World news | The Guardian

Most of toymaker’s staff in Moscow to lose jobs and partnership with retailer to be wound up due to invasion of UkraineLego is to end all operations in Russia “indefinitely” after pausing deliveries to its 81 stores in the country in March.The world’s largest toymaker said it was ending the employment of most of its staff in Moscow and terminating a partnership with Inventive Retail Group, the company that runs stores on its behalf in the country. Continue reading...

Unions say figures showing teacher and pupil attendance dropping are reminder virus has not gone awaySchool attendance in England has fallen to the lowest level since January, according to the latest government data.Nearly one in five secondary pupils was off last week, while teacher absences are also on the rise, figures show. Continue reading...

Several people reportedly killed in strike – possibly from Himars system – on ammunition store in Nova Kakhovka

From Rishi Sunak’s use of a Max Bygraves catchphrase to the weirdly robotic Penny Mordaunt and the fantastically self-satisfied Liz Truss, the first crop of Conservative leadership campaign videos are very odd indeedSajid Javid★☆☆☆☆ Continue reading...

Prof Jonathan Tonge, who accurately predicted confidence vote result, says it’s a ‘51/49 call’The “Mystic Meg” professor who accurately predicted the number of Tory MPs who would back Boris Johnson in last month’s confidence vote has tentatively cast his runes for the final outcome of the Conservative leadership election.“Without any confidence at all, I’d say Rishi Sunak will become the next prime minister,” said Jonathan Tonge, who teaches British politics at the University of Liverpool. “But I think it’s a 51/49 call because Liz Truss plays pretty well with the Tory party members too. Continue reading...

Lawyers advise supreme court that Sturgeon not entitled to a ruling on legality of holding a vote without Westminster’s consentNicola Sturgeon’s request for a supreme court ruling on the legality of holding a second Scottish independence referendum without Westminster’s permission should be thrown out as “premature”, the UK government has suggested.Scotland’s lord advocate, Dorothy Bain QC, wrote to the supreme court at the first minister’s request two weeks ago seeking clarity on whether the Holyrood parliament can legislate to stage a second referendum without clearance from Westminster under a section 30 order, which Boris Johnson has repeatedly refused to grant. Continue reading...

Blow for industry as government backs WHO data and vows to cut additives in ham and cured sausagesFrench health authorities say they have confirmed a link between nitrates added to processed meat and colon cancer, dealing a blow to the country’s prized ham and cured sausage industry.The national food safety body Anses said its study of data published on the subject supported similar conclusions in 2015 from the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor’s well-worn navy worker’s jacket acquired by People’s History MuseumThe jacket Andy Burnham wore for a defiant al fresco speech telling the government that Greater Manchester would not accept any more Covid restrictions is to go on display this week.The mayor’s navy worker’s jacket, described by one politics professor in a broadsheet think piece as “a political statement of his working-class credentials”, will be shown at the People’s History Museum in Manchester from Wednesday. Continue reading...

The backbench 1922 Committee has set the rules and timetable for picking the next UK prime minister

White House says US has evidence Tehran is going to supply Moscow with weapons-capable drones

Home secretary had previously made it clear she was considering competing for the top job

Photos dating back to 1800s made free to allow telling of black history stories beyond enslavement and colonisationA collection of almost 30,000 rarely seen images of the black diaspora in the UK and the US, dating from the 19th century to the present, has been launched as part of an educational initiative to raise awareness of the history of black people in the UK.The Black History & Culture Collection includes more than 20 categories of images including politics, hair, education, female empowerment and LGBTQ+. Continue reading...

Ex-PM tells MPs that senior ministers share responsibility for harm done to democracy at home and Britain’s standing globally

Government criticises broadcaster for documentary alleging Afghan civilians were shot in cold bloodThe Ministry of Defence (MoD) has taken the extraordinary step of accusing the BBC of engaging in “irresponsible, incorrect” journalism hours before a Panorama documentary that will accuse SAS soldiers of killing Afghan civilians in cold blood.The product of a four-year investigation, the programme due to be broadcast on BBC One on Tuesday night concludes that 54 people were killed in suspicious circumstances by one SAS unit in Helmand province between 2010 and 2011. Continue reading...

Investigation into Nadine Dorries’ claims reality show used paid actors has found no evidence of fakery, says Alex MahonThe government tried to intervene to alter the wording of Channel 4’s annual report to fit its privatisation plans, according to the broadcaster’s chief executive.Alex Mahon also told a committee of MPs on Tuesday that the broadcaster’s investigation into culture secretary Nadine Dorries’ claims a 2010 Channel 4 reality show she appeared on used paid actors has found no evidence of fakery. Continue reading...

Deputy PM and transport secretary throw weight behind frontrunner in bid to succeed Boris Johnson

Airport admits it is struggling to cope with surge in demand and its new staff are ‘not yet up to full speed’Heathrow has asked airlines to stop selling summer tickets and imposed a daily limit of 100,000 passengers departing the airport, as it struggles to cope with the surge in travel.Heathrow and other airports have experienced chaotic scenes in recent weeks, with long queue times amid shortages of ground staff, and airlines have cancelled thousands of flights. Continue reading...

Contestants will enter a writers’ retreat and be given 30 days to write a novel while completing ‘live-wire’ challengesReality TV producers have exhausted singers, dancers, drag artists, potters, tailors, and beautiful young people hoping to find love. Now, it seems, the spotlight has fallen on writers. This week, a call has appeared on social media for contestants to apply to be on the pilot of a new show called America’s Next Great Author (ANGA).Billed as “the groundbreaking reality TV show for writers”, ANGA will give its contestants one minute to pitch their novels to a panel of judges that includes New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds, Fox5 TV presenter Angie Goff, and stage writer and comedian Marga Gomez. Continue reading...

Other high earners such as Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel have left corporation helping to reduce wage billGary Lineker has retained his title as the BBC’s highest paid presenter, although the continued exodus of big-name stars from the broadcaster has led to the departure of some high earners.The former footballer earned £1.35m last year for hosting Match of the Day and coverage of Euro 2020, putting him comfortably ahead of second-placed Radio 2 breakfast show host Zoe Ball, who took home £980,000 from the BBC. Continue reading...

Head of Mulanay municipality in Quezon threatens disciplinary action for failing to follow ‘smile policy’A mayor in the Philippines has ordered all local government workers and officials to smile while serving the public – and threatened disciplinary action against those who fail to comply.Aristotle “Aris” L Aguirre, the mayor of Mulanay municipality in Quezon, has sought to tackle an apparent problem of low spirits among staff by signing an executive order adopting a “smile policy”. Continue reading...

Evgeny Lebedev’s London freesheet reports £14m loss for last year as Covid continues to hit advertisingThe Evening Standard has reported a loss of £14m for last year as the Covid pandemic continued to dent advertising income and commuters remained at home – taking the London freesheet’s losses to almost £70m over the past five years.The newspaper, which is majority owned by Evgeny Lebedev, embarked on a big cost-cutting drive during the pandemic which has resulted in staff numbers falling by more than a quarter from 320 to 236 in the 53 weeks to 3 October last year. Continue reading...

Vice president Kamala Harris to announce postings in Kiribati and Tonga during Pacific Islands Forum address

A senior professor says no links have been found between the first four deaths, and the fifth is under reviewFive students at the University of Cambridge have died as a result of suicide or suspected suicide over the past four months, prompting a rapid review by university authorities.Prof Graham Virgo, the senior pro-vice-chancellor for education, said inquiries had found no links between the first four deaths of students who were all at different colleges. The fifth death happened since and is the subject of further review. Continue reading...

Doctors accuse government of ‘mixed messages’ as hospitalisations rise, saying they should be open to more preventive measures

New regulations require scam messages to be traced, identified and blocked and for information to be shared with authorities

Just 70 MPs and peers saw Sir Patrick Vallance showcase data that converted Boris Johnson to climate cause before Cop26Only 70 MPs and peers attended an emergency climate briefing by the UK government’s chief scientific adviser in parliament on Monday, the Guardian has learned.The briefing, organised by the climate change all-party parliamentary group, was an updated version of the slides that the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, showed Boris Johnson before the UN climate summit Cop26 in Glasgow in November. Continue reading...

Joint letter says Andrea Jenkyns’ excuses for raising her middle finger to crowds outside No 10 would not be acceptable from teaching staff or pupilsEducation unions have written to the newly appointed education minister, Andrea Jenkyns, warning that her use of an obscene gesture and her excuses since would be unacceptable from a pupil or member of staff.Jenkyns, Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood, was widely criticised after she was pictured raising her middle finger at a crowd gathered at the entrance to Downing Street on the day of Boris Johnson’s announcement that he was to step down as prime minister. Continue reading...

Attack on tavern near Johannesburg in which 15 were killed was one of several similar incidents over the weekendCampaigners in South Africa have called for a crackdown on increasingly powerful organised criminals armed with military-grade weapons, blamed for a string of recent deadly attacks.Police are looking for suspected gang members who killed 15 people in a tavern near Johannesburg, the country’s commercial capital, using an assault rifle and 9mm pistols on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Union members overwhelmingly back industrial action that could be as disruptive as RMT strikes in JuneDrivers at eight train companies have voted to strike over pay, raising the prospect of significantly more travel disruption this summer.Members of the train drivers’ union Aslef at Chiltern, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, London Overground, Northern, Southeastern, TransPennine Express and West Midlands all voted overwhelmingly to go on strike. Continue reading...

Tech firm wooed owners of publications in Europe and India as it sought favourable treatment from governments, documents showUber courted leading media barons across Europe and India with the aim of using their clout to secure more favourable treatment from governments, leaked documents reveal. It asked existing media investors to lobby on its behalf and offered others prized stakes in the company.The tech company’s charm offensive targeted the owners of publications including the UK’s Daily Mail, France’s Les Echos, Italy’s La Repubblica and L’Espresso, Germany’s Die Welt and Bild and the Times of India. The German deal was discussed internally as a way of gaining political “support and influence” in Germany and Brussels, according to the Uber files, a leak of more than 124,000 documents to the Guardian. Continue reading...

Chancellor vows to slash spending if he gets top job as rival Liz Truss says she would cut taxes ‘from day one’

Former Formula One boss to appear in court in August after HMRC investigation, says CPSFormer Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone will face charges of fraud by false representation after an investigation by UK tax authorities that allegedly found undeclared assets worth more than £400m overseas.The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Monday it had “authorised the charging of Bernard Charles Ecclestone with fraud by false representation, following a [HM Revenue and Customs] investigation”. The investigation was dubbed Operation Gallic by the authorities. Continue reading...

Ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak had mooted tax similar to energy profits levy on North Sea oil and gasOutgoing prime minister Boris Johnson has ditched mooted plans to introduce a windfall tax on electricity generators.The former chancellor Rishi Sunak had floated the prospect of slapping electricity firms with a tax similar to the energy profits levy on North Sea oil and gas operators. Continue reading...

The climate crisis is playing a clear role in making heatwaves more intense and more likelyThe UK and continental Europe are sweltering in a heatwave due to last until at least the weekend, and the climate crisis is playing a clear role in intensifying extreme temperatures. Continue reading...

Tetsuya Yamagami’s mother attends meetings, says Unification church, after he told investigators of grudgeThe mother of the man accused of assassinating Shinzo Abe is a member of the Unification church, which the suspect has cited as a motive for his fatal shooting of the former Japanese prime minister last week.The church, whose members are colloquially known as Moonies, confirmed at a press conference on Monday that the mother of Tetsuya Yamagami, who was detained moments after he shot Abe from behind during an election campaign speech on Friday, attends meetings about once a month. Continue reading...

British resident Tiffany Ellis separated from husband and other child since last year after ‘callous’ Home Office decisionA British resident who is stranded in Jamaica with her baby has been told by the Home Office the child cannot come to the UK because he has an “established life” on the Caribbean island.Tiffany Ellis, 28, has indefinite leave to remain in the UK, where she has lived since the age of eight. She gave birth to Xien Ellis on 30 April last year in Jamaica and has been trying to return to the UK ever since. Continue reading...

Nadine Dorries, Paul Dacre and Allegra Stratton among those reportedly being lined up for peeragesBoris Johnson is poised to go ahead with a resignation honours list before he departs Downing Street, No 10 has confirmed, after speculation that it could include gongs for the culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, and the former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, among others.Asked about the prospects of such a list, Johnson’s official spokesperson said he could not comment on details, but it was “convention” for departing prime ministers to award knighthoods and appointments to the House of Lords. Continue reading...

Pair reprising roles as Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson as Australian soap comes to end after 37 yearsKylie Minogue has stepped back into the mechanic’s overalls of her Neighbours character, Charlene Mitchell, in first-look photos from the show’s forthcoming finale.She and Jason Donovan will reprise their roles as Charlene and Scott Robinson as the Australian soap comes to an end after 37 years on screen. Continue reading...

Inquiry hears police lodged 50,704 applications for contraventions of orders, with 9,347 charges laid

General Medical Council urged to denounce sexist and misogynistic behaviour towards female colleaguesFemale doctors have launched an online campaign that they say exposes shocking gender-based discrimination, harassment and sexual assault in healthcare.Surviving in Scrubs is an issue for all healthcare workers, say the campaign’s founders, Becky Cox and Chelcie Jewitt, who are encouraging women to share stories of harassment and abuse to “push for change and to reach the people in power”. Continue reading...

Former Australian attorney general and foreign minister says prosecution of Witness K’s lawyer Collaery, now abandoned, was ‘indefensible’

Exclusive: Worker raises concerns about chronic staff shortage, poor pay and unmanageable workload as domestic travel soars

Centres across Australia struggle with demand as sector awaits reforms indicated by attorney general Mark Dreyfus

More than 30 closed for a week – with extension thought likely – and dozens of city zones locked down in gambling hubMacau has shut all its casinos for the first time in more than two years as authorities struggle to contain the worst coronavirus outbreak yet in the world’s biggest gambling hub.The city’s 30-plus casinos, along with other non-essential businesses, will shut for one week from Monday and people have been ordered to stay at home. Police would monitor flows of people outside, the government said, and stringent punishments would be imposed for those who disobeyed. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war hereThe Independent is reporting that new polling suggests public support from Britons for Ukrainian refugees is waning.The paper said that polling undertaken by YouGov in March indicated that 75% of people supported Ukrainians settling in the UK. Continue reading...

NUS survey finds a third of students are left with £50 a month to live on after paying rent and billsMore than one in 10 students are using food banks because they cannot make ends meet during the cost of living crisis, according to a survey by the National Union of Students (NUS).The poll of more than 3,500 university students found that 11% are using food banks, up from 5% in January, while 96% are cutting back as a result of soaring prices and bills. Continue reading...

In meeting with Penny Wong after G20 summit, Wang Yi urged Australia to treat China as a partner, not a threat

Sunday Times alleges he was blocked from hiring Tory activist in her 20s, with whom he had brief affairOpposition parties are expected to push this week for answers about allegations that Boris Johnson sought to secure a job for a young woman he was having a sexual relationship with, the woman later arguing she felt he had abused his power.The Liberal Democrats have called for a full investigation into the claims, reported by the Sunday Times, which date back to 2008, when Johnson was mayor of London. Downing Street has argued there is “no public interest” in the story. Continue reading...

PM pushed candidate forward for role in City Hall while he was mayor of London, report claimsBoris Johnson is facing new allegations he lobbied to get a job for a woman who claimed to be having a sexual relationship with him while he was London mayor.It is alleged that Johnson lobbied for the woman to have a City Hall job during his time as London mayor and MP for Henley. Continue reading...