World news | The Guardian

Beijing – which itself blocks access to Facebook, Twitter and many others – hits out at ban on Chinese-owned software on US government devicesUS government bans on Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok reveal Washington’s own insecurities and are an abuse of state power, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has said.China, though, has itself long blocked a large list of foreign social media platforms and messaging apps, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Continue reading...

Treatment waiting times at worst-ever levels as post-Covid recovery programme ‘falling short’A £14bn plan to reduce NHS backlogs caused by Covid is failing to meet targets, with cancer waiting times at their worst-ever levels, parliament’s spending watchdog has said.A report by the Commons’ public accounts committee said NHS England’s three-year recovery programme for elective and cancer care, agreed in 2022, was already “falling short” in its first year and expressed serious doubts that the wider plan would be achieved on time. Continue reading...

Law Society of England and Wales to challenge government’s ‘irrational’ refusal to bring in minimum recommended raiseMinisters could face a legal battle over their refusal to increase legal aid rates for criminal defence solicitors in England and Wales by the minimum recommended in an independent review.The Law Society, the professional body for solicitors, claims there has been an “unlawful and irrational” failure to implement the 15% minimum increase recommended by Christopher Bellamy as necessary to sustain the future of the criminal justice system. Continue reading...

Pentagon official says war now a ‘grinding slog’; Belarus president to meet Xi Jinping

Queensland police officers escort Rajwinder Singh on plane from Delhi to Melbourne

Lib Dems say levelling-up secretary is ‘living in a different century’ with the proposalMichael Gove has suggested that parents who fail to ensure their children attend school regularly could have their child benefit payments stopped.Gove has argued such penalties would help restore “an ethic of responsibility”. He had previously attempted to introduce the measure while education secretary during the coalition government in 2010 but was blocked by then Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg. He later pushed David Cameron to put it in the Conservative manifesto for the 2015 election. Continue reading...

Timing, trust and intense talks brought Northern Ireland deal over the finish lineDuring the final talks on the new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland in Windsor on Monday, Rishi Sunak briefly halted proceedings to present Stéphanie Riso, a key member of Ursula von der Leyen’s negotiating team, with a small birthday gift.The top official, who is moving to a senior European Commission role after six years living and breathing Brexit, was said by those present to have been visibly moved that the prime minister had both known and then chosen to mark the moment. Continue reading...

Consultant says that concerns were raised over Lucy Letby eight months before she was take off frontline dutiesDoctors came under pressure “not to make a fuss” when they raised concerns with hospital managers about a nurse who is accused of killing seven babies, a court has been told.Dr Ravi Jayaram, a consultant, told a jury his team alerted management to their concerns about Lucy Letby in October 2015, eight months before she was removed from frontline nursing duties. Continue reading...

Long-delayed drama starring Steve Coogan will air after extensive back-and-forths within BBC over its contentSteve Coogan’s television drama about the paedophile Jimmy Savile will finally air this year, amid deep concerns within the BBC over the reaction to the programme.The Reckoning was filmed at the end of 2021 but the editing process is still not finished, with extensive back-and-forths within the BBC over its content. While some of Savile’s victims were involved in the making of the programme, others have publicly criticised the decision to make the show at all. Continue reading...

Couple first arrested on Monday on suspicion of child neglect after several weeks avoiding police but infant not with themA couple who disappeared with their baby have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, as officers searching for the child say fears are growing for its safety.Constance Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, have not told police the location of the infant or even its sex since being arrested on Monday. Police said on Tuesday that, as the period the child has potentially been exposed to the winter weather approached 24 hours, they had to take increasingly seriously the possibility that, as a minimum, its life is in imminent danger. Continue reading...

Cem Özdemir said measure would help protect children from obesity and diabetesGermany’s agriculture minister has called for a ban on all advertising accessible by children of unhealthy food including sweets and items with a high salt, fat and sugar content, arguing that the future health of Germany’s young people is at stake.Cem Özdemir, of the Greens party, said it was time to protect children from the effects of unhealthy food including obesity, diabetes and other illnesses. Continue reading...

Traffickers are changing methods of ensnaring children, parliamentary education committee hearsCounty lines adverts on Instagram and Snapchat designed to groom children and young people now resemble professional job adverts, a parliamentary committee heard on Tuesday.Experts from charities gave evidence to Tuesday’s cross-party education committee about the constantly evolving scene, with traffickers frequently changing their methods of ensnaring children and young people. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Funding hole directly affects elderly people whose bills are entirely or partly paid for by councils

Pair arrested on suspicion of child neglect amid urgent operation to find infant born at time of disappearance in JanuaryA couple who disappeared with their baby have not revealed the location of the infant after they were arrested on suspicion of child neglect, police have said.Constance Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, were located by Sussex police at Stanmer Villas in Brighton on Monday night after a member of the public reported seeing them shortly before 9.30pm. Continue reading...

Suspected attack on students in city east of Tehran is latest in spate of incidents over past three monthsDozens of schoolgirls in Iran were admitted to hospital on Tuesday after a mysterious poisoning, an Iranian news agency has reported, in the latest in a spate of suspected attacks.Hundreds of cases of respiratory distress have been reported in the past three months among Iranian schoolgirls, mainly in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, with some needing hospital treatment. Continue reading...

Vaccine status of more than 400 children near Bilbao investigated amid concerns about anti-vaxxer nurseDozens of families in Spain’s Basque Country have taken legal action after a nurse was accused of faking the administration of routine child vaccinations.Local authorities opened an investigation last autumn after parents began publicly voicing concerns about the nurse’s attempts to discourage them from getting their children vaccinated during visits to a health centre in Santurtzi, about nine miles from Bilbao. Parents also raised concerns about the way she appeared to inject the vaccines. Continue reading...

Labour party chairman Julius Abure says vote has been ‘irretrievably compromised’Nigeria’s main opposition parties have called for the country’s presidential election to be scrapped, alleging that results showing the ruling party’s candidate in the lead had been manipulated.Early results have put Bola Tinubu from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) well ahead of the main opposition Peoples Democratic party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the outsider third challenger, the Labour party’s Peter Obi. Continue reading...

NUJ votes ‘overwhelmingly’ to back industrial action over programme-sharing plan for local radioBBC local staff are set to strike over changes to radio schedules after members of the journalists’ union “overwhelmingly” backed industrial action in a formal ballot.Last year, the corporation announced plans to introduce greater programme-sharing on local radio in England at times of the day when it says listening is typically lower. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Report reveals oversight panel appealed to chief of ADF and chief of army to act with ‘a sense of urgency’

Lawyers consider implications of patriarch’s testimony as they prepare to fight defamation suit brought by Lachlan Murdoch

Menopausal women could be offered paid time off as part of efforts to support wellbeing of womenMenopausal women could be offered paid time off and working environments with temperature-controlled areas under Labour plans to support the wellbeing of women in the workplace.About one in 10 women aged 45-55 left their jobs last year due to their symptoms and ultimately the lack of workplace support, according to research supported by the Fawcett Society. Continue reading...

One-off dispensation for weekend celebrations will allow venues to screen events without a TV licenceThe BBC is to suspend the licence fee as part of a one-off dispensation for the king’s coronation weekend.The move will allow venues to screen the live coronation ceremony coverage on 6 May and the coronation concert on 7 May without needing to buy a TV licence. Continue reading...

Households paying £811 a year more on grocery bills than 12 months ago, says research firm KantarA quarter of British people say they are struggling financially, up from a fifth a year ago, as grocery price inflation hits the highest level on record at 17.1%.Households who have not changed their shopping habits are spending £811 a year more on grocery bills than 12 months ago, according to the latest figures from the market research firm Kantar, which said it was a year since grocery inflation had topped 4%. Continue reading...

Swiss bank is seeking to recover $10bn of funds linked to collapsed supply chain finance firmCredit Suisse “seriously breached its supervisory obligations” in its relationship with the disgraced financier Lex Greensill and his companies, the Swiss financial watchdog has ruled.The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) said it had concluded its enforcement proceedings against the bank, Switzerland’s second largest, after the collapse of Greensill Capital in March 2021. Continue reading...

Wave of permits for coal-fired power plants sparks concern as ambitions for GDP growth and lowering emissions come into conflictChina’s energy policies are fast creating a type of “emissions ambiguity”, as the twin goals of boosting GDP growth and reducing carbon emissions come into conflict.The uncertainty is whether and when the world’s biggest carbon emitter will start to curb greenhouse gas pollution. The release of the country’s annual statistics communique on Tuesday did not clear things up. Continue reading...

Dentsu Group charged after arrest of Tokyo 2020 committee official accused of rigging Games-related tendersJapan’s biggest advertising agency and five other companies have been indicted for allegedly violating an anti-monopoly law, in a corruption scandal over allegations of bid-rigging during the Tokyo Olympics.The indictment followed the arrest this month of a senior Tokyo 2020 organising committee official and three others who were accused of rigging a string of Olympic Games-related tenders. Continue reading...

PM hints that Westminster is optimistic about return of power-sharing after unveiling Stormont brake

This blog is now closed

Homelessness charity says it is ‘incredibly disappointing’ to see rough sleeping on rise across country

Outreach and charity workers talk about the day-to-day issues they face when dealing with the city’s homelessness problem

More than 20,000 people died in 2022 after spending at least 12 hours waiting for care, figures showOne patient is dying every 23 minutes in England after they endured a long delay in an A&E unit, according to analysis of NHS figures by emergency care doctors.In all, 23,003 people died during 2022 after spending at least 12 hours in an A&E waiting for care or to be admitted to a bed, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). Continue reading...

Company announces biggest product expansion in years as pets increasingly become part of Australian families

The changes, which will not come into effect until 2025-26, will apply to around 80,000 people

Federal government hopes to draft ban to combat silicosis by end of year with support from states and territories

Leader says agriculture needs ‘fundamental transformation’ and makes hitting grain targets a priority as country isolated by sanctions strugglesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has urged government officials to engineer a “fundamental transformation” in agricultural production, state media reported, amid fears that the country’s food shortage is worsening.Kim said hitting grain production targets this year was a priority and emphasised the importance of stable agriculture production during the second day of a key meeting of the Workers’ party, the state news agency KCNA said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Energy company says it is ‘well placed’ to take advantage of ‘remaining opportunities’ during the exit from fossil fuels

A 28-year-old man stabbed at Auburn train station minutes earlier in stable condition in hospital

A representative for the Saving Private Ryan and Heat actor confirmed his family is deciding end-of-life matters, 10 days after he was hospitalisedTom Sizemore has no hope of recovery after he suffered a brain aneurysm, his family has said, confirming they are making an end-of-life decision for the Saving Private Ryan actor.The 61-year-old has been in a coma in the intensive care unit of Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Los Angeles since he was hospitalised on 18 February. Continue reading...

Prime minister is hailed for his achievement in facing down Tory rebels and winning over the EU to break trade deadlockRishi Sunak’s Windsor framework has been welcomed, at least initially, on the front pages in the UK and Ireland, as a way to break the Brexit impasse over Northern Ireland.Some papers look ahead to the blue skies of greater European cooperation, while others focus on the potential storm clouds ahead if Tory rebels or the Democratic Unionist party opt to reject it. Continue reading...

Corporate regulator claims the company misled members in a fund that promoted its sustainable credentials

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says analysis will ‘help increase public awareness and inform debate about the fairness and efficiency of the tax system’Superannuation tax concessions are costing the budget $50bn a year, with almost 40% of the benefit of tax breaks on earnings flowing to the top 10% of income earners.That is one of the central findings of the tax expenditures and income statement, released by the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, on Tuesday.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Review shows only 10 of FTSE 350 companies still have all-male executive teamsThe proportion of women in board roles in Britain’s biggest listed companies has risen above 40% for the first time, according to analysis that suggests only 10 of the UK’s 350 largest listed companies still have all-male executive teams.The number of women on boards in the blue-chip FTSE 100 companies and the mid-sized FTSE 250 companies rose by 3% in 2022, according to the government-backed FTSE women leaders review, published on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Budget airline links decision to airspace risks from war in neighbouring Ukraine and tensions with RussiaWizz Air will suspend all its flights to and from Moldova next month due to security concerns linked to growing tensions with Russia.It comes after a Russian missile was fired over Moldovan airspace earlier this month. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen say ‘Windsor framework’ has been reached after four months of negotiations. This blog is now closed

Windsor agreement is intended to end poisonous disputes of Brexit years

Fixing the detail with Von der Leyen was the easy part – winning over Tory hardliners and the DUP will be harder

Teachers in north of England to strike on Tuesday followed by members in other regions over course of three days

Joshua Sutcliffe denies regulator’s charge of prioritising his convictions over pupil’s interestsA maths teacher “failed to separate the teacher from the preacher” when he allegedly misgendered a transgender pupil repeatedly and inappropriately shared his religious beliefs in the classroom, a misconduct panel heard.Joshua Sutcliffe, 32, was accused by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) of “conduct that negatively affected pupils” on multiple occasions during his time at schools in Oxford and London. He denies the charges of professional misconduct. Continue reading...

European Commission president, said to have a love of British history, met Charles after Northern Ireland deal agreed

Ombudsman report says students treated unfairly and changes to exams since pandemic created uncertaintyUniversities have been reprimanded over unfair treatment of students accused of academic misconduct in a report by the higher education ombudsman for England and Wales.The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) said changes to assessments, accelerated by the Covid pandemic when university examinations moved online, had led to uncertainty among students about what is and is not allowed. Continue reading...