Labour to announce pub business rates U-turn after industry outcry

Ministers are preparing to U-turn over changes to business rates for pubs after a wave of disquiet from the hospitality industry, the Guardian has been told.In yet another government climbdown on a contentious policy, details of revisions to the changes to business rates, which were set to particularly affect the hospitality industry, are to be announced in the next few days.The change would be an attempt to “recognise issues with how business rates are collated”, a government source said. It will be part of a wider Treasury package also including measures to help pubs with areas such as licensing, opening hours and wider efforts to reduce red tape.The pub industry has been putting pressure on ministers to act, with Keir Starmer also facing concern from a series of Labour MPs

CMA begins full review of Kingsmill owner’s planned takeover of bread rival Hovis

The UK competition watchdog has ramped up its investigation into a £75m takeover deal that will result in the owner of Kingsmill snapping up its sliced bread rival Hovis.Associated British Foods (ABF), which also owns the Primark clothing chain, confirmed plans to buy Hovis from its private equity owners Endless in August, combining the UK’s second and third largest bread brands.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now launched an in-depth investigation into whether the deal could harm consumers, potentially leading to reduced choice and higher prices on grocery shelves. It follows a request by the two companies to fast-track the review of the merger.ABF said in a statement: “Our priority is to achieve regulatory clearance as efficiently as possible and we are pleased to have agreed with the CMA that we will fast-track to the in-depth and detailed final phase of their merger review

Commons women and equalities committee to stop using X amid AI-altered images row

The Commons women and equalities committee has decided to stop using X after the social media site’s AI tool began generating thousands of digitally altered images of women and children with their clothes removed.The move by the cross-party committee places renewed pressure on ministers to take decisive action after the site was flooded with images including sexualised and unclothed pictures of children generated by its AI tool, Grok.Sarah Owen, the Labour MP who chairs the committee, said that given preventing violence against women and girls was among its key policy areas, “it has become increasingly clear that X is not an appropriate platform to be using for our communications”.Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, has called the imagery “appalling and unacceptable in decent society” and urged Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, to take whatever action is needed.Speaking on Wednesday, Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said that “all options remain on the table” for Ofcom, which has the power to impose huge fines or to restrict access to a site

Grok’s deepfake images which ‘digitally undress’ women investigated by Australia’s online safety watchdog

Australia’s online safety watchdog is investigating sexualised deepfake images posted on X by its AI tool Grok.Elon Musk’s X has faced a global backlash since Grok began generating sexualised images of women and girls without their consent in response to requests for it to undress them.Ashley St Clair, the estranged mother of one of Musk’s children, said she had no response to her complaints about being digitally undressed.“I felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddler’s backpack in the back of it,” she said this week.The fake images included one of a 12-year-old girl in a bikini

Kicking zones and a ban on losing teams: NFL playoff tweaks we’d like to see

The postseason consistently serves up enthralling football. But there are ways to make it even more compellingNo legitimate Super Bowl champion should have a losing record in the regular season. The Panthers, crowned NFC South champions at 8-9, are not an outlier. Since 2010, five teams with losing records have made the postseason. The 2022 Bucs were the first team to make the dance with a losing record since the league instituted a 17-game schedule

The Timberwolves should not play until ICE violence in Minneapolis is held to account | Lee Escobedo

The SUV sat motionless against a tree on a south Minneapolis street, its engine quiet, angled as if it had simply run out of gas. Except the windshield bore a small shattered star, delicate and sharp, like a snowflake pressed into glass. Cold Minnesota air leaked through the fracture, settling over the still body inside. The car became a sealed room, a thin shell holding death in place, surrounded by the stuffed animals of the woman’s children.In the street, witnesses screamed