Here We Go Again 💃

And so it begins… Taylor Swift’s tour of the UK starts in Edinburgh on Friday, estimated to bring a whopping billion-pound benefit to our economy. Swiftie or not, those are numbers you can’t shake off. We hope the UK lives up to your wildest dreams, Miss Swift.

While we can’t disclose whether or not Taylor is subscribed to The Teapot already, we can disclose that clicking the referral button at the bottom of this email makes The ‘Pot easy to share, will inevitably make you look trendy to your mates, and can land you some goodies… at tea time, everybody agrees.

MARKETS

Data: Google Finance, 7-day Market Close

📈 📉

- Nvidia is now worth more than the FTSE100 combined.
- Ocado to leave the FTSE100 after share price collapse.

PROJECT WATCH

🔋 The UK is planning to start constructing a £3.2 billion subsea electricity superhighway this winter. Read more

🌊 Subsea 7 has secured a multi-billion-dollar contract to enhance its operations in the North Sea oil and gas sector. Read more

🚄 HS2 Ltd has appointed Mark Wild OBE as the new CEO to oversee the transition from construction to rail systems and passenger services. Read more

🌎 The CO2 injection test at the UK's largest depleted gas field licence area is proceeding according to schedule. Read more

⛽ Drilling operations will resume at a seven-year-old EnQuest oil field after hitting a 700m barrel milestone. Read more

ECONOMY & FINANCE

Swiftonomics
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is set to inject an eye-watering £997 million into the UK economy, according to Barclays. Apparently, Swifties (Taylor Swift’s ardent fans) are predicted to shell out an average of £848 each to see her live, and no, that doesn’t include any emotional costs or aftercare.

The breakdown? It seems the average Swiftie will part with £206 on a ticket, £121 on accommodation, £111 on travel, and a rather fashion-forward £56 on concert attire. Add to that £79 on official merch, £59 on a pre-show meal, and £216 on miscellaneous expenses. By the end of it, even Scrooge McDuck would be feeling the pinch.

Dubbed "Swiftonomics" because why not, the influence of the tour echoes the economic frenzy that Elvis and The Beatles once whipped up, as fans swarm to shows globally.

With roughly 1.2 million ticket holders contributing to this financial boost, it seems like the real winners of Taylor's tour aren't just the fans scoring tickets—they're the entirety of the UK's hospitality sector too.

Anglo American’s Platinum to Shine in London?
Following a £39bn takeover skirmish with BHP, Anglo American could instead now list its £7bn platinum arm on the UK stock market - a boost for the London market after amid corporate departures for foreign shores.

Czech in the Post?
Royal Mail has agreed to a £3.57bn cash offer from Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group, leaving our beloved postal service on track for more twists than the EastEnders Christmas special. With potential reductions in delivery days and significant redundancies looming, the unions are poised to interrogate Křetínský with the fervour of politicians during the election season.

ACROSS THE POND

Donald Blows His Trumpet Despite Guilty Verdict
Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush-money scheme to influence the 2016 election. Despite the guilty verdict, Trump remains the Republican nominee for president, his polls untouched – as he maintains he was by Ms Daniels.

The jury's decision came after less than 12 hours of deliberation, marking the first criminal conviction of a US president, current or former. Trump called it "a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt," echoing his familiar refrain of the trial being a “witch-hunt”. He intends to fight the case.

While there is no crime in agreeing to pay or paying, hush money, the prosecution argued Trump's reimbursements to his former lawyer Michael Cohen – who paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130k – were falsely recorded as legal expenses. Trump’s move was intended to cover up an illegal campaign contribution exceeding the $2,700 cap. Cohen’s testimony was nothing short of soap opera drama, as he recounted using a home equity loan to pay Daniels.

While some Trump supporters agree the law was broken, they question the motivation and timing of the trial with the November election looming large. Some, perhaps less reasonable supporters didn’t react so well, Trump junior posted on X that the Democrats had turned America into "a third-world sh*thole”.

De Niro's Award Yanked After Fiery Trump Tirade
Robert De Niro’s reaction cost him the National Association of Broadcasters’ Service of Leadership Award, calling Trump a “monster”. Cue Trump reaction: "You talkin' to me?".

New Giant Pandas on the Block
In cheerier news... a pair of adorable giant pandas from China will soon have a new home at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C. The two-year-old male panda, Bao Li, and female panda, Qing Bao, will arrive later this year. This panda pair's arrival comes amid strained US-China relations, showing that even in politics, it's not all black and white.

TECH

Beckham’s latest partnership with AliExpress, China’s answer to Amazon, kicks off just in time for Euro 2024—shows that when it comes to scoring deals, he's still top of the league.

Samsung is bracing for its first-ever employee strike. The union, beginning its strike on June 7th, are demanding a 6.5% pay rise. This is likely to disrupt the global tech supply chain, adding a silicon chip on the shoulders of many.

Amazon’s drone delivery dreams are soaring higher than ever, with the FAA in the US nodding its approval for line-of-sight-free flights. Prime Air they’re calling it, is already approved in Italy and the UK, landing later this year.

OpenAI this week described their latest and most advanced battle with cunning AI-powered influence campaigns from China and Russia—the latest round of chicanery in global digital politics.

Speaking of AI, it's even finding its way into our wallets—or more precisely, our faces. With facial recognition payment systems becoming a reality in the West, it looks like your face might soon be paying for your next pint, or refusing to if you look like you’ve had enough (okay, I made that last part up).

The hacking group ‘ShinyHunters’ are threatening to spill 560m Ticketmaster users’ stolen details. With access to our facial recognition data too, who knows what mayhem could ensue?

If this is all starting to sound a bit dystopian, Fable Simulation's AI tool now gives you the chance to star in your very own South Park episode, bringing a whole new meaning to being "animated" about tech. In what could be a copyright legal hurdle for the geographical quiz spin-off, Wordle tussles with Worldle.

POLITICS

Social media might have got MPs’ passwords, but Sir Keir might not have noticed after a £20k wardrobe upgrade, perhaps spurred on by Rishi in his Adidas (Scandal) Sambas. Donning his £500 Sandro hoodie, Starmer jetted off to Scotland by private jet to promise more green jobs—nothing says 'green' like flying private!

While Sir Keir was jetting away, the Labour Party had its own turbulence with Diane Abbott refusing to go gently into that good night of retirement. Back in the fray, Abbott declared she’d stand by her Hackney constituency, backed by Angela “Don’t Mess with Me” Rayner.

Junior Doctors put their votes on the line, announcing a “not politically motivated”, five-day strike set to cause turmoil just before the election. If ever there were an opportunity to buy some votes!

Aaron Bell made a hasty retreat from his Tory campaign, the yes 79th in recent times, just as Iain Dale made even quicker work of bowing out of Tunbridge Wells after a confession of his dislike for the area resurfaced.

On other furry fronts, the Pet Abduction Bill is finally clamping down on those who treat your furball babies as mere ‘property’.

WORLD

Just when you thought the term "throwing shade" was purely metaphorical, North Korea has taken it to literal new heights. Over 200 balloons filled with rubbish and excrement have soared into South Korea in response to K-pop-filled balloons being sent up North. As for North Korea's subsequent spy satellite flop, one could say Kim Jong-un is dealing with a different kind of sh*tshow.

For Korean tycoon Chey Tae-won, if human waste falling from the sky wasn’t quite putting him in a crappy enough mood already, the eye-watering $1bn divorce settlement with ex-wife Roh So-young adds a whole new dimension to the literal and metaphorical mess.

India and Pakistan are currently baking under life-threatening temperatures tipping over 50C. The searing heatwave makes it clear that climate change is cranking the thermostat, and just in time for half term too.

As Brits wrestle with economic uncertainty, given the reported £315 trillion global debt, let's be grateful we're not sweltering like Delhi or caught in the crosshairs of the UK diplomat’s disaster with a machine gun in Mexico.

Cuppa Chat Cheat Sheet:

🏡🎬 The iconic "Home Alone" house in Winnetka, Illinois, is on sale for $5.25 million. The five-bedroom, six-bathroom property also features two living rooms, a spacious kitchen, and the famous staircase from the movie.

🏆⚽️ Real Madrid secured their 15th Champions League title with a thrilling 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. Late goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr. sealed the victory, marking Carlo Ancelotti’s fifth Champions League win as a manager.

🌟💔 Marian Shields Robinson, mother of Michelle Obama, passed away at 86. She moved into the White House in 2009 to help care for her granddaughters, Malia and Sasha, providing a stable presence during Barack Obama's presidency.

🚀🌕 China’s Chang'e-6 successfully lands on the Moon's far side, aiming to collect 2kg of lunar rocks from the South Pole-Aitken Basin. This historic mission could provide answers to fundamental planetary questions and pave the way for future lunar exploration.

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