
AstraZeneca's falling out with Britain
I N A COUNTRY struggling to find reasons for cheer, British life sciences offer a ray of hope. The £108bn ($145bn) industry employs more than 300,000 people, many in high-value jobs, and Britain is a genuine global power. No wonder ministers like to boast about it. Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, has said it could be 'the rocket fuel for our stagnant economy'.
Victory in the European Championship is a rare moment of national joy
But the men seem to benefit more
Torness is closing in on its 40th birthday
No. But that might not be the point
Despite signs of American misgivings
A mighty rise in electricity costs has complicated the drive for clean power

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Time Out
15 minutes ago
- Time Out
The 10 best places to retire in the UK in 2025
After a long, hard lifetime of work, we all want a relaxing retirement. Some choose to settle down near family, others to escape gloomy British weather by fleeing the country – but if you're still shopping around for the perfect place to enjoy your golden years, we've got some info that might be helpful. Pension and asset management company Legal & General (L&G) has done some research into where the best places in the country to retire are based on six 'pillars': housing, health, social and community, financial, nature, and amenities. The firm evaluated how 632 areas stack up to each of those pillars, giving them an overall rating and thereby creating a national ranking. As you might expect, leafy suburbs in the south of England tended to score exceptionally well, with the seven of the top 10 best areas for retirees being in Surrey or Buckinghamshire. In fact, it isn't until 15th that Cheshire, the first place not in the south of England, makes an appearance. Scotland and Wales don't get a look into the top 20, despite both having more affordable housing. The best places to retire in the UK According to L&G's research, the best place to move to for retirees in Britain is Chesham and Amersham, a gorgeous Buckinghamshire authority with excellent transport links and loads of nature. It excelled in the 'health' category, where it got a very impressive 93/100 due to a high number of its 65+ population remaining in good health, and good access to GPs and hospitals. Overall, the towns got 74/100, topping the list, and you can find out more about why they're so good here. Next was Beaconsfield, also in Buckinghamshire and only a 15-minute drive from Chesham. It was a close second, even beating Chesham and Amersham when it came to availability of senior housing, and ended up just two points behind its neighbour at 72 overall. For third place it was over to Surrey for the market towns of Dorking and Horley, which received 71, just narrowly missing out on being first runner up. Here's the top 10 places to retire in the UK right now, according to L&G. Chesham and Amersham, Buckinghamshire: 74 Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire: 72 Dorking and Horley, Surrey: 71 Godalming and Ash, Surrey: 71 Mid Sussex, West Sussex: 70 Woking, Surrey: 70 Farnham and Bordon, Surrey: 70 Esher and Walton, Surrey: 69 Suffolk Coastal, Suffolk: 69 East Grinstead and Uckfield, Surrey: 68 The only London area to make the list was Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, down in 14th place. If you want to see the full list, including how each place did in each individual category, you can have a look at it here. The best places to retire in Scotland If you'd prefer to stay north of the border, L&G recommends Mid Dunbartonshire, which scored 55. It has loads of social and community opportunities for older people, which helped it make its way to the top of the Scottish leaderboard. Here are the top five best places to retire in Scotland: Mid Dunbartonshire, East Dunbartonshire: 55 Stirling and Strathallan, Stirling: 52 East Renfrewshire: 51 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Aberdeenshire: 51 Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Na h-Eileanan Siar: 50 The best places to retire in Wales In Wales, Monmouthshire was named the best place to live as an older person. Thanks to its great amenities – access to shops and culture which are accessible to the elderly – Monmouthshire ended up with an overall rating of 53. In general, Wales' top scorers were the lowest of the three nations, but each of these places has something unique that makes it worth checking out if you're planning your retirement outside of England. Monmouthshire, Gwent: 53 Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Gwynedd: 49 Vale of Glamorgan, South Glamorgan: 48 Ynys Mon, Gwynedd: 48 Mid and South Pembrokeshire, Dyfed: 47


The Herald Scotland
36 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump's Japan trade deal doesn't even help US car companies
President Donald Trump's latest trade deal with Japan serves to demonstrate how little administration officials actually understands what they are doing in the trade policy arena. Tariffs are bad policy - and Trump's tariffs are being implemented in the most chaotic manner possible. Trump's trade policy doesn't even give US car companies a leg up Proponents of tariffs love to claim that their policies will incentivize domestic production, but the reality is that they add additional burdens to domestic producers. The Japanese trade agreement spans many sectors, but this idea can be seen clearly in the automotive industry. American car manufacturers are charged tariffs of 25% on imported parts and 50% on imported aluminum and steel. The costs of tariffs on importing components and raw materials essential to vehicles only serve to drive up production costs for those companies doing what Trump wants, building in America. Opinion: Republicans accused Biden of trying to bribe voters. Now they're doing the same. These tariffs have already collectively cost domestic producers billions of dollars. Ford alone lost $800 million to tariffs in the second quarter and expects to lose $2 billion this year. Ford has rather admirably taken on a great portion of the costs of these tariffs themselves rather than raising prices, but because of that, tariff policies have resulted in Ford's first quarterly loss in two years. That isn't sustainable. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Not only are these tariffs costing domestic producers money, but they are also disadvantaging them against foreign competition. Japanese car companies face a tariff of just 15%, thereby further incentivizing the import of Japanese cars over domestic production. This rate is also notably lower than the 25% rate on vehicles coming from Mexico and Canada, both of which produce vehicles for American car companies. There's an even greater irony in that fact because Japanese manufacturers, such as Toyota, have announced expansions to their already existing U.S.-based manufacturing plants. It turns out that continuing production in Japan will be better. Tariffs are bad - but Trump's aren't even doing what he claims The backward effects that tariffs are having on domestic car production are a perfect example of how dysfunctional this administration's policy is on the issue. Even the tariffs that are put into effect don't achieve what they purport to. Opinion: I'll never have a car payment. Here's my secret. In the case of cars, they are doing the opposite, giving manufacturers from a foreign nation an artificial leg up over American ones. In this case, the disparity is a result of negotiated deals taking place at different times. Trump is rewarding Japan by coming around to make a deal before both Mexico and Canada. Another area of concern is the sudden and unexpected shock of tariffs, often with little advance notice to the impacted industries. Tariffs don't make sense, but they make even less sense when there is no phase in the window in which companies can change their manufacturing practices to avoid them. Nor can any company be faulted for not rapidly changing any of their practices, given the fact that Trump's tariff policies have changed by the week, or sometimes even by the day. The volatile nature of these policies has made it impossible for any affected parties to make reasonable decisions going forward. This administration's dysfunctional approach to tariffs has resulted in a headache for everyone involved. While everyone suffers, domestic producers end up getting the short end of the stick. None of this is good. Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.


The Herald Scotland
39 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump rips Jaguar ad after CEO's resignation
CEO Adrian Mardell, who spent three decades at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and served as chief executive over the last three years, announced he will step down in November and will be succeeded by P.B. Balaji. The company announced the switch-up in a release on Thursday, July 31. "These three years have been a great privilege," Mardell said in a written statement. "Together with the incredible JLR workforce, we have cemented JLR's position in the automotive industry during a time of incredible change." More: Trump says he loves Sydney Sweeney's jeans ad - after hearing she's a Republican Why was the ad controversial? In November 2024, the company released a head-turning ad entitled "Copy Nothing." The 30-second ad did not feature a car, but instead had models dressed in bright, androgynous attire. Some of the slogans the company used as part of the advertisement included "create exuberant," "live vivid," "delete ordinary," and "break moulds," using the British spelling. The advertisement went viral on social media immediately, generating tens of millions of views and thousands of social media comments within 24 hours. Several Jaguar customers said they were caught off guard by the advertisement. "This just made me want to sell my Jaguar and I don't even own a Jaguar," tweeted conservative corporate activist Robby Starbuck at the time. In a statement defending its rebranding, the company said: "Our brand relaunch for Jaguar is a bold and imaginative reinvention and, as expected, it has attracted attention and debate. "As proud custodians at such a remarkable point in Jaguar's history, we have preserved iconic symbols while taking a dramatic leap forward. The brand reveal is only the first step in this exciting new era." What did the president say? Trump had his own opinions about the ad, which he shared on Monday, Aug. 4. "Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER! The CEO just resigned in disgrace, and the company is in absolute turmoil," wrote Trump in a Truth Social post, in which he also said Actress Sydney Sweeney, who is reported to be a registered Republican, has the "HOTTEST" ad out there. More: Trump backs Sydney Sweeney after backlash over American Eagle ad The president was referring to Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad, which has come under fire for supporting eugenics because of its wordplay using "jeans" and "genes." In the advertisement, dubbed "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," the actress tells the camera, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue." Then a banner with the words "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" pops up. Those opposed to the ad say the company used a blonde, blue-eyed, white woman as a symbol of good genes. Following Trump's comments, American Eagle's stock jumped 23 percent. Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@