World news | The Guardian

High-end grocer to reduce prices of hundreds of items in its Essential range by average of 14%It has long had the reputation as Britain’s most luxurious supermarket.But even Waitrose customers are being squeezed by the cost of living crisis, leading to the store slashing the prices of some of its own-brand basics. Continue reading...

The Philippines accused a Chinese coastguard ship of directing a ‘military-grade laser light’ at one of its vessels, temporarily blinding a crew memberPhilippine president Ferdinand Marcos has summoned the Chinese ambassador to express serious concern over the “increasing frequency and intensity of actions” by China against Philippine vessels.The meeting came a day after the Philippines accused a Chinese coastguard ship of directing a “military-grade laser light” at one of its vessels, temporarily blinding a crew member and disrupting a mission in the South China Sea. Continue reading...

Human Rights Watch also demands trial for ‘appalling colonial crime’ of expulsion – and continuing ill treatment – of ChagossiansThe UK should pay full and unconditional reparations to generations affected by its forcible displacement of Chagos Islands inhabitants in the 1960s and 70s, an action that constituted a crime against humanity, Human Rights Watch has said.The NGO said that individuals should be put on trial for the expulsion of Chagossians when the UK retained possession of what it refers to as British Indian Ocean Territory, or BIOT, after Mauritius gained independence in 1968. Continue reading...

US officials who tracked balloon from launch on Hainan island reportedly examining possibility that unusual weather took it over North AmericaThe US is reportedly examining the possibility that the Chinese spy balloon was pushed off course by strong winds when it entered US airspace, having tracked it since its launch days earlier.Of the four flying objects shot down by the US in recent weeks, only the first has been attributed to Chinese surveillance efforts. The balloon took off from China’s Hainan island, before travelling on a path which appeared to go over Guam, according to the Washington Post on Tuesday. It then took an “unexpected” turn to the north, the report said, citing anonymous US officials. After it entered Canadian airspace, strong winds blew it south over the border, the Post reported. Continue reading...

North Island wakes to devastation, as flood waters continue to rise, hundreds rescued from rooftops and more than 10,000 people displacedNew Zealand was attempting to come to grips with the extent of destruction from Cyclone Gabrielle, as the severe weather system moves away from the country, leaving behind high flood waters, widespread damage, more than 10,000 displaced and at least four dead, including one child.Police have received more than 1440 reports of missing people, and while they expect many of those people to be found, prime minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday evening that “there are several people missing for whom the police do hold grave concerns”. Continue reading...

Neurosurgeon says he was acting in patients’ best interests and suggests complaints were prompted from within the medical system

Labor government blames Coalition for cutting the agency’s workforce by around 13% from 2016 levels

Number of students in independent sector grew 25% in last decade while overall rate of year 12 completion fell last year

Inflation is dangerous, corrosive and hurts people, RBA governor tells Senate estimates

Buoyed by a welcome return of international acts, the 70th Perth festival soars as artists dream of new worlds

Sixty-year-old former Richmond AFL player vehemently denies police accusations

Keir Starmer says party heading in right direction but there is still work to do, 18 months after watchdog’s reportLabour has been taken out of special measures by the equalities watchdog, with Keir Starmer hailing progress in tackling antisemitism as a watershed moment for the party.In a speech on Wednesday, Starmer will herald the party’s progress while saying there is still significant work to be done. Continue reading...

Theatre operators and producers changing marketing strategy as rowdy behaviour escalatesPopular musicals will be told to avoid phrases such as “best party in town” and “dancing in the aisles” after growing reports of rowdy and abusive behaviour from audiences.Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the largest theatre operator in the UK, is working with producers to temper any ad campaigns that could encourage bad behaviour, the Stage reported. Continue reading...

Human Rights Act could be key factor in appeal against the release of a group of youths in Townsville

A pre-Super Bowl ad promoting ‘novelty bet’ markets on Rihanna’s halftime show is part of a trial on the social media platform

Crown, made for 1911 coronation, will be modified for queen consort and not feature the Koh-i-Noor diamondThe queen consort is to wear a recycled crown for the coronation that will not feature the Koh-i-Noor diamond, Buckingham Palace has announnced.Camilla will wear a modified version of Queen Mary’s crown, made by Garrard’s for the 1911 coronation and commissioned by Queen Mary, the consort of George V. Continue reading...

The victim, who was in her 70s, died in Darwin from the mosquito-borne virus for which there is no cure or vaccine

Kyiv denies retreat imminent as Kremlin throws troops at capturing city before one-year anniversary of war

Searches come weeks after release of documentary critical of PM that was later blocked by governmentBBC offices in India have been raided by tax department officials, just weeks after the release of a documentary critical of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, which was later blocked by the government.According to those working at the broadcaster, more than a dozen officials from the country’s income tax department turned up at the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai, where hundreds of employees are based, to conduct a “survey”. Documents and phones of several journalists were taken and the offices sealed. Continue reading...

Jens Stoltenberg urges members to ramp up production for Ukraine, saying Russian leader ‘is preparing for more war’

Authorities in French capital also want more affordable housing for working- and middle-class familiesParis authorities have proposed to combat the population drain from the French capital by pushing for higher taxes on second-home owners and introducing more affordable social housing for working- and middle-class families.The city’s population has dropped by more than 123,000 in the last decade, with many leaving in search of cheaper housing and green spaces, according to official figures. France’s statistics agency, Insee, says Paris is losing about 12,400 people a year and the city population – now at about 2.1 million – is at its lowest for 20 years. Continue reading...

Two-year-old local news startup had heady plans when founded, but now trims jobs while execs snipe at workers on TwitterNearly two years ago, a journalism startup made bold promises to reshape community news in Canada, announcing plans to hire more than 200 journalists and open 50 new publications across the country.But this month, as they culled nearly half the staff from their most successful publication, executives from the Overstory media group admitted that – despite the cascade of recent failures across the industry – they had thought turning a profit in local journalism would be “a lot simpler”. The job cuts have raised larger questions over the company’s future, and about that of alternative models of experimental journalism. Continue reading...

Michael Lawrence convicted of failing to maintain lookout and safe speed over Southampton Water incidentA speedboat pilot has been found not guilty of manslaughter after a crash with a buoy killed a teenage passenger.Emily Lewis, 15, sustained fatal injuries after the rigid inflatable boat (rib) collided with the 4.5-metre-high buoy at 36.6 knots in Southampton Water on 22 August 2020, with a number of other passengers seriously injured. Continue reading...

More than 500 people in Lostwithiel take part in music video to try to find doctor to join local practicePeople in the beautiful Cornish town of Lostwithiel have turned to song in a desperate effort to recruit a new doctor.More than 500 people, young and old (some musically gifted, others not) have appeared in a pop video urging a GP to join a local practice. Continue reading...

Squeeze on households continues as pay growth suffers one of its largest falls since records began in 2001More working days were lost to strike action last year than at any time since 1989, according to official figures that also show wage growth failed to keep pace with inflation amid the biggest real-terms fall on record.The figures from the Office for National Statistics provide more evidence for the squeeze on households amid the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

FCA finds company put customers at high risk of harm by failing to assess whether they could repay loansThe sub-prime lender Amigo has dodged a £73m fine despite having put consumers at a “high risk” of harm, amid fears that the financial penalty could have led to its collapse.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigation found Amigo put business interests ahead of its customers’, by failing to assess properly whether customers, or their guarantors, could afford to repay loans they applied for – noting faults in both its automated tech and human oversight between November 2018 and March 2020. Continue reading...

US carmaker blames losses on rising costs and need to switch to electric vehicle productionFord is cutting nearly 4,000 jobs across Europe, including 1,300 in the UK, over the next three years amid plans to reinvent the brand and focus on a smaller range of electric vehicles.The US carmaker said it planned to eliminate 3,800 product development and administration jobs in Europe, citing rising costs and the need to speed up its switch from internal combustion engine to electric vehicles. Continue reading...

Authorities are requesting public assistance to locate the three men who told authorities their boat capsized while fishing

We haven’t touched the taste, only the packaging, promises owner Coca-ColaThe soft drink Lilt has vanished from the UK after 48 years and has been rebranded as a new type of Fanta.The tangy drink was launched in 1975 with the strapline “the totally tropical taste” and was sold only in the UK, Ireland, Gibraltar and Seychelles. Continue reading...

In letters tendered at inquiry, Folbigg also wrote she got a ‘raw deal’ after being convicted of murdering three children

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Federal emergency management minister Murray Watt criticises state cabinet over relief program

Committee examining allegations of ‘impropriety’ against a Sydney council and developers will take the unusual step of using a private contractor to serve summons

Guardian analysis of data shows officials spent more under former PM than predecessor Dominic RaabLiz Truss oversaw a major jump in spending on government credit cards at the Foreign Office when she took over, a Guardian analysis shows, with spending on restaurants, bars, leisure activities and hotels all rising sharply during her time in office.An analysis of data collated by the Labour party shows officials spent far more on procurement cards under the former prime minister than they had under her predecessor, Dominic Raab. Continue reading...

Albanese says Labor made its position ‘clear a long time ago’ after religious groups reject proposal as having ‘severe limits’

The verdict, the first of its kind in almost a decade, has shocked many who fear country is sliding back into state extremismThree Sudanese men have been sentenced to hand amputation for stealing, the first time in almost a decade that such a punishment has been handed down in the country’s courts.The three men in their 20s were convicted of stealing gas cylinders in Omdurman, Sudan’s most populous city, which sits across the Nile River from the capital, Khartoum. Continue reading...

National state of emergency invoked and thousands displaced as storm devastates large parts of North Island and minister says ‘this is climate change’

Djab Wurrung woman is recovering from injuries after allegedly being knocked unconscious with a rock tied to a stick near Ballarat

Roses are red, violets are blue, if you’re cashing in on the love, the joke may be on you

Health Care Complaints Commission hears Teo told a woman he could operate after other doctors said her tumour was inoperable

After the death of 26-year-old man at Sydney music festival, health expert says NSW premier’s unwavering stance is unrealistic

Major bank believes business conditions and confidence are improving as it sets cash rate prediction higher than other banks

Government documents fear letters about special status known as Bucher papers could affect foreign relationsIndia may prevent the declassification of papers from 1947 related to Kashmir as it fears the “sensitive” letters could affect foreign relations, according to internal government documents seen by the Guardian.The letters, known as the Bucher papers, are believed to include political and military arguments for why India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, called for a ceasefire with Pakistan and provided special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Draft framework suggests officers could provide ‘outreach and transport’, catching union off-guard

Department of Health and Aged Care rejects accusations that rules introduced new exclusions, saying they only provided clarification

Home affairs minister reveals incident included monitoring an individual’s home and extensively researching their family

The Office of the Special Investigator is looking at between 40 and 50 alleged offences, Senate estimates hears

Fiona Cameron describes Alice Springs radio report as ‘unduly favouring one perspective over all others’

Charities condemn policies that ‘demonise’ refugees after home secretary accused of victim blamingPolitical leaders must “take a clear stand” and condemn violence against asylum seekers, charities have said, after the home secretary was accused of victim blaming after a riot outside a hotel in Merseyside.Refugee organisations have signed an open letter after “horrifying” scenes on Friday outside the Suites hotel in Knowsley, which is housing asylum seekers. Fireworks were thrown at police and a police van was attacked with hammers and set alight. Continue reading...

About three-quarters of largest authorities with responsibility for social care have opted for full 4.99% riseThe majority of English top-tier councils are planning to raise council tax by the maximum permitted, with the bill for average properties to increase from April by about £100 a year, according to a survey.Despite widespread concerns over the cost of living crisis, about 75% of the largest authorities have opted so far for the full 4.99% rise, with all but one of the remainder increasing council tax by at least 2%. Continue reading...