World news | The Guardian

Serious Fraud Office raided sites in Dorset and Bucks as part of inquiry into Carlauren GroupThe Serious Fraud Office has raided two sites and made three arrests as part of a new investigation into an alleged 76m fraud around investments into luxury care homes.The raids in St Leonard's, in Dorset, and Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, form part of an investigation into a UK property developer called the Carlauren Group, which collapsed into administration in November 2019. Continue reading...

Chief executive David Duffy would be biggest winner on 3.5m, with large paydays for about 12 other staff if deal goes throughBanking bosses at Virgin Money are in line for a 6m windfall if Nationwide Building Society pushes ahead with a proposed takeover of the lender, with more than half of that sum to be pocketed by its longtime chief executive, David Duffy.Public shareholder data suggests that 13 executives, board members and senior staff are poised for big paydays from the potential 3bn deal, after accumulating stock through years of service at Virgin Money, which was co-founded by billionaire Sir Richard Branson in 1995. Continue reading...

Schools in Kursk switch to online classes after Ukraine-based armed groups claim to have crossed Russian borderFrench President Emmanuel Macron's Ukraine strategy will be put to a symbolic vote in parliament's lower house on Tuesday as political tensions rage in the run-up to June's European Parliament elections.AFP reports: Continue reading...

EU leaders set to outline concerns about humanitarian situation in Gaza and call for immediate humanitarian pauseTwo people died as they attempted to reach Spain's Canary Islands, while four others were evacuated to hospital in serious condition, the Spanish maritime rescue service said, Reuters reported.The 34 survivors comprised 27 men and seven women of sub-Saharan African origin, a spokesperson for the rescue service told Reuters. Continue reading...

Campaigners launch proposal for schools to have plan for play' that would be subject to Ofsted inspectionCampaigners studying play and childhood are calling for a major focus on reviving play in schools to tackle an escalating crisis" in child mental and physical health.The plan for play" launched on Tuesday outlines a vision for the Department for Education to require every school to have a play plan that would be subject to Ofsted inspection. Under the proposals, teachers would be taught about play-based learning for children of all ages, not only early years. Continue reading...

Salah Fustok alleged by UK prosecutors to have been a middleman for nearly 10m in payments to Saudi princeA Foreign Office official floated the idea of giving an honour to a businessman who was later alleged to have helped facilitate millions of pounds of bribes to a Saudi prince and his high-ranking associates.Salah Fustok was alleged by UK anti-corruption prosecutors to have been a middleman for nearly 10m of payments to Prince Miteb bin Abdullah and other Saudi officials as an inducement or reward" for the awarding of a contract by the Saudi Arabian national guard. Continue reading...

Ceremony was seen by 19.5 million Americans, making it the most watched since 2020 but it was down in key 18-49 demographicOscars ratings were up 4% for this year's ceremony with 19.5 million Americans tuning in.It makes it the most-watched since 2020 and meant that it was the third consecutive year of viewership growth with Covid affecting the logistics of and public interest in awards shows. Continue reading...

MP says to hear someone talking like this is worrying' after Hester's comments

Large chains could be squeezing out independent practices, says Competition and Markets Authority

Former Howard government minister agrees to apologise on Sharri Markson's program after threat of legal action

More than 16.5 tonnes of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA consumed in the year ending August 2023

Penny Wong says the world is horrified' at the loss of innocent civilian lives and the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Parts of Goldfields, Eucla and south interior hit with six months' rain in 24 hours, with severe weather forecast for coming days

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Francesco De Luise sexually assaulted three women after lurking outside Melbourne hotspots pretending to be an Uber driver

Multiple cases of abuse and exploitation have been documented, but many staff feel powerless to complain' for fear of losing the right to work in the countryA foreign care worker says she was repeatedly raped by her manager but felt unable to report him to the police for fear of losing her right to work, in a case that exposes the way the UK's visa system for health and care workers leaves people completely dependent on their employer.The case is one of more than 170 examples of abuse and exploitation reported by foreign care workers across the UK in an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) and Citizens Advice.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Donor told colleagues looking at Diane Abbott made you want to hate all black women' and she should be shot'Labour has written to Rishi Sunak calling for him to hand back 10m in donations from the Conservatives' biggest ever donor, after it emerged he told colleagues that looking at Diane Abbott made you want to hate all black women" and said the MP should be shot".Anneliese Dodds, the chair of the Labour party, wrote to the prime minister calling for the money to be returned after the Guardian published details of Frank Hester's remarks from a meeting held at his company, TPP, in 2019. Continue reading...

Fire service employers called on to refuse to implement minimum service levelsThe union that represents Britain's firefighters has warned of risks to public safety if their employers use new anti-strike laws being introduced by the government.The Fire Brigades Union has called on all fire service employers to refuse to implement minimum service levels brought in after widespread strike action in the public sector that followed the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

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