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Former chairman Chen Xuyuan accepted millions in return for help with contracting, investment options and event management, state media report court as sayingThe former chief of China's national football association, Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes, state media reported on Tuesday, after one of the biggest anti-corruption probes in the sport in years.The severe sentence for Chen, 67, concludes an inquiry into high-level football officials in China in a sport that has long grappled with corruption, which fans have blamed for the perpetual under performance of the national team. Continue reading...

Heavy snowfall of up to 2ft has already affected millions in New England and thousands left without powerA major snowstorm is sweeping across much of the US, bringing up to 2ft of snow to places as well as causing road accidents and downed power lines.On Sunday, 16 states from California to Michigan were put under weather alerts for snow and blizzards, with heavy layers of snow supplemented with winds whipping up to 60mph in places. Continue reading...

Former Barcelona and Brazil footballer is appealing against conviction and prison sentence for rapeThe former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves, convicted of rape in Spain, has paid his bail of 1m and can leave jail pending his appeal, a court has said.One of the world's most decorated footballers, Alves, 40, was sentenced last month to four and a half years in jail for raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub in the early hours of 31 December 2022. Continue reading...

Merlin Entertainments says surge pricing will help offset decline in visitors since Covid pandemic

While the Minns government has made strides on wages, many of its promises - on renting, buses and the environment - remain unfulfilledIt's been a year since New South Wales voters kicked out the Coalition - backing Labor for the first time in a decade.The new premier, Chris Minns, promised to scrap the public sector wages cap, end privatisation, reform renting and get more homes built. But how has Labor fared in its first 12 months in office? Continue reading...

Head of agency says military authorities told UN that convoys will no longer be approved amid man-made famine'The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said on Sunday that Israel had definitively barred it from making aid deliveries in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is highest.Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli Authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any @Unrwa food convoys to the north," Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency, said on X. Continue reading...

Average monthly donations rose by nearly 40% to 65, with poorest areas among the most generousThe British public donated a record 13.9bn to charity in 2023, with people in some of the country's least affluent areas among the most generous, a report reveals.The total marks a 9% increase on the 2022 figure - which stood at 12.7bn - as average monthly donations increased by nearly 40% to reach 65. Continue reading...

Aid group says one of its staff was killed when tanks pushed back into areas around al-Amal and Nasser hospitalsIsraeli forces have besieged two more hospitals in Gaza, pinning down medical teams under heavy gunfire, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.All of our teams are in extreme danger at the moment and are completely immobilised," the humanitarian organisation told Reuters on Sunday, adding one of its staff was killed when Israeli tanks pushed back suddenly into areas around al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis. Continue reading...

As Princess of Wales begins treatment after cancer diagnosis, we answer some key questionsThe Princess of Wales has begun preventive chemotherapy after her doctors discovered she had cancer following major abdominal surgery in January. What is preventive chemotherapy and how effective can it be? Continue reading...

Sector suffers funding and workforce crisis and warns that people will face unnecessary jail terms, family violence and homelessness as a result

Exclusive: State's 2024 total on track to reach about 20% above 2005 levels, modelling obtained by Guardian Australia shows

Council funding crisis threatens hostels and support workers from next monthHomeless people struggling with addiction and their mental health have attacked a looming wave of council cuts to hostel services as plain stupidity" that will cost lives.A deepening town hall funding crisis is threatening shelters and support workers from Hampshire to Leicestershire, affecting hundreds of homeless people from the start of next month despite rising homelessness.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 counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Drawing on his years at No 10, the UK foreign secretary is happy to ruffle feathers on the international stage while setting the agendaIt is only four months since Rishi Sunak brought him back into government as foreign secretary but already, having felt the pace quicken around them, officials and diplomats have given David Cameron their own title: prime minister for external affairs.Cameron is on a whole other level," said one diplomat on the inside. Before, we had [Boris] Johnson, we had [Dominic] Raab, we had [Liz]Truss and then [James] Cleverly. Cameron can read a room - he immediately sees the elephant in it, if there is one. He constantly comes back on summonses and wants to know: When can I get more on this? When can I get an update on that?'" Continue reading...

Corina Yoris will now take on Nicolas Maduro in presidential election in July after Maria Corina Machado stepped asideVenezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has named her replacement to take on President Nicolas Maduro in the country's presidential election in July, after the arrest of two of Machado's close aides.The naming of Corina Yoris, 80, as the opposition's candidate comes after Venezuela's attorney general announced the detention of two of Machado's closest allies earlier this week and also said arrest warrants had been issued for seven other people, including rumoured Machado replacement, Magalli Meda. Continue reading...

Christopher Sidle was refused crisis admission to hospital despite warnings and died after self-harmingA series of failings by a troubled NHS mental health trust contributed to the death of a former government climate change adviser, a coroner has found.Christopher Sidle, 51, who had a history of psychosis, fatally self-harmed on 1 July last year during a psychotic episode two days after being refused a crisis admission by Norfolk and Suffolk foundation trust (NSFT) despite warnings from his family and a trust psychiatrist, Norfolk coroner's court heard. Continue reading...

Gold 10g treat leaps ahead of rivals in Guardian survey, as maker says rising cost of cocoa is a challengeIt's the bite-size bunny that could take a big chunk out of your Easter budget. Cost-conscious chocaholics might want to steer clear of Lindt's tiniest golden rabbit after a Guardian investigation found that, pound for pound it seems to be the priciest Easter treat on supermarket shelves.The Lindt Gold Bunny Mini Milk Chocolate weighs in at just 10g - it's so light that when the Guardian went shopping it failed to register on the shop's self-checkout. But price-wise it's a heavyweight: across the main supermarkets we couldn't find any Easter chocolate on sale at a higher cost for 100g. Continue reading...

London-headquartered lender wants to to take advantage of UK's decision to scrap bonus cap

Luke D'Wit created fake will to make himself a director of Stephen and Carol Baxter's shower mat firm, court heardA man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 37 years for the murder of a married couple who he poisoned with fentanyl after creating a gallery of fake personas to manipulate them.Luke D'Wit, who befriended and worked for Stephen and Carol Baxter, later changed their will to make him a director of their shower mat company. Continue reading...

CMA plans in-depth investigation into deal that would create UK's largest mobile phone operatorThe planned merger between Vodafone and Three UK, which would create the UK's largest mobile phone operator, has been referred to an in-depth investigation by the competition regulator.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it intended to refer the deal to a more detailed phase 2 investigation amid concerns that mobile customers could face higher prices and reduced quality. Continue reading...

Magistrate clears couple of other domestic violence allegations in hearing at Sydney's Downing Centre

Crime crackdown plan also gives victims of rape and sexual assault the right to specialist support throughout justice processSix police forces will be given powers to charge domestic abuser suspects without the involvement of the Crown Prosecution Service as part of a series of Labour proposals to solve more crimes announced on Thursday.A future Keir Starmer government would also give victims in domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault cases the right to have specialist support advisers throughout the criminal justice process and beside them in court. Continue reading...

UK's foreign secretary is in Australia alongside defence secretary Grant Shapps for high-level talks with Richard Marles and Penny Wong

Keli Lane, convicted of murdering newborn daughter in 1996, refused parole because she has not helped police find Tegan's body

This blog is now closedAs part of the latest Aukus developments, Australia will send A$4.6bn to the UK to clear bottlenecks at the Rolls-Royce nuclear reactor production line.Richard Marles was asked why it costs so much, and why this component needs to be done in the UK. He told ABC News Breakfast:We made clear a year ago that we wouldn't be building the nuclear reactors in Australia. They will be built by Rolls Royce at its facility in Derby in the UK and once the sealed reactors are built, they will be taken here to the Osborne Naval ship yard and placed in the submarines which the rest of which will be built here at Osborne.Building nuclear reactors is difficult to do and in order for this to play out, that facility in Derby, which is building nuclear reactors for Britain's navy, that needs to be expanded and that is what this contribution is for. Continue reading...

Royal College of Nursing survey shows NHS nurses' distress as 77% say they are worse off than a year ago

East was found critically injured on Fletcher Street in beachside Tamarama about 4am on Sunday morning and pronounced dead at the scene

Director of public prosecutions launches appeal against sentences handed down to Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant

High court told 3,541 unaccompanied children could arrive on small boats but Kent county council can accommodate only 1,631Accommodation for lone asylum seeker children who arrive on the Kent coast in small boats could run out before the end of this month, a council has warned, placing them at risk.Kent county council has legal duties under the Children Act to take these children into care on arrival in the UK. Due to its geographical location, it is under disproportionate pressure to look after these children compared with other local authorities. Under the national transfer scheme, many of the children are subsequently moved to different local authorities around the country after arrival. Continue reading...

Several schools have brought in shorts for cheerleaders at baseball tournament while another positioned teachers between the cheerleaders and spectatorsHigh schools taking part in Japan's annual spring baseball tournament are taking action to prevent spectators from taking sexualised photographs of female cheerleaders.The invitational tournament - and a regular tournament held every summer at Koshien stadium near Osaka - are supposed to be a celebration of youthful sporting prowess and a chance for teenage boys from 32 schools around the country to make their mark and perhaps catch the eye of a professional ball club. Continue reading...

Authorities are now mandating that climbers remove their waste from the mountain using biodegradable bagsIt's one of the more unedifying challenges involved in scaling to the highest point on Earth - how best to relieve oneself in the freezing, inhospitable environment of Mount Everest.That question is about to become slightly more complicated as climbers prepare for a change in protocol when the season gets under way next month, with a new rule about removing their own faeces as they trek up and down the mountain. Continue reading...

Magistrate refuses application for costs after 70-year-old cleared of serious indictable offence over not reporting his father's abuse to police

Leaders of the bloc caution that the country will have to undertake more reforms before the next step can beginEU leaders have agreed to open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina on joining the bloc, while also stressing the Balkan country would have to undertake more reforms before the talks could begin.Congratulations! Your place is in our European family. Today's decision is a key step forward on your EU path," European Council president, Charles Michel, wrote on X as leaders met at a Brussels summit. Continue reading...

Western Australia police appeal for information after second death in race after British ultra-endurance cyclist Mike Hall was hit and killed near Canberra in 2017

Reserve Bank says households are generally weathering the record run of interest rate rises but 5% of owner-occupiers are in a dire financial position

Former Manchester City striker taken into custody after court in Brazil ruled he should serve a nine-year sentence for offence committed in ItalyThe former Brazil and Manchester City striker Robinho has been arrested by federal police at his home in the city of Santos after a Brazilian court ruled he should serve a nine-year prison sentence for a rape he was convicted of committing in Italy.The 40-year-old footballer, whose full name is Robson de Souza, was taken into custody on Thursday night after his lawyers failed in their attempt to delay his detention over the 2013 crime, which took place when he was a player for AC Milan. Continue reading...

Home secretary chartered a private jet to make the one-day round trip to Kigali in DecemberJames Cleverly, the home secretary, spent 165,561 chartering a private jet for a one-day round trip to Rwanda to sign Rishi Sunak's deportation deal in Kigali.The trip took place on 4 December to sign the new deal with the east African state after the supreme court's finding that Rwanda was an unsafe country". Continue reading...

Ukraine could receive the first 1bn of interest on the sequestered assets by early JulyEU leaders have agreed in principle to commandeer a large majority of the profits generated from frozen Russian assets and give them to Ukraine.The proposal could generate 3bn (2.6bn) this year and the first billion could be released to Ukraine by July, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said late on Thursday at the end of the first day of an EU leaders' summit in Brussels. Continue reading...

EU leaders call for immediate humanitarian pause' while US expected to bring UN resolution calling for truce without delayEU leaders have overcome their differences to call for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire" in Gaza, hours before the US is expected to bring a resolution to a vote at the UN calling for a truce and a hostage deal without delay in the face of a looming famine.The EU declaration, at a Brussels summit late on Thursday, marked the first time European leaders had agreed a declaration on the Middle East since October. The US draft resolution to be put to a vote in the UN security council on Friday morning also reflects greater urgency in Washington's position. It is the first time the Biden administration has put forward language calling for an immediate ceasefire", although it continues to link a truce with a hostage deal. Continue reading...

LGBTQ groups welcome legislation passed after marathon overnight sitting, but critics line up to warn bail laws will put more children in jail

Maryland governor Wes Moore says voters in 2024 election are focused on cost-of-living, housing and healthcare issues

Alex Mahon says former staff member made serious' allegation in 2009 that was not investigated as it should have been'The head of Channel 4 has apologised to a former staff member for not properly investigating a serious" allegation made against Russell Brand in 2009.However, the broadcaster found no evidence" that staff at Channel 4 knew about the accusations made by four women in a Dispatches documentary before it was aired in September. Continue reading...

Source says wording suggests significant movement in US position as pressure mounts on Israel to halt campaignThe US has drafted a new UN security council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire" and hostage deal in Gaza, amid mounting pressure on Israel to halt its military campaign and allow the delivery of substantial amounts of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.The CIA and Mossad spy chiefs, William Burns and David Barnea, were expected to arrive in Qatar on Friday in the hope of clinching an elusive truce-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas. Speaking in Egypt, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said difficult work remained to be done but added: I continue to believe it's possible." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Letter with more than 60 signatories says membership perpetuates systemic discrimination against women'A group of more than 60 lawyers in England and Wales have called on all judges who are members of the men-only Garrick Club to resign from it immediately, claiming membership is incompatible with the core principles of justice, equality and fairness".In an open letter, the barristers, solicitors and legal professionals say they have been concerned by recent reports in the Guardian naming dozens of senior figures in the judiciary as current members of a club that has repeatedly blocked attempts to allow women to join. Continue reading...

Proposed law bans foreign states and government officials from holding direct stakes in UK newspapersThe UAE-backed bid for the Telegraph group appears to be dead in the water after the UK published proposed laws that ban foreign states or government officials from holding any direct stakes in newspaper assets.Foreign states and government officials will be banned from holding any direct stakes in newspaper assets - effectively dealing a death blow to the 600m bid for the Telegraph group from RedBird IMI, a consortium backed by the United Arab Emirates.The head of a foreign state.A foreign government.Authorities responsible for administering the affairs of an area within a foreign country.Governing political parties.Officers of governing political parties. Continue reading...

Document discovered by National Archives shows claim made by one prisoner who evaded recapture, but historians are scepticalIt's one of the most celebrated heroic failures of the second world war - the great escape" of dozens of allied prisoners of war from a German camp by tunnelling under the wire.As loosely depicted in the 1963 film of the same name, 76 British and international air force members successfully escaped from the Stalag Luft III camp in March 1944, only for most of them to be recaptured and 50 brutally executed. Continue reading...

Draft resolution loosens linkage between Gaza ceasefire and hostage release as US tries to claw back leadership on issue at UN

Government to introduce safeguards after incident in which no emergency calls were connected for 79 minutesA glitch in the UK's 999 network resulted in no callers getting through for nearly 80 minutes and led to more than 9,000 callers being unable to access emergency services by phone, according to a government report.The government said a complex software issue" affected BT's 999 platform on Sunday 25 June last year, at first resulting in a significant" proportion of calls disconnecting between 6.24am and 7.31am. Continue reading...

Soaked survivors clung to hull overnight before being taken to safety by Indonesian rescue teamDozens of Rohingya refugees have been rescued from the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia after spending the night balanced on the hull of their overturned boat.Seventy-five people were pulled from the stricken vessel, which was spotted on Thursday by an Indonesian search and rescue ship. Continue reading...

Liberal Democrat Steve Webb says he thinks affected women will have to be offered some form of rough justice'Q: Are you supporting Esther Rantzen's campaign for an assisted dying law?Starmer says he is. He says as director of public prosecutions he produced guidelines to limit prosecutions for people who help someone end their life. Continue reading...

Dan Barker, selected to stand just three months ago, says he's delighted to join the new home of conservatismThe Conservative candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election has defected to Richard Tice's rightwing Reform UK party.Dan Barker was selected only three months ago as the Tory candidate to challenge the incumbent mayor Labour's Andy Burnham in May's elections. Continue reading...