Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK minister stresses need to tackle climate crisis at G20

New UK programmes announced in India also include an investment of £10 million in the Avaana Fund, a women-led climate-tech fund

UK minister stresses need to tackle climate crisis at G20

UK minister Andrew Mitchell attended the G20 development ministerial meeting in Varanasi on Monday (12), when the climate and tech partnerships were announced.

The new UK support includes funding for a tech start-up focusing on sustainable agriculture, including through growing vegetables in an environmentallyfriendly way.


Mitchell told the gathering about how the UK’s partnerships and investments are helping tackle the biggest shared challenges of today – including climate change, poverty and food insecurity. The meeting is laying the groundwork to accelerate progress towards the sustainable development goals ahead of the G20 leader’s summit in New Delhi this September.

At the G20, the UK stressed the need to redouble global efforts to tackle the climate crisis and shocks facing the most vulnerable countries.

New UK programmes announced in India also include an investment of £10 million in the Avaana Fund, a women-led climate-tech fund that supports businesses to develop solutions to climate change and create jobs for women in sectors such as clean energy, energy storage and agriculture.

An investment of £12m from the UK government-supported Neev II fund will go to Nutrifresh, an agri-tech start-up enterprise focused on making agriculture more sustainable by growing vegetables in an environmentally friendly way.

Mitchell joined India and G20 partners in calling for reinvigorated efforts to meet the UN’s sustainable development goals.

Last Sunday (11), the minister visited the Chakr Innovation research lab in Gurugram, near Delhi, which is developing cutting-edge tech to tackle climate challenges. The UK-supported lab is now developing innovative batteries for e-vehicles that do not need charging infrastructure and are fully recyclable, providing a cleaner and safer alternative to older lithium tech.

The lab has previously developed devices that capture pollution-causing emissions and convert them to pigment for black inks and paints.

Targeted investments such as these help tackle climate change and support sustainable development, a statement said.

More For You

Tesco Clubcard Changes: Update Your App Before the Deadline

The digital Clubcard offers convenience and flexibility

Getty

Tesco Clubcard changes: Customers urged to update app before Monday deadline

Tesco has issued an urgent call for action to millions of its Clubcard users, advising them to update their Tesco Shopping & Clubcard app before Monday, 31 March 2025. The supermarket giant is rolling out an important update to improve data protection and online security, and failure to update the app by the deadline will leave customers unable to access their digital Clubcard benefits.

Update to ensure enhanced security

The upcoming changes are being implemented to enhance the security of customer data and improve overall protection. Tesco has highlighted the importance of this upgrade, as it seeks to safeguard customer information and keep their online shopping experiences secure.

Keep ReadingShow less
OpenAI Restricts ChatGPT’s Image Feature After Viral Ghibli Trend

Altman addressed the impact of the popular Ghibli-style image trend on OpenAI’s resources

Getty

OpenAI limits ChatGPT’s image generation feature amid viral Ghibli image trend

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced temporary limitations on the company’s image generation feature in response to overwhelming demand driven by a viral trend. On Thursday, Altman addressed the impact of the popular Ghibli-style image trend on OpenAI’s resources, particularly its reliance on GPUs (graphics processing units). Altman revealed that the surge in demand for ChatGPT’s image generation tool has led to significant strain on the company’s infrastructure, prompting the introduction of temporary speed limits for users.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Altman shared the company’s response to the unexpected demand, stating, “It’s super fun seeing people love images in ChatGPT, but our GPUs are melting. We are going to temporarily introduce some rate limits while we work on making it more efficient. Hopefully won’t be long! ChatGPT free tier will get 3 generations per day soon.”

Keep ReadingShow less
UK-business-district-Getty
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London. (Photo: Getty Images)

Economic growth in 2024 slightly higher than estimated: ONS

THE UK economy grew slightly more than first estimated in 2024, according to official data released on Friday, providing a small boost for the government after it revised down its growth forecast for 2025.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product expanded by 1.1 per cent in 2024, up from an initial estimate of 0.9 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka posts five per cent GDP growth as it ends years of economic decline

Sri Lanka's president Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Sri Lanka posts five per cent GDP growth as it ends years of economic decline

CASH-STRAPPED Sri Lanka’s economy grew by five per cent in 2024, marking the first full year of expansion since its unprecedented meltdown in 2022, official data showed last Tuesday (18).

The last quarter of 2024 saw the economy expand by 5.4 per cent, bringing the full calendar year’s GDP growth to five per cent, compared to a contraction of 2.3 per cent in 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said, 'What we’re going to be doing is a 25 per cent tariff on all cars that are not made in the US.'

Getty Images

Trump imposes 25 per cent tariffs on foreign-built cars

US president Donald Trump has announced a 25 per cent tariff on imported cars and auto parts, escalating trade tensions with key partners.

The new duties take effect on 3 April and apply to foreign-made cars and light trucks, with additional levies on key auto parts set to follow within the month.

Keep ReadingShow less