Donald Trump suggests tariffs on China should be 80%, but it’s ‘up to Scott B’ – business live

Newsflash: Donald Trump has suggested that the US tariffs on Chinese goods should be 80%.Posting on his Truth Social site, the US president says:80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B.Scott B is presumably Treasury secretary Bessent, who is due to meet with officials from China in Switzerland this weekend to discuss the trade war.An 80% tariff would be a notable reduction on the 145% which Trump imposed last month, but would still make it significantly more expensive for US companies to import goods from China.Trump has also urged Beijing to open up its markets, posting:CHINA SHOULD OPEN UP ITS MARKET TO USA — WOULD BE SO GOOD FOR THEM!!! CLOSED MARKETS DON’T WORK ANYMORE!!!Reminder: trade data from China earlier today showed a drop in shipments to, and from, the US

British Airways owner agrees $13bn deal to buy 32 Boeing planes

The parent company of British Airways has struck a $13bn (£9.8bn) deal to buy 32 new planes from the US aircraft maker Boeing, a day after a trade agreement with the US cut tariffs on the industry.International Airlines Group (IAG) – which also owns Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling – said the Boeing 787-10 aircraft would be for its British Airways fleet and included the option of buying 10 more aircraft.The “milestone order” also includes a near $8bn deal for 21 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, which will be deployed across operations including Iberia and Aer Lingus. That deal includes an option to order up to 13 more aircraft

‘Tone deaf’: US tech company responsible for global IT outage to cut jobs and use AI

The cybersecurity company that became a household name after causing a massive global IT outage last year has announced it will cut 5% of its workforce in part due to “AI efficiency”.In a note to staff earlier this week, released in stock market filings in the US, CrowdStrike’s chief executive, George Kurtz, announced that 500 positions, or 5% of its workforce, would be cut globally, citing AI efficiencies created in the business.“We’re operating in a market and technology inflection point, with AI reshaping every industry, accelerating threats, and evolving customer needs,” he said.Kurtz said AI “flattens our hiring curve, and helps us innovate from idea to product faster”, adding it “drives efficiencies across both the front and back office”.“AI is a force multiplier throughout the business,” he said

Leave them hanging on the telephone | Brief letters

Regarding dealing with cold callers (Adrian Chiles, 7 May), it’s irritating I know, but if you don’t mind your phone being inaccessible for a few minutes, why not say: “Hang on, I’ll go and get him/her”, and then leave your phone until the caller rings off? At least you will have wasted some of their day.Robert WalkerPerrancoombe, Cornwall Re fostering a love of reading in children (Letters, 6 May), one of my fondest memories of my teaching career was story time in the infant class in a local village school. Most of the children came quite a distance on buses. They adored Michael Rosen’s poetry. There were many afternoons when it was home time and they would shout: “Please read another Michael Rosen one, Mrs Mansfield, the driver won’t mind waiting

Nottinghamshire v Hampshire, Warwickshire v Surrey, and more: county cricket – live

A flurry of late wickets – Notts now four down, Sussex three. Lunch round the sun-baked grounds.Joe Clarke, whose season has not yet flourished, is sent on his way lbw by Kyle Abbott. Notts 74-3.In Division Two, Glamorgan are sailing along at four an over against Kent after losing ul Hassan early

Horse racing: Chester Cup day, latest news, tips and more – live

It is a sumptuous afternoon here at Chester, and a near-capacity crowd is converging on the Roodee for the most popular day of the week. I cannot recommend it enough as a track – and a city – to visit, and it is even possible to watch all the action for free, from the Roman walls alongside the home stretch.Good afternoon from Chester on the final day of the track’s May meeting, when after two days of stepping stones to Epsom’s Classics and the Royal meeting at Ascot, the big race is all about backing a winner at decent odds in the here and now. The Chester Cup is a race for the punters, pure and simple, and they have been cramming onto the Roodee in the hope of returning home with a lot more money in their pockets ever since Doge Of Venice took the first running all the way back in 1824 (barely a quarter of a century after the abdication of the last actual Doge of Venice in 1797).It is, when all’s said and done, just a handicap