Thousands in UK take legal action against Johnson & Johnson over alleged talc cancer link

Thousands of people are taking legal action against the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, claiming it knowingly sold baby powder containing asbestos-contaminated talc in the UK.About 3,000 people have alleged that they or a family member developed forms of ovarian cancer or mesothelioma from using Johnson’s Baby Powder, and are seeking damages at the high court in London.Lawyers for the group said Johnson & Johnson, along with its current and former subsidiaries Johnson & Johnson Management and Kenvue UK, should all be held liable, according to court documents filed on Thursday by KP Law. It estimates the claims amount to more than £1bn.The lawyers said J&J “concealed” the risk to the public for decades

IMF chief reveals worries about private credit market keep her awake at night – as it happened

The head of the IMF has revealed that worries about a crisis in the private credit market keeps her awake at night, sometimes.Kristalina Georgieva was asked at today’s press briefing whether she is concerned about the health of the private credit markets, following the collapse of US auto parts supplier First Brands and car dealership Tricolor in recent weeks.Those failures prompted the boss of JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon, to warn this week that more “cockroaches” could emerge from the private credit sector.Q: Is this a concern for you about the health of the credit market – could it boil over into a crisis? How prepared is the world to cope with another crisis?Georgieva replies that the IMF is “concerned”, which it made clear in the financial stability report it issued this week.She says there has been a “very significant shift of financing” from the banking sector to non-bank financial institutions, to a point where more than half of financing is now there

Launch of veteran card will be used to test UK government’s digital ID scheme

Former military personnel will be used to test and refine the government’s divisive digital ID scheme from Friday, when ministers make a smartphone-based veteran card available to 1.8 million people.The proof of service, which in its current physical version gives access to charities, retail discounts and certain public services, will be the first of a series of official credentials the government wants to let people carry in a government app.Digital driving licences will be in development by the end of this year and by the end of 2027, digital versions of every government-issued credential – including disclosure and barring checks – will be offered for voluntary use, officials said. Keir Starmer wants to make carrying a digital ID mandatory for anyone wanting or needing to prove their right to work in the UK by the end of this parliament

Heed warnings from Wolmar on robotaxis | Brief letters

In assessing the merits of driverless taxis (Driverless taxis from Waymo will be on London’s roads next year, US firm announces, 15 October), passengers should consider the cautions presented in Christian Wolmar’s book Driverless Cars: On a Road to Nowhere. Adherence to Isaac Asimov’s first law of robotics (“A robot may not injure a human being”) requires the taxi to stop if a person steps in front of it. Highway robbery or worse may be facilitated.Prof Clive CoenKing’s College London Your article (Parliamentary staff of colour earn £2,000 less than white colleagues, study suggests, 12 October) says that disabled employees earn £646 less a year “than able-bodied colleagues”. Disabilities come in many forms, not all physical

England and New Zealand find ‘special’ camaraderie amid hard graft

As a gruelling 2025-26 schedule begins with a T20 series, both tourists and hosts stress the importance of enjoymentEngland’s white-ball team have played 24 times this year, most recently a little more than three weeks ago. New Zealand’s have played 28 games, the latest was this month. These are groups who spend a lot of time together, but before the start of their Twenty20 series on Saturday both chiselled some space out of their schedule to do something surprisingly unusual with each other: nothing very much.Brendon McCullum took his team to Queenstown in New Zealand’s Southern Alps where, in Harry Brook’s words, they were “just left to our own devices”. There was some hiking, a bit of go-karting and, inevitably, a lot of golf

Mohammed Ben Sulayem set to remain FIA president after Mayer denied by arcane rule

Mohammed Ben Sulayem will stand unopposed for another term as the president of the FIA, motor sport’s governing body. The last remaining candidate is due to pull out on Friday because of an arcane election rule.Tim Mayer, a former FIA senior steward with 15 years in the role until he was sacked last November, was one of three candidates who had announced they would oppose Ben Sulayem, alongside the former racing driver Laura Villars and the Belgian journalist Virginie Philippot.None of them, however, are able to meet the FIA requirements for the election process. Mayer is expected to formally announce the end of his campaign in Austin on Friday , the Guardian understands, where he will make clear the reasons behind it and his assessment of the current electoral process