World news | The Guardian

Nick Gibb acknowledges concern after teachers and parents raise alarm about difficulty of testThe schools minister, Nick Gibb, has promised to review a controversial Sats paper, which is said to have left some pupils “in tears”, after teachers and parents expressed widespread concern about the difficulty of the test.The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said the English paper, which was taken by 10 and 11-year-olds in year 6 last Wednesday, was so difficult that teachers had struggled to understand the questions. Continue reading...

Progress in international reading literacy study (Pirls) results show Australian students from disadvantaged backgrounds still lag behind national average

Queensland police say an 18-year-old man has been taken into custody after incident at Peace Lutheran College and is helping with the investigation

Lawyer for One Nation leader tells court there is proof he sexually harassed his former staff member, but Burston denies all claims

Kasy Chambers says skyrocketing rents are having flow-on effects on jobs and other services such as aged care

Longtime host of Victoria’s regional statewide drive program is on leave pending her Fair Work Commission claim, broadcaster says

‘We do not want young people having unfettered access to pornography,’ communications minister, Michelle Rowland, says

Joanne Willmot alleges she suffered a decade of abuse, starting at the hands of her foster carer at age three or four

Documents from inquiry into trial show prosecution raised concerns about news article based on leaked report

‘Smile education’ coach Keiko Kawano says more and more people have developed a ‘complex’ about smilingAfter three years of concealing their mouths behind masks, some Japanese people are turning to specialist smile tutors to relearn the art of breaking into a beaming grin without looking awkward.Since lifting the official advice to wear masks to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, many people have admitted to struggling to adjust to life without face coverings, with some confessing they have forgotten how to smile. Continue reading...

Refugees are among those receiving support since civil war broke out last month – and officials believes more sexual assault cases are going unreportedThere have been multiple reports of civilians being raped by armed men in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum where fighting broke out last month, say government officials.Four women and a girl, three of them refugees, are being supported by a specialist unit whose director said she thought most of the sexual violence in the city was going unreported. Continue reading...

AI could help overcome writer’s block, suggests musician amid industry move to stop perceived threat of fake songsNeil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys has suggested artificial intelligence (AI) could be a useful tool in a songwriter’s kit amid fears over the impact of the technology on the music industry.In an interview with Radio Times, Tennant, who founded the synthpop duo more than 40 years ago, suggested AI could be used to help musicians overcome writers’ block and finish songs. Continue reading...

Leading global media figures among signatories backing publisher, hit with wave of ‘lawfare’ including legislation to stop him hiring UK barristerMore than 100 journalists and editors have signed an open letter calling for the immediate release of Jimmy Lai, a British media mogul detained in Hong Kong on national security charges.Leading global media figures including the Guardian editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, and Nobel peace prize winner Maria Ressa called for the charges against Lai and other journalists in Hong Kong to be dropped. Continue reading...

Premier says he is ‘unconvinced’ that new tax will provide benefits as he flags planning system changes

‘This is the third time I’ve walked through and been accused of something,’ shopper tells staff member in video

Brett Johnson, 42, pleaded guilty to 10 charges of misconduct after using police databases to find personal details of women who were seeking help

Exclusive: Qatari minister expected to take presidency of ILO event despite bribery investigationThe UN’s labour rights watchdog, the International Labour Organization (ILO), is facing a backlash over the nomination of Qatar to chair its flagship annual conference despite a police investigation into alleged bribery of EU lawmakers by the Gulf state.The Guardian has learned that Qatar’s minister of labour, Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al Marri, is expected to take the presidency of the ILO’s international labour conference in Geneva in June, an annual event intended to advance global standards on workers’ rights. Continue reading...

Minutes from recent meeting say surprise call was ‘finely balanced’ and aimed at diminishing the risks of high inflation becoming entrenched

The ALP’s first national conference under the Albanese government will also debate union proposal for an export tariff on unprocessed critical minerals

Formal signing to take place in Papua New Guinea next week when Joe Biden holds summit with Pacific leaders to emphasise commitment to regionThe US and Micronesia have agreed to renew their strategic pact known as Cofa, Joe Biden’s presidential envoy Joseph Yun has said, adding that he hopes for similar progress with Palau as the US shores up support among Pacific island countries to counter competition from China.Yun said the Compact of Free Association with Micronesia would be signed on 22 May at a ceremony in Papua New Guinea, attended by the US president, Joe Biden, and the new Micronesian president, Wesley Simina. Continue reading...

Union head Ian Leavers says commissioner Katarina Carroll issued ‘unlawful direction’ to officers in April

Charity says number of potential victims identified via helpline more than doubled last yearThe number of potential victims of modern slavery in the UK more than doubled to record levels last year, with a particularly sharp increase in alleged exploitation in the care sector, figures show.Calls to the UK modern slavery helpline identified 6,516 potential victims last year, an increase of 116% from 2021, according to the figures from the anti-slavery charity Unseen. It said the potential victims included 173 children. Continue reading...

Rules on fisheries, sensitive habitats and access to EU-wide criminal database among legislation to be discardedMinisters have published the list of 600 EU laws the government plans to scrap by the end of the year in a much-reduced Brussels “bonfire” that has enraged hardline Brexiters in the Conservative party.In a significant retreat on its retained EU law bill, the government has slashed the number of environmental laws that would have automatically expired on 31 December from 1,700 to 341.Membership of the Council of Europe convention on an integrated safety, security and service approach at football matches and other sports events.A “control programme” designed to ensure compliance with maximum residue levels of pesticides and to assess consumer exposure to pesticide residues in and on food of plant and animal origin.A directive related to measures credit and financial institutions must take to mitigate money laundering and terrorist financing risk in certain third countries.Regulation relating to sectors and subsectors that are deemed to be exposed to a significant risk of carbon leakage.Rules relating to a countryside stewardship scheme and flood risk regulations from 2009, which the government says in explanatory notes “have been superseded by UK legislation or is a duplicate of existing domestic legislation”.Tax agreements with the Channel Islands and Caribbean countries including the Virgin Islands and Aruba. Continue reading...

Party colleagues condemn home secretary’s ‘outrageous’ National Conservatism conference speech, and say it undermined SunakDespairing Conservative MPs have accused Suella Braverman of undermining Rishi Sunak’s authority and making a bid for the future leadership of the party with a partisan speech railing against experts and elites.The home secretary delivered a highly personal blueprint for a political philosophy to take on the “radical left” in what was interpreted as a pitch to be the right’s next candidate, at a National Conservatism conference in London. Continue reading...

Fiona Beal, 49, denies charge of murdering Nicholas Billingham, 42, and burying his body in their gardenA primary school teacher who stabbed her partner in the neck and buried his body in their back garden has denied the killing was “revenge” for a suspected affair.Fiona Beal, 49, told a court she could not remember moving Nicholas Billingham’s van, using his phone to view online pornography, ordering a wood burner, or changing her council tax status from double to single occupancy after his death. Continue reading...

Zelenskiy visits UK for talks with Sunak as Britain announces it will send hundreds of long-range drones to Ukraine; Russia claims it downed UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile

Robert Shonov was reportedly detained in Vladivostok, site of his former employment, and is being held in MoscowRussia’s FSB security service has charged a former employee of the US consulate in the far eastern city of Vladivostok with illegal covert collaboration with foreigners.The state news agency Tass reported on Monday that Robert Shonov had been detained in Vladivostok and that “after interrogation, he was charged with committing a crime under Article 275.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (‘Cooperation on a confidential basis with a foreign state, international or foreign organization’)”, punishable by up to eight years’ jail. Continue reading...

David Hunter, who denies premeditated murder, tells trial his wife Janice’s life had become unbearableA euthanasia case that has gripped Cyprus for more than a year has entered its final phase as a British pensioner accused of murdering his cancer-stricken wife told a court how she “begged” him to end the excruciating pain that made her life unbearable.David Hunter had waited a long time to have his day in court and in electrifying evidence before a three-member tribunal in Paphos on Monday, the 76-year-old described the circumstances that he said led him in the run-up to Christmas 2021 to fatally smother his wife, Janice, his sweetheart since they were teenagers and the woman he had loved for more than half a century.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or by emailing jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Nurse who denies murdering seven babies and attempting to kill 10 others gives third day of evidenceLucy Letby believed staffing levels on a hospital’s neonatal unit were completely unsafe during what was an “increasingly busy” period, her murder trial has heard.A lot of staff on the unit at the Countess of Chester hospital were drained “physically and emotionally”, Letby said on Monday, her third day of giving evidence at Manchester crown court. Continue reading...

Ukraine president meets British prime minister in UK; Iran has sent more than 400 attack drones to Russia since August, US says

Damien Sartip Zadeh and his brother Dale used fraudulent website to trick people into paying for the cardsTwo brothers have been jailed for defrauding £2m from “unsuspecting, ordinary, busy” people who were tricked into thinking they needed to pay for European health insurance cards (Ehics).Damien Sartip Zadeh, 32, was jailed for nine and a half years and his brother Dale, 35, got eight years after being found guilty of fraudulent trading and laundering the proceeds between February 2013 and October 2019. Continue reading...

Former PC accused of failing to properly investigate two instances of flashing before murder of Sarah EverardA Metropolitan police officer allegedly “did not bother” to properly investigate Wayne Couzens over two incidents of flashing hours before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard.Former PC Samantha Lee is accused of conducting an “extremely poor” investigation after Couzens exposed himself to female staff at a drive-through McDonald’s in Kent on 14 and 27 February 2021, a police disciplinary hearing was told. Continue reading...

Authorities posted photographs and video on Telegram channel after authoritarian ruler missed eventsBelarusian authorities have released photographs and video of Alexander Lukashenko, attempting to put an end to a week of speculation about the authoritarian leader’s health.The footage showed Lukashenko visiting an army control point, but the ruler’s heavily bandaged arm and hoarse, exhausted voice appeared to confirm rumours that he has been in poor health. Continue reading...

Survey finds caterers changing their menus and cutting back on choice because of supply issuesSome schools are substituting lentils and beans for meat while others are cutting pupils’ portion sizes because of rising costs, food shortages and problematic supply chains, according to caterers, who say they are “facing a precipice”.In a survey by LACA – the School Food People, which represents caterers in England and Wales, 77% of respondents said they had changed their menus because of supply issues, while 26% had cut back on choice. Continue reading...

Exclusive: consultant at Addenbrooke’s improperly accessed health history of woman who dated her ex-boyfriendThe UK medical regulator has launched an investigation into a “stalker” doctor who accessed intimate details of the health history of a woman who had begun dating the doctor’s ex-boyfriend.The General Medical Council (GMC) is investigating whether the doctor – a consultant at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge – breached their professional, ethical and legal duties to protect the woman’s personal information.“Doctors are under both ethical and legal duties to protect patients’ personal information from improper disclosure.”“Good doctors work in partnership with patients and respect their rights to privacy and dignity.”“You must make sure that your conduct justifies your patients’ trust in you and the public’s trust in the profession.” Continue reading...

Campaign to reform laws that shield royal family is now part of mainstream but making it happen will be difficult

Home secretary makes speech to National Conservatism conference and warns against following path in USQ: Would Labour repeal the Public Order Act?Starmer says Labour was opposed to it as it was going through. Continue reading...

Private equity owners hope to cash in on post-Covid trend for UK domestic breaks with sale of firm’s six resortsCenter Parcs’ UK and Irish business is being put up for sale with a price tag of up to £5bn – double the amount it was bought for in 2015 – as its private equity owners seek to cash in on the trend for domestic breaks kickstarted by the Covid pandemic.The potential sale comes after the group – whose five resorts in the UK and one in Ireland are known for their tropical-themed indoor pools, spas and activities for kids and their sometimes eye-watering fees – bounced back to a profit after being forced to close outlets under pandemic restrictions. Continue reading...

Two directors of scrap metal recycling plant were jailed for nine months after collapse of 45-tonne wall crushed five menTwo company directors have been jailed for nine months after five workers died when a wall collapsed at a scrap metal recycling plant in Birmingham.Wayne Hawkeswood and Graham Woodhouse were in charge of the site when the 45-tonne wall collapsed in July 2016 in the Nechells area of the city, and were each found guilty of four health and safety offences. Continue reading...

Former police chief, comedian and rescue dog Molly among those vying to replace John Tory, who resigned in February over an affairMore than 100 candidates, including a former police chief, a comedian and a dog, are all vying for the chance to be mayor of Canada’s largest city.One hundred and two prospective mayors formally registered before Friday’s deadline as candidates in the mayoral byelection at the end of June. Continue reading...

Akita, which refused to budge after climbing Scafell Pike, stayed ‘positively regal’ as it was carried down by mountain rescueA mountain rescue team has praised the “cool, calm and positively regal” demeanour of the subject of a weekend callout: an injured and exhausted dog who got up England’s highest peak but refused to come down.Rocky the akita and its owners successfully climbed Scafell Pike in the Lake District on Saturday. Continue reading...

James Allchurch, of Pembrokeshire, sentenced for distributing material to stir up racial hatredThe white supremacist host of a podcast that made “vile” racist attacks in an attempt to stir up hatred, divide communities and spread fear has been jailed for two and a half years.James Allchurch, 51, from Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, and his guests used extreme racial slurs and propagated racist ideology while discussing topics such as grooming gangs, immigration, slavery and crime. Continue reading...

High court deals blow to Guy Hands’s Annington Property with ruling that privatisation was ‘bad deal’The UK government has won the right to take back control of thousands of military homes worth £8bn after a court ruled that the previous privatisation was a “bad deal” for the government, in a significant blow to the private equity investor Guy Hands.London’s high court ruled on Monday that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has the right to buy back the remaining 38,000 homes, which were bought in 1996 by Annington, a group of companies ultimately controlled by Hands, for £1.7bn. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Opposition calls for greater penalties as data reveals 59 fines issued this year, down from 96 between late November and end of December

Anthony Albanese records strong approval of his performance, but only about one-third of voters thought the budget would help families

Organisation found to have ‘lacked a trauma-informed approach’ and failed to support disabled woman appropriately

Move adds to ‘arsenal of anti-scam initiatives’ as consumer rights groups call for laws to see banks reimburse victims

Home secretary attacks ‘radical left’ and identity politics and warns against ‘fratricide’ on right