business

Great-aunt Lucy asked Britons to “please look after” Paddington Bear when he arrived on UK shores. Perhaps she was thinking of the risks of him running into two RAF engineers out on a bender in Hampshire. Fortunately, Paddington’s aunt didn’t have to watch the CCTV footage shown to Reading magistrates court on Tuesday of Daniel … Read more

After rumours circulated online, Amazon has now confirmed that Amy Pascal and David Heyman will steer the next James Bond adventure. The news comes after longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson gave creative control to the tech company in a deal that is reported to have cost around $1bn. “We are approaching every … Read more

The former footballer Joey Barton has been handed a 12-week suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of assaulting his wife at their family home in south-west London in June 2021. The 42-year-old pushed Georgia Barton to the floor before kicking her in the head during a drunken row at their family home which left … Read more

China remains the United States’ top military and cyber threat, according to a new report by US intelligence agencies that said Beijing was making “steady but uneven” progress on capabilities it could use to capture Taiwan. China has the ability to hit the United States with conventional weapons, compromise US infrastructure through cyber-attacks, and target … Read more

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to “eliminate the use of force” in the Black Sea after parallel talks with US negotiators in Saudi Arabia, though the Kremlin said a maritime ceasefire would start only if it received sanctions relief on agricultural exports. The two sides also agreed to implement a previously announced 30-day halt on … Read more

Kemi Badenoch enjoyed a £14,000 week-long “residential” with her family along with a small group of the shadow cabinet courtesy of the Tory donor Neil Record, who chairs a climate sceptic lobby group. The Conservative leader was joined by other members of the party team at a location in Gloucestershire during the February half-term; most … Read more

The implementation of a new assisted dying law in England and Wales has been delayed to 2029, throwing its future into question as its introduction coincides with the next general election. In a change put forward by Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who is sponsoring the assisted dying bill, the timeline for its implementation has … Read more

Bonuses for water bosses in England could be banned this year for companies that spill sewage, break the law or mismanage their finances, Ofwat has announced. The regulator has launched a consultation into draft criteria under which it would ban bonuses being paid to chief executives. Sources at Ofwat told the Guardian they are near-certain … Read more

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 can for the first time be used as hearing aids for moderate hearing loss in Australia – but despite benefits, such as reducing social stigma and lowering costs, experts warn they are not suitable for everyone. After approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in December, Apple on Wednesday pushed out … Read more

Passengers heading to China aboard a recent United Airlines flight faced an unexpected travel headache after a pilot’s forgotten passport prompted their return to the United States. Flight UA198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai was over the Pacific Ocean on Saturday afternoon when it made a U-turn and headed to San Francisco, tracking data showed. … Read more