World news | The Guardian

Politician from governing FDP says skilled foreign workers are being put off by unwieldy bureaucratic GermanEnglish should become a second official language at administrative offices in Germany, one of the country’s governing parties has argued, saying unwieldy bureaucratic German is proving too much of a deterrent for much-needed skilled workers from abroad.The three-party government of the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in which the FDP is a junior coalition partner, last autumn unveiled its own version of a “green card” – called Chancenkarte or “opportunity card” – designed to address a critical shortage of skilled labour. Continue reading...

Funding pledged for cameras, drones and watchtowers, in move criticised by aid agencies and LuxembourgEU leaders have agreed to toughen up border controls to keep out people trying to enter, with more funds pledged for cameras, drones and watchtowers at the bloc’s external borders.The decision was published in the early hours of Friday after the 27 leaders met to discuss tighter control of the EU’s external frontier, in response to the highest number of people filing asylum applications since 2016. Continue reading...

Boston Conservatory at Berklee students able to take dance class taught by a Rockette on their meticulously precise techniqueRhapsody Stiggers has been dancing since she was two, but the 20-year-old college junior has never taken a dance class quite as challenging as the one she’s in now.She is one of 38 students at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee enrolled in the first for-credit college dance class taught by the Radio City Rockettes, the precision dance team famous for its annual high-kicking Christmas Spectacular show in New York, seen by more than 69 million people since 1933. Continue reading...

Government’s new commitment to remove devices made by Hikvision and Dahua from buildings sweeps 2021 advice aside

Labour inspectors say Javier Marcos’s shop assistant job ad discriminated on grounds of both sex and ageA Barcelona shopkeeper has been fined €7,501 (£6,600) for placing an advertisement for a shop assistant stating that the applicant should be “a woman over 40”.Javier Marcos, who runs a small curtain-making business in the Fort Pienc area of the city, said he wanted to replace his only female employee, who is retiring, with someone with a similar profile. Continue reading...

Humanitarian groups urge foreign secretary to issue correction to a recent report, amid fears it could provide cover for repression in the Gulf stateThe British foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has been urged by humanitarian organisations to issue a correction over a “misleading” Foreign Office (FCDO) report on Bahrain, as they say it represents a “dangerous whitewash” on human rights that risks emboldening abusers in the Gulf state.A letter to the foreign secretary, signed by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Reprieve and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird), said the report is “fraught with inaccuracies” and amounts to disinformation that could be used as propaganda by the government of Bahrain. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Estranged parent, 67, suggests account of neglect, drinking and abuse by stepfather probably aimed at reducing rape sentenceThe mother of the rapist Metropolitan police officer David Carrick has said it is possible he overplayed his childhood trauma to reduce his sentence.Carrick, 48, pleaded guilty to 85 serious offences including 48 rapes against 12 women. He was given 36 life sentences at Southwark crown court on Tuesday and will spend at least the next 30 years in prison for his 17-year crime spree. Continue reading...

Police search Marc Tarabella’s safe deposit box and offices as part of anti-corruption investigationA second MEP has been arrested as part of a criminal investigation into alleged bribery, corruption and money laundering at the European parliament.Marc Tarabella of Belgium was taken in for questioning after police arrived at his home at about 6am on Friday, according to Belgian press reports. Tarabella has previously declared his innocence. Continue reading...

Ashley Dalton retains constituency for Labour after resignation of Rosie Cooper last autumnLabour has retained the West Lancashire constituency in a byelection called after its MP, Rosie Cooper, resigned last autumn.Ashley Dalton, a part-time charity worker, won with 14,068 votes. Her comfortable win, securing a 10.2% swing from the Tories, marks Labour’s third byelection victory since Rishi Sunak became prime minister. Continue reading...

FBU raised concerns at meeting discussing review that found service to be institutionally misogynistLondon fire brigade is reviewing its relationship with the Freemasons after concerns were raised by the Fire Brigades Union, the Guardian has learned.The concerns were raised at a recent London assembly meeting to discuss a damning independent review that found LFB to be institutionally racist and misogynist. Continue reading...

Subsidence has caused flooding, while hillsides are at risk of landslip, which mean roads may need to be rerouted and people rehomedMore than 17,000 people are now known to have died after the huge earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the focus right now is on supporting survivors.But there are wider geological implications to the quake that may have consequences in the longer term slowly coming into focus. In the coastal city of İskenderun, there appears to have been significant subsidence, which has resulted in flooding, while the quake has left many hillsides around the country at a serious risk of landslip. This may result in roads and pipelines having to be rerouted and communities rehomed. Continue reading...

Apparent violation of countries’ airspace comes as Kremlin launches major missile and drone attack

Bodies are piled up in stadiums or car parks for identification; coffins are being brought in and mass graves dug

Ukraine accuses Russia of sending cruise missiles over Moldovan and Romanian airspace; missile attacks strike critical infrastructure in Ukraine againRussia-Ukraine war – live news updates Continue reading...

‘Historic’ clampdown on tourist excesses aims to make life more bearable for local residentsSmoking cannabis on the street in Amsterdam’s red light district will soon be illegal, the city council has announced, as part of a range of bylaws designed to deter tourist excesses and make life more bearable for despairing locals.With more than 18 million visitors thronging its narrow 17th-century streets last year, Amsterdam’s residents have long complained that the busiest parts of the city centre, including De Wallen – the red light district – were becoming unliveable. Continue reading...

BEIS also asks firms how many warrants to forcefully enter people’s homes they have applied forAll energy suppliers have promised the UK government that they will end the installation of prepayment meters in the homes of vulnerable customers, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has said.The department said it had also asked all suppliers to set out how they were supporting their customers, how many warrants to forcefully enter people’s homes they had applied for and how they would make up for any wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Joana Partyka admitted painting company logo on to the masterpiece Down on His Luck in protest at Burrup Peninsula development

Villagers gather with placards in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire, as police extend search down River WyreThe friends Nicola Bulley will gather for another roadside appeal two weeks on from her disappearance.Residents of the Lancashire village of St Michael’s on Wyre and the surrounding area are to stand in the road with banners and placards featuring Bulley’s photograph with a plea to “bring Nikki home”. Continue reading...

Hari Budha Magar, a former Gurkha, hopes to be first ever double above-the-knee amputee to scale mountainA former Gurkha who lost both of his legs serving with the British army in Afghanistan hopes to become the first double above-the-knee (DAK) amputee to scale Everest this summer.Hari Budha Magar, who was “suicidal” after being medically discharged from the Royal Gurkha Regiment in 2010, is working with an all-Nepali team to attempt to conquer the world’s highest mountain in May. Continue reading...

Free TV Australia has rejected calls for further restrictions, telling inquiry the current regime is poorly understood by the community

Agriculture minister has referred serious allegations of misconduct at the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to police

Steven Miles said a magistrate’s decision to release children locked in Townsville watch house was ‘a media stunt’

Great uncle will look after baby whose mother died in the wreckage of their home, as teenager pulled alive from house in Turkey, days after quake

Turkey says it is working to open two more border crossings; girl and father pulled alive from rubble in Antakya

Members of the public will be able to apply for tickets to Windsor Castle event via BBC website from FridayA national ballot is being held for 10,000 free tickets for the coronation concert at Windsor Castle, the BBC has announced.The live televised concert will be held on 7 May, the day after the coronation of King Charles III, as part of a weekend of celebrations to mark the event. Continue reading...

Some of the over 1,450 people brought by AG Recruitment owed thousands to unlicensed brokersA British recruitment agency that brought Indonesian farmworkers to the UK who had debts of thousands of pounds to foreign brokers has lost its licence as a seasonal worker sponsor.More than 1,450 Indonesians were brought to Britain last year by AG Recruitment to pick berries and other fruits to supply British supermarkets. Continue reading...

Homeless charity Crisis say rise in repossessions shows ‘devastating impact’ of the cost of living crisis on rentersRental evictions have surged by 98% in a year, official figures show, with a charity saying this showed the “devastating impact” of the cost of living crisis on renters.Repossessions by landlords hit 5,409 between 1 October and 31 December last year, which was almost double the number in the same period in 2021, according to new Ministry of Justice figures for England and Wales. Continue reading...

Erkin Tuniyaz, who allegedly played a central role in Uyghur persecution, will controversially visit the UKA lawyer representing a Kazakh man who has alleged severe human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese state has requested permission from the attorney general to prosecute a Xinjiang governor expected to arrive in the UK on Sunday.On Wednesday, the Foreign Office shocked cross-party opponents of the Chinese treatment of Uyghur people and other Turkic groups who called it “incomprehensible” that Xinjiang governor, Erkin Tuniyaz – who has been sanctioned by the US – is planning to visit the UK next week. Continue reading...

Pierre Ny St-Amand charged with first degree murder after two children died and six were injured in incidentPolice have charged a bus driver with first-degree murder after he drove his vehicle at a high speed into a daycare center north of Montreal, killing two children, injuring six and leaving authorities searching for a motive.Witnesses say that after Wednesday’s crash, the 51-year-old driver, identified as Pierre Ny St-Amand, stepped out of the bus, stripped off his clothes and started screaming. Continue reading...

Latest figures from ONS show racial disparity among murder victims has worsened over last decadeBlack people in England and Wales are four times as likely to be murdered as white people, according to new figures published by the Office for National Statistics.There were 39.7 black murder victims for every million people in England and Wales in the three years ending March 2022 – more than four times the 8.9 white victims, the figures show. Continue reading...

Consumer goods group says it faces higher costs and denies it is making ‘windfall profits’Unilever, the company behind brands including Marmite and Dove soap, has warned it will continue increasing prices for consumers this year but denied it was making “windfall profits” during the cost of living crisis.The London-headquartered company said on Thursday that while the level of inflation had likely peaked, prices had continued to rise, albeit at a slower pace compared with a year earlier. It would mean that Unilever would continue increasing prices for consumers in the first half of the year, even if it meant shoppers bought fewer items as a result. Continue reading...

Ex-member for Sheffield Hallam was said to have been ‘in poor mental health and heavily addicted to cocaine’

Fire Brigades Union expected to ballot members on revised pay offer after face-to-face talks with employers

Presidential election comes as fuel shortages and currency woes take toll on continent’s most populous countryNigeria’s election on 25 February has been described as pivotal to the progress of democracy in Africa, where military coups and attempts by longstanding rulers to cling to power have raised fears of a “democratic retreat” from advances made since the end of the cold war.More than a dozen African countries go the polls in the coming 12 months, but experts agree that the presidential and parliamentary vote in the continent’s most populous country is the one that matters the most. Continue reading...

Swiss bank is cutting 9,000 jobs in restructuring programme after series of scandalsCredit Suisse has scrapped its annual bonus for top executives after the scandal-hit Swiss bank reported its worst full-year loss since the 2008 banking crisis.The lender on Thursday revealed a 7.3bn Swiss francs (£6.6bn) net loss for 2022, as clients withdrew their cash at a dizzying pace and the bank experienced a significant drop in income from its wealth, asset management and investment management divisions. Continue reading...

Disasters Emergency Committee coordinates rapid response by 14 charities including British Red Cross

Campaigners protest ‘inhumane’ Home Office policies and call for resignation of Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman at London fundraiserCampaigners infiltrated a Conservative party fundraiser demanding to know what happened to asylum-seeking children who have gone missing from hotels,

Coalition frontbencher breaks ranks with Peter Dutton saying taxpayer funds should not be used for referendum campaigns

Exclusive: Party treasurer Charlie Taylor has attended fundraisers hosted by the minister who appointed him

Natalie Baini says evidence was arising in both her court actions suggesting a former minister had sworn false documents and it had been concealed by a party director

Dominic Perrottet and Chris Minns argue and interject over privatisation, infrastructure and public sector pay

More than 900 products made by Hikvision and Dahua discovered at 250 federal premises

Social Mobility Commission says students should be informed of ‘earnings implications’ of course choicesStudents should be given more details about how the courses they study after leaving school might affect their employment prospects, it has been suggested, as figures show near-record numbers of 18-year-olds applying to university.A review of research into the employment effects of higher and further education by the government’s Social Mobility Commission showed wide variations in earnings, with some courses failing to boost salaries, while the most lucrative courses for graduates often admitted few students in England from disadvantaged backgrounds. Continue reading...

National Audit Office praises expansion of care but says soaring demand means delays will persistMillions of people in England with mental ill-health are not seeking NHS help, and many who get it face long delays and a “poor experience”, a report says.Long waits for care will persist for years because soaring demand, exacerbated by Covid, will continue to outstrip the ability of severely understaffed mental health services to provide speedy treatment, the National Audit Office (NAO) found.An estimated 8 million people with mental health needs are not in contact with NHS services.There are 1.2 million people waiting for help from community-based mental health services.While the mental health workforce grew by 22% between 2016-17 and 2021-22, the NHS recorded a 44% increase in referrals over the same period.In 2021-22, 13% of mental health staff – 17,000 people – quit. Continue reading...

Turkish president rejects growing criticism as rescuers continue to pull survivors from freezing rubble

Kyiv outraged as Pink Floyd star accepts Russian invitation to speak at UN security council and calls for immediate ceasefireThe veteran Pink Floyd rocker, Roger Waters, has addressed the UN security council at Russia’s invitation, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. But he was denounced by the Ukrainian ambassador as “just another brick in the wall” of Moscow’s propaganda.Waters spoke via a video link, dressed in a light brown tweed jacket, appearing on a screen looming over representatives of the 15 nations on the council, convened on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak asks defence secretary to look at options after Ukrainian leader’s plea in speech to MPs and peers

Exclusive: Erkin Tuniyaz ‘played central role’ in persecution of Uyghurs, says inter-parliamentary alliance on ChinaThe Foreign Office has shocked cross-party opponents of the Chinese treatment of Uyghur groups by revealing that it has asked the Xinjiang governor for talks.MPs belonging to the inter-parliamentary alliance on China (Ipac) called it “incomprehensible” that “anybody within government would think it appropriate to meet with someone who has played a central role in the persecution of Uyghurs – crimes our own parliament has declared to be genocide”. Continue reading...

Ukrainian leader drew upon his showmanship during trip to ask for ongoing support and place on agenda