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Major restructure by retail technology business will lead to reduction of about 5% of global workforce

Index of repression' includes smears, harassment, job losses and arrests, legal advocacy group saysPalestinian solidarity is being silenced, criminalised and sanctioned", according to an advocacy group that says it has recorded more than 900 examples of repression across Britain in the last six years.People had been targeted with smears, disinformation, harassment, doxing (having private or identifying information published online), visa cancellations, financial blacklisting, loss of employment and arrest, according to the European Legal Support Center, which, along with the research group Forensic Architecture, has created the index of repression". Continue reading...

MPs raise cases of honeymooners and other Britons caught out by new passport requirements as minister rejects calls for grace period Dual nationals: have you been prevented from travelling to the UK?The Home Office has dismissed as absurd" claims that it failed to properly communicate new border rules that left some British dual nationals at risk of being prevented from boarding flights to the UK.During a heated session in parliament on Wednesday, the Home Office minister Mike Tapp suggested that media coverage in the Guardian and BBC reflected the department's efforts to publicise the changes. Continue reading...

Group aims to be simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business' and achieve 500m of annual savings by 2028The beleaguered advertising group WPP has announced a radical restructure to counter the threat posed by the AI revolution, including merging its ad agencies and cutting jobs.Aiming to be a simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business", the London-based company laid out plans to achieve 500m of annual savings by 2028, at a cost of 400m over two years. Continue reading...

Tourism Australia beach ambassador Brad Parker says the coastline south of Sydney airport ticked pretty much every box'

Two Thatcher-years episodes of Peter Flannery's award-winning TV series to be adapted for Newcastle stageIt is regarded as one of the greatest British television series ever made, exploring the decline of the Labour party, sleaze, social decay, dodgy developers, injustice and how idealism can so easily turn to disillusionment and cynicism.Our Friends in the North will return this year in a new guise and will be just as relevant, its writer believes, as it was 30 years ago. Continue reading...

A new mini power station and lithium extraction facility near Redruth are set to bolster green energy and create jobsJust outside the perimeter fence stand the hulking remains of grand stone engine houses, a testament to Cornwall's proud tin and copper mining history.But inside is a shiny new mini power station and lithium extraction plant that is once again accessing rich underground resources in the far south-west of Britain. Continue reading...

Son of Nathaniel and Stacey Train says he is hoping for a quick sale to someone who will be respectful of the property, considering its history'

Atmospheric machine-gun has fired storm after deadly storm at the region this year, leaving a trail of widespread destructionFor Andres Sanchez Barea, in Spain, it was the fear that arose when water started to spurt from plug sockets. For Nelson Duarte, in Portugal, it was the helplessness that hit as violent winds smacked down trees and tore tiles from roofs. For Amal Essuide, in Morocco, it was the reality that dawned when a corpse was pulled onboard a boat in the flooded medina.Each moment of horror is a fragment of the destruction wrought by an atmospheric machine-gun that in recent weeks has fired storm after storm at the western Mediterranean. Scientists do not know if climate breakdown helped pull the trigger, but research suggests it loaded the chamber with bigger bullets. Continue reading...

Former airline pilot faces retrial over death of 73-year-old Carol Clay in 2020

Alerts to be sent for bushfires, floods, biosecurity threats and other events which put lives at risk

Airline to allow members to roll over status credits, which unlock lounge access, priority boarding and baggage allowances

Plaintiff says addictive design' of Meta and YouTube hooked her before she was 10, causing depression and body dysmorphiaFor the first time, a jury will hear testimony this week from a young woman who alleges social media companies intentionally create addictive products, harming children. The witness taking the stand, known by her initials KGM, is the lead plaintiff in an expansive lawsuit against Meta - which owns Instagram and Facebook - and YouTube currently at trial in Los Angeles.KGM, who is now 20, alleges that she became addicted to social media apps before she was 10 and would spend hours every day scrolling through photos and videos. This led to years of mental health issues, according to her lawyers and court documents. Continue reading...

Actor, who was diagnosed with MS in 2021, says taking her 15-year-old daughter to school has become her favourite thing to do'Christina Applegate has revealed that she is now largely confined to her bed, five years after she was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis.In an interview with People magazine before the release of her memoir, the 54-year-old actor said she spends a lot of her days in bed due to the pain that comes with movement.The Guardian will run an extract from Christina Applegate's memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, on 28 February Continue reading...

Exclusive: Former New Zealand PM based out of Australia', according to spokesperson, after rumours she was looking for houses in SydneyThe former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is living in Australia with her family, a spokesperson has confirmed.The family has been travelling for a few years now," her office told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Former Australian Border Force officer Rohan Pike, who has been quoted extensively as an expert, also advises nicotine-industry-linked organisationsA former Australian Border Force officer who has positioned himself before government inquiries as Australia's foremost law enforcement expert" on illicit tobacco also advises nicotine industry-linked organisations - leading public health advocates to argue more transparency is needed.Rohan Pike, who spent more than two decades in law enforcement and now runs a consultancy, has become a prominent media commentator on the illicit tobacco trade, promoting policies that align with those supported by the tobacco industry. Continue reading...

Housing secretary says bill will give spending authority needed to build and maintain dignified memorial'A permanent memorial to the 72 people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire will be funded by new government legislation, the housing secretary has announced.Steve Reed said the bill would provide the spending authority needed to support the memorial commission and community in building and maintaining a lasting and dignified memorial" to those who died in the blaze on 14 June 2017 in west London. Continue reading...

Axon sees major opportunities' as Congress proposes $20m for ICE body cameras but data privacy experts warn of risksThe largest body-camera maker in the US celebrated its latest financial results on Tuesday - reporting record revenue and forecasting major growth - as it prepares to cash in on the Department of Homeland Security's planned rapid acquisition and deployment of these devices nationwide.In Tuesday's earnings presentation, body-camera maker Axon, which also makes the well-known Taser device, announced that it blew past Wall Street expectations with $797m in revenue, up 39% year-over-year. Continue reading...

Antonio Tejero, who has died aged 93, was part of rightwing network whose efforts were thwarted by King Juan CarlosThe Spanish officer who led his armed followers into the Spanish congress in a failed military coup in 1981 has died on the same day that the socialist-led government declassified documents relating to the murky attempt to overthrow the country's post-Franco democracy.Antonio Tejero, who died aged 93, was part of a network of rightwing police and military officers whose efforts to seize power were thwarted after King Juan Carlos refused to support the coup and ordered the generals to obey the democratic constitutional order. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood given green light to take case to court of appeal with ban to remain in place pending outcomeThe home secretary has been granted permission to challenge the high court's ruling that the decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws was unlawful.An order issued by the high court on Wednesday said Shabana Mahmood could take the case to the court of appeal and that the ban would remain in place pending the outcome of the fresh hearing. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Police meet Lindsay Hoyle to explain error after Hoyle shared tip that Mandelson planned to flee UKThe Metropolitan police has apologised to the Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, for accidentally revealing he was the source of a tipoff that Peter Mandelson supposedly planned to flee the UK, prompting officers to arrest the former ambassador.In yet another twist to the saga of Mandelson's departure from his post and the Met's investigation into allegations he fed secret government information to Jeffrey Epstein, Hoyle told MPs on Wednesday that he passed the information to police. Continue reading...

Committee to Protect Journalists report says Israel also to blame for 81% of intentionally targeted' journalist killings

Tehran says deal is possible as long as Washington abides by agreed-on preconditions, but Trump's view is unclearIran enters critical talks on its nuclear programme with the US on Thursday, insisting a deal is in reach as long as Washington sticks by its willingness to concede Iran's symbolic right to enrich uranium, allow Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in country, and not to impose controls on Iran's ballistic missile programme.The three preconditions for success are seen as critical by Iranian diplomats, but it remains unclear whether Trump accepts these parameters. Continue reading...

Lib Dem leader says crisis at William Blake House is one of my worst nightmares' after Guardian revealed inquiry into financesEd Davey has accused a trustee of a learning disability care home of embezzlement and called for watchdogs to take over the charity to resolve a crisis he described as one my worst nightmares".The Liberal Democrat leader's intervention at prime minister's questions came hours after the Guardian revealed the Charity Commission had opened a serious inquiry into concerns around financial mismanagement and potential misuse of funds at William Blake House. Continue reading...

Molson Coors says site, as well as national call centre in Wales, no longer financially sustainable'The Cornish brewery that makes Doom Bar ale is to be closed by its US owner, throwing the popular beer brand's future into doubt and putting about 200 jobs at risk.The drinks company Molson Coors said it plans to shut Sharp's Brewery in Rock, Wadebridge, along with its national call centre in Wales, saying it was no longer financially sustainable". Continue reading...

Enzo Conticello admits theft as judge says I expect we're going to find out' what he did with egg and luxury watchMetropolitan police officers are still trying to recover an unusual pickpocketing haul after a Faberge egg and watch worth 2m were stolen at a pub in Soho in London.Enzo Conticello stole the treasures from Rosie Dawson, the director of premium brands at the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, in a West End pub in November 2024, alongside some more conventional loot contained in the handbag he swiped, including her laptop and credit cards. Met detectives arrested him in Belfast on 26 January. Continue reading...

Peter Kyle signs cooperation deal on competition and says there is little nostalgia for pre-Brexit pastThe British public are not nostalgic" for the pre-Brexit past but are pragmatic and want to move forward and deepen" ties with the EU on trade and the economy, the business secretary, Peter Kyle, has said.Signing an agreement in Brussels to cooperate closely on competition issues, Kyle said he thought the deal was a real vindication of the reset and the relationships that have emerged between the EU and the UK" since Labour came to power. Continue reading...

Retailer said fundamental shift in economic conditions' made it hard for financial partner Aberdeen to raise fundsThe John Lewis Partnership is pulling out of a 500m deal to build almost 1,000 residential rental homes for rent in Bromley, Reading and West Ealing amid a cautious property market".The retailer, which owns Waitrose supermarkets and John Lewis department stores, blamed a fundamental shift in the economic conditions", which it said had made it difficult for its financial partner, Aberdeen, to raise funds for the venture, first launched in 2020. Continue reading...

News of former Harvard president's resignation comes in connection with ongoing review' of Epstein files

Government reviews options for plan 2 loans, such as increasing repayment thresholds, amid growing pressureMinisters are examining ways to ease the burden of student loans after weeks of pressure over a policy pulling more people into repayments, the Guardian understands.The Treasury and the Department for Education are reviewing different options to offer relief to graduates with Plan 2 student loans, often paying tens of thousands more than their original loan amount. Continue reading...

Minister misspoke' by telling MPs UK was pausing for discussions with our American counterparts', officials say

Alan Harris, 72, assaulted children and adults in police and court cells over 27-year periodA criminal defence lawyer who sexually abused vulnerable clients as young as 14 over almost three decades has been jailed for 13 years.Alan Harris, 72, from Plymouth, Devon, assaulted children and adults during consultations in police and court cells, targeting victims he judged would not be believed if they revealed what he had done. Continue reading...

High court judge accepts material distributed without legally required imprint due to inadvertent printing mistake

Judge allows Safe Passage International to launch judicial review of halting of right to bring in children and partnersThe Home Office's controversial decision to suspend the right of refugees to bring their children and partners to the UK is to face a legal challenge in the high court, the Guardian can disclose.Safe Passage International, a charity working with unaccompanied children and refugees, has been granted permission to launch a judicial review of the decision to halt refugee family reunion after it claimed the suspension was unlawful. Continue reading...

Leaked draft of $1bn memorandum of understanding reveals mandatory targets, sharing of data, and reported access to mining concessionsThe US has been accused of shameless exploitation" over a health financing agreement with Zambia worth more than $1bn (740m), amid warnings that the country is getting a raw deal from the Trump administration.A leaked draft of a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries, seen by the Guardian, reveals that Zambia may accept terms worse than health financing agreements the US has reached with 16 other African countries. Continue reading...

Bank reports better-than-expected annual results and CEO signals overhaul of lender is almost overBankers at HSBC are set to share a bonus pot worth $3.9bn (2.9bn), the highest in more than a decade, after Europe's largest lender reported better-than-expected annual results.The bonus pool for staff was 10% higher than a year earlier, which the bank said it had determined based on a review of our performance against financial and non-financial metrics", while the bank's chief executive's pay also rose. Continue reading...

Drinks maker cuts annual sale and profit forecast for second time in four months amid weak demand in US and ChinaDiageo has slashed its dividend and cut its annual sales and profit forecast for the second time in four months, as the maker of Guinness warned of capacity constraints affecting drinkers of the black stuff" in London pubs.The world's largest spirits maker - which owns brands including Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker whisky and Don Julio tequila - reported weak demand in the US and China in the first results released under the new chief executive, Dave Lewis. Continue reading...

Details emerge after struggling carmaker reports pre-tax losses of 363.9m for 2025The luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda is to cut its workforce by 20% as it looks to save about 40m after reporting widening losses.The group, which said earlier this month it was consulting on the latest redundancy programme, said it would reduce its workforce by up to a fifth after action at the start of last year that cut 170 jobs. Continue reading...

Poet's second collection The Rot won the Victorian prize for literature and the Indigenous writing category

Ofgem cap drops by 7% to 1,641 a year for consumers' average gas and electricity costs

Methodology: how we trained a machine learning model to analyse rhetoric on immigration in the UK parliament over the course of a centuryThe Guardian has revealed a significant rightward shift toward sentiment relating to immigration among MPs speaking in the House of Commons in the past five years.

Surface-to-air missiles, which are capable of shooting down aircraft and ballistic missiles, will be located on Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost islandJapan will deploy missiles to a tiny island near Taiwan within five years, its defence minister has said, in a move that is likely to inflame tensions with China.The surface-to-air missiles, which are capable of shooting down aircraft and ballistic missiles, will be located on Yonaguni - Japan's westernmost island - by March 2031, Shinjiro Koizumi said. Continue reading...

Criminal proceedings will not follow as posters satisfied certain aspects' of the hate symbol legislation but not others

Earnings report released on Wednesday shows supermarket made $859m net profit in past six months as higher prices hit shoppers

A spokesperson for Falun Dafa - a group associated with Shen Yun - said it had received threats against Albanese if upcoming performances went ahead

Should legislation pass House of Lords, the matter will require another vote after May's Welsh electionsWales's Senedd has voted in favour of implementing Westminster's assisted dying bill, overcoming a constitutionally awkward situation that could have forced terminally ill people who wish to end their lives to travel to England or seek private provision.In a debate stretching into Tuesday night in the Senedd's newly expanded chamber, members voted 28 for and 23 against, with two abstentions. Should the legislation pass the House of Lords, the matter will require another Senedd vote after May's Welsh elections. Continue reading...

Volunteer group Citizens of the Reef made the find as part of the Great Reef Census

Ursula von der Leyen talks up prospect of 90bn loan but appears cautious on timetable for Ukraine joining blocZelenskyy says we must be just as determined and strong as we were when the invasion began," as the threat hasn't become smaller."He says Europe can only respond to this war working together with the US, even as he remarks it is not an easy task to maintain transatlantic unity and cooperation in the current conditions."So there must be no place in the free world for Russian oil, for Russian tankers, Russian banks, Russian sanctions ..., schemes, or for any Russian war criminals. The time has come to fully ban all participants in Russia's aggression from entire Europe." Continue reading...

Chief content officer Kate Phillips tells staff she is so sorry' only one racial slur by Tourette campaigner was not edited from recorded broadcastPeter Bradshaw: why the dust has not yet settled on the Baftas N-word rowA senior BBC executive has apologised to staff for the corporation's failure to edit a racial slur from Sunday's Bafta film awards telecast. In a note sent on Tuesday and seen by the Press Association, chief content officer Kate Phillips told staff she was so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast" and that she understood how distressing this was".Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson could be heard shouting the N-word as Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for special visual effects at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Continue reading...

Mexico's president says there is no risk' for those visiting for Fifa games after military killed drug lord El Mencho'