World news | The Guardian

Researchers say supermarket customers are more likely to buy a piece of fruit labelled as a sad single'If seeing a lone, desolate banana on a supermarket shelf leaves you feeling a little blue, you are not alone.Researchers have found that labelling unsold loose fruits as sad singles" tugs on shoppers' heartstrings and increases the likelihood that they'll be sold. Continue reading...

Presenter faces allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people - and Rod Stewart calls him an ill-mannered bully'The TV presenter Gregg Wallace will step away from his role on MasterChef after the BBC received complaints about alleged misconduct.The presenter Kirsty Wark, who was a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011, has alleged that Wallace told sexualised" jokes during filming. Wallace is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period, according to an investigation by BBC News. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Environment minister agreed detail with Greens but the PM intervened after lobbying from WA premier and miners

Party has had a bumpy few months, but strategists are now focused on delivering noticeable change to votersDuring a tetchy exchange at prime minister's questions this week, Keir Starmer was challenged by Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, over a petition signed by more than 2.8 million people calling for him to resign.She talks about a petition - we had a massive petition on 4 July in this country," he said in response. But most in Downing Street will acknowledge that, less than five months since Labour's election landslide, the party has had a bumpier start than it had hoped. Continue reading...

CQC study finds falls across a range of metrics dealing with antenatal care, labour, childbirth and postnatal careMore than a third of pregnant women in England do not always get help from maternity staff during labour or childbirth, the NHS care regulator has found.Even more - almost half - do not always get help when they are in hospital after giving birth, a Care Quality Commission (CQC) survey of almost 19,000 women's experiences of maternity care found. Continue reading...

Ministers will also consider local authority requests to raise council tax above threshold on case-by-case basisMinisters have said they will redirect cash from wealthy areas to England's most deprived town and cities, reversing a trend established during a decade of austerity in a shake-up of local government funding.The government also said it would consider on a case-by-case basis" requests from cash-strapped councils who wanted to balance their books by raising council tax above the current threshold of 5% for upper-tier authorities and 3% for districts. Continue reading...

Exclusive: insiders say drawn-out and complex negotiations will require a delay to spending review announcementRachel Reeves is planning to wait until June before announcing how much money Whitehall departments will get for the next three years, as officials warn it could take up to six months to agree budgets with individual cabinet ministers.The chancellor previously said she would unveil the spending review in the spring, but people close to the process say that has now been pushed back until early summer in anticipation of complex and potentially fraught negotiations. Continue reading...

Exclusive: MP leading bill urges MPs to vote to give terminally ill people autonomy over their own bodies Key issues in the assisted dying debateLegalising assisted dying is a once in a decade" opportunity, the MP leading the bill has said in her final plea to parliament before a knife-edge vote.Kim Leadbeater urged her colleagues to support the principle of bodily autonomy in her final interview before MPs vote on Friday on a bill that would fundamentally shift the role of the state in matters of life and death. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader says it would be worthy' discussion and parliament should get more time to debate things people talk about at home'Nigel Farage has said MPs should look at rolling back Britain's abortion limit from 24 weeks in a signal that he could try to open up a debate about women's reproductive rights.The Reform UK leader was speaking as he unveiled the former Conservative minister Andrea Jenkyns as the latest recruit to Reform UK, announcing she will run to be the party's candidate for mayor of Lincolnshire. Continue reading...

Government urged to take action as CMA report finds retailers have not passed on the falling cost of energyUK motorists are paying more than they should for petrol and diesel even as global energy market prices have fallen in recent months, the competition watchdog has warned.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) repeated its call for the new government to take action as soon as possible" to end the persistent" overcharging, six months after it found that motorists paid 1.6bn more than they should have last year alone. Continue reading...

Attorney general Deb Frecklington acknowledges bill will likely increase number of children in state watch houses

This week, and particularly the passing of 31 bills on a frenetic final day, has done a lot to cement Labor's first term agenda

Master Wealth Control, trading as DG Institute, breached privacy laws by sharing names and addresses of people in distressed situations, regulator finds

Bill passes amid warning that process has been rushed and that a ban could push teenagers towards the dark web or into isolationAustralia's parliament has passed a law that will aim to do what no other government has, and many parents have tried to: stop children from using social media. The new law was drafted in response to what the Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says is a clear, causal link between the rise of social media and the harm [to] the mental health of young Australians."On Thursday, parliament's upper house, the Senate, passed a bill by 34 votes to 19 banning children under 16 from social media platforms. Continue reading...

Khalife convicted of two counts relating to espionage, having admitted to prison escape while on remand

Judge rules that the court doubts the sufficiency of any conditions' that place trust in Combs to follow bail rulesSean Diddy" Combs has been denied bail for the third time by a judge in New York City who described him as a serious risk" for witness tampering.Prosecutors had previously accused Combs of trying to contact prospective witnesses from jail in an attempt to create narratives" to influence public opinion as well as potential jurors for his impending sex trafficking trial. Continue reading...

More than a million households without power across the country as strikes on energy infrastructure continue

Albanese government reliant on Coalition to pass three controversial migration bills and the under 16 social media ban

FCA proposes giving 10 days' notice before revealing identities of firms under investigation and will consider market impactThe City regulator has bowed to pressure over plans to name and shame" some companies it investigates, offering watered-down proposals that would give firms 10 days' notice and consider the potential negative impact" of revealing the identities of companies under inspection.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) put forward new proposals on Thursday after months of intense criticism from businesses, which have tried to thwart the watchdog's plans to be more transparent with the public and whistleblowers when it is investigating potential wrongdoing across the City. Continue reading...

Liz Hatton from Harrogate, who was being treated for rare terminal cancer, began photography bucket listA teenager whose pursuit of photography while being treated for terminal cancer led her to meet the Princess of Wales and work with the photographer Rankin has died.Liz Hatton, 17, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, died early on Wednesday morning, her mother, Vicky Robayna, announced on social media. Continue reading...

Child and adolescent mental health services have highest vacancy rates of any psychiatric specialism

Comments made after nuclear inspectorate board passed motion censuring Iran for building uranium stockpileThe nuclear debate inside Iran is likely to shift towards the possession of its own weapons if the west goes ahead with a threat to reimpose all UN sanctions, the country's foreign minister has said.Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in an interview that Iran already had the capability and knowledge to create nuclear weapons, but said they did not form part of its security strategy. He also said Tehran was prepared to keep supplying arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Continue reading...

Independent senator says parliament house is a very violent workplace' after being suspended for making inappropriate comments

Prosecutors call for life imprisonment for childcare worker who committed 307 sexual offences against children in Brisbane and Italy

New South Wales to see wild weather and heavy rainfall after unseasonably hot' temperatures

Two girls, aged seven and eight, rescued from Georges River by passerby in September 2023

Exclusive: Emails seen by Guardian Australia from Michelle Rowland's office say they can't commit to a revised timeframe' on the long-awaited reforms

Displaced people make their way home despite volatile situation and warnings from Israeli military

German intelligence chief warns continued hybrid warfare by Moscow increases risk of alliance invoking Article 5Russia's acts of sabotage against western targets may eventually prompt Nato to consider invoking the alliance's Article 5 mutual defence clause, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence service has warned.Speaking at an event of the German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP) think tank in Berlin on Wednesday, BND chief Bruno Kahl said he expected Moscow to further step up its hybrid warfare. Continue reading...

Exclusive: absence of good transport links now an emblem of areas that feel left behind' and failed by major parties, report claimsEvery constituency that elected a new Reform UK candidate at the general election has experienced long delays to road improvement schemes and resulting congestion, a report has found, in a possible clue to the growing appeal of populist parties.A series of other places where Nigel Farage's party is now polling well are also lacking transport infrastructure, the report added, as well as a perception among locals that decisions were being made in London that made their lives more difficult could push them to abandon major parties. Continue reading...

Former president accused of leading role in apparent scheme to overturn 2022 election defeat by rival LulaBrazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has moved a step closer to jail after a federal police investigation laid bare what it called a murderous authoritarian plot to explode the country's democratic system with a military coup that the far-right populist allegedly helped mastermind.Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied involvement in an attempt to overturn the result of the 2022 presidential election, which he narrowly lost to his leftwing rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Continue reading...

Rail travel disrupted in southern England after heavy rain, as parts of country still feel impact of Storm BertThe third named storm of the autumn, Conall, has brought more disruption to the UK, with trains cancelled in parts of southern England on Wednesday and the Met Office warning of delays on roads and the potential for power cuts.Up to 40mm of rain fell overnight in parts of south and south-east England and another 5-8mm was expected during the day. The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for London and areas of Essex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. Continue reading...

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Peace is shaky at best, as Israel will still strike targets in Lebanon and a power transition looms in the USThe Biden administration has claimed the long-awaited ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as a diplomatic triumph achieved under tremendous pressure during a lame-duck period with a hostile Donald Trump administration waiting in the wings.Speaking from a lectern in the Rose Garden of the White House, Joe Biden called the result historic" and said that it reminds us that peace is possible". It would return civilians to their homes, he said, and had determined this conflict will not be just another cycle of violence". Continue reading...

Claim comes after Paris signalled it would fulfil obligations as signatory to Rome statue after arrest warrant issuedThe French government has claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu has immunity from arrest warrants issued by the international criminal court for war crimes on the grounds that Israel is not an ICC member.The claim came soon after Netanyahu's cabinet agreed to a French-backed ceasefire in Lebanon and is in contrast to Paris's attitude towards last year's ICC war crimes warrant issued against Vladimir Putin, another leader of a non-member country. Continue reading...

Exclusive: David Neuberger, who ruled on high-profile assited dying cases, believes tight terms of bill cannot be expanded in courtsThe former president of the supreme court who ruled on the most high-profile assisted dying cases has declared his support for the law change, as MPs backing the bill say they believe they have the numbers for Friday's historic vote to pass.David Neuberger, who ruled against high-profile assisted dying cases including Debbie Purdy in 2009 and Tony Nicklinson in 2015, told the Guardian he believed the status quo was failing the fundamental aims of the law - to respect people's right of personal autonomy, and to protect the vulnerable". Continue reading...

Conservative leader says there needs to be a plan not just a promise' beyond leaving the ECHRWilliam Hague has achieved a rare Tory election victory; he has won the contest to be Oxford University's next chancellor.The university has released the figures for the final round of voting, where the winner emerged after the final five candidates were ranked using the alternative vote system. The runner up was Elish Angiolini, the lawyer and academic. Continue reading...

Lawyer for man accused of drugging wife and inviting strangers to rape her says she has felt like devil's advocate'Dominique Pelicot, the French man on trial for drugging his wife and inviting strangers to rape her, has a split personality caused by the effect of childhood trauma, his defence lawyer has argued.In her summing up on Wednesday, Beatrice Zavarro told the court in Avignon there were two Dominiques", one a man apparently devoted to his family and the other with a certain perversity". Continue reading...

Chart-topping British rapper claims the woman consented to all sexual activity, in a trial set to run for three weeksThe British rapper Slowthai and a friend raped two women after one of his gigs, the prosecution has told a court.Slowthai, AKA Tyron Frampton, 29, is accused of raping the women after his gig at the Bullingdon in Oxford in September 2021. Continue reading...

Tony Chambers accepts that chances to stop nurse were missed but declines to identify any personal failures at inquiryA hospital chief executive has said he told Lucy Letby we've got your back" in an attempt to calm her father who was furious that his daughter had been stopped from caring for babies.Tony Chambers said Letby's dad, John, was threatening guns to my head" and wanted the instant dismissal" of two senior doctors who had raised fears she was harming newborns. Continue reading...

Brian Whitelock tortured and murdered Wendy Buckney, who had given him odd jobs to help his rehabilitationA double killer freed from prison after being deemed a low risk by the Parole Board has been found guilty of murdering a charitable neighbour who gave him odd jobs to help his rehabilitation.Brian Whitelock, 57, who was released after serving 18 years for the double killing, tortured and murdered Wendy Buckney, 71, at her home in the village of Clydach, near Swansea in south Wales. Continue reading...

Spain's penalty to carriers for charging passengers for hand luggage and seat reservations is called anti-consumer'The boss of easyJet has denounced fines handed out to the airline and other budget carriers for charging passengers for hand luggage and seat reservations as illegal" and warned the decision will make it more expensive to fly.EasyJet was given a penalty of 29m (24.2m) by Spain's consumer rights ministry earlier this month along with Ryanair, which received the largest fine of 108m, and other airlines including Vueling, Norwegian and Volotea. Continue reading...

European Commission president says average spending in Europe is 1.9% of GDP, while Russia's is 9%The head of the EU executive, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for more defence spending in Europe over the next five years, as her top team was voted in by a wafer-thin majority of MEPs.The European parliament's endorsement of the new EU executive by the narrowest-ever margin, clears the way for von der Leyen and her chosen 26 European commissioners to start a five-year term on Sunday. Continue reading...

Oldest Carnaby's cockatoo in wild lived to 35, with eight recorded living beyond 21, researchers find

As market nudges $1bn, industry report calls for government to replace current criminalised model with a regulated adult-use approach

Analysts claim bosses at target bank decided to take the money and run' after Virgin assets valued at 5.1bnNationwide building society has revealed a 2.3bn gain from its takeover of Virgin Money, prompting accusations that Virgin's bosses decided to take the money and run" after losing faith in the ex-chief executive David Duffy.The building society's bosses hailed the terms of the deal on Wednesday, as it published its final set of results as a standalone brand. Although the 2.8bn it paid for Virgin Money represented a premium on the target-bank's share price - and its 2bn market valuation prior to the bid, according to Guardian calculations - it ended up being a significant" discount compared with the actual value of Virgin Money's assets. Continue reading...

Mitchells & Butlers faces cost headwinds' because of rises in national minimum wage and employer NICsThe owner of Harvester, Toby Carvery and All Bar One, Mitchells & Butlers, has become the latest hospitality business to warn it will take a 100m hit as a result of the tax changes outlined in the October budget.The pub and restaurant group said it was facing cost headwinds" in its current financial year, which began at the start of October, because of the increases in the national minimum wage and employer national insurance contributions (NICs) announced by Rachel Reeves, which are due to take effect from next April. Continue reading...

Decision is further blow to UK market as company grapples with end of pandemic-fuelled boost to online food ordersThe food delivery company Just Eat Takeaway is to delist from the London Stock Exchange to cut costs, in a further blow to the UK's international financial standing.Just Eat will now only be listed on the Amsterdam stock market, where the company is headquartered. The company said the London delisting resulted from restarting a review into where its shares should be listed. Continue reading...

Competition and Markets Authority finds 92% of loyalty-price items are real deals, but urges people to shop aroundShoppers signed up to supermarket loyalty schemes can make genuine savings", the competition watchdog has found, but it urged consumers to shop around to secure the cheapest prices.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had reviewed 50,000 products with loyalty price options and found 92% offered a saving against the supermarkets' usual price. Continue reading...

The bills enable government to pay third countries to receive non-citizens and prosecute those who refuse to cooperate with deportation