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Premier says he was not aware of involvement by his office in contested nomination process for upper house spot

Just days before its launch in October, Betr sent unsolicited and targeted messages to man listed on a self-exclusion register

After the mortgage adviser disappeared TikTok detectives, grief tourists and the media descended. Now her family have hit out at the ‘appalling’ way they have been treated. What went wrong?When Nicola Bulley, a 45-year-old mortgage adviser, went missing on 27 January while walking her dog and on a work call, it could have been seen as just another missing person’s case. Instead, social media influencers, amateur sleuths and psychics descended on her village, alongside the UK press.The Guardian’s north of England correspondent, Robyn Vinter, explains to Hannah Moore why seemingly puzzling details and a lack of clear police communication led to an assumption that there was more to the case than met the eye. As fascination with Bulley’s whereabouts increased, grief tourists arrived while TikTok users made videos, searched empty houses and even made accusations against her family. Continue reading...

Alan Joyce hails huge turnaround and says airline will now add more capacity to network

UN general assembly debates motion calling for unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine on anniversary of warUN secretary general António Guterres has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an “affront to our collective conscience” as the 193-member General assembly meets ahead of a vote that the US said would “go down in history.”Speaking on Wednesday during a special session of the general assembly, Guterres called the anniversary of Moscow’s attack “a grim milestone for the people of Ukraine and for the international community.” Continue reading...

Dozens missing in south-eastern São Paulo state as rescue crews search for bodies in the rubble of homesSearch and rescue teams raced to find dozens of people that remained missing after heavy rains devastated coastal areas of Brazil’s south-eastern São Paulo state, as the official death toll rose to 48.“We are currently working with a tally of at least 38 missing people,” the São Paulo governor, Tarcísio de Freitas, told reporters on Wednesday, as weather forecasters cautioned more rain was on its way. Continue reading...

Musicians protest inclusion of Sticky Fingers, whose singer Dylan Frost has been dogged by controversy since allegations about his behaviour arose in 2016

New research reveals a 15% pay gap that widens dramatically after women have childrenWomen “work for free for nearly two months” a year, according to fresh analysis which reveals a 15% gender pay gap that widens “dramatically” after women have children.Women in paid employment earn on average £29,684 a year, compared with the £35,260 a year earned by men, according to the analysis of official data by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Continue reading...

Long-awaited scheme aims to cut costs for 300 firms in energy-intensive sectors such as steel and chemicalsMinisters have moved to level the playing field on energy costs between British manufacturers and their European competitors after years of concerns that domestic firms faced an unfair disadvantage.The “British Industry Supercharger” scheme aims to improve conditions for 300 companies – employing 400,000 workers – in sectors including steel, metals, chemicals and paper manufacturing. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Study’s authors note ‘extraordinary shift’ since 2009 on question of British jobs for British workersThe UK has become one of the world’s most accepting places for foreign workers, according to a survey in 24 nations revealing a sharp increase in British acceptance of economic migration.People in the UK emerged as less likely to think that when jobs are scarce employers should give priority to people of their own country than those in Norway, Canada, France, Spain, the US, Australia and Japan. Only Germany and Sweden were more open on that question. Continue reading...

Senior officer was reportedly approached by two gunmen while coaching a youth football teamAn off-duty police officer is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after being shot at a sports complex in Omagh, Northern Ireland.The officer is understood to have been attacked “in front of young people” at the site at about 8pm on Wednesday. He was taken to Altnagelvin area hospital, Derry, after being shot in Killyclogher Road in the County Tyrone town. Continue reading...

Papua New Guinea police warn against circulation of fake news as negotiations continue with gunmenA woman who was taken hostage in Papua New Guinea has been released while an Australian professor and two local researchers are still held captive by an armed group in the country’s remote highlands.The remaining three captives are believed to be in reasonable health, despite being held in difficult terrain. Continue reading...

Picture was taken from the jet as the balloon entered US airspace earlier this month, before it was shot down over the AtlanticThe Pentagon has released a selfie photograph snapped by the pilot of an American U2 spy plane that was hurtling through the skies above the Chinese spy balloon as the US military pursued and shot it down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month.The image clearly shows the mysterious, silvery-white sphere of the balloon with panels dangling below it and, whether intended artistically or not, a striking sight of the shadow of the US aircraft cast against the balloon. Continue reading...

Elizabeth McCann, 26, was ‘preyed upon’ by Simon Goold, 52, who received a 35-year sentenceA man has been sentenced to a minimum term of 35 years in prison for the murder, rape and sexual assault of a charity worker in Greater Manchester.Simon Goold, 52, befriended Elizabeth McCann, 26, and plied her with alcohol, Manchester crown court heard. He took her back to his flat, where he raped and sexually assaulted her before strangling her with a ligature on 25 August 2022 in Ashton-under-Lyne. Continue reading...

Concerns raised that loss of momentum could raise chance of agreement unravelling

Strikes must be called off for talks to start, says No 10, as ministers given more freedom to talk to unionsMinisters have been given the freedom to talk to unions about pay settlements that could include backdated or one-off payments as ways to end the escalating series of public sector strikes.But Downing Street said it was critical unions agreed to call off planned industrial action before talks could begin, as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) did on Tuesday. Continue reading...

ONS numbers reveal rates of deaths now much lower for all ethnic groups compared with earlier in pandemicPeople from minority ethnic backgrounds no longer have a significantly higher risk of death from Covid-19 than white Britons, for the first time in the pandemic.Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show rates of deaths involving Covid-19 are now substantially lower for all ethnic groups compared with earlier in the pandemic. Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Moscow will suspend New Start treaty; Joe Biden leaves Warsaw after speaking with eastern leaders of Nato. This live blog is now closed

Simon Thompson says monitors were used to pressure staff to work faster in breach of its policy

Moscow accused of attempting to source weapons parts through front companies in neighbouring states

More than 100 Palestinians sustained gunshot wounds in Nablus raid, according to health ministryIsraeli troops have killed 10 Palestinians, including a teenager, and wounded dozens more with gunshots, in a raid on a major city in the occupied West Bank city that threatens further bloodshed.The daytime operation targeted three militants who were near the centre of the the old city of Nablus, the Israeli military said. All three wanted men were killed, along with seven others, including a 72-year-old man. Palestinian officials said at least 103 people had been injured, with many of them sustaining gunshot wounds. Continue reading...

PM says Commons will be given a chance to ‘express its view’ on any final dealBritish Steel has announced the closure of the coking ovens at its Scunthorpe works with the loss of 260 jobs, my colleague Jasper Jolly reports.Graeme Wearden has reaction to this on his business live blog. Continue reading...

Past supreme court ruling meant Siac judges found themselves unable to contradict home secretaryAlmost exactly four years after she was stripped of her citizenship, Shamima Begum’s hopes of returning to the UK have been dealt a bitter blow, with the special immigration appeals commission (Siac) upholding the decision.It is the latest development – and unlikely to be the last – in a legal fight that Begum’s family began in March 2019, one month after the then home secretary, Sajid Javid, took his controversial decision, shortly after she was found in a refugee camp in north-east Syria. Continue reading...

Lancashire constabulary, already subject to an IOPC inquiry, now to undergo College of Policing reviewThe police force behind the search for Nicola Bulley is facing two investigations into its handling of the case amid further criticism of its release of highly personal details about the missing mortgage adviser.The College of Policing, the national policing standards body, is to launch a wide-ranging independent review of Lancashire constabulary’s investigation. The Lancashire police and crime commissioner, Andrew Snowden, said he ordered the review because “there remain questions” about how the force had handled the high-profile search. Continue reading...

China’s top diplomat meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow; Biden meets leaders of Bucharest Nine; Ukraine seeks extension to Black Sea grain deal

Shaye Groves, from Hampshire, killed Frankie Fitzgerald after discovering Facebook messages to teenagerA woman who decorated her house with pictures of serial killers and who stabbed her boyfriend to death has been jailed for at least 23 years.Shaye Groves, 27, was sentenced at Winchester crown court on Wednesday for slitting the throat of Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, before stabbing him 17 times in the chest in July last year. Continue reading...

Latest census reveals 1.2m more unmarried 25- to 35-year-olds in England and Wales than in 2011A slump in the number of younger people in England and Wales getting married has sparked fresh calls to protect rights for those not in legally registered partnerships.Amid a continuing decline in marriage, figures from the 2021 census showed the biggest fall came among people aged 25 to 35, with 1.2 million more people unmarried in that age bracket than there were in 2011. Continue reading...

Subversive Slovenian quintet, who performed in North Korea in 2015, to play full concert at Bel Etage Music HallSubversive Slovenian industrial rock band Laibach are set to be the first foreign group to perform a full concert in Kyiv since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.The group will play Bel Etage Music Hall on 31 March, under the concert title Eurovision – an arch reference to the fact the Eurovision song contest, won by Ukraine in 2022, will not be hosted in the country this year, but rather Liverpool in the UK. Continue reading...

Deputy first minister John Swinney intervenes as activists call for Forbes to withdraw from leadership campaign

Labour leader urges PM to ‘just get on with it’ and reach deal with EU over Northern IrelandKeir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of being too weak to take on Brexit “malcontents” on the Conservative benches and reach a deal with the EU over Northern Ireland, as the pair tussled over Brexit at prime minister’s questions.In a rare airing of the issue at the event, Starmer reiterated Labour’s pledge to “put country before party” and help Sunak push a deal through parliament, even if hardline Brexiter Tories rebelled. Continue reading...

Firms urged to allow contracts with Deloitte, KPMG, EY and PwC to expireThe Chinese government has reportedly instructed state-owned companies to phase out contracts with the big four accounting including KPMG and EY, as authorities try to address security concerns and curb the influence of western-linked auditors.China’s finance ministry is among the government entities that have issued informal guidance last month, urging state-owned corporations to let contracts with Deloitte, KPMG, EY and PwC expire, according to Bloomberg News. Continue reading...

Reason could be shrinking pool of most vulnerable, say experts as report shows first fall in deaths since 2013The growing epidemic of drug-related deaths in Scotland may finally have peaked, data suggests, with experts warning that one reason could be that the pool of people most at risk of dying from overdoses is shrinking.Scotland has long had the highest drug-related death rate of any country in Europe. Continue reading...

Officials meet in Tokyo to discuss concerns at China’s cooperation with Russia and Japan’s military buildupChinese and Japanese officials met in Tokyo on Wednesday for formal security talks for the first time in four years, in a meeting aimed at stabilising increasingly strained relations.In Japan’s national security strategy, released in December, China was described as “the greatest strategic challenge” to Japan’s peace and security. Continue reading...

Harry Potter author tells podcast she had to lock away unpublished manuscriptThe Harry Potter author JK Rowling has spoken about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her former husband, saying he tried to lock away the unpublished manuscript of the series’ first book to stop her leaving him.Speaking on the Witch Trials of JK Rowling, a podcast series released on Tuesday, the author described her relationship with Jorge Arantes as violent and controlling, saying she had to sneak pages of the work away in small batches to photocopy in case he burned them. Continue reading...

Firm’s owner says closure of coking ovens is down to global economic challenges and rising energy billsBritish Steel is closing the coking ovens at its Scunthorpe works with the loss of 260 jobs, as the UK steel industry struggles amid high energy prices and the need to invest heavily in lower-carbon technologies.The company’s owner, China’s Jingye Group, said the move was partly “to overcome global economic challenges” and also due to £190m in extra costs last year from higher energy bills and carbon credits. Continue reading...

John Apter was suspended in 2021 amid accusations over his conductThe former head of the Police Federation is to face gross misconduct proceedings over allegations about his behaviour in late 2021.John Apter, who is retired, was suspended in December 2021 amid accusations over his conduct on four occasions late that year, including at a bravery awards ceremony. Continue reading...

Actor accuses government of ‘further dividing communities’ as 138-year-old theatre faces closure after losing £1.8m grantThe actor Maxine Peake has accused the government of “further dividing communities” after one of Britain’s oldest theatres lost its arts subsidy.Management at the 138-year-old Oldham Coliseum have said it will be forced to lower the curtain for the final time next month after losing its £1.8m grant from Arts Council England. Continue reading...

Oleato range is now on sale in Italy and rolls out in the US, UK, Japan and Middle East later this yearForget chocolate sprinkles and vanilla syrup, Starbucks now wants to tempt you with olive-oil infused coffee.The Oleato range of drinks, each containing Partanna extra virgin olive oil, launches in Italy on Wednesday and the US this spring before coming to the UK, Japan and Middle East later this year. Continue reading...

Special immigration appeals commission decides revocation of her citizenship was lawful

Minister Jason Clare will sign agreement on upcoming trip to India as experts point to ‘tremendous opportunities’ for Australia

Process servers have been unable to find three Liberal party members identified by the parliamentary investigation

Heide Victoria Bos sentenced to six years for orchestrating the 2021 assault on Nick Cameron in car park

Special immigration appeals commission decision will not determine whether woman can return to UKJudges will give their decision on Wednesday whether the removal of British citizenship from Shamima Begum, who left the UK as a 15-year-old schoolgirl to join Islamic State (IS), was lawful.Begum left her home in east London in 2015 with two school friends to travel to Syria, marrying the Dutch national Yago Riedijk, 27, shortly after. She was found in a refugee camp in 2019, stripped of her British citizenship and banned from entering Britain. She has been fighting to return to the UK ever since. Continue reading...

‘Australia in many ways is addicted to contact sport. We love it even though it kills us,’ researcher tells Senate committee

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Somalis arrive in Ethiopia from disputed town of Las Anod, where at least 82 people have died in fightingMore than 60,000 Somali refugees have fled to Ethiopia after an escalation in fighting in the town of Las Anod, in the Sool region, where tensions between local people and the governing Somaliland authorities have been building for weeks.The UN said the refugees had arrived in part of Ethiopia that had been badly hit by drought after five consecutive failed rains, and that many people were sleeping in the open, or sheltering in schools and other public buildings. Continue reading...

Fewer than half of customers were satisfied in Which? survey where British Airways only scored 56%, while Jet2.com scored highestWizz Air has been named the worst short-haul airline by UK passengers.Passengers surveyed by consumer group Which? gave the Hungary-based carrier one star out of five for boarding experience, cabin environment and seat comfort. Continue reading...

About 1.5 metres in diameter, the mysterious metal sphere has been the source of intense speculation onlinePolice and residents in a Japanese coastal town have been left baffled by a large iron ball that has washed up on a local beach, with authorities admitting they have no idea what it is – only that it isn’t about to explode.The sphere, measuring about 1.5 metres in diameter, has been at the centre of fevered speculation since it washed up on Enshu beach in the city of Hamamatsu on the country’s Pacific coast, local media reports said. Continue reading...

December quarter wage index rose from 3.1% to 3.3%, but 7.8% inflation indicates a 4.5% decrease in real wages

Court shown texts between woman and friend in which she disclosed alleged behaviour of adviser, who is pleading not guilty