World news | The Guardian

Retailer's owner has stake in Wagestream, which offers workers loans of up to 25,000An influential group of MPs has sought assurances that Asda is not squeezing staff" to drive profit after it emerged they are being offered high-interest loans by Wagestream, a company in which the retailer's owner has a stake.The business and trade select committee has written to Asda over its links to the financial wellbeing app" that recently began offering the supermarket's staff loans of up to 25,000. The default arrangements for Wagestream's workplace loans" involve debt repayments being directly deducted from workers' pay packets. Continue reading...

National Trust-owned painting will be exhibited with a meditation option for art lovers to take a long, lingering lookThe impulse to race around a gallery and take in as many wonderful paintings as possible can be hard to resist.But art enthusiasts are being urged to slow down and take a lingering, meditative look at one of the great self-portraits when it is taken on an unhurried tour of England. Continue reading...

As House of Lords prepares to debate bill, Hospice UK says sector needs adequate funding for end-of-life careHospices are on the brink" and two in five are making cuts this year despite the importance of end-of-life care if assisted dying becomes legal, the sector has warned before the first House of Lords debate on the legislation.Hospice UK, which represents the sector, said many were financially struggling and still in the dark" about how funding for end-of-life care will be improved when assisted dying legislation is passed. Continue reading...

Luke Briggs, 35, died in a hospital's intensive care unit eight days after his arrest in Hoppers Crossing in July 2024

Interior minister says murder has been committed' while US Congress demands justification for attackNone of the 11 people killed in a US military strike on a boat in the Caribbean last week were members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Venezuela's interior minister has said, while US media reported the attack came after the vessel had turned around and was heading back to shore.The administration of Donald Trump has said the boat was transporting illegal narcotics, but has provided little further information about the incident, even amid demands from members of the US Congress for a justification for the action. Continue reading...

Anna Netrebko's presence on stage called a disgrace', despite soprano condemning Russia's invasion of UkraineDozens of protesters have gathered outside the Royal Opera House to demonstrate against an eminent Russian opera singer nicknamed Putin's diva" who performed on the opening night of Tosca.Anna Netrebko, 53, one of the world's best-known sopranos, who draws full houses for her performances at leading opera houses globally, has denied being an ally of the Russian leader. Continue reading...

Former president sought to annihilate' country's democracy after losing 2022 election

Current leadership unequivocally' rejects George Abaraonye's remarks and says it opposes political violence'The Oxford Union has unequivocally" condemned comments apparently made by its president-elect about the fatal shooting of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk in the US.Kirk, 31, was killed at a Utah Valley University show on Wednesday in what authorities have called a political assassination. Continue reading...

Education secretary and Manchester MP are only candidates to clear threshold to enter party members' ballotNo 10's pick for Labour deputy leader, Bridget Phillipson, will face off against the ousted cabinet minister Lucy Powell in a race widely seen as a referendum for party members on the direction of Keir Starmer's leadership.With Downing Street in turmoil after the sacking of the US ambassador, Peter Mandelson, Powell clinched 117 MPs' nominations, taking her over the threshold to enter the ballot of Labour members. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the leftwing Labour MP, failed to make the cut-off. Continue reading...

Jamie Pearson killed himself in toilet at Blackpool Victoria hospital after being admitted over painkiller overdoseThe death of a 27-year-old man who killed himself in a hospital toilet after waiting 22 hours to be seen by the mental health team was contributed to by neglect", a coroner has ruled.Jamie Pearson was admitted to Blackpool Victoria hospital's A&E department after taking an overdose of high-strength painkillers on 17 August 2024. Continue reading...

In Oval Office address, president decried the demonization of political opponents, ignoring his own past rhetoric

Police investigate after images show roof of building destroyed in Washington, Tyne and WearA man in his 20s has been arrested by police after a suspected arson attack wrecked the constituency office of the Labour MP Sharon Hodgson.There is little left of the first floor office in the Concord area of Washington, Tyne and Wear, after a fire that took place when it was unoccupied in the early hours of the morning. Continue reading...

Labour and Lib Dems say Reform leader has questions to answer on who paid for 885,000 property owned by his partner

Queensland woman says its time for clinic to destroy 30-year-old samples as state and federal health ministers meet to push for reform

Ireland's national broadcaster joins Slovenia's in making participation next year conditional amid Israel's war in GazaIreland's national broadcaster, RTE, has decided not to take part in next year's Eurovision song contest if Israel is a participant.RTE is the second of 37 broadcasters who took part in the event this year to have made participation next year conditional. Continue reading...

Viktor Orban claims death of Turning Point USA's founder was result of international hate campaign' as prominent figures pay tribute

In latest scandal embroiling the Welsh cathedral, choir performed piece to protest about job losses and then walked outA cathedral choir has been suspended after it performed an entirely inappropriate" piece protesting about job losses during holy communion.Bangor Cathedral, which was criticised earlier this year over a culture of excessive drinking, sexual promiscuity and inappropriate banter, said it had paused all choir activity" for a month after the incident. It also said that Joe Cooper, the cathedral's director of music, was currently away from his duties". Continue reading...

MP's withdrawal along with Paula Barker clears way for contest between Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell

Auction house also takes hit from hefty severance costs, despite its headcount only dropping by 24 employeesLosses at Sotheby's auction house more than doubled last year, as the company owned by billionaire Patrick Drahi suffered from a continued slump in the art market and high severance costs.Filings from its parent company, Bidfair Luxembourg, showed losses widened significantly to $248m (184m) over the 12 months to 2024, after losses of $106m a year earlier. Continue reading...

Mike Tapp says it is important to get to the bottom of this' but says Keir Starmer retains confidence in ambassador

Partnership blames restructuring costs plus tax rises and new packaging rules but expects full-year profit to growThe owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has said its losses widened to 88m in the first half of this year, as it took a hit from restructuring costs as well as new tax and regulatory charges.John Lewis Partnership, which operates 36 department stores and more than 300 Waitrose supermarkets, said new packaging regulations and national insurance payments had cost it 29m, while it spent 54m on restructuring its business. Continue reading...

Chancellor stopped short of saying which regulators were in government's crosshairsThe chancellor Rachel Reeveshas told private equity bosses that she plans to shut down more regulators across the UK as she attempts to drive growth across Britain's subdued economy.Reeves - who in July claimed regulators were a boot on the neck" of business - cheered her recent decisions to sack the chair of the competitions watchdog, shut down the payments regulator, and severely" constrain the Financial Ombudsman Service, which UK banks have long lobbied to curtail. However, she said there was still more to do". Continue reading...

Sources say decision to collect modern' art could have two galleries at each others' throats' - but others welcome moveA decision to tear up an agreement between the National Gallery and Tate, which stopped the Trafalgar Square institution from collecting works created after 1900, could create bad blood" and a situation in which the two galleries are at each other's throats", according to senior sources.The National Gallery announced the shift as part of Project Domani, which involves it receiving 375m of investment for a new wing that will usher in a new tomorrow" at the 200-year-old institution. Continue reading...

Danish manufacturer of weight-loss and diabetes drugs under pressure from US rival Eli Lilly

PM says he has confidence in ambassador when questioned in the Commons by Lib Dem and Tory leaders

Telecoms firm understood to have offered settlements to some franchisees outside high court claim as fresh inquiry beginsVodafone has launched a fourth investigation into the historical conduct within its franchising division, which is at the centre of a 120m high court claim against the mobile phone group.Vodafone is also understood to have offered financial settlements to a selection of former franchisees who are outside the group of 62 currently suing the business. Continue reading...

Nathalie May Matthews outlines allegations of a sustained pattern' of abuse and manipulation in application for AVO, but the NSW MP denies the claims

Immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and a huge surge in aid into Gaza' only route to peace, says PMKeir Starmer has condemned Israel's strike on Qatar before a meeting with the Israeli president in London on Wednesday.The UK prime minister said the military strike, which targeted Hamas leaders stationed in Doha, was a violation of Qatar's sovereignty and risked further escalation across the region". Continue reading...

Gallery secures huge investment at a time when many arts institutions are struggling to raise fundsThe National Gallery has lifted its ban on collecting modern paintings made after 1900 as part of a revamp that will include a new wing, made possible after it secured a landmark investment of 375m.A new part of the gallery will be built behind the Sainsbury building as part of Project Domani- tomorrow" in Italian - after two donations of 150m each from Michael Moritz's Crankstart foundation and the Hans and Julia Rausing Trust. Continue reading...

Police do not rule out possibility of finding more as incidents raise alarm over increase of anti-Muslim hatredAt least nine pigs' heads were found outside several mosques in the Paris region on Tuesday, the city's police chief said, sparking alarm over rising anti-Muslim hatred.Pigs' heads have been left in front of certain mosques ... Four in Paris and five in the inner suburbs," Laurent Nunez told a press conference, adding that officers were not ruling out the possibility of finding more". Continue reading...

ICC hearing takes place in absence of Ugandan rebel leader accused of murder, rape, torture and sexual slaveryAn international criminal court hearing into charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Ugandan fugitive rebel leader Joseph Kony has begun with accounts of atrocities allegedly committed by his Lord's Resistance Army.The ICC's first in-absentia hearing will confirm charges but cannot progress to a trial in Kony's absence. The warlord faces 39 counts, including murder, rape, sexual slavery, enslavement and torture, allegedly committed in northern Uganda between July 2002 and December 2005.Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report Continue reading...

Global Sumud Flotilla says one of its vessels was hit by drone at Sidi Bou Said port in Tunisia, sustaining fire damage

Emmanuel Macron to name successor within days' as political crisis grips France

Greens welcome Minns government's bare-minimum' changes but say more work is needed to restore faith in the sector

Government position set out in letter to select committee as No 10 prepares for visit by Israeli president

Seven boss handed bill by federal court after backing the disgraced former soldier in action against Nine Newspapers

Eldest son has the succession Rupert craved after agreeing a payout to his siblings far higher than previously offeredAs a keen rock climber, Lachlan Murdoch knows a thing or two about the importance of clinging on to perilous terrain. After the toughest ascent of his life - rising to the top of his father's business empire - he has finally ensured that his place at its summit is assured.The deal Rupert Murdoch's eldest son has struck with his oldest siblings Prudence, Elisabeth and James will mean they give up their shares in the family business, handing Lachlan the long-term control that he and his father craved. Continue reading...

Gordon Brown calls for change to rules as he and other ex-leaders say they do not use allowance for commercial workThree former prime ministers have said they do not use a taxpayer subsidy for their private office for any commercial work after the Guardian revealed Boris Johnson appears have done so.One of them, Gordon Brown, said that rules should now be changed to require former prime ministers to publicly declare their business interests. He said there should be a crackdown on the jobs taken by former ministers. Continue reading...

Campaigners shocked after ministers voted against the 1.2m-hectare Yavari Mirim reserve after 20 years of debateCampaigners have accused the Peruvian government of violating international human rights law and putting lives at risk in the Amazon after it rejected a vast new territory to protect some of the world's most isolated Indigenous communities.After two decades of political debate, a government-led commission voted on Friday against creating the Yavari Mirim Indigenous reserve, a 1.2m-hectare (2.9m-acre) expanse of pristine rainforest along the border with Brazil. The tally was decisive: eight against, five in favour, with three members absent from the crucial vote. Continue reading...

Total amount former Liberal staffer has been ordered to pay is not known but is expected to be in the order of hundreds of thousands of dollarsBrittany Higgins has been ordered to pay 80% of her former boss Linda Reynold's legal costs from their high-profile defamation fight.Last month, Western Australian supreme court judge Paul Tottle ruled the former defence minister's reputation was damaged by a 2022 social media post from Higgins' partner David Sharaz, which Higgins responded to, and an Instagram story published by Higgins in July 2023. Continue reading...

Senior politicians want taxpayer-funded support for former PM suspended, as watchdog opens investigationSenior politicians have called for Boris Johnson's 115,000 taxpayer-funded annual allowance to be suspended after revelations in the Guardian suggested that the former prime minister may have used his private office to profit from contacts he gained in office.The government ethics watchdog, which monitors the activities of former ministers and senior civil servants, has also opened an investigation into Johnson's newly revealed contacts and income since leaving office. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed

Vanuatu's PM says more discussions' needed on Nakamal agreement due to concerns over his nation's ability to seek infrastructure funding from other countries

Across the banking sector, thousands of jobs have been cut at the same time as AI use soars in clerical and customer service roles

Case centred on claims that he had not properly served a sentence for corruption and abuse of power, which was handed down in 2023Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve one year in jail, the country's supreme court has ruled, in a major blow to one of the country's most prominent and polarising politicians.The court ruled that Thaksin had not properly served an eight-year sentence for corruption and abuse of power, which was handed down when he returned to the country from self-imposed exile in 2023. After arriving back in the country, Thaksin spent less than 24 hours in jail, but was moved to the VIP wing of a hospital on health grounds, where he stayed for six months before he was released on parole.

After four years on the run with their father, Phillips three children have all been located and are doing well under the circumstances', say authoritiesPolice in New Zealand have released images and given details of the campsite where two of fugitive Tom Phillips' children were found, after their father was shot and killed by police on Monday.Phillips had spent nearly four years hiding in the wilderness with his children. He was killed in an exchange of fire with police after reports of a burglary in the remote town of Piopio. A police officer is recovering in hospital after being shot in the head by Phillips with a high-powered rifle in the standoff. About 11 hours after Phillips was killed, two of his children were found safe and well at the campsite in Waitomo. It is understood the third child was with Phillips at the time of the shooting. Continue reading...

Thomas was arrested and charged at a Sydney protest on 27 June, where her lawyers allege she was punched in the face by police

All health trusts in England ranked from best to worst but analysts say idea is of limited use' to patientsLabour has published the first football-style league tables to rank hospitals in England from best to worst since the early 2000s, despite warnings it would not help patients choose where to seek care.Moorfields specialist eye hospital in London tops the table, with the Queen Elizabeth hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, bottom. Continue reading...

Format to be tested in last quarter of year after chain's value cut by a third amid intense strains' on hospitality industryPret a Manger is finally caving in to competition from supermarkets by launching meal deals, after the value of the chain was slashed by a third amid intense strains" on the hospitality industry.The sandwich and coffee chain said it intends to test the meal deal format in the last quarter of this year, as a medium-term strategy to grow the Pret brand and return to sustainable profits. It did not say how much the meal deals will cost. Continue reading...

Unions and headteachers say Nando's-style' scorecard is worse than schools watchdog's current regimeEngland's schools watchdog, Ofsted, is to press ahead with the introduction of its new inspection regime in November, including a colour-coded report card for parents, despite widespread opposition from headteachers and unions.An exceptional" judgment will become the highest of five grades to be awarded across six different inspection areas, as first reported in the Guardian last month, as part of the overhaul prompted by the suicide of the Reading headteacher Ruth Perry after a visit by Ofsted. Continue reading...