World news | The Guardian

Joseph Leon McQueen used photo of ‘sign here’ stickers on immigration minister’s brief to argue decision was rushed

Russia’s failure to score a quick victory has led to a grimmer phase of the war, and much still hangs in the balanceOn 24 February, shortly before dawn broke in Moscow, Vladimir Putin made the latest in a series of televised addresses. His previous appearances had contained increasingly ominous tirades about Ukraine. Now here was the culmination: the declaration of what the Russian president euphemistically called a “special military operation”.The goal, said Putin, was the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine. Continue reading...

‘Whoever is going to be the ruling party after the election, we are looking forward to a more positive relationship’, says Xiao Qian

Company to undergo two years remediation after royal commission finds it facilitated money laundering

More than 30 mayors and councillors say they should not shoulder consequences of delayed action

Under the deal 150 refugees a year held on Nauru, or who have come to Australia temporarily, will be eligible for resettlement

Musician says he has checked into a rehabilitation centre and has been struggling with ‘anxiety and depression’Former Silverchair singer Daniel Johns has been charged with high-range drink driving after being involved in a car accident on Wednesday night.On Thursday, New South Wales police said that a 42-year-old man had been arrested after a crash in the state’s Hunter region at 10.30pm the previous evening.In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Local heroes including screenwriter Jimmy McGovern and comedian Johnny Vegas will take stage at Shakespeare North Playhouse this summerA new Shakespearean theatre is to open in Merseyside this summer with a ceremony that celebrates “local heroes” including the builders who constructed it.The £30m Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Knowsley, has a 470-seat theatre, the Cockpit, modelled on Inigo Jones’s cockpit-in-court design in 17th-century London. The site also has an outdoor performance garden, funded by Liverpudlian comedian Ken Dodd’s charitable foundation, and a small studio theatre, as well as exhibition and educational facilities. Continue reading...

Health department did not keep full records of meetings with healthcare firm Paterson lobbied for, NAO findsMatt Hancock, the former health secretary, failed to notify his officials about private messages he exchanged with disgraced Conservative MP Owen Paterson, a healthcare firm’s paid lobbyist, an official watchdog has disclosed.In a critical report, the National Audit Office (NAO) concluded that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) did not record properly why it awarded contracts worth nearly £500m to the healthcare firm, Randox. Continue reading...

Police commander also admits Met has problem with officers treating inner London children as ‘adults’Two of the five officers who were involved in the traumatic strip search of a 15-year-old black girl in her school in Hackney, London, have been removed from frontline duties, the Metropolitan police has confirmed.The admission came at a community meeting on Wednesday evening as anger over the treatment of the girl, known as Child Q, continues. The meeting was originally supposed to take place in person but had to be moved online after the police force could not find a venue. More than 250 people attended, with more wanting to but unable to join because of the meeting’s limit. Continue reading...

Analysis: Russia is facing logistical constraints while Ukraine is reliant on supply from the westIt has been a month since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, and such has been the intensity of the first phase of the fighting that both sides in the conflict have increasingly depleted their stocks of ammunition and other military supplies.But while Ukraine is willing to claim that the Russian invaders have only three days of supplies left, while warning that its own troops are running out of anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, the reality is hard to measure. Continue reading...

Chancellor faces warnings that he has not done enough to address biggest fall in living standards on record

Comments at PMQs in contrast to Labour leader’s stand that ‘trans women are women’Campaigners have called for discussion of transgender rights to focus on respect, generosity and the elimination of prejudice after the prime minister stated that “basic facts of biology remain overwhelmingly important”.At Wednesday’s PMQs, Boris Johnson told MPs that “we must recognise when people want to make a transition in their lives that they should be treated with the maximum possible generosity and respect” but added “when it comes to distinguishing between man and woman, the basic facts of biology remain overwhelmingly important”. Continue reading...

Arturo McFields Yescas spoke out against the government he is representing in a verbal attack that was lauded by the USNicaragua’s ambassador to the Organization of American States has launched an extraordinary verbal attack on the authoritarian government he is employed to represent, castigating Daniel Ortega’s “indefensible” dictatorship for its assault on human rights and democracy.Arturo McFields Yescas spoke out during an online OAS session on Wednesday, in a startling declaration that spread quickly on social media and was commended by countries such as the US. Continue reading...

Chay Bowskill sentenced to 12 years in prison, increased from an original seven and a half yearsThe former boyfriend of a woman who was left with catastrophic brain injuries when she fell out of a van he had bundled her into has had his prison sentence increased.Chay Bowskill, of Syston, Leicestershire, bundled Angel Lynn into a van being driven by his friend Rocco Sansome as she tried to walk away from him after an argument in September 2020. She was found lying seriously injured in the carriageway of the A6 near Loughborough, and remains in hospital requiring round-the-clock care. Continue reading...

Most report minor breathing difficulties, says ambulance service after incident at aquatics centreTwenty-nine people were taken to hospital after a high quantity of chlorine gas was released in an accident on Wednesday at the aquatics centre at London’s Olympic park.Some of the injured included swimmers in a parent and toddler group who were in the children’s pool at the time of the incident, which was first reported by the centre just after 11am. Continue reading...

Ruling says opposition to Tobias Rustat memorial at Jesus College chapel is based on ‘false narrative’A Cambridge college has been refused its application to remove a memorial to its 17th-century benefactor Tobias Rustat from the college chapel because of his links to the slave trade.Jesus College argued that the memorial, in a prominent position on the west wall of the Grade I-listed chapel, should be moved to another site in the college because its presence was having a negative impact on the mission and ministry of the church. Continue reading...

World No 1 Ash Barty has stunned the tennis world by announcing her retirement from the sport at the age of 25 during an emotional interview with Casey Dellacqua which she shared on Instagram. This is what she said

Leaders from the bloc to meet on Thursday to discuss support above the €1.2bn emergency fund already agreed

Convoy evacuating more than 1,000 survivors sets off on tense escape through Russian-occupied territory

Staff who accept payouts are understood to have to sign non-disclosure agreementsFerry operator P&O has revealed it is paying £36.5m to cover compensation for the 800 seafarers it sacked without warning.It is understood staff who accept the payouts will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements requiring them not to disparage the company. Continue reading...

MPs debate Lords amendments to nationality and borders bill. This live blog is now closed – for Ukraine updates, please follow the dedicated live blog

Rapper teams up with Arby’s and tells Rolling Stone it was inspired by McDonald’s underpaying him and his brother for I’m Lovin’ ItThe American rapper Pusha T has issued an extraordinary attack on McDonald’s, releasing a diss track with a rival fast-food chain, Arby’s.The 75-second song was inspired, the rapper told Rolling Stone, by resentment over what he claims is McDonald’s failure to pay him and his brother properly for their part in writing and performing the famous I’m Lovin’ It jingle. Continue reading...

More than a dozen injured as storm system heads towards Louisiana and MississippiMore than a dozen people were injured on Monday when tornadoes tore through parts of Texas and Oklahoma, damaging a school, homes and businesses.The same storm system was poised to move into Louisiana and Mississippi on Tuesday, carrying the risk of dangerous tornadoes and powerful winds. Continue reading...

Leaked documents raise questions over financial relations between relatives of billionaire ex-Arsenal shareholder Alisher UsmanovBillions of pounds linked to the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov and his business empire appear to have been held in secret Swiss accounts belonging to his family, an analysis of leaked documents suggests.Usmanov’s 56-year-old sister, Saodat Narzieva, appears to have been the one-time beneficial owner of at least 27 secret corporate accounts at Credit Suisse, including one that held nearly 1.9bn Swiss francs (CHF) (£1.6bn). Usmanov is subject to EU sanctions. Continue reading...

Micro parties expected to benefit from potential delay to changes to preference rules

Investigation followed judge saying Rolfe had “lied” in his evidence about arrest of Indigenous man in 2018 Alice Springs court case

Father of the RAF serviceman says he hopes ruling will shine ‘a new light on the truth for everyone’RAF gunner Corrie McKeague, who vanished on a night out in 2016, died after getting into a bin which was then tipped into a waste lorry, an inquest has concluded.The airman, of Dunfermline, Fife, was 23 when he disappeared in the early hours of 24 September in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Continue reading...

Confidence and supply agreement will keep Trudeau in office until 2025 in return for action on pharmaceutical and dental programsCanada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has struck a deal with a political rival that would keep in him power until 2025. In exchange for support from the New Democratic party on key votes, Trudeau’s Liberals have pledged progress on national pharmaceutical and dental care programs.“With so much instability around us, Canadians need stability,” said the prime minister as he announced the deal with the NDP on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...

Consumer champion describes fuel prices as ‘almost a poll tax’ and warns households face a ‘fiscal punch in the face’ in AprilEnergy companies are using unfair and potentially illegal tactics to secure cash at the expense of their customers amid the energy crisis, the consumer expert Martin Lewis has told MPs.Households face a “fiscal punch in the face” in April when energy bills under the government’s price cap rise, Lewis said, a day before the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, makes his spring statement, in which he is expected to announce measures to respond to the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

Chancellor unveils scheme to fairly compensate workers who brought Horizon IT system failings to lightPost office operators who helped uncover the Horizon IT scandal will be able to apply to a new compensation scheme, the chancellor has announced.The IT system installed by the Post Office and supplied by Fujitsu falsely suggested there were cash shortfalls, leading to 736 unsafe convictions for theft, fraud and false accounting in one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history. Continue reading...

Ruling builds on recent judgments enhancing rights of reporters to access documents placed before courtJournalists should be provided with access to documents from employment tribunal cases even in the aftermath of a judgment, it has been ruled, after a successful legal challenge by the Guardian.In a significant victory for open justice, the employment appeal tribunal threw out a ruling from a lower court that the costs of transparency would be too burdensome, and instead ordered that the Guardian should be provided with documents it had requested. Continue reading...

Musician, who visited White House in 2017 with Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin, said I’m like, ‘Am I supposed to be in on this shit?’The rapper Kid Rock said Donald Trump once asked him for advice about US policy on Islamic State and North Korea.In an interview with the Fox News host Tucker Carlson broadcast on Monday night, the musician also discussed “cancel culture” – claiming to be “uncancelable” – and the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

Young male trainee was participating in a landscaping course when he fell into hole on Gympie Road, hurting his back

Operator Camelot receives £3.15m penalty over errors in app, affecting tens of thousands of ticket holdersThe national lottery operator, Camelot, has been fined £3.15m for three errors on its mobile app, which affected tens of thousands of players.The first involved up to 20,000 users who were told their winning tickets had lost when they scanned a QR code between November 2016 and September 2020, the Gambling Commission said. Continue reading...

Grain elevator built in 1897 that towered over Elva in Manitoba symbolic of western Canada’s history and heritageFor nearly 125 years, a wooden grain elevator towered over the town of Elva, visible from miles away and distinguishing the community as an economic hub in the Canadian Prairies.The structure endured frigid cold, beating rains and harsh sun, but after decades of neglect, its owner has announced plans to dismantle the country’s oldest “prairie castle”, closing a chapter in the region’s history. Continue reading...

Jailed Russian opposition leader and Putin critic says charges were politically motivatedJailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been found guilty of large-scale fraud and contempt by a Russian court.The move on Tuesday means that Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, is likely to face a substantial extension to his jail sentence. Continue reading...

Woman who had affair with former SAS soldier tells defamation trial he refused to take her to hospital for treatment and took naked photos of her while she slept

No fish or shellfish in Spain’s famous national dish says survey of 400 amateur chefsMany crimes have been committed in the name of paella but now researchers in Valencia have laid down 10 commandments of what thou shall and shall not put in their national dish.The ten permitted ingredients are: rice, water, olive oil, salt, saffron (or food colouring), tomato, flat green beans, lima beans, chicken and rabbit. No fish or shellfish. Ever. Continue reading...

State media report no survivors after a Boeing 737-800 flight crashed into mountainous terrain with 132 on boardAbout an hour into its journey from Kunming to Gaungzhou, flight MU5735 fell out of the air. After cruising at an altitude of 29,100ft, it suddenly dropped to about 7,000ft where it briefly ascended before diving again and crashing into remote bamboo forest in the mountains near Wuzhou. The fall appears to have taken around two minutes, according to flight tracking data.“The plane did not smoke during the fall,” a witness told the Beijing Youth Daily. “The fire started after it fell into the mountain, followed by a lot of smoke.” Continue reading...

Move to install Accenture executive as Parramatta candidate would be second time in a year ALP has overridden local branch members in the region

Ukraine president says meeting essential to understand Putin conditions to end war; Biden says Russian president’s ‘back is against the wall’

Three crew members rescued by Singapore-flagged bulk carrier with one now in a critical condition in Broome hospitalSix people are dead and another three are believed to have drowned after an Indonesian fishing boat capsized off the north-west coast of Western Australia.There were 12 people aboard when the boat, named Kuda Laut which translates to Horse Sea, capsized on Sunday evening about 180km west of Ashmore Reef. Continue reading...

Greens proposed legislation after acting education minister Stuart Robert blocked funding for six Australian Research Council grants

US president says his Russian leader’s ‘back is against the wall’ and warns of severe consequences of any such attack

No reports of gunfire, police say, as man aged 18 arrested on suspicion of murderTwo women died after being stabbed at a high school in southern Sweden on Monday, police said, adding that an 18-year-old student had been arrested.The two women, both in their 50s, were employees of the school, the police said in a statement following the attack at Malmö latinskola, a secondary school in the centre of Malmö, the country’s third largest city. Continue reading...

Oliver Dowden says PM has a ‘real emotional connection’ with the Ukrainian people but No 10 sources say a trip is unlikely

Charles Goodwin, 21, was under investigation when he raped and assaulted two womenA “cold, unempathetic, manipulative” student who raped and sexually attacked two women while he was on bail and being investigated for an earlier violent rape has been jailed for 17 years.Charles Goodwin, 21, attacked his victims after getting them drunk, Liverpool crown court heard. Continue reading...

‘Russian state actors’ blamed for prank call made to Ben Wallace• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updatesA video of defence secretary Ben Wallace being duped into speaking by phone to an impostor posing as the Ukrainian prime minister was published on Monday – hours after Downing Street said it believed Russian state actors were responsible for the hoax.In the short clip, Wallace replies with scepticism and apparent confusion when the caller asks him questions. Continue reading...