World news | The Guardian

Some routes are more than twice as expensive as four years ago, though fares improved in January

Applause erupts from both sides of the chamber after Labor MP’s romantic gesture in his first speech

UNHCR says bill extinguishes the right to seek refugee protection in the UK for those who arrive irregularly. This live blog is closedDowning Street has said that Rishi Sunak is going to Dover to meet frontline officers dealing with small boat crossings. He will then return to London for a press conference later in the afternoon.One of the questions raised by Rishi Sunak’s small boats bill – or illegal migration bill, to give it its formal name – is to what extent ministers believe it will work, and to what extent they are not that bothered about whether it works because they believe that, if it fails, they will be able to use this in election campaign against Labour.Unlike Labour who have voted against taking action on this issue, this government has a plan to break the business model of people ­smugglers.A plan to do what’s fair for those at home and those who have a legitimate claim to asylum – a plan to take back control of our borders once and for all.Labour and others who oppose these measures are betraying hard-working Brits up and down the country - they don’t have any answers themselves but they will still seek to block us in parliament. Continue reading...

UNHCR ‘profoundly concerned’ by bill that would allow government to criminalise, detain and deport asylum seekers

Gwent and South Wales police also confirm more than 46 hours passed between last sighting and wreckage being foundTwo police forces heavily criticised for their response to a crash that killed three young people and left two seriously injured have confirmed more than 46 hours passed between the group’s last sighting and their wrecked car being found and that four separate missing persons reports were made to them.Gwent and South Wales police also confirmed that the last sighting of the car was only about 2.5 miles from where it was found, which will raise more questions over why it took so long for the five to be discovered.The last confirmed sighting of the five people was at 2am on Saturday in Pentwyn, about 2.5 miles from where they were found.The crash happened during the early hours of Saturday, with the exact time to be confirmed by the investigation, including by studying CCTV and automatic number plate recognition footage.The first missing report was made to Gwent police at 7.34pm on Saturday; further missing person reports were made to Gwent police at 7.43pm and 9.32pm. Another missing person report was made to South Wales police at 5.37pm on Sunday.At 11.50pm on Sunday the police helicopter was asked to search an area of Cardiff, which resulted in the vehicle being located in a wooded area off the A48.Gwent police officers, who were in the area conducting inquiries, discovered the Volkswagen Tiguan vehicle at 12.15am on Monday. Continue reading...

Two units at EDF’s West Burton A plant in Nottinghamshire began producing power on TuesdayNational Grid has called coal plants put on standby as emergency backup into action for the first time this winter, before the coldest night of the year.Two units at EDF’s West Burton A plant in Nottinghamshire began producing power for the grid on Tuesday afternoon. Their output will be ramped up depending on how much electricity can be generated from other sources. Continue reading...

Australian transport bureau releases interim report into midair collision between sightseeing aircraft on Gold CoastA helicopter pilot said he did not hear a radio call shortly before a midair collision in Australia that killed four people including two Britons, according to an interim report.Diane and Ron Hughes, from Neston in Cheshire, died in the collision at about 2pm local time (0400 GMT) on Monday 2 January in Main Beach, not far from Sea World in the state of Queensland. The pilot of one of the helicopters and a 36-year-old woman from New South Wales also died. Continue reading...

Average monthly increase of 1.1% to £285,476 in February, after falls in previous two months, says HalifaxUK house prices picked up in February from the previous month as recent reductions in mortgage rates helped to stabilise the market, according to the lender Halifax.The average house price rose 1.1% to £285,476 last month compared with January, in a sign of resilience amid hopes the broader economic downturn will not be as severe as previously feared. Continue reading...

Indigenous woman’s relatives tell inquest they want to make sure ‘this never happens again’

From jetski patrols to Rwanda deportations, the Tories have not been short of schemes to deter small boats

Follow the day’s news

One senior woman, Tootsie Daniel, tells federal court that looking at her country now breaks her heart because ‘it’s all barren’ due to mining

Head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force says his troops’ position could be in peril due to a lack of ammunition

New report says a Human Rights Act could have prevented ‘abandonment’ of Australians overseas in Covid pandemic

Six pieces removed from show about health issues after school officials were given legal counsel about state’s abortion ‘gag rule’A public college in Idaho is coming under pressure to explain why it has removed from an upcoming exhibition in its Center for Arts & History several artworks dealing with reproductive health and abortion.The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Coalition Against Censorship have jointly written to Lewis-Clark State College expressing “alarm” at the decision to remove several pieces. Continue reading...

Analysis by thinktank Common Wealth bolsters Labour’s case to launch national energy companyA publicly owned electricity generation firm could save Britons nearly £21bn a year, according to new analysis that bolsters Labour’s case to launch a national energy company if the party gains power.Thinktank Common Wealth has calculated that the cost of generating electricity to power homes and businesses could be reduced by £20.8bn or £252 per household a year under state ownership, according to a report seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Researchers say federal departments should not only focus on Chinese-owned TikTok, as other apps also collect a lot of user data

Academic also tells coroner that texts sent by constable Zachary Rolfe showed a ‘cowboy’ mindset with a ‘sense of impunity’

‘To those who are leaving us: we are deeply sorry’, said Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar in staff memo

Magistrate hearing case against two co-accused questioned why officers say ‘no ambulance was obstructed’

Survey lays bare precarious state of local finances and increasingly ‘desperate’ measures planned in many areasMore than half of local authorities in England plan to cut more services while also raising council tax by the maximum possible amount, as they turn to increasingly “desperate” measures to remain financially solvent, a survey has revealed.Nine out of 10 councils are raising council tax from April. This alone will not balance their budgets, meaning most are also proposing to cut spending (52%), increase fees for services such as parking and waste (93%), spend their “rainy day” financial reserves (67%) and sell off assets such as land and buildings. Continue reading...

Trade body Make UK adds to pressure on Rishi Sunak as it calls for reset of relationships with EuropeBusiness leaders say frayed relations with the EU are costing the British economy, as suppliers in the bloc grow more cautious about doing business with post-Brexit Britain.Adding to the pressure on Rishi Sunak’s government as bosses warn that the UK is falling behind its peers, the manufacturers’ group Make UK called for an urgent reset of political and trading relationships with the EU. Continue reading...

Interest rates at highest level since mid-2012 as central bank continues to try to drive down inflation

Moira Shire council also investigated over major construction projects, transportation of asbestos, and occupational health and safety issues

Former department head Kathryn Campbell rejects suggestions at inquiry that oversight was deliberate or government ministers had pressured her

Former Australian PM criticises ‘extent of the bias’ in newspapers’ front-page report warning of armed conflict in Indo-Pacific

In a bellicose first press conference, Qin Gang rebuked Washington over its Taiwan policy and the balloon incident, while praising Beijing’s relationship with RussiaThe US and China are heading towards inevitable conflict if Washington does not change its approach, China’s new foreign minister has said in a fiery press conference in which he defended his country’s strengthening relationship with Russia.In his first media appearance as foreign minister, held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the “two sessions” political gathering, Qin Gang outlined China’s foreign policy agenda for the coming years, presenting China and its relationship with Russia as a beacon of strength and stability, and the US and its allies as a source of tension and conflict. Continue reading...

Sources say Tsai Ing-wen intends to meet McCarthy in the coming weeks, a move that may stoke tensions with Beijing and in the Taiwan strait

The former Australian of the Year was in the courtroom as Bester, the teacher who abused her, entered his plea

Judge says it would likely not be ‘tolerable’ for pair to work together until the beginning of Fair Work dismissal case

Heatwave continues along the coast and extreme fire danger forecast inland as windy weather picks up

Global study shows significant shift in UK attitudes on matters such as casual sex and assisted dyingThe UK has overtaken Canada, Germany and Australia to become one of the world’s most socially liberal nations towards divorce and abortion, the latest wave of a global study has revealed.Significant increases in the last five years in people saying the practices are justifiable is mirrored by sharply increasing acceptance of homosexuality, casual sex and prostitution over the same period, the World Values Survey found. Continue reading...

Plans to film veteran broadcaster close to birds for Wild Isles series pulled over concerns about his healthTelevision producers feared David Attenborough would catch bird flu and die during filming for his latest series – likely to be the veteran broadcaster’s last job on location.Wild Isles, which premieres on Sunday, will be Attenborough’s first landmark series on the natural history of Britain and Ireland. Filmed over the course of three years, the five-part series aims to shine a light on the challenges affecting the British Isles and celebrate nature that exists on our doorsteps. Continue reading...

Lower proportion of cases are solved in comparison with incidents involving white people, charity research suggestsMissing persons cases involving black and Asian people are less likely to be resolved by police than those involving white people, research suggests.Black and Asian children are also likely to be missing for longer, the report, published by the charity Missing People, found. Continue reading...

Proposed law, criticised as cruel and unworkable, could be made to apply retrospectively from TuesdayRefugees who cross the Channel in small boats from Tuesday could face detention and deportation under a new migration law that Labour and charities have called “unworkable” and “cruel”.In an acknowledgment that the law will prompt a fresh rush of refugees across the Channel, the Home Office is seeking to make the illegal migration bill apply retrospectively from the day it is introduced to parliament, the Guardian has been told. Continue reading...

Temperatures could plummet to -15c in some sheltered Scottish areas with snow cutting off some rural areasTuesday night could be the coldest this year so far, the Met Office has warned, with fears that Arctic air could cut off some rural communities and cause power and transport chaos.Temperatures could fall as low as -15c in some sheltered Scottish areas, with locations that have seen snowfall especially vulnerable. Continue reading...

Council says problem is being eradicated after claims of ‘rats as big as cats’ in cliffs above popular south Wales seaside townThe seaside town of Tenby is one of Wales’ most popular tourist destinations, with tens of thousands flocking each year to enjoy its beaches and picturesque coastline.But those admiring the view from Castle Beach in the last fortnight could have been in for a shock, as they may have seen large rats burrowing within the cliff above their heads. Continue reading...

The Oscar-winning film-maker has announced he is months into making Musk, which will examine the controversial entrepreneurOscar-winning film-maker Alex Gibney has announced that he is in the process of making a documentary about Elon Musk.The documentarian behind films such as Taxi to the Dark Side and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is months into the making of Musk, “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative tech entrepreneur. Continue reading...

Gunmen opened fire on vehicle in northern city of Matamoros, and FBI is offering $50,000 reward for return of victimsGunmen kidnapped four US citizens who crossed into Mexico from Texas last week to buy medicine and got caught in a shootout that killed at least one Mexican citizen, officials said on Monday.The four were in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. They came under fire on Friday shortly after entering the city of Matamoros from Brownsville, the southernmost tip of Texas near the Gulf coast, the FBI San Antonio division office said in a statement on Sunday. Continue reading...

Graphic clip shows detained combatant standing in a shallow trench before being apparently shotUkraine has urged the international criminal court to investigate footage circulating on social media that appeared to show Russian fighters killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war.In the graphic clip that first circulated on Telegram, a detained combatant is seen standing in a shallow trench and smoking a cigarette. The soldier says “Glory to Ukraine” and is then apparently shot with automatic weapons. Continue reading...

ACMD says sale and possession of laughing gas for recreational use should not be barred despite Home Office desire for crackdownThe UK’s drug advisory panel has rejected calls to ban the sale and possession of nitrous oxide for recreational use, despite the Home Office’s eagerness to do so, a new report has revealed.While supplying nitrous oxide for psychoactive purposes is already banned, laughing gas or “nos” remains hugely popular among young people. Its growing use has thrown concerns about possible associated health and social problems into the spotlight. Continue reading...

Whitehall chief called travellers being confined to Covid hotels ‘hilarious’, according to leak of chats with former health secretaryFormer senior civil servants have expressed surprise and concern at the cabinet secretary, Simon Case’s “unprofessional” and jokey WhatsApp chats with Matt Hancock during the Covid crisis, saying they appeared to be a highly unusual departure from normal standards.Case’s correspondence with Hancock is revealed in a leak to the Telegraph, known as the Lockdown Files, which shows the head of the civil service saying it was “hilarious” that some travellers were being “locked up” in hotels after entering the UK. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson’s allies continue campaign to discredit Partygate inquiry run by departing civil servantSenior Conservatives have launched a bid to stymie Labour’s “unprecedented” hiring of outgoing civil servant Sue Gray, amid claims the rules for departing senior officials had been breached.Conservative MPs demanded the appointment be blocked for up to two years given her “knowledge of the most sensitive details of government ministers”, while Boris Johnson’s allies ramped up their campaign to discredit the Partygate inquiry she ran. Continue reading...

Friends and family question police handling of case after three people found dead and two badly injuredFamilies and friends have expressed anger that it took up to 46 hours to find five people in the wreckage of a car crash that left three of them dead and two seriously injured.Friends and relatives of the three young women and two men raised the alarm when they failed to return home from a Friday night out in Newport, south Wales. Continue reading...

Priscila Guevara and Constantín Dumitru also ordered to pay €750,000 to insurers over the theft of 45 bottlesA court in Spain has sentenced two people to four and half years in prison after the theft of €1.6m (£1.4m) worth of expensive wine from a high-end restaurant in a heist that made headlines around the world.In October 2021 one of the owners of Atrio hotel and restaurant in the city of Cáceres sounded the alarm after discovering 45 bottles of wine – including a 217-year-old bottle of Château d’Yquem worth €350,000 – were missing from the cellar. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy discusses situation in besieged city as senior Ukraine commanders remain in favour of strengthening positions. This live blog is closed

Former PM accused of having ‘discredited honours system’ with selections for long-delayed resignation list

BMA ballot finds 86% of consultants would take industrial action, putting patient care in England under further stressSenior doctors are prepared to strike in protest over their pensions and deep cuts to their pay, a consultative ballot by their union has shown.The indicative ballot run by the British Medical Association (BMA) found that 86% of more than 17,000 consultants in England who voted would go on strike. Continue reading...

Move met with indignation by many across country, where liquor sales have boomed in recent yearsOver the past two decades of problems in Iraq, where to find a drink has never been one of them. But one of the country’s most popular vices – alcohol – is again at the centre of a tussle between hardliners, who are demanding an import ban, and drinkers intent on defying them.The latest row about whether alcohol can be served has followed a decree from a conservative cabinet minister at the weekend that ordered customs officials to impose an import ban on liquor. Continue reading...

Northern mayors at transport summit call for operator to be removed with 20,000 trains expected to be cancelled this yearTransPennine Express bosses have been warned to sort out “unacceptable” rail services, ministers said, as northern mayors demanded that the government “get a grip” on the operator which is on track to cancel more than 20,000 trains this year.TPE has already cancelled about a quarter of services in 2023, with 40% scrapped in one week in January because of a lack of staff. Continue reading...