Oil price shock likely to ‘push the UK economy into recession’; US growth revised down – as it happened

The oil price shock hitting the global economy could push the UK into recession, Tomasz Wieladek, chief European macro economist at investment managent firm T. Rowe Price, is warning this morning.Wieladek says the UK’s economy’s failure to grow in January show that it was weak even before the oil shock, which is likely to hit consumer spending and create more cost of living pressures.Following today’s weaker-than-expected GDP report, Wieladek writes:double quotation markUK GDP growth stagnated in January, far weaker than market expectations of a 0.2% month-on-month pickup

Miliband reveals plans that could mean nuclear power plants built near homes

Ed Miliband has unveiled plans that could make it easier to build nuclear power plants closer to homes and on sensitive nature sites, as he attempts to speed up the development of energy infrastructure.The energy secretary set out changes to nuclear regulation, to be carried out this year, which would mean a “win-win for building critical infrastructure while protecting nature and the environment”.However, ministers were quickly accused of “irresponsible deregulation” and putting nature at risk.The shake-up means the government will implement the recommendations of a review completed last year by the nuclear regulatory taskforce review, which was led by the former Office of Fair Trading boss John Fingleton.It said an overhaul of the “overly complex” and “bureaucratic” system which “favoured process over safe outcomes” was needed

Anthropic-Pentagon battle shows how big tech has reversed course on AI and war

The standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon has forced the tech industry to once again grapple with the question of how its products are used for war – and what lines it will not cross. Amid Silicon Valley’s rightward shift under Donald Trump and the signing of lucrative defense contracts, big tech’s answer is looking very different than it did even less than a decade ago.Anthropic’s feud with the Trump administration escalated three days ago as the AI firm sued the Department of Defense, claiming that the government’s decision to blacklist it from government work violated its first amendment rights. The company and the Pentagon have been locked in a months-long standoff, with Anthropic attempting to prohibit its AI model from being used for domestic mass surveillance or fully autonomous lethal weapons.Anthropic has argued that giving in to the DoD’s demands to permit “any lawful use” of its technology would violate its founding safety principles and open up its technology for potential abuse, staking an ethical boundary that others in the industry must decide whether they want to cross

AI toys for young children must be more tightly regulated, say researchers

It was all going well. Charlotte, five, was chatting with an AI soft toy called Gabbo at a London play centre about her family, her drawing of a heart to represent them and what makes her happy. She even offered a couple of kisses to the £80 toy with a face like a computer screen.It was when she declared: “Gabbo, I love you”, that the fluent conversation came to an abrupt halt.“As a friendly reminder, please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided,” said Gabbo, awkwardly crashing into its guardrails

Borthwick and Itoje fight for their futures as England seek redemption in Paris

It is a decade since England beat France across the Channel in the Six Nations and with results spiralling downwards the pressure is on to avoid their worst-ever finish Plenty of water has flowed down the Seine since England were last at the Stade de France for the business end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Back then they came within a point of beating South Africa – the eventual champions – in the semi-final before winning the bronze final against Argentina the following Friday. Their gameplan may have been strictly limited but the outlook seemed rosy for Steve Borthwick’s side.Now, almost 29 months later, England find themselves back at base camp. The rigid gameplan that was supposed to evolve to suit the players available has been increasingly rumbled and results have spiralled downwards

Keegan Bradley ‘still heartbroken’ by Ryder Cup loss but open to returning as USA captain

Keegan Bradley has admitted to still being “heartbroken” by his American Ryder Cup team’s loss at Bethpage last year. Bradley is also keen to retain the US captaincy at Adare Manor next September, should Tiger Woods knock back the opportunity.Luke Donald and Europe were set for a Bethpage rout before a rousing US recovery on day three. The visitors still won the trophy for a second time in succession. Bradley, who has returned to playing duties on the PGA Tour, remains wounded by the event and, as is the case with all Ryder Cups, the losing captain has been subject to heavy criticism