Trump ‘plans to roll back’ some metal tariffs; NatWest hands bankers £495m bonus pot – business live

European markets are subdued this morning – the FTSE 100 is now down very slightly by 0.01%, and the pan-continental Europe Stoxx 600 index is down by 0.34%. That loss is being led by the basic materials sector, which is down 1.43%

Starmer condemns Reform UK’s ‘racist rhetoric’ – UK politics live

Yesterday the Labour party accused Nigel Farage of tolerating “flagrant racism” in Reform UK after Sarah Pochin claimed that she was right to complain about the number of black and Asian people in TV adverts.Keir Starmer has now made the same point in his own words. Commenting on Sarah Pochin’s latest intervention, he told the Daily Mirror:Yet again our country’s discourse is being poisoned and polluted by the racist rhetoric coming from Reform - pitting communities against one another and sowing division to suit their own ends. They should be apologising, not doubling down.You only have to look at the toxicity flowing from their candidate for Gorton and Denton to know what they are about - dangerous ideas that pull at the fabric of who we are in Britain

How to plan Ramadan meals: minimal work, maximum readiness

Ramadan arrives this year in February, in the heart of winter. Short days, cold evenings and the pressure of everyday work mean that preparation is no longer about producing abundance, but about reducing effort while maintaining care. For many households balancing jobs, children and long commutes, the question is not what to cook, but how to make the month manageable.The most effective approach to Ramadan cooking is not variety but repetition. A small set of meals that are easy to digest, quick to prepare and gentle on the body can carry a household through 30 days of fasting with far less stress than daily reinvention

Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for almond frangipane crepes | The sweet spot

When it comes to pancake day, I don’t discriminate and fill the day with as many types of pancakes as possible – from a fluffy American-style stack in the morning to a savoury buckwheat pancake at lunch, and finishing off with classic crepes in the evening. This version was heavily inspired by an almond croissant, so although it does lean more towards dessert, I won’t judge if this is what you choose to start your day with. Bake them until the edges go crisp but the middle stays a little gooey.Prep 5 min Rest 20+ min Cook 50 min Makes 7-8 crepes120g plain flour ½ tbsp caster sugar A pinch of salt 2 large eggs 240ml whole milk 25g melted butter, plus extra for greasing Icing sugar, for dusting Lightly whipped cream, to serve (optional)For the frangipane90g salted butter, softened90g caster sugar ¼-½ tsp almond extract1 large egg 110g ground almonds 50g flaked almondsPut the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Add the eggs, whisk to a thick paste, then pour in the milk in three batches, whisking each time to avoid any lumps

NHS deal with AI firm Palantir called into question after officials’ concerns revealed

Health officials fear Palantir’s reputation will hinder the delivery of a “vital” £330m NHS contract, according to briefings seen by the Guardian, sparking fresh calls for the deal to be scrapped.In 2023, ministers selected Palantir, a US surveillance technology company that also works for the Israeli military and Donald Trump’s ICE operation, to build an AI-enabled data platform to connect disparate health information across the NHS.Now it has emerged that after Keir Starmer demanded faster deployment, Whitehall officials privately warned that the public perception of Palantir would limit its rollout, meaning the contract would not offer value for money.By last summer fewer than half of health authorities in England had started using the technology amid opposition from the public and doctors. The British Medical Association (BMA) has said its members could refuse to use parts of the system citing Palantir’s role in targeting ICE raids in the US

Anthropic raises $30bn in latest round, valuing Claude bot maker at $380bn

Anthropic, the US AI startup behind the Claude chatbot, has raised $30bn (£22bn) in a funding round that more than doubled its valuation to $380bn.The company’s previous funding round in September achieved a value of $183bn, with further improvements in the technology since then spurring even greater investor interest.The fundraising was announced amid a series of stock market moves against industries that face disruption from the latest models, including software, trucking and logistics, wealth management and commercial property services.The funding round, led by the Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and the hedge fund Coatue Management, is among the largest private fundraising deals on record.“Anthropic is the clear category leader in enterprise AI,” said Choo Yong Cheen, the chief investment officer of private equity at GIC