Top World News

Dec 3, 2025 - World

Debt-ridden utility warns of ‘material uncertainty’ with potential for a rapid collapse despite profit riseThames Water has reported a leap in half-year profits to £414m after bills rose by nearly a third, even as it warned it faced huge funding uncertainties that could result in a rapid collapse into government control.Britain’s biggest water company on Wednesday said it had swung into profit for the six months to September, after losing £149m in the same period in 2024. Continue reading...

Dec 3, 2025 - World

Massive cloud over Tanami desert in Northern Territory reminiscent of Uluru, onlookers sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLachlan Marchant and his colleagues were driving their golf buggies back to their shed when they saw the earth sweeping towards them.“It reminded us of Uluru, the sheer size and width of this thing,” Marchant said. “It was just rolling at us.” Continue reading...

Dec 3, 2025 - World

Fertilising arable land with human waste leaves array of toxins that could re-enter food chain, study findsMore than 520 chemicals have been found in English soils, including pharmaceutical products and toxins that were banned decades ago, because of the practice of spreading human waste to fertilise arable land.Research by scientists at the University of Leeds, published as a preprint in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, found a worrying array of chemicals in English soils. Close to half (46.4%) of the pharmaceutical substances detected had not been reported in previous global monitoring campaigns. Continue reading...

Dec 3, 2025 - World

The proposed changes, which the government claims are needed to combat AI-generated requests, would also reduce what documents can be releasedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government’s proposal to introduce fees for freedom of information requests and reduce what documents can be released has been widely slammed by opposition and crossbench senators as “undemocratic” and evidence of Labor’s “addiction to secrecy”.The Labor-chaired Senate inquiry released its report on Wednesday recommending the bill be passed but the Coalition, the Greens, and senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie all submitted their own reports condemning the plans. Continue reading...

Dec 3, 2025 - World

In today’s newsletter: With US pressure mounting and Ukraine signalling cautious openness, Moscow continues to project military momentumGood morning. On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin welcomed Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow for talks on ending the war on Ukraine, nearly four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.The summit came amid intense diplomatic activity. Two weeks ago the US presented a 28-point peace plan to Kyiv that was widely seen as favourable to Moscow. Since then US and Ukrainian officials have met in Geneva and in Florida to rehash the plan. That revised offer was to form the basis of discussions at the summit.UK news | The families of those who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster have said it is a “bitter injustice” that no police officer will ever be held accountable for failings set out in the final report of the police watchdog after a 14-year investigation. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found that 12 officers would have faced proceedings if they had not since retired.Royal family | The public accounts committee is to launch an inquiry into the crown estate and its leases on properties to members of the royal family after questions over the letting of Royal Lodge to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.Justice | David Lammy has been accused of making a “massive mistake” by Labour MPs and peers after announcing radical plans to cut thousands of jury trials across England and Wales.Policing | A quarter of police forces in England and Wales are yet to implement “basic policies for investigating sexual offences”, an official report has found.Gender | Trans girls will no longer be able to join Girlguiding, the organisation has announced, saying it has made the decision after seeking legal advice as a result of the supreme court ruling on gender earlier this year. Continue reading...