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Actor denies claims of alleged indecent assault and harassment of colleagues, during his defamation trial against ABC and Fairfax

Lloyds Bank Foundation report warns that payment cuts of up to 25% to recoup advances or settle debts leave people relying on food banksA mechanism allowing universal credit payments to be cut by up to 25% is driving people into poverty and debt, a report by the Lloyds Bank Foundation has found.Cuts to benefits are often to recoup advances given during the set-up period and to settle outstanding debts – but they are not means-tested. Here, one person tells how it has affected them: Continue reading...

London mayor, a frequent target for Trump, says level of racial abuse on social media required him to receive police protectionFrom a stage in the heart of Silicon Valley, London mayor Sadiq Khan called on tech companies to rein in hate speech, speaking about his own experience of abuse amplified by one of the most powerful figures on social media.He was referencing Donald Trump, who frequently used the mayor as an online punching bag, calling Khan “a stone-cold loser” and “very dumb”. Khan, whose family are from Pakistan, said the amount of racial abuse he received on social media increased by 2,000% under Trump and required him to receive police protection. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can find our latest coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war in our new live blogThe Ukrainian MP Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, a former head of the security services in the country, has been interviewed on Sky News in the UK from Kyiv. He said that yesterday “we saw again the Victory Day madness in Moscow”. He told viewers:The same day in Ukraine, in the city of Odesa, the city of Mykolaiv, Russians shelled our cities, our civilians. In Putin’s speech we did not hear any news, any good news for anybody, for us, for the whole world. It’s still the same Soviet kind propaganda. Conducting a war on our soil because of this “Russia’s motherland”. It sounds really like madness, especially on Victory Day.How can we use civilians as a shield when the Russian Black Sea fleet, the Russian Caspian Sea fleet are shelling missiles, Kalibr and others, against civilians? There is no protection.The war will continue until Vladimir Putin wants to stop it. We understand any night in any city we can expect shelling at any minute, any hour. That is Putin’s responsibility and his decision. Continue reading...

It will be a crime to intentionally display the Nazi symbol in public, carrying a maximum penalty of 12 months’ jail

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern also announces shakeup of immigration to attract skilled workers back to the countryNew Zealand will fully reopen to the world two months earlier than originally planned, prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced as part of a wider shake-up to immigration settings.The country swiftly closed the border in March 2020 to prevent the arrival of Covid-19. It has just started reopening to some non-New Zealand citizens and residents over the past few months – beginning with Australians and followed by travellers from 60 visa-waiver countries. Continue reading...

In fiery candidates debate, Martin appears to refer to Vietnamese Australian lawyer Tu Le’s preselection loss to Kristina Keneally

Union boss says his view of inquiry into police ‘cultural issues’ changed after Hannah Clarke inquest

Some organisations awarded sports grants against the department’s recommendations in 2019 are in line for more money in 2022

Macquarie MP Susan Templeman says ALP has ‘no proposals’ to change law around terminations as she is targeted by pro-life group Cherish Life

Rights organisations say refugees going into hiding as Home Office admits LGBTQ+ people could face persecution in African countryMinisters’ threats to send unauthorised migrants to Rwanda are having a detrimental impact on the physical and psychological health of people seeking asylum, according to two major refugee charities.The British Red Cross and the Refugee Council, which worked with nearly 44,000 people in the asylum process, warn that they are disappearing from hotels and are reluctant to claim support for fear of deportation, detention and other harsh measures.A Rwandan asylum seeker who contacted the Red Cross in south-east England fearing he could be sent back to the country. He disclosed that he would be in hiding and refraining from accessing support so he is not identified by the authorities.An Afghan man living in temporary accommodation in the east Midlands who disclosed that he had gone into hiding, fearing that he would be detained and sent to Rwanda. He said that many of his friends were in the same situation and planned to go underground.An asylum seeker from Ethiopia based in the West Midlands said that he feels anxious about the passing of the Nationality and Borders Act and disclosed he had left his accommodation out of fear that he will be sent to Rwanda.An Afghan asylum seeker also based in the West Midlands who said he feels he is a second-class refugee as he is not eligible for recent schemes designed to support Ukrainians. Continue reading...

Twitter and poster campaign featuring dozens of sets of breasts was harmful and offensive, says ASAAn Adidas campaign featuring dozens of sets of breasts to promote the diversity of its range of sports bras has been banned by the UK advertising watchdog for using explicit nudity and appearing where children could see the ads.The campaign, versions of which ran on Twitter and select large poster sites, prompted 24 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that the ads were gratuitous, objectified women by “sexualising them and reducing them to body parts”, were harmful and offensive and were able to be seen by children. Continue reading...

Winner surpasses the previous record-holder who won £170m in October 2019A UK ticket-holder has won a £184m EuroMillions jackpot, becoming the UK’s biggest ever national lottery winner, Camelot has said.The winning numbers were 3, 25, 27, 28 and 29, plus the Lucky Star numbers 4 and 9. Continue reading...

Activists say case offers a stark warning to women in the US, where the supreme court is considering overturning Roe v WadeA court in El Salvador has sentenced a woman who suffered a miscarriage to 30 years in prison for aggravated homicide, in a case which activists said offers a stark warning to women in the United States, where the supreme court is considering overturning a key ruling which legalized abortion.The woman, identified only as “Esme”, was sentenced on Monday, after nearly two years under pre-trial detention, following her arrest when she sought medical care in a public hospital. Continue reading...

Presenter of BBC podcast You, Me And The Big C said on social media she did not know ‘how long I’ve got left’The podcaster Deborah James has said she “cannot thank people enough” as a fundraiser for cancer research raised over £2m since she announced she had been moved to hospice at home care.In a post on Monday, James, who has terminal bowel cancer, told followers on social media that she did not know “how long I’ve got left”. Continue reading...

Former leader relinquished his country’s Soviet nuclear arsenal, the third-largest in the world

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández’s also suggests he may seek testimony from Mexican drug lord El Chapo in New York trialFormer Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández has pleaded not guilty in a New York court to drug and weapons charges as his lawyer pledged to subpoena three former US presidents – and an imprisoned Mexican drug lord – to testify in his defence.Hernández, who was extradited last month, wore shackles round his ankles at his arraignment in Manhattan on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to three criminal counts, including conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons possession. Continue reading...

Eighteen-year-old orphan to receive £300 for transport costs to site of exams after case brought to courtThe Home Office has backed down part way through a high court hearing after an orphaned teenage asylum seeker from Eritrea feared she would be unable to sit her GCSE exams next week due to not being accommodated close to her college.During Tuesday’s hearing the department agreed to pay for travel until her exams finish next month – a sum of about £300. The ongoing court proceedings are likely to have already cost many thousands of pounds. Officials also guaranteed her a bedroom to herself so she can study in peace and quiet. Continue reading...

Despite 38 new bills, opposition accuses government of failing to act to protect people amid soaring inflationBoris Johnson was accused of being “bereft of ideas or purpose,” after a Queen’s speech that included 38 new bills but offered no specific measures to tackle the immediate cost of living crisis.Instead, the speech, delivered by the Prince of Wales amid the pomp of the state opening of parliament, included plans to tear up the Human Rights Act, make it harder for councils to rename streets and privatise Channel Four. Continue reading...

Coleen Rooney lawyer reads from 2004 tabloid interview in which Rebekah Vardy described singer’s ‘manhood’Rebekah Vardy has said she deeply regrets making unflattering personal remarks about Peter Andre in a newspaper interview, as the multimillion pound “Wagatha Christie” libel trial against Coleen Rooney got under way at the high court.The trial between the two footballer’s wives is taking place in a wood-panelled Victorian-era courtroom in central London that has heard many important cases over the years – but this could be the first where physiological matters were discussed at such length. Continue reading...

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calls for shift in approach as scores of Chinese cities remain in strictly enforced lockdownThe head of the World Health Organization has voiced concerns over China’s effort to eliminate the Covid virus, in a rare rebuke to Xi Jinping’s pledge to achieve “dynamic zero-Covid”.The WHO’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told a media briefing on Tuesday that his organisation does not think China’s Covid policy is “sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus”. Continue reading...

Review launched after Antwon Forrest’s family initially told no further action being takenPolice in Bristol are treating an incident in which a white woman hit a 12-year-old black boy on the forehead with paddle as racially motivated after initially deciding not to prosecute.A review, overseen by a senior officer, has been launched into the attack, which left Antwon Forrest, who is autistic, needing hospital treatment for a deep cut. Avon and Somerset police have apologised for how they handled the case. Continue reading...

Batali’s accuser has filed a lawsuit against him that remains pending despite the verdictCelebrity chef Mario Batali has been cleared of sexual misconduct after a criminal trial in Boston.A woman had accused Batali of forcibly kissing and groping her while taking a selfie at a restaurant in 2017. Batali’s lawyer argued that the Boston assault never happened and said the accuser had a financial incentive to lie about the encounter. Continue reading...

After years of rebranding its image, the Marcos family is back in power. Inheriting a challenging economic situation, it remains unclear how Marcos Jr will use his huge mandateWhy did Ferdinand Marcos Jr win the Philippines election?The Marcos family has spent years rebranding its image, falsely portraying the authoritarian rule of Marcos Sr in which billions were plundered as a golden era and downplaying past atrocities. Researchers have described an onslaught of disinformation designed to revise history, enhance the reputation of the Marcoses and undermine their opponents. Continue reading...

The government said Section 40, drawn up after the Leveson inquiry, poses ‘a threat to the freedom and sustainability of the press’A controversial law that could force publishers to pay the costs of the people who sue them, even if they win, is to be repealed, the government has announced.Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which was drawn up following the Leveson inquiry, poses “a threat to the freedom and sustainability of the press”, the government said on Monday. Continue reading...

State department fact sheet amended to remove line saying US ‘does not support Taiwan independence’Beijing has accused Washington of “political manipulation” and attempting to change the status quo after the US state department quietly amended its website to remove a line stating it did not support Taiwanese independence.In a delicate geopolitical balancing act, the US has long acknowledged, but not supported, China’s claim to Taiwan under its version of the “one China principle”. However, experts say that policy has been eroded as Beijing has become more assertive. Continue reading...

Graeme Batsman says his Filipino wife’s passport has been caught up in an ‘admin issue’ in BritainA British man and his Filipino wife say they are facing imprisonment in Belarus and will miss out on starting a family via surrogacy because of UK delays in visa processing.Graeme Batsman, a data security expert from Harrow, and his wife, Maura Mendez Arganda, travelled to Vitebsk oblast, Belarus, in February to arrange a surrogate birth that would cost them £25,000. Continue reading...

The PM’s legislative agenda for the year ahead was set out earlier in the Queen’s speech, which was delivered by Prince Charles

Masked raiders smashed into home of ex-England footballer and threatened to cut off his fingers, court hearsThe former England footballer Ashley Cole told police he thought he was “going to die” as masked raiders smashed into his home and threatened to cut off his fingers with pliers, a court has heard.Nottingham crown court was shown footage of a group of men breaking into Cole’s Surrey home in January 2020, shortly after he had settled down to watch Netflix with his partner, Sharon Canu. Continue reading...

The oldest imprisoned Panther was eligible for parole 29 years ago but was repeatedly denied in spite of ‘exemplary’ prison recordSundiata Acoli, 85, the oldest former member of the Black Panthers still to be incarcerated for acts of violence during the 1970s Black liberation struggle, is finally to be released from prison after the New Jersey supreme court ruled that he was no longer a risk to public safety.Acoli has been held captive for more than 49 years for the May 1973 shooting of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster. He was found guilty the following year and sentenced to life plus 24 to 35 years. Continue reading...

Paul Grayson handed 12-year sentence by judge who says he ‘brought shame on an honourable profession’A nurse who filmed up the gowns of unconscious female patients and recorded staff using the toilet has been jailed for 12 years by a judge who said he had “brought shame on an honourable profession”.Paul Grayson, 51, was also told he must serve an extended licence period of four years when he is eventually released. Continue reading...

CPS decided not to pursue case against undercover officer despite evidence he had broken the lawProsecutors decided that it was not in the public interest to prosecute an undercover police officer who stole the identity of a dead baby, despite concluding last year that there was enough evidence to bring him to court.The police spy had taken the identity of Rod Richardson and used it when he pretended for three years to be an environmental and anti-capitalist protester. Continue reading...

Paz Esteban reportedly loses job after Catalan independence figures were said to have been targetedThe Spanish government has sacked the country’s spy chief, Paz Esteban, as it tries to contain the fallout from a cyber-espionage scandal that has engulfed the ruling coalition and raised further questions about the use of controversial Pegasus spyware in Spain and beyond.Esteban’s dismissal on Tuesday came amid growing political tensions and almost two years after a joint investigation by the Guardian and El País first revealed that senior pro-independence Catalan politicians were warned their mobile phones had been targeted using the spyware. Continue reading...

Apparent change of plan means consenting adults in England and Wales still able to participate in process to alter sexualityThe government’s proposed ban on conversion practices intended to change people’s sexuality will in fact only fully cover under-18s, Downing Street has confirmed, saying it had to “strike the right balance” on outlawing the much-condemned practice.In an apparent change of plan which prompted immediate condemnation from equalities groups, No 10 said that adults in England and Wales who consented to sexuality conversion for religious or personal reasons would be allowed to do so. This is expected to be permitted only if “this does not cause serious harm”, officials said, with full details to be set out in the promised conversion therapy bill. Continue reading...

Exercise bike maker misses targets, with boss describing turnaround effort as ‘emotionally draining’Peloton’s share price crashed 20% in early trading after the exercise bike maker missed revenue targets, cut sales guidance and reported a bigger quarterly loss than anticipated, and its boss described turning the company around as “emotionally draining”.Peloton, whose market value has fallen by more than 80% over the last year, reported revenues of $964m (£780m), down from $1.26bn in the same quarter last year, as the pandemic-enforced trend for home workouts that fuelled a surge in sales of its hi-tech, internet-connected exercise bikes peters out. Continue reading...

French minister says deal could come this week as Macron and Orbán try to break deadlock

Analysis: Despite watching from home on TV, constitutionally the monarch was still calling the shotsA Queen’s speech without a queen; two future kings and a queen consort in waiting; the state opening of parliament was the most public and formal manifestation yet of “Operation Transition”, which has been quietly going on inside Buckingham Palace for several years.For the first time in two centuries, an heir to the throne read aloud the words compiled by the government at this most ceremonial of spectacles. Continue reading...

Community organisations exasperated with a lack of government support are taking matters into their own handsFur Clemt, meaning “very hungry” in Wigan dialect, is a much-loved community supermarket which sells unsold or overproduced food at a heavily discounted price to local people struggling with their household budgets. Since December, its owner, Shirley Southworth, has observed a shift: “We’ve seen membership soar and become more varied … It’s not just people on benefits, it’s those who are just about managing, people trying to keep their head above water.”What’s changed is the cost of living crisis, which has resulted in household spending rising most for those on the lowest incomes, who have the smallest margins and are unable to cut down on luxuries. This is not just the 20% of households living in poverty in Pemberton, where Fur Clemt is based, but also many families who are better-off.

Legislation announced in Queen’s Speech in response to P&O Ferries’ sacking of 800 crewPorts and unions have cast doubt on the viability of legislation announced in the Queens Speech to ensure P&O and other ferry operators pay seafarers the minimum wage.The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said that the new bill, introduced in response to P&O Ferries’ sacking of 800 crew, showed that the government would “stop at nothing” to ensure fair pay. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary reported to have asked officials to prepare draft that would put UK in breach of its treaty obligationsLiz Truss is reportedly preparing draft legislation that would unilaterally scrap key parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, removing the need for checks on goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.No bill was announced in the Queen’s speech on Tuesday but the foreign secretary is reported to have asked officials to prepare the draft, which would put the UK in breach of its treaty obligations. Continue reading...

Report on policy to send gay and lesbian asylum seekers to east African country raises concerns over their possible treatmentThe Home Office has admitted that lesbian, gay and bisexual refugees could be persecuted if sent to Rwanda – but still plans to fly them 4,000 miles to Kigali.The department’s equality impact assessment for the policy states there are “concerns” over the treatment of some LGBTQI+ people in the east African country, and that investigations point to “ill treatment” of this group being “more than one off”. Continue reading...

Bipartisan bill passed unanimously would give justices same level of protection afforded to legislature and executiveUS senators swiftly passed legislation expanding security for supreme court justices and their immediate family members, a week after protests at justices’ homes were spurred by a bombshell leak that revealed the court was ready to overturn its landmark ruling legalizing abortion.Sponsored by the Republican Texas senator John Cornyn and the Democratic Delaware senator Chris Coons, the Supreme Court Police Parity Act passed on Monday unanimously and without objection. The bipartisan bill now advances to the House for consideration and, if approved, would head to Joe Biden’s desk for the president’s signature. Continue reading...

Mahinda Rajapaksa rescued in pre-dawn military operation after day of protests in which five people were killedSri Lankan troops have conducted a dramatic pre-dawn operation to rescue Mahinda Rajapaksa – who resigned as prime minister on Monday – firing warning shots in the air to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters who had stormed his official residence in Colombo.Five people were killed and nearly 200 wounded on Monday in the worst violence in weeks of protests over an unprecedented economic crisis. Demonstrations continued on Tuesday as hundreds of anti-government protesters defied a nationwide curfew, gathering in the streets of Colombo and shouting slogans outside the office of the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Continue reading...

Analysis: The bills included on the government’s agenda for the year and what their aims areThe Queen’s speech, which set out the government’s legislative agenda for the next parliamentary year, was a mix of new plans, long-made pledges and a handful of held-over bills. Here is what it set out – and what it all means, politically. Continue reading...

British Dental Association says tens of thousands left in pain after sharp drop in NHS procedures in 2020-21Dentists have warned that tens of thousands of children have been left in pain for more than a year, as new figures reveal that the number of tooth extractions for children in hospital in England more than halved during the pandemic.The number of extractions performed on decayed teeth in children aged 19 and under decreased from 35,190 in 2019-20 to 14,615 in 2020-21, data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaign to tackle inequality launched after uproar over misogynist jokes at industry awardsFemale journalists have accused Scotland’s newspapers of sexist and discriminatory attitudes towards sports reporters after controversy arose over misogynist jokes at an awards dinner.Women in Journalism Scotland (WiJS) has launched a campaign calling for far greater diversity among sports reporters after it discovered that only three of Scotland’s 95 full-time sports writers were women. Continue reading...

Game trialled at London shopping centre as data shows only two-thirds of people in England physically activeCan the simple joy of slapping a ball against a wall tempt shoppers and office workers to take a little more exercise?That is the question posed by British Land, one of the UK’s biggest property companies, which is trialling wallball – like squash but with hands and a single wall – which it hopes to roll out at its retail and commercial developments. Continue reading...

Jamie Wallis, MP for Bridgend, was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst unfit after a collision in LlanblethianA Conservative MP has pleaded not guilty to failing to stop after being involved in a car crash last year.Jamie Wallis, 37, from Cowbridge, south Wales, also denied failing to report a road traffic collision, driving without due care and attention and leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position. Continue reading...

When cities and states passed ‘sanctuary’ laws to block police from aiding deportations, Ice found new ways to access private intelUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has built a massive digital surveillance system that gives it access to the personal details of almost every person in America, a two-year investigation by Georgetown University law center has found.Researchers from the Center on Privacy & Technology on Tuesday released one of the most comprehensive reviews of Ice activities, concluding that the federal organisation has strayed well beyond its duties as an immigration body to become what is in effect a domestic surveillance agency.Driver’s license data for three of every four adults living in the USData drawn from the utility records of 75% of adults, covering more than 218m unique utility consumers in all 50 statesInformation on the movements of drivers in cities that contain 75% of the US populationFacial recognition technology drawn from the driver’s license photos of at least a third of all adults Continue reading...

GlaxoSmithKline blames shortage of key ingredient for lack of Piriton and Piriteze tabletsBig high street pharmacy chains including Boots and Superdrug have run out of some hay fever medicines, with the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, blaming temporary supply issues.Piriton and Piriteze tablets, made by GSK, are out of stock at Boots and other chains because there is an industry-wide shortage of the active ingredient, chlorphenamine maleate, which is also used to treat eczema and food allergies. Continue reading...