Bafta-winning director among contemporaries urging contrition and apology from Reform UK leader, who denies the allegations

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as shares fall across Asia and bitcoin hits a seven-month low Britain’s stock market has opened in the red, as the sell-off in global markets reaches Europe. The blue-chip FTSE 100 share index has dropped by 101 points, or just over 1%, to 9,675 points, further away from the record high of 9,930 points set last week. “We are committed to ending the scandal of ticket touts.” Reselling tickets for profit is to be outlawed under plans due to be announced this week, the Guardian has learned, as the government goes ahead with a long-awaited crackdown on touts and resale platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub. Ministers had been considering allowing touts – and ordinary consumers – to sell on a ticket for up to 30% above the original face value, as part of a consultation process that ended earlier this year. Continue reading...

Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance

In a BBC interview, former vice-president says she isn’t done with politics and could ‘possibly’ be the next president Kamala Harris says she is not done with politics and strongly suggested that she is considering another bid for president in a new interview. In an interview scheduled to air on the BBC on Sunday morning, Harris says that she would “possibly” be the next president, making the clearest suggestion to date that she will make another run for the White House in 2028 despite lagging far behind in the polls. Continue reading...

Investment bank had previously planned for such information from New York workers to be voluntary JP Morgan Chase has told staff moving into its new headquarters in New York that they must share their biometric data to access the multibillion-dollar building. The investment bank had previously planned for the registering of biometric data by employees at its new Manhattan skyscraper to be voluntary. Continue reading...

US president may impose tariffs, demand higher Nato contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst says * Why is Donald Trump so obsessed with winning the peace prize? With hours to go until the announcement of this year’s Nobel peace prize, Norwegian politicians were steeling themselves for potential repercussions to US-Norway relations if it is not awarded to Donald Trump. The Norwegian Nobel Committee pointedly said on Thursday that it had reached a decision about who would be named 2025 peace prize laureate on Monday, several days before Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire under the US president’s Gaza plan. Continue reading...