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Fining errant corporations is welcome – but when consumers are also getting shaken down on their local high street, it’s time for a new and boisterous approachIt’s a story that warms the heart and lifts the soul: last week, Virgin Media was fined a record £28m by Ofcom for repeatedly preventing customers from cancelling their contracts. Its methods were insidious: deliberate call-dropping, unnecessary call transfers and constantly putting customers on hold. For anyone who has experienc

Repeated heatwaves, driven by climate crisis, have raised need for guidance as workers struggle to cope Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is backing calls for a maximum workplace temperature as pressure grows on the government to protect workers from the impact of repeated heatwaves across the UK.The extreme heat, driven by the climate crisis, has left people struggling to cope as temperatures in some workplaces climb above 40C, causing thousands of schools to close, and hospital and transpor

Guardian analysis found the removals coincided with the Trump administration’s push to weaken efficiency rulesAs millions of Americans prepare for another brutal heatwave, it’s now harder to find information about ways to stay cool while saving energy and keeping utility costs down.At least 1,662 department of energy webpages offering guidance on protecting the electrical grid during heatwaves have gone dark as of 3 July, according to a Guardian analysis of a list of deleted URLs provi

Treasury says shoppers will get a ‘fairer deal’ as new rules for BNPL credit are introduced on WednesdayMillions of shoppers will enjoy more rights and protections from Wednesday as new rules for “buy now, pay later” take effect in the UK.The government said it was delivering on its commitment to end the buy now, pay later “wild west”. Continue reading...

Lawsuit filed by dozens of employees says people who took maternity or disability leave were disproportionately selected for layoffsDozens of Meta employees have sued the social media company over claims that it used artificial intelligence tools to tag workers for mass layoffs. The workers allege that those AI tools targeted them after they asked for protected or maternity leave or disability accommodation.The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in the northern district of Californ

Donald Trump’s tariff threat recasts Brazil’s attempt to protect its democracy as unfair commercial practice – and gives Bolsonarism a Washington stageLast June, Brazil’s supreme court responded to the online lies that helped fuel Jair Bolsonaro’s failed far-right coup attempt in 2023. It ruled that social media platforms could be held liable for some users’ posts, forcing firms such as Elon Musk’s X and Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta to remove hate speech and anti-democratic content. A month

Chair criticises use of ‘VIP lane’ to prioritise PPE contracts for companies with Tory connections in damning reportBoris Johnson’s government wasted £10bn of public money with the flawed purchasing of personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, an official inquiry has concluded.The Covid-19 inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, also criticised the then Conservative government’s controversial “VIP lane”, which gave high priority for PPE contracts to companies with politica

Robust action is needed to protect European industries from unfair competition. The alternative is social strife amid growing insecurityAccording to a recent analysis, China enjoys a surplus in its manufactured goods trade with the European Union that is roughly equivalent to Italy’s national income. That trade disparity, it is estimated, continues to grow by about 30% each year. The stark implication, according to a paper from Centre for European Reform, is that Europe, with Germany i

Ursula von der Leyen’s commitment comes after panel of experts calls for restriction for under-13sThe European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has pledged an EU-wide social media ban for children after an expert group called for restrictions for those under 13.“It is clear we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms,” von der Leyen told reporters after the publication of a report on child safety online. Continue reading...

Proposed legal settlement over 2022 oil spill would resolve allegations that South Bow violated clean water lawsA proposed legal settlement with the US government would require the Keystone pipeline system’s operator to pay a $26.9m civil penalty over a large oil spill in Kansas in December 2022 and spend about $40m more to prevent future accidents.The agreement would resolve allegations from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Kansas that South Bow, based in Canada, viola

Public health advocates warn of conflicts of interests and say panel likely to provide justification for key rollbacksThe Trump administration has stacked a top chemical safety board with industry-aligned scientists who have a range of financial conflicts of interest and stand to profit from deregulation, public health advocates say.The Environmental Protection Agency’s science advisory committee on chemicals (SACC) is slated to review research for dozens of toxic chemicals during the

Byelection winner says heatwaves are causing ‘absolute chaos’ and workers need protection from unsafe conditionsThe Green MP Hannah Spencer is to introduce a bill in parliament that would pave the way for a maximum workplace temperature in the UK, as the country grapples with increasingly frequent heatwaves.If passed, the legislation will create an independent body to recommend maximum safe workplace temperatures and set out how those recommendations should be implemented. Continue rea