World news | The Guardian

Report by anti-corruption commission looking at awarding of $1.2m contract criticises ‘increasing influence’ of advisers

Olivier Becht says two countries have moved on since tensions with government of Boris JohnsonFrance’s overseas trade minister will visit London on Wednesday in what is being hailed in Paris as a return to business as usual between the two countries after Brexit and the cross-Channel “tensions” of Boris Johnson’s leadership.It will be Olivier Becht’s first official visit to the UK since his appointment last year and comes after a warmer relationship was signalled with the meeting of Britain’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris last month. Continue reading...

Makeshift camp of Indonesian crew spotted by a surveillance plane in the Rowley Shoals, about 300km west of Broome

Mixture of sedatives and gas used in spray cleaners incapacitated the rapper and caused the drowningSinger and rapper Aaron Carter accidentally drowned in his bathtub due to sedatives he’d taken and gas used in spray cleaners he had inhaled, according to a coroner’s report release on Tuesday.Carter was found submerged and dead at age 34 in the bathtub of his home in Lancaster, California, on 5 November, the autopsy report from the Los Angeles county medical examiner-coroner said. Continue reading...

Operation Daintree clears Daniel Andrews and ministers but criticises actions of political staffer

Sadiq Khan describes figures from City Hall analysis as a scandal, with London the worst affected regionPrivate landlords in England are earning £1.6bn a year in housing benefit in return for providing “non-decent” homes, in what Sadiq Khan has described as a scandal.The capital is the worst affected region, with £500m in welfare money going on privately rented homes that are in a state of disrepair, cold, damp, lacking modern facilities or do not meet health and safety standards, according to City Hall analysis. Continue reading...

Hopes of 24-hour ceasefire to evacuate civilians and wounded after US secretary of state intervenesA major aid organisation says it is nearly impossible to provide humanitarian services in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, where fighting between rival political factions has trapped millions of people in their homes.“The truth is that at the moment it is almost impossible to provide any humanitarian services in and around Khartoum,” said Farid Aiywar, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies’ head of delegation for Sudan. “There are calls from various organisations and people trapped asking for evacuation.” Continue reading...

Man, 28, arrested after out-of-control dogs injure six people and school goes into lockdownSix people have been treated in hospital after two dogs on the loose attacked people near a primary school, police said.An elderly man was taken to hospital with bite injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening after the incident in Willow Gardens, in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, shortly after 2.30pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Melissa Green, CEO of the organisation, says it won’t be part of ‘toxic’ debate on trans membershipThe Women’s Institute will continue to “celebrate” the lives of the transgender women enriching its membership, the head of the organisation said on Tuesday, following reports that it was facing a bid to overturn inclusive policy.Melissa Green, CEO of the the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), said the organisation did not want to enter into a “toxic and divisive” row that sought to sow discord among women, but instead foster sensible discourse and reflect the lives of all its members – including those that are transgender. Continue reading...

Ernest Moret was stopped at rail station and taken into custody, where he was questioned about his participation in French protestsA French publisher has been arrested on terror charges in London after being questioned by UK police about participating in anti-government protests in France.Ernest Moret, 28, a foreign rights manager for Éditions la Fabrique, was approached by two plainclothes officers at St Pancras station on Monday evening after arriving by train from Paris to attend the London book fair. Continue reading...

Colin Beattie arrest announced as new first minister prepared to set out ‘fresh vision’ to MSPsAttempts by Scotland’s new first minister, Humza Yousaf, to stamp his authority on his already beleaguered administration were scuppered by the arrest of the Scottish National party’s treasurer hours before a major policy statement.Police Scotland said Colin Beattie, 71, the SNP MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh and a former banker, had been taken into custody on Tuesday morning and was being interviewed by detectives as part of an investigation into the party’s funding and finances. He was released without charge later that day, pending further investigation. Continue reading...

Information Commissioner’s Office reprimands forces as app was originally intended for hostage negotiatorsTwo police forces have been reprimanded by Britain’s data watchdog after officers unlawfully recorded more than 200,000 phone conversations using an app originally intended for hostage negotiators.The automatic recordings, made over several years, included “highly sensitive” conversations with victims, witnesses and perpetrators of suspected crimes, according to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Continue reading...

Hardliners may instead lobby for a commitment in next manifesto to use as a dividing line with LabourConservatives who want to railroad through measures to curb small boat crossings by pulling the UK out of the European convention on human rights (EHRC) could make a “tactical retreat” and instead lobby for a commitment in the party’s next manifesto.Some of those who put their name to a rebel amendment to the illegal migration bill, which is due to go through its final parliamentary stages next Tuesday, told the Guardian a climbdown was possible. Continue reading...

Broadcaster says programme will contrast revelry in Downing Street with hardship across rest of UKPartygate, the scandal that helped bring down Boris Johnson and may yet cost him his parliamentary seat, is being made into docudrama for Channel 4.Partygate the True Story will dramatise numerous drunken parties in Downing during the Covid lockdown, including booze runs to fill a staff wine fridge, vomiting officials, and the breaking of a child’s swing during a garden party. Continue reading...

Exclusive: No 10 urged to explain as lists of interests since 2019 do not refer to Akshata Murty’s sharesOpposition parties have called on Downing Street to provide answers over Rishi Sunak’s family financial interests as the Guardian discovered that previous ministerial registers made no mention of his wife’s stake in a childcare firm, even though it began in 2019.The prime minister could be ordered to apologise to the House of Commons if an inquiry announced on Monday into his declarations about the investment finds he breached the code of conduct for MPs. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereHundreds of civil servants working in jobcentres are to stage a fresh strike in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions, PA Media reports. PA says:The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said more than 600 of its members at 13 jobcentres in Glasgow and Liverpool will strike for five days from 2 May.The union said Glasgow hads been targeted for disruptive action because it is one of the areas piloting a scheme on claimants having to attend an office several times over two weeks, while Liverpool will face action because of plans to close a local jobcentre. Continue reading...

Chain was refused licence to sell hot food in Leicester Square over police concerns about antisocial behaviourThe bakery chain Greggs is to appeal a ban preventing a central London outlet from selling hot food through the night after police claimed it could lead to a spike in crime and disorder.The company was last summer refused an overnight licence to open its store in Leicester Square between between 11pm and 5am amid claims it could become a “hotspot for late-night disturbances and antisocial behaviour”. Continue reading...

Senior Tory Tobias Ellwood says details of ‘near-shoot down’ revealed in Pentagon leaks should have been publicisedThe senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has accused the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, of concealing a potential Russian “act of war” against an RAF spy plane, during an emergency debate in the Commons.The chair of the defence select committee questioned an account given by Wallace to parliament of the dangerous incident, which occurred last September and was revealed last week in a leak of hundreds of top secret Pentagon documents as a “near-shoot down”. Continue reading...

Colin Beattie is in custody and being questioned by detectives, says Police Scotland

Noel Hanna died during descent of world’s 10th highest mountain, say expedition organisersA Northern Irish climber has died and an Indian climber is missing after falling into a crevasse in separate incidents on Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest mountain.Another Indian climber fell ill on the way down from the 8,091-metre (26,540ft) summit but survived after spending the night in harsh conditions on the mountain. Continue reading...

Firm’s owner, Pernod Ricard, faced calls for boycott and political pressure after resuming some exports in AprilThe maker of Sweden’s Absolut vodka has said it is ceasing all exports to Russia after calls to boycott the brand flared up in Sweden and on social media.The Absolut Company said it had “decided to stop the export of its brand to Russia”. Continue reading...

Juan Carlos is promised a warm welcome by mayor on visit to boating competition in GaliciaSpain’s self-exiled former king, Juan Carlos, who abandoned the country almost three years ago after a series of damaging financial allegations that further tarnished his diminished reputation, is due to make a trip home to take part in a sailing regatta this week.The 85-year-old former monarch, who retains the title rey emérito (king emeritus), has been living in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, since August 2020. Continue reading...

Konstantin Malofeyev, accused of aiding pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, appeared to continue moving money through the global system

Officials say it will leave in May if Taliban cannot be persuaded to let local women work for organisationThe UN is ready to take the “heartbreaking” decision to pull out of Afghanistan in May if it cannot persuade the Taliban to let local women work for the organisation, officials have said.The warning comes after UN officials spent months negotiating with the group’s leaders in the hope of persuading them to make exceptions to a hardline edict this month barring local women from working for it, according to the head of the UN Development Programme (UNHP), Achim Steiner. Continue reading...

US journalist to remain in detention until trial at end of May on charges of espionage

Kremlin says president visited occupied territories where he discussed conflict with military officials

Prosecutors say there is sufficient evidence to charge serving and former officer with misconductA serving officer and a former officer of the Police Service of Northern Ireland are to be prosecuted for allegedly sharing images of dead bodies, including that of a person who took their own life.There is sufficient evidence to charge the two with misconduct in public office after an investigation by the police ombudsman, the public prosecution service said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

The station, in New York’s Chinatown, was allegedly run by Beijing’s ministry of public security to track Chinese dissidentsThe FBI has arrested two men accused of running a covert station for China’s police force in New York, and using it as a base to track Chinese dissidents living in the US.The station, in Manhattan’s Chinatown, was allegedly set up in February 2022 and operated by Beijing’s ministry of public security (MPS) as part of a campaign of transnational repression against Chinese pro-democracy activists and other political opponents around the world. Continue reading...

Unemployment benefit rates are at ‘such an inadequate level that they create a barrier to paid work’, committee finds

Miranda Dickson fails to overturn ruling that colour was not in keeping with historic character of propertyA woman has been forced to repaint the pink front door to her listed building in Edinburgh following a protracted battle with local authorities.Miranda Dickson was told to alter the colour last year after a complaint was made to City of Edinburgh council from an anonymous person. The local authority ruled that the pink door was not “in keeping with the historic character” of the listed building in the city’s New Town area. Continue reading...

Court previously suspended order to put down female brown bear after appeal by animal rights groupAuthorities in northern Italy have captured a bear that fatally mauled a jogger and became the focus of a battle over what to do with the country’s growing brown bear population.Officials in Trento announced on Tuesday that the bear, identified as Jj4, had been captured overnight. Continue reading...

Film-maker asked by No 10 to be ‘maths champion’ says ‘nobody thought to ask me whether I support this policy’Downing Street has reportedly ditched a campaign to promote Rishi Sunak’s “maths to 18” policy after officials obtained only one case study – a film-maker who believes the proposal to be “misguided” and “tone deaf”.The prime minister’s office appears to have left it until the last minute to seek endorsements from people across British industry for a social media push, the Times reports. Stephen Fellows, a leading film data analyst, was approached on Friday, three days before the PM relaunched the policy with a speech in London. Continue reading...

Critics argue some cases have highlighted serious issues with the way officials are targeting peopleA fierce debate has broken out in Ukraine over allegations that a clampdown on corruption is being used to frame high profile business advocates of state reform, raising wider doubts about Ukraine’s internal political trajectory – and its ability to absorb billions in European reconstruction funds once the war ends.The concerns have been expressed to the US Department of State and UK Foreign Office, and are shared in part by Ukrainian anti-corruption campaigners. Continue reading...

Reconstructed rampart structure that stood almost 2,000 years ago will open to visitors in Richborough, KentAn 8-metre-high rampart and gateway built almost 2,000 years ago at the spot where Roman forces invaded Britain has been reconstructed for 21st-century visitors.The original structure was built to allow soldiers a clear view of any threat to the military base they created at Richborough in Kent, the main entry point to Britain from mainland Europe and often referred to as the “gateway to Britannia”. Continue reading...

Officials ready for nuclear threats and cyber-attacks as part of Russian response to predicted counter-offensiveWestern leaders are preparing for Vladimir Putin to use “whatever tools he’s got left” including nuclear threats and cyber-attacks in response to an expected Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russia.British officials at the G7 foreign ministers’ summit in Japan said they were expecting Russia to retaliate and “must be prepared” for extreme tactics as it attempted to hold on to Ukrainian territory. Continue reading...

Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and Aston Martins among royal cars, but Guardian investigation finds ownership often unclearThe royal family have the use of a fleet of luxury cars, including vintage Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Jaguars and an Aston Martin. But untangling which vehicles are owned privately, which are held by the sovereign in right of the crown, and which are leased from the manufacturer is no simple task.The royal mews at Buckingham Palace is the primary home of the motorcade of limousines and other luxury vehicles used by the family for formal occasions. These are often referred to as “state cars”, but the term does not necessarily mean they are owned by the state. Continue reading...

Research finds independent salons particularly hard hit by consumer spending squeeze and rising billsMore than a quarter of hairdressers are thinking of closing sites or reducing the size of their salon as stylists struggle with high bills and fewer clients, research suggests.Two-fifths of salon owners say they are anxious about the future, with almost a quarter struggling to pay their energy costs and one in five having to ask family and friends for financial help, according to a survey by the comparison site Uswitch. Continue reading...

Youth involved in late-night altercation in Dalby says he feels he was targeted because of the colour of his skin

China is positioning itself as a regional mediator after brokering the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi ArabiaChina’s foreign minister told his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts his country is ready to help facilitate peace talks, state media reported.The separate phone calls between Chinese foreign minister, Qin Gang, and the Israeli and Palestinian top diplomats comes amid recent moves by Beijing to position itself as a regional mediator. Continue reading...

Parliament clerk finds claim Labor’s Jim Madden used public money to buy an artwork for former partner ‘not substantiated’

Almost a third of respondents say they have chosen not to apply for a property because they didn’t trust tech company with their details

Earlier this year, hundreds of top secret Pentagon documents were posted on the social media platform Discord. Manisha Ganguly and Julian Borger reportThe US authorities are investigating the leak of hundreds of secret US defence documents, some of which related to the war in Ukraine.The Guardian’s investigations correspondent, Manisha Ganguly, tells Hannah Moore how these documents migrated between different websites before being picked up by the press. Julian Borger, the Guardian’s world affairs editor, explains what we learned from the leak and how the US authorities have responded. Continue reading...

The nine board members were very close to raising the cash rate another 25 basis points in April due to inflation and labour market

Opposition home affairs spokesperson to sit on backbench before retiring at next election

Last month’s fatal fire in Ciudad Juárez is latest in a series of deaths and injuries dogging the country’s militarized migration agencyMexican authorities have arrested the head of migration for the state of Chihuahua in connection with a fire which killed 40 people at a government-run detention facility in the northern border city of Ciudad Juárez last month.The death of the migrants sparked outrage across Mexico after surveillance footage showed that officials failed to unlock the doors of the holding cell where migrants were trapped. Continue reading...

In government’s plan to close loophole people who sell blades would face up to two years in jailMachetes and zombie knives could be banned in England and Wales, with people selling them facing up to two years in jail, under government plans to close a legal loophole.After complaints from police chiefs and MPs that some large, bladed weapons are excluded from current laws, the Home Office will consult the public over plans to ban their ownership and sale. Continue reading...

Figures show need for work to make streets safer, including cutting speed limits, says Transport for LondonPeople living in London’s poorest areas face a far higher risk of suffering traffic-related deaths or serious injury than those in wealthier neighbourhoods, a Transport for London study has found.TfL said the casualty figures demonstrated the need for continued work to make streets safer as a matter of social justice – including cutting speed limits on more of the roads it manages throughout the capital. Continue reading...

European Commission accused of acting unlawfully in two separate cases bought by environment groupsThe European Commission is being sued by environmental campaigners over a decision to include gas and nuclear in an EU guide to “green” investments.Two separate legal challenges are being lodged on Tuesday at the European Union’s general court in Luxembourg – one by Greenpeace and another by a coalition including Client Earth and WWF – after the classification of fuels in the so-called taxonomy, a guide for investors intended to channel billions into green technologies. Continue reading...

Star present in person to greet Josie Felix at group’s show in east London where digital band members perform their hitsThe Abba star Björn Ulvaeus has said he believes avatars are the future after greeting the 1 millionth attender at the group’s hit show, Voyage.Ulvaeus praised the technology as he greeted the guest at the purpose-built Abba Arena in east London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Monday. Continue reading...

David Byrne shot six times at Regency hotel in one of first deadly attacks of Hutch-Kinahan gangland feudGerry “the Monk” Hutch has been found not guilty by a non-jury court of the high-profile murder of David Byrne at a Dublin hotel seven years ago.Byrne, 33, died after being shot six times at a crowded boxing weigh-in event at Dublin’s Regency hotel on 5 February 2016, in one of the first deadly attacks of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud. Continue reading...