Hu Anyan is not a fan of online shopping, but, as he discovered during the months he spent as a courier in Beijing, plenty of people are. Not long into the job, he was assigned to delivering parcels to a large construction site. He didn’t have to deliver that many – 10 to 20, most days – but getting them to their rightful owners wasn’t always easy. There was a crane driver who was often in the air when Hu arrived. He would ask him to come again the next day,…
Tag: Money
Tories would abolish stamp duty, Badenoch tells party conference – UK politics live
From 2h ago Badenoch says next Tory government will abolish stamp duty Badenoch says, because of all the savings she has promised, she can afford one more announcement. As the Conservative party, we know who our people are. They are people who work hard, they are the people who plauy hard, they are the people who understand the importance of putting down roots. They are the people who make sacrifices today for a better life. They are also people who want to own their own home, she says. But there…
A China-led global system alongside that of the US is Xi Jinping’s ultimate aim | Letters
For over a decade, China has been building an alternative to the US-led order, notes Andrew J Sinclair I enjoyed reading George Magnus’s article (Why Peak China may finally have arrived, 11 August). However, focusing on peak economic growth misses the bigger picture and underestimates China in ways that could weaken western policy responses. China’s central goal is national power, and we are far from its peak national power. The Chinese economic miracle has taken place under the US-led global system. China built factories along its coast, filled container ships,…
The $10,000 job search: why people are paying a small fortune to find work
In the US, it takes an average of 24 weeks to secure new employment. Enter a legion of expensive career strategists, networking sites and AI interview training … Name: The $10,000 job search. Age: Depressingly modern. Continue reading… The Guardian
The ‘rat person’ trend is here – and I thoroughly approve | Arwa Mahdawi
Somewhere in Zhejiang province, China, a woman is living my dream. She gets up in the morning and then, almost immediately, goes back to bed. She lies prostrate all day long, scrolling, eating some food, opening some packages, showering at 2am, then snoozing again. As a longtime sleep enthusiast – and the mother of a child who thinks that 5am is a good time to start the day, all systems go – I think this sounds like bliss. The woman in Zhejiang is known as @jiawensishi – and also “rat…
Ethical alternatives to American goods | Brief letters
Pleased to see I’m far from alone in trying to avoid American products (This un-American life: can you really divest yourself of everything from the US?, 19 April). Mostly there are alternatives. There is no need to make your own cleaning products – for example, there are Bio-D and Faith in Nature. I have a Kobo e-reader and a Doro phone. A good source of alternatives is Ethical Consumer magazine.Ruth ClancyWhaley Bridge, Derbyshire For someone who sees nothing wrong in saying the US wants Greenland, no wonder Donald Trump thinks…
The Guardian view on the digital pound: an impetuous idea with a risky momentum of its own | Editorial
Two years ago, the House of Lords looked into whether the Bank of England should issue digital pounds to be held in electronic wallets. Peers were unconvinced, asking if this wasn’t “a solution in search of a problem”. Last December, MPs on the Treasury select committee said the same thing. The government’s response, however, was to tell the public to prepare for a “Britcoin” to be in use by the end of the decade. Physical money has been around for thousands of years for good reason. Cash is convenient, reliable and…
China’s share of Europe’s electric car market accelerates as UK leads sales
China’s share of the European electric car market has more than doubled in less than two years as the world’s second largest economy tries to take the lead in the transition away from petrol and diesel cars. The UK is the largest market in Europe for Chinese electric car brands, accounting for almost a third of sales in 2023 so far, according to data from Schmidt Automotive Research on the 18 largest European car markets. About 5% of all new car sales in the UK were from Chinese brands in…
International Energy Agency warns of higher bills this winter
The head of the International Energy Agency has said energy prices may spike again this winter, forcing government to subsidise bills – just days after state support for UK households fell away. Fatih Birol said a rapid improvement in the Chinese economy, coupled with a harsh winter, could put pressure on gas supplies and push up bills for consumers. He said the agency “cannot rule out” another spike in gas prices this winter, which would mirror last year when a surge in wholesale costs as a result of Russia’s invasion…
The Guardian view on India at a crossroads: development, not dictatorship | Editorial
Becoming the world’s most populous nation allows India to burnish its credentials as a global economic and political heavyweight. With a population that is much younger than those of China, the US and the EU, there will be renewed interest in India’s potential to be a beacon of liberal values. The west is eager to draw a democratic giant into its orbit. China and India will together account for about half of all global growth this year. But India risks emulating its bigger northern neighbour’s economic ascent under tight political…