Young fashion fans help UK charity shops thrive on struggling UK high streets 01. March 2026 (11:00) Sales beat wider retail sector last year thanks to customers inspired by websites such as Vinted, industry body saysYoung people inspired by secondhand fashion websites such as Vinted and Depop are helping charity shops thrive despite rising energy and employment costs.Save the Children’s retail sales rose 3% last year, helped by a surge in December when the charity rang up 11% more than the same month a year before, raising more than £1m for its causes. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ex-minister adds to UK calls for ban on political donations in cryptocurrency 01. March 2026 (11:00) Exclusive: Labour’s Rushanara Ali plans to intervene in elections bill amid warnings of foreign interferenceA former Labour minister has added her voice to those of a growing list of experts and senior MPs calling for a ban on political donations in cryptocurrency as concerns grow over foreign interference in British elections.Rushanara Ali, the Labour MP who helped draft the elections bill when she was a minister in the communities department, called for the government to strengthen the legislation with an outright ban on donations in digital currencies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Undercover officer allegedly used public money for romantic break in Venice 01. March 2026 (09:00) Woman deceived into relationship tells spycops inquiry the trip was not to meet Italian socialists, as Carlo Soracchi claimsAn undercover police officer is facing allegations that he used taxpayers’ money to pay for a romantic break in Venice with a woman he was deceiving into a long-term relationship, the spycops public inquiry has heard.Carlo Soracchi pretended to be an activist for six years while he infiltrated socialist and anti-fascist campaign groups. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Supporting ‘illegal aggression’ against Iran ‘the worst thing’ Australia could do, international law experts say 01. March 2026 (08:26) Ben Saul says ‘rolling over’ after Israel and US attack is counterproductive for middle powers because it undermines rules-based orderGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInternational law experts have criticised Australia for “rolling over” and backing what they say is an illegal attack by Israel and the US on Iran.The foreign minister, Penny Wong, endorsed the fresh war by stating that “Australia supports action to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace and security”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Investment in AI-resistant ‘Halo’ companies helps push UK and EU markets to record highs 01. March 2026 (08:00) Investors are shifting toward physical assets that are partially insulated from disruption, says Goldman SachsInvestors have a new mantra as they prepare for AI to shake up the global economy – the Halo trade.Interest in Halo – short for “heavy assets, low obsolescence” - has risen as investors seek out companies with tangible, productive assets, which might be insulated from AI disruption, such as energy and transport infrastructure companies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shabana Mahmood’s double down on immigration ‘disappointing’, says Alf Dubs 01. March 2026 (08:00) Labour peer, who was a child refugee, criticises home secretary’s response to Gorton and Denton byelection defeatThe home secretary’s decision to double down on hardline immigration reforms in light of Labour’s byelection defeat to the Green party is “disappointing”, according to the Labour peer Alf Dubs.Lord Dubs, a child refugee who fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on the Kindertransport in 1939, had previously accused Shabana Mahmood of “pulling up the drawbridge” on child migrants. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Cleaning Superstore’: warning over missed delivery text scam on WhatsApp 01. March 2026 (08:00) The text mimics a common fraud, but differs in that criminals appear to have hacked a genuine business accountJohn the delivery driver has tried to drop off something at your home from a company called Cleaning Superstore but you missed him, according to the message you have received via WhatsApp.Although you cannot remember buying anything from the company, the text appears to have come from a legitimate WhatsApp account so you try to rearrange delivery by clicking the link provided. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour must cease taking progressive voters for granted, says Sadiq Khan 01. March 2026 (07:00) London mayor criticises PM for calling Greens ‘extreme’ after Gorton and Denton loss, saying it is a ‘flawed strategy’Sadiq Khan: ‘Labour must stop channelling Reform and unite with progressives. That’s the byelection’s lesson’The mayor of London has said the Gorton and Denton byelection has exposed a “far-reaching change and fracturing” in UK politics and Labour must ditch its “flawed strategy” of taking liberal progressives for granted.In what appears to be an attack on Keir Starmer, Sadiq Khan challenged the prime minister’s branding of the Green party and its policies as “extreme”, saying many of its supporters shared Labour’s values but were disappointed in the government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
An ugly year for the Louvre: where does the world’s biggest museum go from here? 01. March 2026 (07:00) After a heist and the departure of its boss, the French institution wrestles with water leaks, strikes and much-criticised plans for a €1bn renovationJust over a year ago, Laurence des Cars, the intellectually brilliant (if famously prickly) former head of the largest and most-visited museum in the world, wrote a somewhat alarming note to her boss, France’s culture minister.Des Cars, who on Tuesday resigned as president of the Louvre, lamented the advanced state of disrepair of the iconic museum’s buildings and galleries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sicily revokes century-old Mondello beach concession over mafia links 01. March 2026 (06:00) Regional authorities withdraw permit after citing risk of organised crime infiltration linked to a subcontractorIt is one of Europe’s most celebrated shorelines, framed by mountains and 19th-century villas and famed for its Caribbean-blue water and white sand.But Mondello beach in Palermo, Sicily, has also been mired in controversy, the subject of complaints stretching back a century from residents and tourists who say its private lidos, cabins and deckchairs have left scant room for public access. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
