FTSE 100 hits 10,000 point milestone for first time, after best year of gains since 2009 – as it happened

Time to wrap up…The FTSE 100 hit the 10,000 point milestone for the first time, after finishing its best year of gains since 2009. The FTSE 100 jumped on Friday morning to a high of 10,046, a new peak for the index, before easing back slightly. The milestone marks a stellar 12 months for the “Footsie”, which rose by 21.5% over the course of last year.The Chinese car-maker BYD has overtaken Tesla as the top seller of electric cars around the world

Ørsted files legal challenge against US government over windfarm lease freeze

Europe’s biggest offshore wind developer is taking the Trump administration to court over its decision to suspend work on a $5bn project on the north-east US coast.Denmark’s Ørsted filed a legal challenge on Thursday against the White House’s decision 10 days ago to suspend the lease for its Revolution Wind site as part of a sweeping move halting all construction of offshore wind.The attempted injunction is the latest in a series of legal volleys between the renewables industry and Donald Trump, whose administration has sought to block major offshore wind projects from moving ahead since his re-election.Trump, a vocal supporter of the fossil fuel industry, opposes renewable energy, and wind in particular, saying he finds turbines ugly, costly and inefficient.On 22 December, officials from the Department of the Interior suspended the leases for five large offshore wind projects that are under construction in US waters over unspecified “national security risks”

Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice

People are being put at risk of harm by false and misleading health information in Google’s artificial intelligence summaries, a Guardian investigation has found.The company has said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information about a topic or question, are “helpful” and “reliable”.But some of the summaries, which appear at the top of search results, served up inaccurate health information and put people at risk of harm.In one case that experts described as “really dangerous”, Google wrongly advised people with pancreatic cancer to avoid high-fat foods. Experts said this was the exact opposite of what should be recommended, and may increase the risk of patients dying from the disease

Uber rewrites contracts with drivers to avoid paying UK’s new ‘taxi tax’

Uber has swerved paying millions of pounds to the UK exchequer under Rachel Reeves’s new “taxi tax” after the ride-hailing app rewrote contracts with its drivers.The move came as rules announced in November’s budget took effect, which adjusted how VAT is payable on minicab fares and would have resulted in the whole Uber fare becoming subject to the 20% sales tax.In November, Reeves told the Commons the changes would end up “protecting around £700m of tax revenue each year”.However, updated terms issued to Uber drivers from January 2026 mean the technology firm will act as an agent, rather than as the supplier, of transport services outside London. The move means drivers make a contract directly with their passengers – so they must charge any VAT due on the fare, while Uber only adds VAT to its commission

Gian van Veen denies Gary Anderson in epic to set up final against Luke Littler

It’s barely a couple of years since a 16-year-old Luke Littler and a 21-year-old Gian van Veen came through a 96-player field at Milton Keynes to qualify for the final of the world youth championship. There’s a charming photo of the pair of them with their arms around each other, silly little smiles plastered on to their silly little faces, the cutest high-street haircuts you’ve ever seen. Two kids at the very start of an unforgettable journey.Did either of them foresee, in those sepia-tinted days of August 2023, that the journey would convey them this far, this fast? I reckon Littler did. There’s never been much room for doubt and scepticism in there

PDC world darts semi-finals: Van Veen edges Anderson in classic to set up final with Littler

Luke Littler will face Gian van Veen in Saturday’s world championship final after two contrasting semi-final wins on Friday.After losing the first set, Littler won six in a row to see off Ryan Searle 6-1, reaching his third final in three appearances. The world No 1’s focus remains on becoming a back-to-back champion, and not the record £1m prize.“It’s a massive prize, but it’s the trophy on the stage, it’s not the money,” Littler said. “Ever since the Grand Slam I have just said I want to go back-to-back