The Guardian

Engine maker promises to give up to £9bn to shareholders over next three years as turnaround gathers pace Rolls-Royce’s profits soared by 40% last year as the engineering company’s turnaround gathered pace, helped by booming demand for power from datacentres. The company reported underlying profits of £3.5bn for 2025, up from £2.5bn the year before, as it also promised to give up to £9bn to share…

Scottish Labour leader hopes distancing himself from PM will shift focus to SNP’s record, but voters remain unconvinced UK politics live – latest updates “People look at Holyrood and think: ‘Lets give them all a bloody nose’,” says Alex, a betting shop manager. Speaking in a focus group of people who voted Labour at the 2024 general election, Alex captured the downbeat mood of a cohort bitterly d…

Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said in a speech to parliament that cost could pass €1.2tn ($1.42 trillion Defending Nato’s eastern flank in case of a potential Russian aggression would cost at least €1.2tn ($1.42 trillion), Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said in a speech to parliament, Reuters reported. “Defending the countries of Nato’s eastern flank in the event of a poten…

The Oman-mediated discussions take place amid a massive buildup of US warships and aircraft in the Middle East It is understood that US special envoy Steve Witkoff , who is heading to Geneva for the talks along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner , has asked only that Iran agree to enrichment at below 5% purity , roughly the level it accepted in the 2015 nuclear deal and well below weapons grad…

Major restructure by retail technology business will lead to reduction of about 5% of global workforce Business live – latest updates Ocado is to cut 1,000 jobs as the retail technology business attempts to slash costs by £150m in a major restructure. The group confirmed about 5% of its global workforce is being cut, with about two-thirds of the job losses affecting its UK operations. Continue re…

Voting begins in one of the most eagerly awaited and fiercely contested byelections of recent years Good morning. In Gorton and Denton, on the outskirts of Manchester, people have started voting in one of the most eagerly awaited, and fiercely contested, byelections of recent years. All the polling suggests the result will be very close . The political scientists argue that, if a party wins a con…

‘Index of repression’ includes smears, disinformation and harassment, according to advocacy group Palestinian 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 who have been targeted have suffered smears, disinformation, harassment, doxing (having p…

MPs raise cases of honeymooners and other Britons caught out by new passport requirements as minister rejects calls for a grace period 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 denied boarding flights to the UK. During a heated session in parliament on Wednesday, the Home Office m…

Wendy Faith and Alesi Diana Denise were taken into custody under laws that have outraged LGBTQ+ community and rights activists Two women have been arrested and detained in Uganda after allegedly kissing in public, an act of “same-sex activity” which can lead to a life sentence in the east African country.. Wendy Faith, a 22-year-old musician known as Torrero Bae, and Alesi Diana Denise, 21, were …

Group aims to be ‘simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business’ and achieve £500m of annual savings by 2028 The 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 …

Move comes after 35% of sector workers surveyed described their mental health as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ The Film and TV charity has unveiled a landmark set of principles for safeguarding mental health in what’s been called a “watershed moment” for the UK creative sector’s duty of care to its production community. The principles are the result of a collaboration between the charity and more than 45…

Tourism Australia beach ambassador Brad Parker says the coastline south of Sydney airport ‘ticked pretty much every box’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Sutherland shire’s Bate Bay has been named best Australian beach for 2026. The annual list selects the top 10 beaches across the country, aiming to showcase A…

Lawyer for protest groups argues state needs to prove it was ‘rational to prevent all protests’ to achieve social cohesion Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Lawyers for three protest groups have argued a Minns government law which effectively banned marches in Sydney’s CBD made its own objective of enhancing social …

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’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The site of the Wieambilla ambush, Queensland’s worst police shooting, is up for sale. In 2022, conspiracy theorists Gareth, Stacey and N…

Atmospheric machine-gun has fired storm after deadly storm at the region this year, leaving a trail of widespread destruction For Andrés Sánchez 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 wa…