Top World News
Investors forced to pay for ‘undeserved’ bonuses at three water suppliers
Ofwat uses new powers to ensure customer funds are not used for bonuses at Thames, Yorkshire, and Dŵr Cymru Welsh WaterShareholders at Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water will be forced to pick up the tab for executive bonuses after the water regulator determined that the sector had awarded “undeserved” extra payments worth £6.8m.Ofwat said on Thursday that it had used new powers to ensure shareholders at the three companies paid for bonuses because they had not “adequately reflected overall company performance issues”. Continue reading...
Royal Mail owner blames Labour budget for preventing return to profit
International Distribution Services’ says it will take £134m hit from budget but shows improved underlying financial performance The company that owns Royal Mail has blamed a £134m hit from Labour’s first budget in 14 years for preventing a return to profit, as its underlying financial performance improved.International Distribution Services’ half-year results illustrate the difficulties it is facing during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of its 508-year-old subsidiary, the Royal Mail. Continue reading...
Attempt to prevent NSW climate protest overturned – as it happened
This blog is now closedSydney train strike: chaotic shutdown averted after 11th-hour crisis talks with unionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales MPs condemned for ‘part-time’ parliamentary yearScores of NSW MPs will earn the equivalent of more than $10,000 per sitting week in 2025 after a bid to increase the year’s 16-week calendar was rejected, AAP reports.To do this, government MPs have to turn up to parliament and discuss matters. Voters won’t be happy that government MPs would prefer to hide in their electorate offices rather than turning up to parliament, where they face scrutiny. Continue reading...
World’s conflict zones increased by two-thirds in past three years, report reveals
Wars have spread and intensified, with far-reaching impacts on global economic growth and food security, according to latest Conflict Intensity IndexThe proportion of the world engulfed by conflict has grown 65% – equivalent to nearly double the size of India – over the past three years, according to a new report.Ukraine, Myanmar, the Middle East and a “conflict corridor” around Africa’s Sahel region have seen wars and unrest spread and intensify since 2021, according to the latest Conflict Intensity Index (CII), published by risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft. Continue reading...
Mineral Resources boss Chris Ellison tells shareholders ‘I hate what I’ve done’ after scandals rock company
Perth businessman tells AGM he made ‘error in judgment’ as company’s executive pay plans are voted downFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEmbattled mining billionaire Chris Ellison has told shareholders he can’t stress enough “how much I hate what I’ve done” after a series of scandals engulfed the company he leads, Mineral Resources.The Perth businessman has previously acknowledged he failed to disclose revenue generated by overseas entities to tax authorities earlier in his career. A company investigation later found he had also used business resources for his personal benefit.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Sydney train strike: chaotic shutdown averted after 11th-hour crisis talks with union
NSW government caves to rail union demands to prevent workers strikingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA chaotic two-day shutdown of Sydney’s train network has been averted at the 11th hour after the state government caved to rail union demands to run 24-hour services to prevent workers striking.However, the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has warned that despite securing a two-week hiatus on industrial action amid tense negotiations with rail unions over a new pay deal, there is no guarantee that the threat of a city-wide rail shutdown will not recur in a fortnight.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Melbourne teen Bianca Jones dies in hospital after suspected methanol poisoning in Laos
US state department also confirms American’s death in Vang Vieng, where Jones and friend Holly Bowles fell critically illFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMelbourne teen Bianca Jones has died in a Thai hospital, a week after a suspected methanol poisoning incident in neighbouring Laos that affected her and her best friend.Anthony Albanese confirmed the 19-year-old’s death on Thursday, after her parents travelled to Thailand to be with her. Continue reading...
Labor to confiscate phones from non-citizens in immigration detention in new bill
Greens and legal advocates say bill will make it harder to hold authorities accountable for conditions in detention facilitiesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor has introduced a bill that would allow drugs and mobile phones to be confiscated from non-citizens in immigration detention, despite opposing a phone ban when attempted by Peter Dutton in 2020.The Albanese government is proposing greater safeguards than the Coalition’s attempts to ban phones, but the move has already outraged the Greens and legal advocates who warn it will make it harder to hold authorities accountable for conditions in detention.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Percival Everett wins National Book Award for fiction with retelling of Huckleberry Finn
Everett’s novel, James, which focuses on Twain's enslaved character Jim, won the $10,000 prizePercival Everett has won the $10,000 National Book Award for fiction, one of the US’s most prestigious literary prizes, for James, his acclaimed reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.The 67-year-old author was also shortlisted for this year’s Booker prize for James, which focuses on Huckleberry Finn’s enslaved character Jim. The Guardian’s Anthony Cummins called the book “gripping, painful, funny, horrifying” in his review. Continue reading...
Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai denies he asked a newspaper colleague to draft list of sanction targets
Former publisher Jimmy Lai has denied that he asked a colleague to draft a list of potential sanction targets in testimony at his landmark national security trial in Hong Kong
Australia's parliament considers legislation banning social media for under 16s
Legislation for the world's first legal ban on children under 16 using social media has been introduced in Australia's Parliament
US Senate rejects Bernie Sanders effort to block arms sales to Israel
Moves to advance three resolutions, which would have halted recent sale of $20bn in US weapons to Israel, all failedThe US Senate has blocked legislation that would have halted the sale of some US weapons to Israel, which had been introduced out of concern about the human rights catastrophe faced by Palestinians in Gaza.Senator Bernie Sanders had introduced what are called joint resolutions of disapproval, seeking to block the Biden administration’s recent sale of $20bn in US weapons to Israel. Continue reading...
Nov 21, 2024