business

A bin collection strike in Birmingham could lead to rats thriving on a “banquet” of food waste and pose a public health danger, pest controllers have said. About 400 council bin workers in Birmingham began an indefinite strike on Tuesday as part of a dispute over pay and conditions. The trade union Unite has argued … Read more

The former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has joined those criticising the government’s proposed benefit cuts, as he accused ministers of lacking empathy and understanding over the proposed changes. McDonnell, who sits as an independent MP after losing the Labour whip over a previous benefits vote, said he was surprised at how poorly Keir Starmer’s government … Read more

A devoted investor in Elon Musk’s Tesla – and once a close childhood friend of the US president’s eldest son and namesake – says he hopes the world’s richest man’s role in cutting federal spending for Donald Trump’s administration is “short-lived” and that he returns to managing his businesses. Investment manager Christopher Tsai, whose firm … Read more

Sipping tea on an unusually warm February afternoon on his veranda that overlooked the small Alawite village of Arza, north-west Syria, Mohammed Abdullah al-Ismaili said he trusted the new Syrian authorities to keep him safe. “We believe what [interim Syrian president Ahmed] al-Sharaa says, but the problem is these unknown groups,” the 62-year-old official in … Read more

Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Ukrainian air defences destroyed 130 out of 178 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight strike, Kyiv’s air force said on Saturday. It added that another 38 drones had been “locationally lost”, typically a reference to electronic jamming, and that … Read more

Up to 300,000 people with side hustles ranging from selling clothes online to dog walking are to be freed from the chore of having to do a self-assessment tax return. The government said this week it wanted “to make it easier for Britons to make the very most of their entrepreneurial spirit”. But this move … Read more

Labour’s push for economic growth at the expense of climate and nature is “extremely dangerous”, the co-leader of the Green party has said. Adrian Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley between Norfolk and Suffolk, was one of the five Green MPs elected to parliament last July in their best ever result. He said and his … Read more

The Australian resources minister was saddened the US did not accept an offer of guaranteed supply to critical minerals in return for steel and aluminium tariff exemptions, and has warned the package will not be improved. Australian diplomats proposed a more reliable supply of critical minerals – which are essential for renewable energy, computer and … Read more

Tens of thousands of people from across Serbia are expected to join an anti-corruption rally in Belgrade, in what is seen as a culmination of months of protest that have shaken the grip of the country’s autocratic president, Aleksandar Vučić. Tensions are running high, as the president’s supporters have begun setting up camp in a … Read more

The United States is in effect expelling South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, with secretary of state Marco Rubio accusing the envoy of hating the country and President Donald Trump. “South Africa’s ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,” Rubio posted on X on Friday. Rubio accused ambassador Ebrahim Rasool … Read more