Marmite maker Unilever in talks to merge food business with US-based McCormick 20. March 2026 (10:40) Anglo-Dutch company, which also owns Dove and Hellmann’s, will focus more on personal care products if deal agreedBusiness live – latest updatesUnilever, the owner of Marmite, Dove and Hellmann’s mayonnaise, is in talks to combine its food business with the US-based spice and seasoning maker McCormick.The Anglo-Dutch food company – which last year spun off its ice-cream division, the home to Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum and Wall’s – has entered discussions over the future of the “highly attractive” business. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Delcy Rodríguez replaces Venezuela’s top military commanders 20. March 2026 (10:15) Interim president announces changes after firing defence minister, who was close to Maduro, the leader ousted by US Venezuela’s interim president has said she has replaced all her senior military commanders, the latest in a flurry of changes since the US ousted Nicolás Maduro.Delcy Rodríguez announced the changes in a social media post a day after firing the long-serving defence minister, who had been close to Maduro, and replacing him with a former intelligence chief. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK borrowing rises unexpectedly to £14.3bn in February 20. March 2026 (09:02) Data comes amid increasing fears that Iran war could send British government’s plans off courseBusiness live – latest updatesBritain’s public finances showed a higher than expected monthly deficit of £14.3bn last month, official figures showed on Friday, amid growing fears the Iran conflict could blow the government’s plans off course.The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed public sector net borrowing – the difference between spending and income – had widened £2.2bn year on year in February, and was higher than the £8.5bn City economists had forecast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Attorney general asks if Kemi Badenoch would object to Jewish public prayer 20. March 2026 (08:05) Exclusive: Richard Hermer, who is Jewish, says Tory leader and shadow minister seem ‘to only have an issue with Muslim events’Richard Hermer, the attorney general, has challenged Kemi Badenoch to say whether she would object to Jewish prayer in public, after the Conservative leader backed one of her shadow ministers who said an Islamic prayer event was intimidating and un-British.Hermer, one of the UK’s most prominent Jewish politicians, said Badenoch’s decision to support the views of Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, put her on a par with Reform UK and Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heatwave scorching US west ‘virtually impossible’ without climate crisis, say scientists 20. March 2026 (08:01) Unseasonably warm and even dangerous temperatures this week were up to 30F above average for the time of yearThe record-breaking heatwave scorching the US west this week would have been “virtually impossible” if not for the climate crisis, a team of scientists has determined.Millions of Americans from the Pacific coast to the Rockies baked under unseasonably warm and even dangerous temperatures this week, with temperatures up to 30F (17C) above average for the time of year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour will be decimated in May local elections, Unite leader says 20. March 2026 (08:00) Sharon Graham tells party to ‘wake up and smell the coffee’ after ‘shameful’ handling of Birmingham bin strikeLabour will be “decimated” in the upcoming local elections and should “hang their heads in shame” over the handling of the Birmingham bin strike, Unite’s general secretary has said.In a speech to refuse workers near a waste depot in Tyseley on Thursday, Sharon Graham said working people were moving away from Labour in droves and called on the party to “wake up and smell the coffee”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than 70 UK councils failed to issue single fine for littering last year 20. March 2026 (07:00) Exclusive: Lack of enforcement is allowing people to drop rubbish with complete impunity, says Clean Up BritainScores of councils across the UK have in effect ended enforcement of fines for littering, while others are letting litterers off lightly and many more are neglecting to enforce fines for fly-tipping.At least 71 councils failed to issue a single fine for littering last year, while a further 67 issued fewer than 10, according to data from the Clean Up Britain campaign. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BTS release new album Arirang ahead of comeback concert 20. March 2026 (06:33) Boyband drops album that speaks to its Korean roots ahead of Seoul comeback concert, with more than a quarter of a million fans expected to attendK-pop stars BTS released a new album on Friday billed as reflecting the maturing boy band’s Korean roots and identity, as buzz built ahead of their open-air comeback concert in the heart of Seoul.The Saturday night gig, which is expected to draw around 260,000 people, will be BTS’s first after a hiatus of almost four years while all seven members served compulsory military service. It comes ahead of an 82-date world tour. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The saddest day for Muslim worshippers in Jerusalem’: al-Aqsa mosque closed at Eid 20. March 2026 (06:00) Palestinians say the move is part of a wider Israeli strategy to leverage security tensions to tighten restrictionsFor the first time since 1967, al-Aqsa mosque – Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site – will be closed at the end of Ramadan on Friday, with tensions rising among Palestinians as Israeli authorities keep the complex shut, forcing worshippers to hold Eid prayers as close as they can to the sealed site.On Friday morning hundreds of worshippers were forced to pray outside the Old City, as Israeli police barricaded the entrances to the site. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
University of Liverpool acquires entire archive of poet Roger McGough 20. March 2026 (06:00) Archivist Jo Klett says the 40 boxes of material will provide ‘a full picture of Roger’s entire working career’“It’s a joy to be old,” wrote Roger McGough, one of Britain’s most popular, prolific and funniest poets. “The dog dead and the car sold.”Another joy might be decluttering. After the departure of dozens of boxes of notebooks, manuscripts, drafts, project files, journals, posters, letters, personal artworks and more, McGough has admitted his house is significantly emptier. “If anyone wants to buy some old empty filing cabinets then get in touch … through you,” he joked. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
