long history with muesli. Muesli bars were a recess staple during my school years. As a uni student, I made muesli in 20kg batches and sold it from my sharehouse back yard like a drug dealer. In lockdown, I started an Instagram account where I would review and rate a different muesli every three or four days (I am the only contributor to the hashtag #mueslireviewsli). Even before this taste test, I would guess that I’ve tried more than 80% of all the muesli and muesli bar brands available in my area