World news | The Guardian

Britain's biggest water company said just 3p in every pound that appeared on bills went to its lendersThames Water has been accused of misleading" customers after telling them that just a few pennies in every pound spent on their bills is paid to its lenders.The debt-laded firm is Britain's biggest water company, serving 16 million customers in London and the south-east of England. It has sent a breakdown of its costs in bills to customers, including spending 48p of every pound on infrastructure, 20p on the supply and treatment of water, and 3p to its lenders. Continue reading...

Coles and Woolworths pricing and market power put under scrutiny as agriculture veterans voice concerns over their industry's survival

Premier Chris Minns rules out raising age of criminal responsibility to 14 as he moves to criminalise teenagers posting and boasting' about offences on social media

Most states and territories will receive more GST revenue according to recommendations of Commonwealth Grants Commission

Umbrella body under pressure to take action as Russian group's activities appear to defy neutrality principleThe international Red Cross movement is under pressure to take action against the Russian Red Cross (RRC) over close links between the group and the Kremlin's war and propaganda machine.The evidence includes the RRC president's central role in a pro-Putin patriotic" organisation, senior RRC staff who speak of the impossibility of peace with Ukrainian Nazis", and RRC participation in military training for children.A series of documents leaked from the Russian presidential administration, the most recent of which are dated December 2023, were obtained by Estonia's Delfi. These documents were shared for joint investigation with the Guardian as well as VSquare and Frontstory.pl (Poland), Expressen (Sweden), Meduza and iStories (independent Russian outlets), Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel and ZDF (Germany), Der Standard (Austria), and Tamedia publications (Switzerland). Continue reading...

Victoria police say the man was found in Greenvale just after 4.30am but could not be revived

Raspberries frontman, who had several big solo hits in the 70s and 80s, died in his sleep on the weekendEric Carmen, the frontman of the powerpop band Raspberries and singer of solo hits including All By Myself, Never Gonna Fall in Love Again and Hungry Eyes, has died aged 74.Carmen's wife, Amy, announced his death on his official website. No cause of death was given. Continue reading...

Lush portraits of Filipino-Australian family will join Art Gallery of NSW collection, as the artist travels to Europe to visit Renaissance paintings that inspired her

Third person injured after small group were backcountry skiiing in Hokkaido on Mount Yotei when an avalanche struck on MondayTwo New Zealanders, including a 21-year-old ski guide, have been killed in avalanche while backcountry skiing in Japan.New Zealand's ministry of foreign affairs and trade confirmed to the Guardian two people had died in a tragic accident" in Hokkaido. A third New Zealander was also injured. Continue reading...

Officials confirmed strikes on Monday in the Beqaa region bordering Syria, a Hezbollah bastionIsrael has launched airstrikes near Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbek, security sources and state media have said, in the second raid in the region since cross-border hostilities began after the Gaza war.Sources told Reuters and AFP that the strikes had killed one person and injured others. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Remarks by Frank Hester, who has given 10m to the party in the past year, raise questions over his workplace behaviour

Pickett's very funny and very angry' play 1536 follows three women as they discuss the arrest of Anne BoleynThe British playwright Ava Pickett has won this year's Susan Smith Blackburn prize for female, transgender and non-binary playwrights.Pickett's winning play, 1536, unfolds in Tudor Essex and follows three women as they discuss the news of Anne Boleyn's arrest. Pickett called it a very funny and very angry play" about female friendship. In a ceremony at the Royal Court theatre in London on Monday, she was awarded $25,000 (19,900) and a signed print by Willem de Kooning. Continue reading...

Thomas Costello, who at 6ft 4in is same height as Jack Andrews, says people in weighing room looked at me like I had four heads'You don't come across many lofty figures in the weighing rooms of the UK's racecourses but two jockeys standing at a (relatively) towering 223cm (6ft 4in) will rub shoulders when the Cheltenham festival begins on Tuesday.Jack Andrews, 25, from Warwickshire, rose to fame last year when he was billed as the tallest jockey in the world during his appearance at the festival, but this week has a rival for the title - Thomas Costello, from County Clare in Ireland. Continue reading...

Directive aims to give taxi and delivery drivers such as those working for Uber and Deliveroo rights similar to those enjoyed by full employeesNew laws designed to improve the rights of gig economy workers in the EU contracted to companies such as Uber have been saved from oblivion after they won the majority backing of member states.The legislation had been blocked by a group of countries last month, when France said it could not support the text on the table and Germany abstained. Continue reading...

A Brazilian artist will have her body manipulated while passed out, in a lauded work about sexual violence that headlines Melbourne's winter festival

Cavan Medlock, who claimed Hitler was right', is accused of threats to kill lawyer in Harrow in 2020A man who claimed Hitler was right" planned to kill an immigration lawyer and went to his office with a knife and handcuffs, a court has heard.Cavan Medlock, 31, from Harrow, appeared at Kingston crown court on Monday charged with preparation of terrorist acts and threats to kill the lawyer, Toufique Hossain. Continue reading...

Reform UK confirms Lee Anderson, former Conservative MP and ex-deputy chair, has defected to join partyQ: What is your answer to Tory colleagues who say that you have let them down?Country, constituency, then party," says Anderson. Continue reading...

Sonny Boy, the actor's first memoir, will cover his upbringing in New York, Hollywood career and thoughts on love and purpose'The Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino's memoir Sonny Boy is set to release this October.The book, launched by Penguin Random House, is the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide", according to a statement from the publisher. All the great roles, the essential collaborations, and the important relationships are given their full due, as is the vexed marriage between creativity and commerce at the highest levels." Continue reading...

Families say Vaughan Gething's arrogance is astonishing' after he reveals loss of WhatsApp messages

Works from the continent make up a quarter of this year's nominees, which include novels from Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil and PeruThe International Booker longlist signals a second boom' in Latin American fiction", said judges, with a quarter of the nominated authors being South American.Argentinian poet Selva Almada, Venezuelan writer Rodrigo Blanco Calderon, Brazilian writer Itamar Vieira Junior and Peruvian journalist Gabriela Wiener have all been longlisted for the prize, which recognises the best novels and short story collections from around the world that have been translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. Continue reading...

President says new law would open possibility of requesting assistance in dying under certain strict conditionsEmmanuel Macron has said a bill on assisted dying has been drafted and will go before the French parliament in May.The legislation would enable doctors to prescribe a lethal substance to those in full control of their faculties but suffering incurable illnesses whose pain cannot be relieved. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 12 prominent organisations sign open letter criticising lack of humanitarian access

Democratic Alliance will need to form minority government after narrow victory over Socialist party and far-right Chega

Officials say marines deployed for night-time evacuation amid intense fighting in Port-au-Prince, while German and EU representatives also leaveThe US military has carried out an operation in Haiti to airlift non-essential embassy personnel from the country and added US forces to bolster embassy security, after dozens of heavily armed gang fighters tried to seize the political quarter of its capital, Port-au-Prince.The German foreign ministry meanwhile said its ambassador joined other EU representatives in leaving for the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Continue reading...

Emergency services called to the shopping centre car park in Hope Island found a man with life-threatening injuriesA 25-year-old man has been taken into custody in relation to a fatal assault in a Gold Coast shopping centre car park.Emergency services were called to the car park along Santa Barbara Road in the suburb of Hope Island on Monday afternoon after reports a man had been seriously assaulted. Continue reading...

Passengers on flight to Auckland describe mid-air drop' with people thrown from their seats

William Little Pebble' Kamm and Sandra Costellia expected to be charged following six-month NSW police investigation

Activists say public debate has been shut down by overhyped claims of imminent war since Ukraine invasionThe Swedish flag will be raised on Monday outside Nato's HQ in Brussels. But while the prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, basks in the glow of his country finally joining the western military alliance after months of delays, Sweden's once thriving peace movement is smarting.Once widely visible in debates and on the streets - particularly over nuclear weapons, disarmament and the Vietnam war - the movement had already been on the wane since the end of the cold war. Continue reading...

From Billie to Barbie and Pacino to the pins, here's where to get up to speed with the winners, the losers, the talking points and the dud momentsJust want to know who won? Here's our list of winners and all those nominated, or you can relive every minute of the ceremony in our live blog. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Independent examination of rape prosecutions hears lawyers are obsessed' with credibility of victims and use victim-blaming language

Nolan wins prize at the Academy Awards after losing out in 2018 when he was nominated for Dunkirk

Song co-written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell comes out on top over I'm Just Ken, another song from the Barbie soundtrack

Master Japanese director wins his second Oscar for story of a young boy searching for his mother during the second world war

Randolph triumphs for her role as a grieving mother in the Alexander Payne-directed film also starring Paul Giamatti

Labour analysis finds 40% of Britons nominated for main prizes at major cultural awards went to private schoolNearly half of all British cultural stars nominated for major awards in the last decade were educated at private school, according to an analysis by Labour designed to highlight the failings of the state sector to provide creative education.After studying the backgrounds of 130 Britons nominated for the main prizes at the Oscars, Baftas and Mercury prize over the last 10 years, Labour found that 40% went to private school, whereas only about 6% of the population are privately educated. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Marco Longhi and Jill Mortimer, allies of Lee Anderson, question Jeremy Hunt setting aside 1m for tributeTory MPs have privately criticised the government's decision to build a memorial for Muslims who died fighting for Britain in the two world wars.In messages to a Conservative MPs' WhatsApp group seen by the Guardian, two Tory MPs elected in 2019 - Marco Longhi and Jill Mortimer - questioned why a memorial for Muslims was needed. The disclosure raises questions about the attitude towards Muslims in some sections of the Conservative party. Continue reading...

Relatives of Francis Williams say threat of return to prison without committing another crime was torture' for himOn the last day of his life, Francis Williams feared he was about to be sent to prison. Williams, 43, had committed no recent crime but when he was kicked out of a hostel in Bognor Regis after a drinking relapse, he guessed what was coming next.An arcane sentence for a street robbery 18 years earlier meant homelessness and addiction would be enough to send Williams back inside. He had been given an imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence and could be recalled to prison if he was deemed to be a risk, even though he had served his time.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

At least a quarter of councils are taking more than a year to provide vital support to people with a new visual impairment diagnosisThe lives of thousands of blind and partially sighted people are being put at risk by delays in vital care that they have a legal right to after being assessed as visually impaired, according to a report.More than a quarter of English councils are leaving people who have just been diagnosed as blind waiting more than a year for vision rehabilitation assessments and potentially life-saving support, the report by the RNIB revealed. Continue reading...

Celebrity chef clashes with health secretary over what he calls government's lack of obesity strategyThe celebrity chef and Green party supporter Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has clashed with the UK health secretary, Victoria Atkins, over what he says is the government's failure to tackle the obesity crisis.Fearnley-Whittingstall challenged Atkins during a live discussion on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, accusing ministers of doing next to nothing" to tackle obesity in England. Continue reading...

Warnings that war in Gaza and Iran's lack of cooperation on its nuclear programme are strengthening hand of hardlinersThere are growing fears among diplomats in the US and Europe that Iran's largely unmonitored nuclear programme and the destabilisation caused by the Gaza conflict are strengthening the hand of Iranian factions that back the development of nuclear weapons.The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has reiterated in recent days that his country is pursuing a civilian nuclear programme for now. Continue reading...

National palace guards set up security ring after gangs attack at least three police stations in Port-au-Prince

Former Socceroo says he made a mistake and is very pleased to be able to learn' that racism can only be perpetrated against a marginalised person or group'

Victoria police say death is suspicious and alleged offender may have fled overseas'

Another 78 people taken to hospital after consuming delicacy, which is known to cause food poisoningEight children and an adult have died after eating sea turtle meat on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar archipelago, and 78 other people have been taken to hospital, authorities said on Saturday.Sea turtle meat is considered a delicacy in Zanzibar but it periodically results in deaths from chelonitoxism, a type of food poisoning. Continue reading...

Shadow cabinet talk with Whitehall officials after Keir Starmer meets head of civil serviceAll members of Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet are to meet top civil servants in Whitehall departments before Easter as Labour steps up preparations to form the next government, according to senior party sources.The Observer has been told that Starmer recently held a first round of so-called access talks" with the cabinet secretary Simon Case, the head of the civil service, at a neutral venue" in London, to kick off an exchange of information between the official opposition and Whitehall in advance of a potential handover of power. Continue reading...

Digital ads for 8XBet inserted into matches played by clubs that rejected money from gambling companies

European Commission hopes maritime corridor will open by Sunday, while Israel strikes large residential tower in RafahA ship laden with humanitarian aid intended for Gaza is preparing to leave Cyprus, amid acute international concern as conditions in the territory continue to deteriorate.A US charity said it was loading aid on to a boat in Cyprus, which will be the first shipment to Gaza along a maritime corridor the European Commission hopes will open by Sunday. Continue reading...

US charity preparing vessel with hopes it could leave for territory this weekendThe UN's top aid official has renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza and outlined six priorities in the humanitarian response.In a social media post via the account of the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (Ocha) on Friday, Martin Griffiths, the UN emergency relief coordinator, wrote:The hostilities in Gaza entered their sixth month. These six facts should keep us all awake at night:1) More than half a million people are on the brink of famine. Children are dying of hunger.1) A ceasefire and full adherence to the rules of war.2) Additional entry points, supply routes and storage capacity in Gaza. Continue reading...

Open Arms vessel, loaded with humanitarian supplies, is waiting for approval from Israel before leaving

Royals will be hoping that Gary Goldsmith, who faces eviction on Friday, will not generate headlines about the Prince and Princess of WalesIt's the reality TV show that gives a fly-on-the-wall peek at how celebrities - a term used here in its loosest form - look when they're lounging on the sofa in their pyjamas.But the bit of hidden-camera footage we'd have really liked to see this week is the one showing the reaction of the royal family as Gary Goldsmith, the Princess of Wales's bad uncle", walked into the celebrity Big Brother house. Continue reading...