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...
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...
by Cait Kelly, and Gemma Holliani Cahya in Jakarta on (#5XB1Y)
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...
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...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#5XBRX)
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...
by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#5XBRZ)
‘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...
News comes after questionnaires were sent to more than 100 people thought to be involved in lockdown gatheringsBoris Johnson is facing a possible police interview over lockdown breaches in Downing Street as the Metropolitan police said they intended to start questioning witnesses after sending out questionnaires to more than 100 people.But the police statement – issued two months since inquiries began – suggests officers have not yet found breaches that meet the evidentiary threshold for fixed-penalty notices to be issued without further interviews. No FPNs have been issued so far, the force said. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#5XBD5)
RMT says agency rates for seafarers are ‘gut-wrenching betrayal’ of 800 sacked British staffSeafarers from abroad brought in to replace the 800 sacked British P&O Ferries crew are being paid as little as £1.80 an hour, unions have claimed.The news emerged as Labour accused the government of doing “absolutely nothing” when it learned of the planned sackings, as a memorandum with the “game plan” of P&O was circulated on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...
AA accused retailers of dragging feet on passing on reduction to drivers, as petrol and diesel hit record highsFuel retailers have dismissed accusations that they have been slow to reduce prices at the pump to reflect a recent fall in their own wholesale costs, as petrol and diesel hit new records on UK forecourts.The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is under pressure to cut fuel duty during his spring statement on Wednesday, at which the rising cost of living is likely to take centre stage. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#5XB62)
Ali Harbi Ali made ‘specific reconnaissance trips’ to Gove’s address and constituency surgery of Mike Freer, jury toldConservative MP Sir David Amess was stabbed 21 times in a terrorist “assassination” by a “fanatical Islamist” who also scouted the home of Michael Gove and researched a string of MPs including Sir Keir Starmer as he plotted to kill, incited by Islamic State propaganda, a court has heard.Ali Harbi Ali, 26, denies the murder of Amess, 69, on 15 October 2021 as the MP held a constituency surgery in Belfairs Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. Continue reading...
Boris Romanchenko died after rocket hit building where he lived in Ukrainian cityA 96-year-old man who survived a string of Nazi concentration camps including Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen has been killed by an explosion during the Russian assault on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, a spokesperson for the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial foundation has confirmed.“We are shocked to confirm the violent death of Boris Romanchenko, whose niece informed us on Monday morning that he died last Friday after a bomb or rocket hit the multistorey building where he lived in Kharkiv and his apartment was burned out,” a spokesperson told the Guardian. Continue reading...
Fires have caused two deaths, including one in Oklahoma, as largest blaze is 30% contained after burning nearly 85 square milesWildfires continued to scorch parts of Texas on Monday while a storm system moving through could bring much-needed rain but also strong winds, forecasters said.The Eastland Complex, which comprises several fires in one place, had burned nearly 85 square miles in an area about 120 miles west of Dallas and was 30% contained as of Monday morning. Continue reading...
Allegations involve a farm that received subsidies after its ownership was transferred to Babiš-owned AgrofertFormer Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, will face trial after the prosecution indicted him in a fraud case involving European Union subsidies.The move announced on Monday by Prague’s public prosecution office came weeks after the lower house of the Czech parliament agreed to lift Babiš’ immunity from prosecution for his alleged involvement in the $2m (£1.5m) fraud. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#5XBE2)
Grand slam winner charged with 24 counts relating to concealing assets such as property, trophies and medalsBoris Becker dishonestly “played” the bankruptcy system, hiding cash, property and trophies from insolvency trustees, a court has heard at the opening of his trial.The multiple grand slam winner is charged with 24 counts relating to concealing assets, nine of which relate to trophies and medals won during his illustrious playing career, including from his first Wimbledon men’s single championship when he burst on to the world scene, aged just 17 years old. Becker denies all the charges. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#5XBE3)
Campaigners believe report is delayed because it will show ministers’ calls for 20% cut have been ignoredMinisters have delayed by a year publication of a report that will show whether they have achieved their goal of reducing the sugar content of a wide range of foodstuffs by 20%.The official assessment of the government’s high-profile drive to cut the amount of sugar in Britain’s diet was originally due to be published last autumn. However, it was initially put off until early this year and has now been held back again and will not appear until this autumn. Continue reading...
Commercially sold bread set at 11.50 Egyptian pounds a kilo as Russian invasion sends wheat prices soaringEgypt has fixed the price of unsubsidised bread amid a global surge in wheat prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The move comes after war shut off access to cheaper wheat from the Black Sea region, particularly affecting exports to the Middle East and north African region. Egypt is the world’s biggest wheat importer, bringing in about 60% of its grain from overseas. Russia and Ukraine accounted for 80% of the country’s imports last year. Continue reading...
by Mstyslav Chernov, Associated Press in Mariupol on (#5XBAB)
A reporter describes life under siege in the Ukrainian city and why it was so important to break the silenceThe Russians were hunting us down. They had a list of names, including ours, and they were closing in.We had been documenting the siege of Mariupol by Russian troops for more than two weeks and were the only international journalists left in the city. We were reporting inside the hospital when gunmen began stalking the corridors. Surgeons gave us white scrubs to wear as camouflage. Continue reading...
Snow Patrol and Gregory Porter will also perform at the televised fundraiser, with more performers still to be announcedEd Sheeran, Camila Cabello and Snow Patrol will perform at the televised Concert for Ukraine, to be broadcast by ITV and STV.“My heart is breaking for the people of Ukraine,” said Cabello. “As refugees from Ukraine join millions of other displaced people around the globe, we all have a responsibility.”Tickets for the Concert for Ukraine go on sale on Tuesday 22 March. Continue reading...
Carmaker’s move backed by French government as Nestlé also comes under pressure to withdraw businessThe French carmaker Renault has resumed manufacturing in its plants in Moscow, bucking the trend of many other large global companies that have cut ties with Russia over its war on Ukraine.Renault had suspended production at the plant last month, citing logistical problems after the invasion of Ukraine on Vladimir Putin’s orders. However, Renault’s decision to restart manufacturing has the backing of the French government, which is its main shareholder, according to sources cited by Reuters. Continue reading...
Politicians and business leaders sign open letter as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit CaribbeanJamaican campaigners have accused the Queen of perpetuating slavery, in a letter urging the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to atone for colonialism during their Caribbean tour.As the country celebrates 60 years of independence, a coalition of Jamaican politicians, business leaders, doctors and musicians have called in the open letter for the British monarchy to apologise for colonialism and pay slavery reparations. Continue reading...
First case of wild polio detected in Malawi for 30 years prompts emergency rollout of vaccinations in five African countriesMore than 23 million young children across southern Africa will be offered vaccinations against wild polio after an outbreak of the virus was detected in Malawi for the first time since 1992.Children under five in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital, began to be immunised on Sunday as part of a mass drive against the disease. Continue reading...
City University student was found dead on Saturday in Clerkenwell halls of residenceThe family of a 19-year-old student who died in her university halls in London have paid tribute to their “beautiful, irreplaceable angel”.Sabita Thanwani, a psychology student at City, University of London, was found with serious neck injuries at her halls of resident in Clerkenwell, central London. Police and medics were called to the scene in the early hours of Saturday morning, but Thanwani died at the scene. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#5XB01)
Eton head says rigorous admissions policy will prevent middle-class parents from gaming the systemThe headteacher of Eton college has said its plans to open three “Etons of the north” in deprived areas of England would not “cream off the bright kids” from local schools, amid concern from educators.The world’s most famous private school is planning to open free elite selective sixth-form colleges in Oldham, Dudley and Middlesbrough by 2025 in partnership with Star Academies. Continue reading...
Zero Mercury Working Group tested 271 products from 15 countries and found nearly half to be contaminated at levels above 1ppmMercury contamination is widespread among skin lightening and anti-ageing creams sold on online platforms like eBay, Alibaba and Amazon, a new analysis of hundreds of products has found.The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) tested 271 products bought in 15 countries over a 13-month period and found nearly half to be contaminated with the dangerous heavy metal at levels above 1 part per million (ppm), the legal limit in the US. The EU, meanwhile, doesn’t allow any mercury in cosmetics. Continue reading...
Delivering eulogy at wife’s funeral, Andrew Landeryou says she ‘deserved so very much better’ from internal party rivalsKimberley Kitching’s husband has, during her funeral service, criticised a “cantankerous cabal” over its treatment of the late Victorian senator.Family, friends, and state and federal politicians from both sides of politics gathered at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne on Monday to farewell the Labor senator who died suddenly on 10 March of a suspected heart attack. She was 52. Continue reading...