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CEO's pay packet surges to 791,000 as union says public sick of obscene pay' and bosses feathering own nests'Wessex Water awarded its chief executive an above-inflation pay increase even as the company was banned from paying bonuses because of sewage spills, it has emerged.Ruth Jefferson received a 14% base salary increase in October, from 590,000 to 670,000, before other benefits, according to accounts published this month. It was far above the 3.5% given to workers, and put her pay at 18 times that of the company's median employee. Continue reading...

Former tube network cleaner says tribunal vindicated his health concerns, including about asbestos, that could affect publicA London Underground worker who was unfairly sacked after whistleblowing about his concerns over exposure to asbestos and other toxic dust has said he wants all tube passengers to know about the potential hazards his case has revealed.Micky Steeds, a former professional boxer from Aveley in Essex, started working for London Underground in 2018 cleaning up decades of dust from vents, lift shafts and inverts - confined channels underneath station platforms for cabling. Continue reading...

Central Command says attacks were designed to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities'The US military said it had launched a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran on Friday night as fighting escalated over the strait of Hormuz.US Central Command, in a post on X, said the strikes, which began at 7pm GMT, were designed to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities". Continue reading...

Strong confrontation' comes at fragile moment for Reform's relations with rightwing media as coverage turns negativeNigel Farage is no stranger to expressing his ire at what he regards as the liberal establishment, but even figures close to him were surprised at the tirade of anger he unleashed upon the editor of the Times.The exchange, which is said to have included an expletive aimed at Tony Gallagher, was triggered by the Reform UK leader's outrage that the paper was planning to run a story about his houses, which he said endangered his family. Continue reading...

Defence minister seeks three Naha' outposts in Gaza as top commander says Israel now controls 65% of the strip, violating Trump ceasefire dealIsrael's defence and finance ministers announced plans for three illegal settlements in Gaza and more than $400m (300m) in funding to expand construction in the occupied West Bank, as Israel's military commander for the region celebrated violent outposts as his security partners".With national elections scheduled for 27 October, Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition is racing to expand control of land in occupied Palestine and drive out Palestinians before its mandate expires. Continue reading...

As the climate crisis fuels more intense blazes, pushing them to new parts of the world, those tackling them are forced to ration resources and decide which to fightCesar Alcaraz had only just become a firefighter in the late 1990s when he found himself ambushed by a fast-moving blaze. Barely able to breathe and with no more water left in his truck, he and his colleagues fled an inferno ravaging Spain's Montgo mountain region, wishing their bosses had sent more support.But nearly three decades on, as an officer with Alicante's provincial firefighters, Alcaraz has more sympathy for the agonising choices that commanders have to make. When wildfires overwhelm an area, his job resembles that of a doctor in an emergency room with too few ventilators. Continue reading...

Hand-painted works are often wildly unfaithful to the movies they portray - reinterpretations that sometimes resulted in threats, insults and even physical attacks from viewers who felt dupedSitting on his porch in Teshie near Accra, Heavy J dipped a brush into red oil paint and dabbed it carefully on to his canvas - a flour sack - adding blood to a knife being wielded by a man. Higher on the canvas, he had started on an outline of a skull.Heavy J was creating a poster, but not as you might have expected for a horror film. Instead, it was for the animated fairytale The Little Mermaid. The man with the knife wasn't a killer but the film's kind-hearted prince, Eric. The skull was also unrelated to the story. We add more to make people interested," said Heavy J, whose real name is Jeaurs Affutu. Continue reading...

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley join rally to support Justin Pearson's bid for a seat in CongressMore than a thousand people rallied for Justin Pearson, a Democratic state representative running for Congress, in the wake of four fatal shootings by members of the Memphis Safe Task Force over the last two months.Crowds packed New Direction Christian Church in the city's Hickory Hill neighborhood in support of Pearson, who is running in the now-fractured ninth congressional district's Democratic primary. Continue reading...

Fires are also blazing across the US and the Trump administration has repealed several climate protectionsUS Republicans are threatening to sanction Canada and Canadian government officials after smoke from devastating wildfires has drifted across huge swathes of the US, creating hazy conditions and dangerous air quality for tens of millions of Americans.Donald Trump on Friday blamed his country's northern neighbor for the smoke spreading from wildfires and said he planned to call Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, to ask about Ottawa's plans for dealing with the blazes. Continue reading...

Whereabouts of artist imprisoned after 2021 protests had been unknown following end of his prison term in JulyLuis Manuel Otero Alcantara, a prominent Cuban dissident artist whose whereabouts remained unknown after his prison sentence ended last week, has been given permission to travel to the US, according to his official Facebook page.Otero Alcantara, designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order. Continue reading...

Woman has non-life threatening injuries after Brandon Booth shot her with pistol outside ICE facility and drove offAn employee of a company that runs an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Colorado is under arrest after shooting and injuring a woman on Thursday evening. The incident happened after the woman participated in a protest in front of the facility earlier that day, according to the Aurora police department.When officers arrived on the scene, they said they found the woman with a gunshot wound in her lower body. She had a friend with her, who was unharmed. Continue reading...

Two men arrested after taking federal employees hostage in Shasta-Trinity national forestTwo US Forest Service employees were released early on Friday morning after being held hostage for more than 12 hours, authorities in far northern California said.Law enforcement officers arrested two men for the alleged kidnapping near Gumboot Lake in Shasta-Trinity national forest, Jeremiah LaRue, the Siskiyou county sheriff, told reporters on Friday afternoon. Continue reading...

Distillery owner could face only three months in jail over alleged poisoning of Australian teenagers

Sister of the South Carolina senator who died last Saturday has not previously held any elected officeDonald Trump on Friday said he had encouraged Darline Graham to run for a full six-year term representing South Carolina in the US Senate, after she was sworn in to office earlier this week following the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he spoken to Darline Graham at the White House. I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary," he wrote. Continue reading...

109 million people face another day of poor air quality as smoke from blazes in Ontario drifts over the US

FDA investigation identified a single supplier of the lettuce, but federal warnings did not name the companyFederal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served by Taco Bell locations across five US states as a source of the widespread outbreak of the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the source late on Thursday and warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Continue reading...

US president offered litany of misleading and false claims during Thursday speech on alleged threats to US electionsDonald Trump offered a litany of misleading and false claims during his Thursday speech on threats to US elections, and released previously classified documents to try to support his specious claims. In some cases, his claims were not supported by those documents. Here is a look at some of the key claims that could mislead the American public. Continue reading...

Government has last chance' to get it right, says incoming PM, while anxiety surrounds his choice of chancellorAndy Burnham pledged to lead a united Labour government free of infighting and factional politics as he took over as leader, despite anxiety on the left of party about the prospect of Shabana Mahmood as chancellor.Burnham, who will become prime minister on Monday, set out a distinctly leftwing vision for Britain. He promised to undo the Thatcherism of the 1980s, bring in more public ownership of utilities, find the money to fix social care and build a new generation of council homes. Continue reading...

Former Democratic Unionist party leader's legal team has lodged documents with the court of appeal in BelfastJeffrey Donaldson is to appeal against his conviction for rape and other sexual offences against two children.The former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader's legal team lodged documents with the court of appeal in Belfast on Friday, his solicitor, John McBurney, said. Continue reading...

Reform leader says he's been demonised' since revelation he received 5m from billionaire before electionNigel Farage has accused people raising questions about his financial backing of demonising" him as part of a coordinated pile-on" to stop Reform UK.In one of his first speeches since the opening of two parliamentary standards inquiries into his financial support, the Reform leader said he had been dehumanised in the most extraordinary way" in recent months, after the Guardian revealed in April that he had received a 5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before the last election. Continue reading...

From Lily Collins at Wimbledon to the cast of Love Island, heels-averse cohort is stepping it up a notchGen Z, the flats-only generation, has finally succumbed to the heel - albeit a tiny one. Long vocally anti-heel, the cohort who were born between 1997 and 2012 have famously shunned millennials' obsession with Jimmy Choos in favour of pancake-flat shoes, from the Adidas Samba It-trainer" to the split-toe Margiela Tabi and so-called French girl ballet flats".But they now appear to be embracing a potential gateway heel, typically measuring in the region of 1.5in (3.8cm) or the height of a triple-A battery. Continue reading...

200,000 investment comes after harvests in Britain hit by wet winter, spring frost and hail, then heatwavesThe owner of Ribena is to invest 200,000 in helping blackcurrant bushes withstand stress after extreme weather put a squeeze on this year's UK harvest.That harvest is now under way in the berry's main growing regions including East Anglia, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Kent and Scotland. It is expected to be about 10% below the average of 10,000 tonnes, as the climate crisis drives extreme weather across Britain and elsewhere. Continue reading...

Radio and TV presenter, who recovered from cancer in 2024, announces she has smouldering myelomaLauren Laverne has announced she has been diagnosed with a blood and bone marrow disorder, less than two years after recovering from cancer.The radio and TV presenter revealed she has smouldering myeloma, a condition characterised by an abnormal level of blood plasma cells in bone marrow, and said she made her diagnosis public out of a desire to help others. In August 2024, she announced she had been diagnosed with cancer, and received the all-clear three months later. Continue reading...

Ronald Fischer, 70, was sentenced to life in his absence after telling lawyer he planned to enjoy life in another country'A master yachtsman" who went on the run for more than two decades after fleeing a sexual assault trial in Rhode Island which resulted in his conviction despite his absence was captured on Thursday on a sailboat off New Jersey's coast, according to authorities.Ronald L Fischer, 70, had been considered one of Rhode Island's most wanted fugitives before his arrest, state police officials said in a statement on social media. And his case had been mentioned repeatedly over the years on the true-crime television program America's Most Wanted. Continue reading...

Supplier to 2.4m customers says it doesn't have enough money to last beyond July 2027South East Water has warned there is material uncertainty" over its survival, after a disastrous year in which the lossmaking company paid millions of pounds in fines and its chief executive was forced out.The water supplier to 2.4 million customers said it had sufficient funds to make it through to July 2027. However, shortly after" the utility will need new loan facilities in order to continue as a going concern", it said in its annual report published on Friday. Continue reading...

Republican Josh Hawley accuses Mark Zuckerberg's firm of relentlessly pursuing and attempting to bankrupt herA US senator has accused Meta of using lawfare in efforts to destroy" a whistleblower who made allegations about the social media company's dealings with China and its treatment of teenagers.In a letter to its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, the Republican senator Josh Hawley demanded to know what measures Meta had taken to monitor Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook's former global head of public policy, and her family. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereWhen Andy Burnham first tried to return to the Commons, by applying to be Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, Labour's national executive committee blocked him - in part because, they argued, Labour might find it hard to hold the Greater Manchester mayoralty in the byelection caused by his resignation.When he next applied to be a candidate, for Makerfield, the NEC no longer felt able to say no because the results for Labour in the May elections were so bad that the case for having Burnham in parliament became overwhelming. Continue reading...

Another 22 reportedly injured while mourning Palestinian killed in Israeli attack earlier in the dayAn Israeli strike on a funeral in the Gaza Strip has killed at least seven people and injured another 22, according to a local hospital.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Continue reading...

Tehran bombs US allies in Middle East after US attacks on bridges, energy facilities and key portThe US hit bridges, energy facilities and a key Iranian port on Friday, expanding its aerial campaign against Iran, and prompting swift Iranian strikes against US allies in the Middle East.US airstrikes hit bridges in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, killing at least seven people, Iranian state TV reported. The bridges were a key transit point for Bandar Abbas, Iran's main port. Further US airstrikes brought down a tower in Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman that the US military claimed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used to facilitate attacks on vessels in the strait of Hormuz. The US also targeted key electrical infrastructure and Iranshahr airport. Continue reading...

UK police adviser in the early 2000s and global consultant in no-body' homicide cases says he has narrowed down the outback search area Peter Falconio murder 25 years on: new footage shows dying Australian outback killer's refusal to reveal body's locationThe former British government expert who consulted on the search for the remains of the murdered backpacker Peter Falconio says he has now identified a most likely" potential burial location - an abandoned racetrack only 8km from the scene of the infamous outback attack at Barrow Creek.In July 2001, Falconio and his partner, Joanne Lees, both from Yorkshire, were ambushed and attacked by Bradley John Murdoch as they drove along a remote stretch of road in Australia's Northern Territory, about 300km north of Alice Springs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Jeannie-Marie Blake is suing the Australian government over alleged threats, which her department denies making

Firm pleaded guilty to 13 offences over discharges at Margate and Broadstairs wastewater pumping stationsSouthern Water has been fined more than 7m after dumping sewage illegally off the Kent coast between 2019 and 2021.The company, described by the judge as having a record of criminality" which is an exceptionally serious aggravating factor", pleaded guilty to 13 offences at Medway magistrates court last April over sewage discharges at Margate and Broadstairs wastewater pumping stations between 2019 and 2021. Continue reading...

Kiran Kaur, 53, sentenced to three years for assisting her son, Vickrum Digwa, after his fatal stabbing of student in SouthamptonThe mother of Vickrum Digwa, whose false claims of racism against Henry Nowak triggered riots in Southampton, has been jailed for removing a knife from the murder scene.Appearing at Southampton crown court, Kiran Kaur, 53, was jailed for three years for assisting an offender, her son, by taking the knife from where he had murdered the 18-year-old student on 3 December 2025 back to her family home. Continue reading...

Leaked US intelligence report concluded Iran retained 70% of missiles and launchers after 38-day spring campaignIran and the US have been trading blows for six consecutive nights and there are no shortage of signs that the renewed fighting will worsen further. Tehran and Washington remain far apart diplomatically, and though the US retains a significant military overmatch, Iran has more than enough capability to inflict damage.Friday's developments are a case in point. A wave of US attacks, with missiles launched from jets, drones and warships, targeted Iranian ports and the south of the country, collapsing a tower at Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, and highways and bridges into the key Hormuz port of Bandar Abbas, perhaps in an effort to cut it off. Continue reading...

The acclaimed Irish actor started her career in Coronation Street and Casualty before a string of high-profile Hollywood rolesBrenda Fricker, who became the first female Irish Oscar winner for acting with My Left Foot, has died aged 81. Her agent Phil Belfield told the BBC in a statement: We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her ... I was honoured to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over."In My Left Foot, Fricker plays the mother of Christy Brown, whose cerebral palsy means he only has muscular control over one of his feet. The film, directed by Jim Sheridan, was released to enormous acclaim in 1989, winning the best actor Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis as well as best supporting actress for Fricker. Continue reading...

Visas will be shortened to 240 days, down from five years, and Chinese journalists will be limited to 90 daysThe Trump administration has said it will drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in the US to 240 days, down from five years, and cut those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days.The rule announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will do away with the duration of status" system, which allows foreign journalists to stay and work in the United States as long as they meet eligibility requirements. Continue reading...

Campaigners say field will bring minimal benefit for UK economy, as industry lobbies Burnham for go-aheadMore people can fit on to the top deck of a standard London bus than will be directly employed on the new Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, industry documents show.Only 27 direct full-time jobs would be created by Jackdaw, one of the biggest gasfields remaining in the North Sea, according to an environmental impact assessment filed publicly by its owner, Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norway's Equinor. Continue reading...

Film fanatics arrive from US, Switzerland and Ireland for midnight premiere of director's critically acclaimed epicOdysseus made his name by embarking on a perilous journey from Troy to Ithaca, plus a few unplanned diversions courtesy of the gods. But this is nothing on Christian Campbell, who last night travelled more than 4,000 miles to see the Greek king's epic fable on the big screen.The 22-year-old film graduate, who aspires to be an editor, made the journey from Atlanta to London to watch Christopher Nolan's take on Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. Continue reading...

US president accused China of meddling in his 2020 election defeat and said system was catastrophically' unfair. Plus Christopher Nolan's epic take on The Odyssey hits the big screen

The US state mourns its longest-serving senator while Republicans scramble to choose a successorThe South Carolina state house is a microcosm of the US's contradictions. Outside there are memorials to the Confederate war dead and African American history. Below a statue of Strom Thurmond, a longtime US senator and racial segregationist, are the names of his five children including Essie Mae, whose mother, a Black maid, was 15 when Thurmond impregnated her.Thurmond died at the age of 100 in 2003; his successor, Lindsey Graham, a lifelong bachelor who never had children, died last Saturday at 71. His sudden exit leaves a void not just in Washington but the state that molded Graham, elected him to the Senate four times and wrestled with his shape-shifting journey from Ronald Reagan Republican to Donald Trump sycophant. Continue reading...

Plus, Trump pays out to E Jean Carroll, somnolent Little House on the Prairie, and why I'll be avoiding salad in the USIt's the last week of school and, in our case, the last week of primary school, ever, which I thought wouldn't be a big deal but now we're here, I'm sliding off my axis about the cruel passage of time. It's not about my children, who can't wait to crack on, it's about me, me, me. Continue reading...

Arrest in Pennsylvania of Wu Shaoping, who is awaiting asylum decision, raises fears of deportation and persecutionA Chinese human rights lawyer has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising concerns he could be deported to China where he would face persecution.Wu Shaoping fled China at the end of 2019 amid a crackdown on human rights lawyers. He travelled to the US on a tourist visa and made an asylum claim in 2020, for which he is still awaiting a decision. Continue reading...

Storms are typical during intense heat but this week's have been extreme. Plus, deadly monsoon rains in BangladeshHailstones the size of golf balls have been seen in French villages as, on top of the exceptional European heatwave, thunderstorms have struck across parts of Europe.While thunderstorms are typical during and after a period of extreme heat, the storms across countries such as France, Germany and Poland have been particularly severe, bringing flooding, strong winds and heavy showers with large balls of hail. Continue reading...

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Move dealt severe blow to Chinese companies' confidence in investing in the UK', says Ministry of CommerceChina's government has said it is strongly dissatisfied" with the decision to nationalise British Steel this week, 15 months after the UK government stepped in to prevent the closure of its steelworks in Scunthorpe and the loss of 4,000 jobs.On Thursday, British Steel was brought under public ownership to protect the future of steel production", the government announced. Continue reading...

The Makerfield MP enters No 10 as prime minister on Monday. But who will he choose to join him at the table?Keir Starmer is expected formally to resign as prime minister on Monday morning at Buckingham Palace, with Andy Burnham being invited to take on the role shortly afterwards. Once back in Downing Street mid-morning, Burnham will begin assembling his cabinet. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Watchdog asked to look into how James Watt got data of ex-crowdfunders he invited to join buy-back bidJames Watt, the BrewDog founder who sold the debt-laden punk" brewer earlier this year, is the subject of complaints to the UK's data privacy watchdog linked to his surprise bid to buy the company back, the Guardian has learned.BrewDog's brand, intellectual property, UK breweries and 11 bars were sold to the US cannabis and drinks firm Tilray in March for 33m, in a deal that rendered the shares of more than 200,000 crowdfunding investors worthless. Continue reading...

Banks and building societies have started relaxing affordability rules and becoming more creative with productsFor many first-time buyers, getting their foot on the property ladder can feel like an impossible dream. However, the good news is that there are a growing number of mortgage deals that require only a small deposit, or no deposit at all.Metro Bank is the latest high street lender to launch a deal that allows eligible first-timers to borrow up to 100% of the value of aproperty. Home loans that let people borrow 100% have been making a bit of a comeback - they were once fairly commonplace but were axed after the 2008 financial crisis. Continue reading...

Researchers find dance reduced depressive symptoms and social anxiety in young people in eight-week trialSalsa is one of the most popular dance forms, with hundreds of millions of followers worldwide. A mix of Caribbean, Spanish and African musical styles and rhythms, it is believed to offer many cognitive and physical benefits, such as improving cardiovascular health, muscle tone and posture.Now a randomised controlled trial suggests it could also reduce depression and anxiety. Researchers at the University of Oxford and the Oxford Health NHS trust studied 121 young adults with mild to moderate depression and anxiety who were randomly assigned to a salsa dance programme or a control group. Continue reading...

Mackerel skies and mare's tails signal arrival of warm fronts that push moisture to high altitudes and creates distinctive cloudsMare's tails and mackerel scales make lofty ships to carry low sails," runs an old English saying about summer skies.Mackerel skies are cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds in regular but patchy rows, resembling the light and dark-scale pattern on a mackerel. The cirrocumulus version is white and wispy, altocumulus is grey and thicker. One easy rule is that cirrocumulus is narrower than a finger at arm's length, altocumulus more like three fingers. Continue reading...