World news | The Guardian

Nine in 10 voters back leader to stay in office in poll viewed as foregone conclusion by critics and supportersNine in 10 Mexicans voting in an unprecedented recall election engineered by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have backed him to stay in office, underlining his domination of a polarised political agenda.Critics and supporters had viewed his victory as a foregone conclusion in a ballot that had fed speculation it could open the door to extending presidential term limits, now limited to a single six-year period. Continue reading...

Leader says associates of Stop the War coalition must support Nato and reject ‘false equivalence’ with RussiaJeremy Corbyn will not have the Labour whip restored while he continues to associate with the Stop the War coalition, Keir Starmer has suggested, saying it was “very clear” those who wanted to be Labour MPs had to be supporters of Nato and reject “false equivalence” between Nato and Russian aggression.Starmer has previously suggested Corbyn may be allowed to return to sitting as a Labour MP if he apologises for a statement made in the wake of the equalities’ watchdog report into antisemitism. But speaking to the Guardian on Monday, the Labour leader suggested there was now a bigger obstacle to his return. Continue reading...

Man carrying the cane said he had no idea it concealed a sword and was able to catch his flight after it was confiscatedA man passing through a Transportation Security Agency (TSA) checkpoint was stopped for having a sword concealed in his cane – and claimed he had no idea the blade was there.Around noon last Tuesday, TSA officers at Logan airport in Boston were searching the traveler, a Massachusetts resident headed to New York. Continue reading...

French president emerges in lead but tranche of far-right voters likely to transfer support to Le PenEmmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen went in opposite directions on Monday in an attempt to drum up support from new voters they need to win the final round of France’s presidential election in less than a fortnight.Macron headed north, where he spent several hours talking to crowds at Denain, a former mining town once controlled by socialists but now a far-right stronghold, and promised he would listen to candidates “who failed to qualify” in Sunday’s first round of the election. Continue reading...

Disability royal commission told low rates of pay are calculated using tool said to measure ‘productivity’ of employees

Freefall ride appears to have started while the four-year-old boy’s harness remained above his head

Labor leader makes mistake on day one of campaign as Scott Morrison embraces former NSW MP who said PM ‘got the welcome he deserved’ during bushfiresThe Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, says he “accepts responsibility” for a gaffe on the first day of the federal election campaign when he couldn’t state the national unemployment figure or the official cash rate.Albanese was asked on multiple occasions if he knew the figures during a press conference in the marginal seat of Bass in Tasmania at the start of the six-week campaign. Continue reading...

Coalition and finance remain tight-lipped on payout to Tudge’s former staffer, while PM says Tudge remains in cabinet

‘Unmanageable’ workloads, stress and levels of trust in teachers from public and government key factorsA poll shows nearly half of teachers in England plan to quit within the next five years.Ahead of the National Education Union (NEU) annual conference in Bournemouth this week, it published data on Monday revealing that 44% of teachers plan to leave the profession by 2027. Continue reading...

Jacinta Allan refers to deputy prime minister’s ‘diary’ management in first meeting in 10 months

Higher proportion of ethnic minority LGBTQ+practitioners experienced abusive behaviour related to their identityNearly half of LGBTQ+ psychiatrists have experienced hostility at work because of their identity, according to a survey.The study by representative body the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that 48% of respondents said they had received negative treatment because of their sexuality or gender identity. Continue reading...

Universities UK report says 15m graduates working in a labour market that offers 16m graduate-level rolesThe UK has nearly a million graduate-level jobs without qualified staff filling them, according to a report for universities that predicts the labour market’s appetite for graduates will remain strong in the near future.Using data from official sources, the report published by Universities UK found there were 15 million people with degrees or equivalent qualifications working in the UK at the end of 2020 – and nearly 16 million positions in managerial and professional occupations defined as graduate-level jobs. Continue reading...

Analysis: With almost no successful major prosecutions over the last 30 years, those building cases hope things will be different this time

Baltic nation is calling for increased military presence in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine

Will it be the first re-election of a president in 20 years, or third time lucky for his far-right opponent?Centrist Emmanuel Macron and the far-right Marine Le Pen are through to the second round of the French presidential election. Who are they and what do they stand for? Continue reading...

Ticket prices reduced by between 20% and 40% in four-year initiative backed by £23.5m government grantResidents and visitors can enjoy cheaper trips around the far south-west of England after the launch of a cut-price bus fare pilot in Cornwall.Ticket prices across the county have been reduced by between 20% and 40% in an attempt to encourage more people out of their cars and on to public transport.£2.50 a day or £10 a week for adults within Cornish towns.£5 a day or £20 a week for adults for travel across Cornwall.Adult singles from £1.60, and returns from £2.40.Family tickets for £10 a day (up to two adults and unlimited children under 16). Continue reading...

Reporter and lecturer’s arrest in dawn raid another blow to city’s press amid Beijing crackdownA veteran Hong Kong journalist has been arrested by national security police for allegedly conspiring to publish “seditious materials”, a police source and local media said, in the latest blow against press freedom.Allan Au, a 54-year-old reporter and journalism lecturer, was arrested in a dawn raid on Monday by Hong Kong’s national security police unit, multiple local media outlets reported. Continue reading...

Alexander Dvornikov has record of brutality against civilians in Syria, say US officials; Zelenskiy praise comes after Germany said it would stop using Russian oil and coal by the end of the year

PM grilled again on education minister’s future after previously saying Tudge would not return to frontbench

Pro-independence parties boycotted last year’s referendum on a split from France, arguing Covid made campaigning too difficultA prominent New Caledonian indigenous party has said that if France wants to have an economic and political stake in the Pacific – as China’s influence in the region rises to “omnipresence” – it needs to grant New Caledonia a fourth referendum on independence and treat the Pacific island as a partner, rather than a colony.The calls come after a contentious referendum on independence last year which was boycotted by pro-independence parties, after they said holding a referendum during a severe Covid outbreak that disproportionately hit indigenous Kanak and Pasifika populations would not return a fair result. Continue reading...

Emergency surgery may soon be impossible, president told, while protests continue amid worsening economic downturnSri Lanka’s doctors have warned they are almost out of life-saving medicines and say the country’s economic crisis threatened a worse death toll than the coronavirus pandemic.Weeks of power blackouts and severe shortages of food, fuel and pharmaceuticals have brought widespread misery to Sri Lanka, which is suffering its worst downturn since independence in 1948. Continue reading...

Government’s proposed change to rules in England and Wales is part of measures aimed at cracking down on fly-tippingHouseholds in England and Wales will no longer have to pay to get rid of waste created by DIY activities under new plans set out by the government on Monday.At the moment, some local authorities are allowed to charge for the removal of waste such as plasterboard, bath units and bricks, but the proposed changes outlined in a technical consultation would stop this. Continue reading...

Estimated 21.5m leisure trips to be made by car from Good Friday to Easter Monday, says motoring bodyThis weekend’s Easter getaway could be the busiest on the UK’s roads in at least eight years as engineering works look set to disrupt rail travel, the RAC has said.An estimated 21.5 million leisure trips will be made by car between Good Friday and Easter Monday, the motoring organisation predicts. That is the most since the organisation began tracking motorists’ Easter plans in 2014.The M6 north between junction 26 (Orrell interchange, Greater Manchester) and junction 36 (the Lake District).The M25 clockwise from junction 8 (Reigate Hill interchange, Surrey) to junction 16 (Denham interchange, Buckinghamshire).The A303 near Stonehenge, Wiltshire. Continue reading...

‘Chris lived a life of poetry and music,’ band writes in a post announcing the singer and songwriter’s deathChris Bailey, the lead singer of legendary Australian band the Saints, has died.The band announced his death on Facebook on Monday. Continue reading...

Projected results in first part of presidential race put centrist leader on 27.6% and far-right candidate on 23%

Projected results in the presidential election show Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen going into a tight run-off after topping the first round. Follow all the official results as they come in, department by department

BDO index rises for fifth consecutive month but inflation and Ukraine war could curtail jobs boomEmployment growth in the UK returned to pre-pandemic levels in March, but the jobs boom looks set to be short-lived amid rising living costs and the impact of the war in Ukraine, a report says.The business advisory firm BDO said UK companies reported the fastest growth in the labour market since February 2020. Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen to contest second round after voters reject Mélenchon, Pecresse and Zemmour

As in 2017 and 2002, debate over whether leftwing voters should back centrist, stay home or not vote at allFrance now faces a frantic electoral fortnight after Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen made it to the second round of the presidential election, with the two remaining candidates attempting to convince the country’s voters – many of whom do not support them – that they deserve their vote in a fortnight.For many of France’s almost 48 million voters, this will be a difficult time, particularly for those on the left of the political spectrum. Many will be asking themselves whether to select what they consider the least bad option between the centrist Emmanuel Macron or far-right Marine Le Pen, or stay at home and not vote at all. Continue reading...

Centrist Macron may find it hard to make criticism of far-right opponent’s racist, anti-Muslim platform stick in next roundWhen the far-right Marine Le Pen posed for a selfie with a smiling teenager in a Muslim headscarf in Dunkirk on the northern coast, it was a turning point in the presidential campaign.Le Pen wants to ban the Muslim headscarf from all public places, including the streets, calling it a “uniform of totalitarian ideology”. So after posing happily with a girl in hijab, she was attacked for going soft by her far-right rival, the TV pundit Éric Zemmour. “Let me teach you about humanity,” Le Pen shot back at one of Zemmour’s lieutenants in a TV debate that went viral. “What would you have done? Pulled her veil off and mistreated her?” Continue reading...

Emmanuel Macron is asking French voters for another term as president. The far right’s Marine Le Pen, and 10 others, are challenging him. Find out the latest results department by departmentLive blog: latest developments and reactionThe French president is elected by a direct vote. There is no electoral college, and no involvement of parliament. A candidate who wins more than 50% of the popular vote is elected. If, as seems likely, no candidate wins that majority in the first round, the top two candidates go through to a run-off election two weeks later, on April 24. Continue reading...

Chinese city’s authorities say they have secured food and other essentials for residents after complaints about deliveriesMore than 11,000 recovered Covid-19 patients were discharged in Shanghai on Sunday, and health authorities emphasised that they must be allowed to return home despite the lockdown that has severely restricted movement in China’s largest city.“We hope their family and community will not worry about them or discriminate against them,” said Wu Jinglei, the director of the Shanghai municipal health commission. Continue reading...

In 2019, Richmond and Scott Morrison claimed miracle wins. And with canny leaders like Trent Cotchin, we should beware these wounded TigersJust before half time of Saturday night’s game at the MCG, two very different footballers went toe-to-toe on the Members wing: Trent Cotchin, an articled clerk who plays a blue collar game, and Bailey Smith, who looks like he’s just stepped off a float at Royal Randwick.

Pakistan’s now ousted PM appeared to give opposition ultimatum: agree to fresh elections or I’ll bring in armyImran Khan, who was ousted as Pakistan’s prime minister on Saturday, threatened to implement martial law rather than hand over power to the opposition, according to documents seen by the Guardian.According to security officials and opposition figures, he attempted several moves to hold on to power in the days and hours leading up to the no-confidence vote. However, he failed to stop it happening and in the final minutes before midnight on Saturday he was ousted from office. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Resident recounts her nephew’s murder, just one of the deaths during the carnage wrought by Russian forces

Problems seen across England are particularly acute in more rural south-west with its older population

Zelenskiy says Putin targeting ‘whole European project’ as civilians continue to flee eastern parts of Ukraine

Cabinet minister says he had the status – currently causing controversy for Rishi Sunak – while in bankingSajid Javid, the health secretary, has been drawn into the “non-dom” controversy after admitting he held the status for six years while a banker, allowing him to legally avoid tax on overseas earnings.The senior cabinet minister, a former chancellor, gave a statement to the Sunday Times saying he had held non-dom status, thought to be on the grounds that his father was born in Pakistan. Continue reading...

Chancellor is expected to spend weekends with his family at Kensington homeRishi Sunak’s family has moved out of Downing Street in the wake of the controversy over the tax affairs of his wife, Akshata Murty.Removal vans visited Downing Street, where the family occupies the flat above No 10, to move the Sunaks’ belongings to their home in Kensington. Sunak is expected to spendweekdays in Downing Street, while returning to his family in Kensington at weekends. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Call for Priti Patel to name the Russians on sanctions list and publish report on defunct visa purchase schemeThe government is facing fresh calls to reveal the identities of eight sanctioned Russian oligarchs who were allowed to buy “golden visas” to live in the UK.Stephen Kinnock, the shadow minister for immigration, is demanding that the home secretary, Priti Patel, name the eight Russians on the sanctions list and publish a long-withheld report on the now scrapped visa purchase programme. Continue reading...

London mayor says police chief who resigned amid scandal has given four decades of ‘dedicated public service’The mayor of London has thanked the outgoing Metropolitan police commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, for four decades of “dedicated public service” on her final day in the role.Dick resigned following Sadiq Khan’s public criticism of her handling of a group of police officers based at Charing Cross police station who had shared racist, homophobic and misogynistic messages on WhatsApp. Continue reading...

Lawyer’s book reveals the inside story of the musician’s 1976 court battle with Morris Levy, a mafia-affiliated music mogulIt was a courtroom drama with two towering protagonists. In one corner stood a record mogul with a history of violence and Mafia links who was notorious for stealing musicians’ work. In the other corner stood a Beatle.The battle between John Lennon and Morris Levy, the boss of Roulette Records and inspiration for a ruthless music mogul in The Sopranos, played out over several months and culminated in 1976 in New York’s district court. Continue reading...

Bloody Good Period has seen a 78% increase in demand for period products during the first quarter of 2022Period poverty in the UK has been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, charities warn, as the demand for menstrual products distributed by charities has increased.Data from Bloody Good Period, a charity that provides period products to those unable to buy them otherwise, found that there was a 78% increase in demand for their products during the first quarter of 2022, compared to the same period in 2020, rising from 7,452 period products to 13,284. Continue reading...

Daily on-the-ground evidence makes it more straightforward for the International Criminal Court to indict Vladimir Putin with war crimes

Scott Morrison says federal election about choosing between ‘a government you know and a Labor opposition you don’t’; Anthony Albanese says ‘Australians deserve better’ at campaign launch; at least 13 more deaths from Covid. This blog is now closed

Prime minister calls federal election for 21 May as two leaders outline pitch to voters

A small serving of panic in Andalucía as mayor suspected of trying to ban cherished local traditionIt’s often the majestic opulence of the Alhambra or the craggy peaks of the Sierra Nevada that lure visitors to the southern Spanish city of Granada. But it takes just minutes in one of the local bars – whether a heaving, dimly-lit tavern or a space where wine barrels stand in for tables – to discover another of the city’s charms: the free tapas that come with most drink orders.While olives and crisps flow freely in bars across Spain, Granada’s establishments have long gone the extra mile, serving up deluxe tapas that range from deep-fried shrimp to hearty patatas bravas. Continue reading...

The synthpop maestro used lockdown to revisit folk songs he’d written in the 1970s, inspired by whichever chord he’d learned that dayLockdown stimulated all kinds of unexpected creative urges. For Neil Tennant, of synthpop masterminds Pet Shop Boys, the outcome was a collection of folk songs.“During lockdown I started recording songs I’d written in the 70s,” he said, in an interview for BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life. “And they were on the guitar.” Continue reading...

More evidence emerges of atrocities as Russia pulls troops from its northern campaign around Kyiv to try and capture Donbas region

The government department in charge of fire safety failed to heed repeated warnings after a previous fatal tower block blazeThe architect Sam Webb has never forgotten walking into the charred, smoke-blackened bathroom on the 11th floor of a tower block devastated by fire in July 2009.In the soot-covered bathtub were the smeared imprints of the feet and hands of two young children. Along with their mother and another mother and baby, they had sought refuge in the small room after the fire spread rapidly across combustible panels on the block. All five of them died. Continue reading...