World news | The Guardian

Siyabonga Twala, who has lived in the UK since he was 15, barred from taking flight back to Britain because of cannabis convictionFor more than two months, Siyabonga Twala’s life has been in a strange state of purgatory, waiting in an unfamiliar country to see if the Home Office will let him back into Britain.Since New Year’s Eve he has been stuck in Turkey after being barred from boarding a return flight to Manchester, waking each day and wondering if he will ever live with his British son again. Continue reading...

Letters to Trump will contain 150 private letters written over more than 40 years, including correspondence with North Korean leaderDonald Trump has not yet announced a deal to write a White House memoir but he will publish a second post-presidential book next month – reportedly including controversial correspondence with Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea.According to Axios, which reported the news on Thursday, Letters to Trump will contain 150 private letters written over more than 40 years, and from figures also including Hillary Clinton, Richard Nixon and Oprah Winfrey. Continue reading...

Critics of withdrawn ‘foreign agents’ bill feared it would undercut bid for EU membership

Mohammad Dawood Muzammil one of the highest-ranking figures killed as Afghan security situation deterioratesThe Taliban governor of Afghanistan’s Balkh province, known for fighting Islamic State (IS) jihadists, was killed in a suicide attack at his office on Thursday, officials said.The killing, a day after he met top government officials visiting from Kabul, makes Mohammad Dawood Muzammil one of the highest-ranking figures killed since the Taliban stormed back to power in 2021. Continue reading...

Pioneer of phone-in horoscopes, real name Margaret Lake, became household name as host of slot on National Lottery drawMargaret Lake, the British astrologer known as Mystic Meg, has died aged 80.She became a household name in 1994 when she hosted a slot on the National Lottery draw where she looked into a crystal ball to predict a future winner. Continue reading...

New figures show ex-PM’s outside pay this year accounts for about 85% of that for all MPs

Electoral commission says it is pushing back polling due to problems with digital voting systemNigeria has postponed Saturday’s crucial state elections amid wrangling over a presidential vote that opposition parties claim was rigged.The electoral commission emerged from an hours-long meeting on Wednesday night to announce it was pushing back polls to elect powerful state governors by a week. Continue reading...

Finalists for honour spotlighting the best of the non-fiction prize’s 25-year history include studies of the Beatles, Shakespeare and the Treaty of VersaillesSix books of “high ambition, formal innovation and thrilling originality” make up the shortlist for the Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction’s winner of winners award.The £25,000 prize marks the 25th anniversary of the prize, with the judges choosing their shortlist from the previous 24 years of the prize. The shortlist spans history, narrative-driven reportage, investigative journalism, and literary and cultural biography. Continue reading...

Rural Fire Service says blaze north of Hill End could burn for weeks as locals struggle to save properties

After criticism law was similar to Russian legislation used to stifle dissent, ruling party says it will withdraw bill

Widespread rainfall expected in state’s south-east this weekend but nowhere near the 500mm recorded in the north-west

Just a third of candidates are women and NSW premier says he is open to all ideas, including quotas

Document sent to parliament’s presiding officers included claim that government MPs sought to undermine integrity watchdog

This blog is now closed.

In today’s newsletter: In September divers planted explosives on the Russian gas pipeline – this is what German investigators now say about what happened

Andrew Wilkie claims church money spent on ‘the kind of shopping that would embarrass a Kardashian’ as he tables alleged whistleblower documents

Federal opposition leader, who trails the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in opinion polls, is not on list of party dignitaries expected at the launch

Richard Glenn tells inquiry that knowing what he does now he should have referred department to AAT in 2017

Deal secures passage of NRF bill through lower house and provides likely pathway to pass it in Senate

Committee members support a suite of policies that would radically adjust Australians’ work-life balance

Police in Castro Valley said they were investigating car break-ins when woman and two daughters were handcuffed in parking lotA California jury awarded a Black mother and her two daughters more than $8m after they were unreasonably detained by police during a stop for coffee.In September 2019, after a long drive from the family’s home in Las Vegas, Nevada, Aasylei Loggervale and her two daughters stopped at a Starbucks in Castro Valley, California. They were on a nine-hour journey to drop the older daughter at Berkeley City College, for a statistics exam. Continue reading...

Domestic and family violence calls down more than 30% after restrictions came in as advocates warn primary drivers of harm must be addressed

Cybersecurity attack ruled out as rail shutdown puts pressure on NSW government before state election

Prosecutors close their sexual abuse case against former ultra-Orthodox Jewish principal, urging jurors to convict her of 27 charges

Rishi Sunak said to have been ‘buzzing’ about result of 18-month negotiations, part of Aukus defence pact with USAn enthusiastic Rishi Sunak has told ministers to expect a positive outcome next week when he travels to San Diego to unveil a deal to supply nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as part of the Aukus pact with the US.Multiple sources said they believed the UK had succeeded in its bid to sell British-designed nuclear submarines to Australia, a deal that will safeguard the long-term future of the shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness. Continue reading...

After pharmacy giant pledged not to dispense abortion medicine in states that restrict its use, Gavin Newsom cancels agreementCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday withdrew a $54m contract with Walgreens after the pharmacy giant indicated it would not sell an abortion pill by mail in some conservative-led states.Newsom ordered state officials to not renew a contract with Walgreens to purchase specialty pharmacy prescription drugs for California’s prison healthcare system, including antiviral and antifungal drugs and medication used for congestive heart failure. Walgreens has received about $54m from the contract, which expires 30 April. Continue reading...

Rics data for February shows improvement in new buyer inquiries and salesThe UK housing market remains in decline but there are some signs of stabilisation, with an improvement in new buyer inquiries and sales last month, according to surveyors.Many told the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) that a return of optimism, and lower than expected interest rates, had given the housing market some hope for the coming months after a sluggish start to the year. Continue reading...

Defence department reportedly unwilling to share intelligence over fears precedent could be set against US soldiersThe Pentagon has been accused of blocking the sharing of US intelligence with the international criminal court (ICC) about Russian war crimes in Ukraine.The Biden White House and state department have been a proponent of cooperation with the Hague-based ICC, as a means of holding Russian forces accountable for widespread war crimes, but the defence department is firmly opposed on the grounds that the precedent could eventually be turned against US soldiers. Continue reading...

Former health secretary was asked to make clear in Pandemic Diaries that he was not reflecting government’s viewMatt Hancock was instructed by the Cabinet Office to tone down claims in his memoir that the Covid-19 pandemic originated from a laboratory leak in China, according to leaked correspondence.Officials warned it would “cause problems” if Hancock repeated the claim in his Pandemic Diaries and insisted he must make clear he was not reflecting the government’s view, the Daily Telegraph reported. Continue reading...

West Midlands police officer said to have filmed encounters at a Christmas party without women’s knowledgeA firearms officer who allegedly secretly filmed himself having sex with two women before sharing the footage online with his colleagues is under criminal investigation, it has been reported.The West Midlands police officer was said to have filmed the encounters at a Christmas party without the women’s knowledge before sending the videos to members of his team via social media, Channel 4 News said. Continue reading...

Tory MPs’ claims of extreme graphic lessons at England’s schools written off as ‘inflammatory rhetoric’Teaching unions have criticised a “politically motivated” review into how sex education is taught in schools, after Conservative MPs voiced concern that children were being exposed to “graphic” material including “lessons on oral sex”.Rishi Sunak has asked the Department for Education to “ensure schools are not teaching inappropriate or contested content” in the subject of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), and will bring forward the review that was already “on the cards for some time”. Continue reading...

Teenager stayed at scene and called 999 after colliding with Linda Davis, 71, on pavementA 14-year-old boy has been sentenced for causing the death of a woman after colliding with her while riding a private e-scooter on the pavement.The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, hit the 71-year-old pedestrian Linda Davis, known as Lou, in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire on 2 June last year. The boy stayed at the scene and called 999 for Davis, who sustained a severe head injury and died in hospital six days later. Continue reading...

Announcement of measures making same sports available to boys and girls follows campaign by England women’s football teamIt is the government’s job to build on the Lionesses’ legacy, the prime minister has said, hours after heeding the calls of the Women’s Euro 2022 champions and committing to providing girls with equal access to school sports.Downing Street’s announcement of the measures came after a campaign launched by the team on the heels of their tournament win last summer, when players wrote an open letter calling on the then prime ministerial contenders, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, to invest in girls’ football in schools. Continue reading...

Prisoner suffers from mild PTSD but poses less risk to general public in ‘supportive community environment’ than in prisonCharles Bronson has mild PTSD and is not ready for release yet, despite posing less of a risk to the public than in prison, an independent psychologist has told his parole hearing.Bronson, who later changed his name to Charles Salvador, having been born Michael Peterson, used to find violence cathartic, but he is now able to weigh up the pros and cons and gain the same experience through his art, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes, who was commissioned by his lawyer, said. Continue reading...

Legal experts say Brussels has right to take retaliatory action, making cross-border law enforcement harder

An email sent out by CCHQ in the home secretary’s name blamed ‘left-wing lawyers’ and civil servants for blocking her policiesPMQs is about to start.Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.We do believe we need to stop the boats. This is dangerous, it puts lives at risk and it also undermines our border security. So we need strong action. Continue reading...

Nurse is accused of murdering triplet’s baby brothers in 24 hours at Countess of Chester hospital in 2016The parents of a newborn triplet begged for him to be moved to another hospital after his two brothers died within 24 hours, the trial of nurse Lucy Letby has heard.Letby, 33, is accused of murdering the two babies, who cannot be named and are referred to as Child O and Child P, on successive days at the Countess of Chester hospital in June 2016. Continue reading...

Role of anti-slavery commissioner vacant at time when cases of suspected trafficking at all-time highThe role of the independent watchdog overseeing government anti-slavery policy has been left vacant for more than 10 months at the same time as cases of suspected trafficking have hit an all-time high, it has emerged.Dame Sara Thornton, the previous anti-slavery commissioner, resigned on 30 April last year, but has not been replaced by the home secretary, Suella Braverman, despite a legal requirement for the post to be filled. Continue reading...

Latest updates from the UK and across the globe as 2,000 women protest in Lahore and Ireland announces gender equality referendumIreland is to hold a referendum to establish gender equality and to remove a constitutional reference to a woman’s place being in the home.The government announcement – timed to coincide with International Women’s Day – said the referendum in November will seek to amend articles 40 and 41 of the 1937 constitution, including this reference: “By her life within the home, woman gives to the state a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.”According to data from the Office for National Statistics, based on the Annual Survey for Hours and Earnings (ASHE), the gender pay gap for full-time employees was 8.3% in 2022, up from 7.7% in 2021. Among all employees, the gender pay gap is 14.9%.But Gosling said the gap for mothers was considerably larger than the one represented by the official gender pay gap. By her calculations, the hourly wages of mothers is 72% of the hourly wage of fathers, which reflects the fact that working mums are stalled in their career path, and less likely to go into the highest-paid roles.Barriers to career progression for mothers with some post-school education have hardly shifted. The gap in pay between mothers and fathers looks very similar now as it did in the late 1970s. The story for Gen-Xers is the same for boomers and the millennials. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary says airbase in north Essex not appropriate for scheme to detain and deport people en masseThe foreign secretary has criticised plans to house asylum seekers at an RAF base in his constituency as part of a controversial scheme announced on Tuesday to detain and deport people en masse.The Guardian first reported several days ago that people in north Essex were urging ministers to abandon plans to accommodate 1,500 male asylum seekers at a former RAF base on their doorstep. The Home Office declined to comment on whether the plans were to use the site as a detention centre or as an accommodation centre. Continue reading...

Swiss national and three Russians appear in court in connection with accounts in name of Putin’s friend Sergei RolduginFour bankers have appeared in a Swiss court charged with helping to hide tens of millions of francs on behalf of Vladimir Putin.The men, who had senior roles at the Swiss branch of Russia’s Gazprombank, are accused of helping Sergei Roldugin – a close friend of the Russian president who has been described as “Putin’s wallet” – to move millions through Swiss bank accounts without the proper due diligence checks. Continue reading...

Bernard Chatting’s family relied on ‘good’ rating from CQC for Dorset care home and allege regulator’s delay in exposing risks led to his deathEngland’s care regulator has been accused of failing to keep private nursing home residents safe after a family alleged a delay in exposing serious risks led to a loved one’s painful premature death.Relatives of Bernard Chatting, 89, said they relied on a “good” rating from the Care Quality Commission when they moved him into a £1,200-a-week home in Dorset. But after he experienced care so unsafe he ended up in hospital and died a few weeks later, it emerged the CQC already knew the home was failing badly. Continue reading...

Video shows blue Ford Fiesta used by suspects in attack that seriously wounded off-duty officer in OmaghPolice in Northern Ireland have released fresh CCTV footage of a car used by gunmen who shot and seriously wounded DCI John Caldwell last month.The footage shows a blue Ford Fiesta with false licence plates used by the suspected republican dissidents before the ambush at a sports complex in Omagh, County Tyrone, on 22 February. Continue reading...

‘Exceptional’ piece, valued at up to €800,000, had been hanging behind door after being in family since 1900A rare painting by the 17th-century artist Pieter Brueghel the Younger, described as “exceptional” and one of his largest known works, will be sold by auction in Paris later this month.The painting was discovered hanging behind a door at a home in the north of France. It had been in the same family since 1900 but its provenance before then remains a mystery. The work – measuring 112cm high and 184cm wide, and valued at up to €800,000 (£712,844) – is a version of L’Avocat du village (the Village Lawyer), a theme Brueghel reproduced up to 90 times. It is believed to have been painted between 1615 and 1617. Continue reading...

Labour leader attacks plans, but Rishi Sunak calls Starmer ‘just another lefty lawyer standing in our way’

Lilibet christened at small ceremony at couple’s Montecito home in CaliforniaThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter, Lilibet, has been christened with her royal title of “Princess” used formally for the first time.Lilibet, who is aged 21 months, was christened at an intimate ceremony at the couple’s Montecito home in California. A spokesperson for the couple told People magazine: “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday March 3 by the archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.” Continue reading...

Federal health department sends 596 providers compliance letters after finding they were regularly co-claiming separate subsidies

With 62% of Canberrans backing a ban on new coal and gas projects, government faces tough task convincing ACT senator

Exclusive: Senator says conservative group ‘disrespecting’ Aboriginal culture by using photo featuring sacred face paint

Labour MP says Rishi Sunak should talk to region’s leaders after Trevelyan family announcementsThe Labour MP Clive Lewis has called on Rishi Sunak to enter negotiations with Caribbean leaders on paying reparations for Britain’s role in slavery, following the historic announcements by the Trevelyan family.Speaking at a parliamentary debate on promoting financial security in the Caribbean, Lewis said the issue of reparations could not be dismissed as an obsession among a small group of “so-called woke extremists”. Continue reading...