‘Short hair is dying out’: 30% rise in cost of UK haircuts, not fashion, is driving the change

Skin fades and sculpted bobs are out. Messy tops and longer locks are in. For fashion hawks, the move towards lengthier hair is hardly news, but it may not be fashion alone that is driving the shift. Rising costs and tightened belts are among the reasons some believe are behind the trend for longer hair.The average cost of a haircut for men and women in the UK has soared by more than 30% since 2020, according to government data

Could AI be accelerating slowdown in the UK job market?

Ask ChatGPT whether artificial intelligence is contributing to Britain’s cooling jobs market and the chatbot acknowledges its own role – but adds a caveat: “Yes, AI is contributing to job losses in the UK, but its impact is nuanced and varies by industry, skill level, and job function.”There are concerns that AI could be one culprit behind the slowdown, as the ascendant technology destroys workers’ jobs.The telecoms company BT has said advances in AI could lead it to cut more jobs, having already outlined plans to shed up to 55,000 workers two years ago – including as a result of investment in digital automation. Amazon has warned white-collar staff that their jobs could be replaced, Ocado has cut hundreds of roles to reduce costs while using AI instead, and Microsoft is shedding 9,000 jobs worldwide.Despite these high-profile changes and mounting anecdotal evidence, most economists reckon that, so far, Britain’s slowing labour market has little to do with accelerating investment in AI

World must be more wary than ever of China’s growing economic power | Phillip Inman

China is pulling every lever at its disposal to counter Donald Trump’s economic blockade, and it’s working.Trade is recovering after the massive hit from Washington’s wide-ranging tariffs on Beijing’s exports.According to data provider Macrobond and Beijing-based consultancy Gavekal Dragonomics, exports to the US were down by about $15bn (£11bn) in May, but up by half that figure to other countries that trade with the US. Exports to African countries have also risen sharply.Meanwhile, Chinese officials are poised to strike deals to deepen economic cooperation with countries ranging from Brazil and South Africa to Australia and the UK

‘The Co-op won’t defeat me’: Brighton shop owners fight against eviction

For Louise Oliver, it is the work of Charles Dickens that best describes her current predicament. “It’s a tale of a woman who has her lovely old shop taken over by a nasty piece of work,” she said, evoking Dickens’s The Old Curiosity Shop.In this instance, the identity of this “nasty piece of work” may come as a surprise. In 1844, three years after Dickens published the tragic tale of Little Nell, the world’s first successful cooperative shop opened in Rochdale. It put power into the hands of the community, who were sick of being fleeced by the powers above

Microdosing: how ‘off-label’ use of weight loss jabs is spreading from US to UK

A slim woman standing in a kitchen injects herself in the abdomen. Another jogs. A third kneels on a yoga mat drinking water. The shots are intercut with a doctor telling the viewer: “Usually it’s for people who don’t actually have that much to lose – it’s a bit of a gentler way to get to your target weight.”The promotional video is from a private clinic in Leicester offering “microdosing”, the latest trend in the weight loss jab revolution

Thames Water spent £136m on securing emergency funding, leaked document suggests

Thames Water spent at least £136m on the effort to secure emergency funding over 12 months, according to a leaked document that suggests costs outstripped the £130m the struggling utility paid in fines.The law firms Linklaters and Akin Gump received £45m and £26m respectively during the financial year to March 2025, and another 10 firms were paid more than £1m, according to a document listing “atypical expenditure” for the year, seen by the Guardian. It is the first time the fees paid by Thames Water have been detailed publicly.The water company scrambled in the last year to secure emergency funding to avoid temporary nationalisation as it struggled under a £20bn debt pile. That effort led to a court showdown in January and February to force losses on some debt holders in exchange for up to £3bn of rescue cash to see it through this year