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Vivienne Westwood fashion house faces questions over homophobic bullying claims against CEO

Exclusive: Independent investigation in 2023 upheld five allegations against Carlo D’Amario, the Guardian understands

From her 1975 “gay cowboys” T-shirt to pioneering catwalk collections that challenged gender norms, the late Vivienne Westwood has long been heralded as an LGBT+ icon.

But the fashion house she built over five decades faces serious questions about whether the late designer’s values have endured, after allegations about homophobic bullying by its chief executive, Carlo D’Amario, were upheld by an independent investigation, the Guardian understands.

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China unveils US tariffs and Google investigation in response to Trump levies

Tariffs on coal, LNG, crude oil and other goods announced after US imposes levy on imports

Donald Trump has fired the opening salvo of his trade war, imposing tariffs on China on Tuesday that sparked instant retaliation from Beijing, amid fears for the global economic repercussions.

Moments after US tariffs of 10% came into effect, China swiftly announced an anti-trust investigation into Google. China’s finance ministry also announced 15% tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas, and 10% on crude oil, farm equipment, large-displacement vehicles and pickup trucks from the US.

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JPMorgan’s $4bn delivery of gold bullion adds to fears Trump’s tariffs will reshape global trade

US bank, world’s biggest bullion dealer, says it will deliver raw material against contracts that will expire in February

US banking giant JPMorgan plans to deliver $4bn of gold bullion weighing more than 937 tons to New York this month, before an anticipated escalation of Donald Trump’s trade-rebalancing-tariff moves planned for Saturday.

The US bank, the world’s biggest bullion dealer, said it would deliver the hefty raw material, weighed as 30m troy ounces of gold, or 1.875m lbs, against contracts that will expire in February.

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Trump to impose tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China

US neighbors hit with 25% tariff and China with 10% as Trudeau pledges ‘forceful but reasonable’ response

Donald Trump will impose sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China on Saturday, the White House said, potentially setting the stage for a damaging trade war between the US and three of its biggest trading partners.

Goods exported from Canada and Mexico to the US will be hit with a 25% tariff, while products from China face a 10% levy, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told reporters on Friday.

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BusinessNewsTechnology

OpenAI ‘reviewing’ allegations that its AI models were used to make DeepSeek

ChatGPT creator warns Chinese startups are ‘constantly’ using its technology to develop competing products

OpenAI has warned that Chinese startups are “constantly” using its technology to develop competing products and said it is “reviewing” allegations that DeepSeek used the ChatGPT maker’s AI models to create a rival chatbot.

OpenAI and its partner Microsoft – which has invested $13bn in the San Francisco-based AI developer – have been investigating whether proprietary technology had been obtained in an unauthorised manner through a technique known as “distillation”.

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Global tech shares fall as China AI chatbot DeepSeek spooks investors

Chinese startup’s $6m product raises doubts about sustainability of western artificial intelligence boom

Investors punished global tech stocks on Monday after the emergence of a Chinese chatbot competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, DeepSeek, raised doubts about the sustainability of the US artificial intelligence boom.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq index in New York opened lower after investors digested the implications of the latest AI model developed by the startup DeepSeek.

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BusinessNewsPolitics

UK should learn from Donald Trump’s ‘boosterism’, Rachel Reeves says

Chancellor calls for more positivity about Britain’s strengths after returning from World Economic Forum in Davos

Britain needs to learn from Donald Trump’s “boosterism” and be more positive about its strengths, the UK chancellor has said.

Rachel Reeves said the UK should be “shouting from the rooftops”, after travelling to Davos to seek more investment in Britain at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting and visiting China in an effort to rebuild trading and financial links.

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IMF upgrades UK growth forecast and takes swipe at Trump plans

UK economy predicted to grow by 1.6% this year as fund warns of potentially destabilising effect of Trump policy

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The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its forecast for UK growth this year in an update to its biannual assessment of the global economy, while taking a swipe at plans by Donald Trump’s incoming US administration for the potentially destabilising effect of large-scale tax cuts, import tariffs and weaker regulations.

In a fillip to the Labour government, the Washington-based organisation said it expected the UK economy to grow by 1.6% in 2025, up from an earlier forecast of 1.5%.

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Bodies recovered from illegal goldmine in South Africa where many feared dead

Fifteen bodies brought to surface amid claims 109 are dead and between 400 and 800 people still alive and trapped

Fifteen bodies have been brought out of an illegal goldmine in South Africa and 44 people have been taken out alive since Monday, after police blocked supplies of food, water and medicine to the workers underground in October in an attempt to force them out.

On Thursday, a letter brought up to the surface claimed there were 109 dead bodies underground. A video circulated by the NGO Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) appeared to show more than 50 wrapped bodies laid out in a tunnel.

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Apple asks investors to block proposal to scrap diversity programmes

Conservative thinktank wants firm to end its DEI efforts because they create ‘litigation, reputational and financial risks’

Apple has asked shareholders to vote against a proposal to scrap its diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, as tech rivals scale back similar schemes before Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative thinktank, wants the iPhone maker to end its DEI efforts because they expose companies to “litigation, reputational and financial risks”. The proposal will be voted on at Apple’s annual general meeting on 25 February.

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