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‘Catastrophic’ failings that allowed gunman to kill five people increase pressure to overhaul 1968 legislationSenior police officers, families of shooting victims and anti-gun campaigners have called for a “radical reform” of the firearms licensing system after an inquest jury found “catastrophic” failings allowed the Plymouth gunman, Jake Davison, to legally possess a shotgun that he used to kill five people.Pressure is mounting on the UK government to overhaul the 50-year-old licensing legislation and ensure police forces are adequately funded to allow them to fully examine the suitability of gun owners. Continue reading...

Call for more personalised approach on back of broader efforts to build deeper relationships with familiesPersonalised text messages to parents could be used to help improve school attendance rates, as teachers struggle to re-engage children and their families after the disruption of Covid, according to experts.Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said there was a “national persistent truancy crisis” in England, with significantly more children now missing lessons compared with before the pandemic. Continue reading...

James Cleverly’s comments come after No 10 said ‘no deal has been done as yet’James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, will discuss the Northern Ireland protocol in a call with the European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič this afternoon, PA Media reports. They will be joined by the Northern Ireland secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, amid expectations both sides are inching closer to a deal.Micheál Martin, the Irish foreign minister and tánaiste (deputy PM), has urged UK politicians not to play politics with the Northern Ireland protocol negotiations. Speaking in Brussels, where he has been attending the EU foreign affairs council, he said:I think what’s very important is that everybody now from here on think about the people of Northern Ireland.Not power play, not politics elsewhere, I think the people of Northern Ireland have had enough of that, of people playing politics with their future. And, in my view, my only concern is that the people of Northern Ireland voted [in last May’s assembly election], they want their institutions [at Stormont] restored. Continue reading...

Officers confirm identity of body as that of 45-year old mortgage adviser who went missing 24 days agoPolice have confirmed that a body pulled from a river in Lancashire is that of the missing woman Nicola Bulley.Lancashire constabulary said they had identified her after a body was found by two walkers in undergrowth near the village of St Michael’s on Wyre on Sunday. Continue reading...

Statistics suggest many older and younger people could be disenfranchised at England’s May local electionsHuge numbers of older voters could be disenfranchised at local elections in May after official data has shown that only 505 people aged 75-plus have applied for free voter identification documents in the month since the scheme launched.Statistics for the numbers who have applied since the system opened on 16 January also showed that fewer than 6% of those seeking the document were aged under 25, another group seen as disproportionately likely to lack the necessary ID. Continue reading...

Visit is unwelcome twist for Vladimir Putin as he prepares state of the nation address to mark invasion’s anniversary

Punk IPA maker says it wants to sell more of its craft beer in world’s biggest marketBrewDog has said it plans to brew in China as part of a deal with Budweiser China to expand sales in the world’s biggest market for beer.Budweiser China would start brewing BrewDog’s Punk IPA, Hazy Jane and Elvis Juice beers by the end of March at its Putian craft brewery near the south-east coast, the companies announced on Monday. Continue reading...

Longtime Ireland correspondent McDonald, 57, lauded after untimely death following treatment for cancerPolitical leaders in Northern Ireland have led tributes to the writer and former Guardian and Observer correspondent Henry McDonald, who has died at the age of 57.Family, friends and media colleagues expressed shock and sadness on Sunday after McDonald died at the Royal Victoria hospital in Belfast, where he was being treated for cancer. Continue reading...

Landmark case from Indigenous man seeking to access pension three years early hears Australia fails to account for age gap from ‘racial disadvantage’

Campaigners fear media crackdown under PM Sheikh Hasina after suspension order upheldThe only newspaper of Bangladesh’s main opposition party has stopped publishing after a government suspension order was upheld, stoking fears about media freedom in the south Asian nation.Campaigners and foreign governments including the US have long expressed worries about efforts by the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to silence criticism and what they see as creeping authoritarianism. Continue reading...

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Woman says she felt deeply uncomfortable about Zumbo’s consistent advances and told him ‘I do not consent’

With youth prisons full, there are fears the new laws will lead to an ‘explosion’ of children in adult watch houses

Visit to Taipei by Shanghai officials was arranged by mayor from opposition Kuomintang party, attracting accusations of secrecyA Chinese government delegation has visited Taiwan for the first time since the start of the pandemic, sparking some partisan tension on the island over cross-strait interactions as Beijing reiterated its intentions to annex it.The delegation of six officials, including the deputy head of the Shanghai office of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Li Xiaodong, arrived in Taipei with plans to visit the Lantern festival and hold talks with local officials. They were invited by the city government, led by mayor Chiang Wan-an, of the opposition Kuomintang party (KMT). Continue reading...

Document makes clear senior Fox News figures knew after 2020 election voter fraud claims were false – and it’s likely a landmark caseThe Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe said Dominion Voting Systems’ brief requesting summary judgment against Fox News for defamation – and $1.6bn – is “likely to succeed and likely to be a landmark” in the history of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.“I have never seen a defamation case with such overwhelming proof that the defendant admitted in writing that it was making up fake information in order to increase its viewership and its revenues,” Tribe told the Guardian. “Fox and its producers and performers were lying as part of their business model.” Continue reading...

Nearly 2m energy support vouchers worth £125m in total either lost, delayed or unclaimedNearly a quarter of energy vouchers, designed to help the most vulnerable households with their gas and electricity bills, still have not been redeemed, according to the latest government figures.Failure to receive the energy support payment could “be the difference between having a warm home, keeping the lights on, eating a warm meal or not”, according to the charity Citizens Advice. Continue reading...

Brain surgeon maintained he was acting in patient’s best interests and denied being negligent

‘It all became very sly. Everyone was lying and covering each other’s backs,’ royal commission hears

Incoming WHO chief scientist says if morale, staffing and training not addressed, workers ‘won’t be there when you need them’Healthcare workers are “absolutely shattered” and unless something is done to address the crisis in morale, staffing and training then “they won’t be there when you need them”, one of the world’s leading scientists has warned.Speaking to the Guardian, Prof Jeremy Farrar, the director of Wellcome and soon to be chief scientist of the World Health Organization, warned that healthcare workers would not be ready should another crisis hit. Continue reading...

Moderate and conservative factions refuse to back transport minister for upper house seat left vacant by Peter Poulos’s sacking

‘We were fighting it and it did a U-turn and slammed into the engine,’ said the skipper of the damaged vessel after being towed to safety

Kim Yo-jong blames escalation on US forces in the region, as head of South Korea’s ruling party calls for Seoul to have its own nuclear deterrentNorth Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast Monday, South Korea’s military said, as the powerful sister of the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, warned the nuclear-armed state could turn the Pacific into a “firing range”.The tests prompted the head of the ruling party in South Korea to warn that continued provocations by Pyongyang would only strengthen calls for the South to develop its own nuclear deterrent – a move that would dramatically raise tensions on the peninsula. Continue reading...

Mortgage adviser, 45, went missing while walking her pet after dropping off daughters at schoolA body has been found in the search for the missing woman Nicola Bulley after a tipoff by members of the public, police have said.Bulley, 45, a mortgage adviser from Inskip, Lancashire, vanished while walking her dog after dropping off her daughters, six and nine, at school more than three weeks ago, on 27 January. Continue reading...

Majority of job losses are at large retailers such as Tesco and Asda, according to Centre for Retail ResearchNearly 15,000 British retail jobs have already been cut since January in a “brutal start to the year” for the high street.A total of 14,874 retail job losses have been announced by companies so far, according to analysis from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). Continue reading...

Tony McAvoy says Craven ‘way outside his remit’ and ‘incorrect’ to describe some views in the group as ‘misplaced intransigence’ and ‘egotism’

Met police say investigation under way after fatal accident in Greenwich on Sunday eveningA man has died after being hit by a motorcycle in south-east London, the Metropolitan police said.An investigation is under way after a fatal collision in Plumstead Road, Greenwich on Sunday evening. Continue reading...

Standup comedian played police role in Homicide: Life on the Streets, Law & Order: SVU and other seriesRichard Belzer, a stand-up comedian who became one of TV’s most indelible detectives as John Munch in Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: SVU, has died. He was 78.Belzer died on Sunday at his home in Bozouls in southern France, his longtime friend Bill Scheft told the Hollywood Reporter. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sadiq Khan’s plan, spurred by ministers’ ‘failure to act’, will save families about £440 for every childFree school meals will be offered to all primary school pupils across London for a year under plans by Sadiq Khan to tackle what he said was a failure by ministers to step up support during the cost of living crisis.The move will come into force from September, saving families about £440 for every child and benefiting 270,000 children, City Hall estimates. Continue reading...

Man arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving after incident near Plymstock Albion Oaks Rugby ClubA seven-year-old boy has died after being hit by a car in Plymouth.A man, 55, was arrested after the incident near Plymstock Albion Oaks Rugby Club on Sunday. Continue reading...

UN ambassador says US must ensure Ukrainians ‘have the training necessary … to use weapons systems we provide’The US ambassador to the United Nations indicated on Sunday that the White House could reverse its refusal to supply F-16 jets to Ukraine.“We’re still having discussions on the ground with the Ukrainians,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told CNN’s State of the Union, adding that Washington was working “very closely and directly” with Kyiv to identify “what their needs are and when they need them”. Continue reading...

Saving Private Ryan actor, 61, in ‘wait-and-see situation’, says managerTom Sizemore is in critical condition after suffering a brain aneurysm, a representative for the actor said on Sunday.Sizemore suffered the aneurysm at about 2am local time on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. He was being treated in intensive care, his manager, Charles Lago, said. Lago described Sizemore’s condition “a wait-and-see situation”. Continue reading...

Racial disparity compared with white people unearthed by Inquest is bigger than previously made publicBlack people are seven times more likely to die than white people following restraint by police, new analysis of official data reveals.The racial disproportionality is higher than previously made public and was unearthed by Inquest, a charity that helps bereaved families after contact with the police or state. Continue reading...

FoI request reveals data for six-month period in 2022, with some children held unlawfully for over 24 hoursLone children as young as 14 have been detained at the Manston asylum seeker processing centre in Kent, a freedom of information request has revealed.According to the immigration rules, children should not be detained in short-term holding facilities such as Manston, apart from in exceptional circumstances, and holding them for more than 24 hours is unlawful. Continue reading...

Exclusive: NHS England director calls on managers to do everything possible to maintain elective care for patientsAn NHS England director has urged regional leaders to do their best not to cancel hospital appointments and operations when NHS workers go on strike next month, in the hope of reducing the risk to patients’ safety.For the first time, tens of thousands of nurses in cancer wards, A&E departments and intensive care units in England will stop work for 48 hours from 1 March – marking a significant escalation in the dispute over pay and working conditions. Continue reading...

Treasurer proposes to enshrine in law a new definition of super to guide future policy decisions

Exclusive: Government was warned that publicising issues could harm regional relationships or be exploited by criminals or bad actors

Outlines for the upcoming hearings on the Coalition’s flawed debt recovery scheme show where the investigation may be headed next

The yes side is being driven by three collectives with a shared history, while the no campaign has been more reluctant to share its plans

Foreign ministry confirms that body of former Newcastle player to arrive in Accra on Sunday nightThe remains of the former Ghanaian international footballer Christian Atsu, who died in the devastating earthquake in Turkey, were being flown home on Sunday, the country’s foreign ministry said.Atsu, 31, was caught up in a 7.8-magnitude quake that rocked Turkey and Syria on 6 February, killing more than 44,000 people in both countries. Continue reading...

Leader of Commons says ‘serious questions’ must be asked over police decision to issue private information about missing womanThe leader of the Commons has criticised Lancashire police for disclosing private information about the missing woman Nicola Bulley.Penny Mordaunt said it was “shocking” that the force had made public Bulley’s struggles with alcohol and peri-menopause symptoms. “Serious questions” needed to be asked about why they chose to do so, she added. Continue reading...

Penny Mordaunt says ex-PM’s comments served as reminder to Brussels of UK threat to override Northern Ireland protocolAn intervention by Boris Johnson in the row over solving the post-Brexit deadlock in Northern Ireland is “not entirely unhelpful”, a cabinet minister has said, as work to clinch a deal with the EU goes down to the wire.Penny Mordaunt, the Commons leader, suggested concerns reportedly raised by the former prime minister were a welcome reminder to Brussels of the threat that Britain could try to unilaterally override the Northern Ireland protocol. Continue reading...

Shiny blue sculpture shattered into thousands of pieces, with some collectors believing it was a stuntA collector visiting a contemporary art fair accidentally knocked over a small glass sculpture by the renowned artist Jeff Koons, shattering it to pieces.The shiny blue sculpture, one of Koons’ famous “balloon dog” series, was valued at $42,000 (£35,000). Continue reading...

Survey also finds 32% of parents with children under four are having to cut down on essentials such as groceries as costs riseMost parents with young children would delay having another due to nursery costs that are already forcing some to cut down on essentials, according to new research released amid growing calls for sweeping reforms to childcare.With the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, looking at measures that could reduce childcare costs, which are some of the most expensive in the world, prominent providers are to hand a joint letter to Downing Street demanding action on increasing state help, improving care standards and creating a simpler system of assistance for new parents. Continue reading...

Dozens of people released from immigration detention due to federal court ruling now told they will be re-detained

A week after the storm struck the North Island, police say two more bodies were found in hard-hit Hawke’s Bay areaThe death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand climbed to 11 as many people not yet contacted a week later.The cyclone hit the North Island’s uppermost region on 12 February and tracked down the east coast, inflicting widespread devastation. The prime minister, Chris Hipkins, has called Gabrielle New Zealand’s biggest natural disaster this century. Continue reading...

Blinken warns China against aiding Russia in Ukraine as western leaders cautiously welcome Chinese peace plan at Munich security conference

The west has made it hard for Russia’s millionaires to retain assets – but not impossible. Now the EU wants to try harderIt has been a long year since Liz Truss launched a rolling programme of sanctions on Russia’s oligarchs. Speaking three days after the invasion of Ukraine, the foreign secretary, as she was then, signalled an end to the UK government’s no-questions-asked approach.“We are targeting oligarchs’ private jets, we’ll be targeting their properties, we’ll be targeting other possessions that they have,” she told Sky TV. “There will be nowhere to hide.” Continue reading...

Almost 90% of food banks see increased demand, as organisers fear having to cut support or turn people awayMore people are depending on food banks than ever before in Britain, new figures show, as “ever-increasing” numbers of households – including pensioners, NHS staff and teachers – seek help amid the cost of living crisis.New research by the Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan), shared with the Observer, found that almost 90% of food banks surveyed reported increased demand in December 2022 and January 2023 compared with a year earlier. Half of the 85 organisations running 154 food banks that responded said if demand rose further they would either have to cut support or turn people away. Continue reading...

Care4Calais says it offers refugees aid and dignity and does not want them to cross Channel by dangerous meansA volunteer organisation has dismissed a claim by the new Conservative deputy chair that Calais refugee charities are “just as bad as people-smugglers”.Lee Anderson, who was given the role by Rishi Sunak during the prime minister’s recent reshuffle, accused refugee organisations based in northern France of “fuelling” people’s desire to cross the English Channel in small boats. Continue reading...

The Scottish health secretary and former Scottish minister enter race to replace Nicola SturgeonHumza Yousaf and Ash Regan have become the first candidates to officially announce plans to stand for SNP leader, while Keir Starmer is expected to urge Scottish voters on Sunday to “take another look at Labour”.Yousaf, the Scottish health secretary, and former minister Regan announced their plans to stand in Scotland’s Sunday Mail. Continue reading...