Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher call allegations they ‘ostracised’ their late colleague ‘untrue’ and ‘hurtful’

Channel One worker Marina Ovsyannikova says she has ‘broken the life of our family with this gesture’ but does not want to leave Russia

Dick Smith, Andrew Forrest among prominent people used on cryptocurrency and other scam ads without approval• Get our free news app; get our morning email briefingAustralia’s consumer watchdog is taking Meta to court, alleging the company “aided and abetted” celebrity scam ads on Facebook that have cost some Australians hundreds of thousands of dollars.The ads, which include the promotion of investment in cryptocurrency, have plagued the platform since 2020. Each ad depicts an image of a prominent Australian such as David Koch, Dick Smith or Andrew Forrest, claiming to have made it big with the investments in a fake news article that directs people to the scam investment website.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

First-term government MP Lohia Boe Samuel has been charged with murder over the death of Robert Jerry last weekA Papua New Guinean MP has been charged with murder, after the shooting death of a man at a restaurant in the capital of Port Moresby last week.Police will allege that Lohia Boe Samuel, the MP for Moresby North-West, was having dinner with Robert Jerry and another man at Fushion 2 restaurant on Friday 11 March when a firearm was discharged, killing Jerry. Continue reading...

Some members of British Steel pension scheme have incurred losses of up to £489,000Thousands of steelworkers were the victims of pension regulation failures that left some with losses of up to £489,000, an official report has found, prompting accusations that the UK financial watchdog was “asleep at the wheel”.The National Audit Office’s findings relate to a 2017 scandal involving members of the British Steel pension scheme, many of whom were persuaded to transfer their retirement savings by advisers who then pocketed huge fees. Continue reading...

Hospitals in southern England worst affected, with Devon recording highest ever numbers of Covid patientsRising numbers of people entering hospital with Covid are leading to other patients becoming infected, staff absences, delayed operations and long waits in emergency departments, experts have said.In recent weeks, Covid infection levels have been rising in the UK and hospitalisations are also increasing. Continue reading...

Retailer says it has stopped supplying its franchisee’s business in Russia, but the shops remain openA Conservative MP has backed calls for dozens of Marks & Spencer stores across Russia to be shut immediately, suggesting Vladimir Putin is funnelling every rouble made in the country into the invasion of Ukraine.Alicia Kearns, who hosted four Ukrainian parliamentarians in the House of Commons on Thursday, said any profits generated would be tainted by the killings and war crimes committed during the conflict. Continue reading...

French president aims to raise pension age and continue cutting taxes for businesses and householdsEmmanuel Macron has vowed to intensify his overhaul of France’s welfare state, tax system and labour market if he wins a second term as president next month, arguing that transforming French society would protect people at a time of crisis when the war in Ukraine marks “a return of tragedy in history”.The 44-year-old centrist leader has risen in the polls since Russia’s invasion and is a clear favourite to win April’s election – which would make him the first French president to win re-election in 20 years. But he has been under pressure from opponents to explain his economic and social policy. Continue reading...

Read some of the submissions to the committee considering new rules on second jobs and Commons behaviourMinisters have made a U-turn on a pledge to limit the time or earnings on MPs’ second jobs, one of several rule changes promised by Boris Johnson last year in order to stop abuse of the system.The proposed changes were announced after there was a public outcry when the former cabinet minister Owen Paterson was censured for breaching lobbying rules and another, Geoffrey Cox, was found to have been voting by proxy when doing work for law clients in the Caribbean.Complexity brings errors, which then bring the house into disrepute – contrary to the code’s purpose. Limiting time or limiting income does not improve the honesty and integrity of the system – it just creates more opportunity for errors.The consequences of even the smallest transgression are public and humiliating, both personally and politically. Therefore, it is absolutely worth getting this right. Sadly, this report and consultation I fear leads us in the opposite direction by creating greater complexity, more rules and increased subjectivity.It seems to me that the principal concerns here are about potential conflict of interest and neglect of constituents. Arbitrary limits on time spent on, or reward earned from, outside interests do not necessarily mirror either concern.Time spent as a nurse also has the same impact on time available for constituents as time spent as a hedge fund manager. Again, transparency is the most effective way for constituents to determine whether they find the arrangements of their member of parliament acceptable or not.… The code should be kept as brief as possible and enable MPs to take responsibility for themselves within broad boundaries.The baseline assumption as a new MP seems to be that I am on the scrounge and should be treated like a child and punished at the first opportunity. If we were treated like adults we would be far more likely en masse to act like them.The revised system should not disincentivise people who would be an asset to the Commons from applying in the first place, nor encourage those with experience of their field to leave. Equally, any new rules should not reduce the likelihood of those with professional experience seeking to enter the house.Setting an arbitrary time limit on paid and unpaid outside interests would involve the commissioner policing an MP’s personal life and free time.This is not a desirable, nor a practical use of the commissioner’s time, and these matters are almost impossible to police, and could result in vexatious complaints against members.Frankly, I find the politics and personal behaviour of some politicians abhorrent. As an elected representative I have a right to make my opinions about them known, perhaps even a duty to do so.That is why I cannot support your determination to police the comments of MPs in any medium: it might be necessary to express contempt for hateful political positions.The stated intention of this proposal [regarding ‘respect’] is to protect against bullying and harassment in committees and divisions.Clearly, such behaviour would be wholly unacceptable and guarding against it is an entirely worthy aim. However, this proposal has unintended consequences that damage the workings of the house. Continue reading...

EU leaders and Joe Biden will meet next week to discuss war in Ukraine, but PM has not yet been invitedBoris Johnson is understood to be open to accepting an invitation to attend the European Council next week when EU leaders meet to discuss the war in Ukraine, though one has yet to be extended.A Downing Street source said Johnson would be in Brussels next week for a Nato summit, along with the US president, Joe Biden, who will attend the council meeting later that afternoon. They said it remained a possibility for Johnson to attend the council meeting – which would be a major symbolic step post-Brexit. Continue reading...

Analysis: Looking at the fighting so far, some think Putin will be unable to conquer and occupy, but others see ominous signs

Working from home and lack of in-person social events hit fashion brand that went online-only in 2020The shirtmaker TM Lewin has called in administrators for the second time in less than two years, becoming the latest victim of the general shift to working from home.The business, which operated 150 shops before the pandemic, has operated a solely online business since first calling in administrators in June 2020. As well as its specialism, shirts, it sells suits, knitwear, coats and accessories such as ties. Continue reading...

Analysis: Richard Ratcliffe ignored Foreign Office advice and spoke out but other families have kept quietIn seeking to extract a loved one from the clutches of an authoritarian regime, is it best to follow the advice of the UK Foreign Office and leave it to the discreet professionalism of the diplomatic class, or instead take a leap into the unknown and go public?Kim Darroch, the former UK ambassador to Washington, hesitated before agreeing on ITV’s Peston this week that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, had probably been right to ignore the Foreign Office advice. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed, you can read more about P&O’s dismissal of all 800 crew members hereYachts moored in the UK suspected of being linked to Russian oligarchs have been stopped from leaving, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has told MPs.During transport questions this morning, Shapps said a “small number” of yachts were affected, and that inquiries into their ownership were still underway. He told the Commons:I would like to update the House on the actions we’ve taken to clamp down on Russian interests in the UK.We have detained private jets that we believe are owned by or connected to [Vladimir] Putin’s cronies. And now I can confirm that we’re investigating a small number of yachts moored in this country we suspect are also linked to Russian oligarchs.Yes, I do join [Amesbury] in congratulating them. It came after I wrote to all the ports and asked them not to allow in Russian ships and Russian-connected ships.It looks as if the Department for Work and Pensions doesn’t believe in levelling up, it doesn’t believe in its own rhetoric on jobs, and it doesn’t believe in keeping people in work.We hear that offices are going to be closed in Stoke, in Southend, in Peterborough, in Chesterfield and Aberdeen, in Kirkcaldy, in Barrow, Bishop Auckland, Doncaster and Burnley, taking jobs out of these communities. Continue reading...

Analysis: Ukrainian leader’s addresses to foreign legislatures focus on each country’s history

Passengers report being left stranded as ferry operator sacks 800 crew with crossings suspendedFurious P&O Ferries customers have rounded on the company for leaving them stranded at short notice and for its “abysmal” treatment of 800 staff, whose abrupt sacking on Thursday morning triggered chaos at ports across the country.P&O initially told passengers that services were unable to run “for the next few hours”, affecting the Dover-Calais crossing and the routes from Hull to Rotterdam, Liverpool to Dublin and Cairnryan in Scotland to Larne. Continue reading...

Met counter-terror chief says ‘relatively well-educated children’ being lured by content based on first-person shooter gamesChildren from middle class backgrounds are being lured into extreme rightwing terrorism with online content based on violent video games shaped to indoctrinate them, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer has said.Assistant commissioner Matt Jukes said said that 19 out of 20 children aged under 18 who were arrested last year for terrorism offences were linked to an extreme rightwing ideology. Continue reading...

Gunter Uwents, 37, is said to have confessed to killing Maria Verlinden 30 years after he was her pupilA 37-year-old man who said he had felt humiliated by his teacher in primary school has confessed to stabbing her to death three decades later, according to Belgian prosecutors.Gunter Uwents told investigators he had never got over comments that Maria Verlinden made about him in class in the early 1990s, starting when he was seven. Continue reading...

Scheme being trialled in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru seen as way to make more money from existing subscribers as growth slowsThe days of sharing Netflix passwords could be over soon. The streaming company has begun testing a new feature that would charge people to add multiple profiles to an account.The scheme is initially being trialled in is Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. It is unclear if and when the feature will be unrolled in other countries. Continue reading...

Number of casualties unclear after strike on building where hundreds of people were hiding in basement

Model turned Popworld presenter and designer says eponymous brand is not insolvent but will be ‘winding down’The celebrity TV presenter and influencer Alexa Chung has announced she is to close her eponymous fashion label after five years due to economic pressures caused by the pandemic.The label, which showed twice at London fashion week and recently collaborated with Barbour, is not going into administration but is, says Chung, “winding down”. Items from the Barbour collection will still be available on the brand’s official site until the end of the month. Continue reading...

Economist calls for compressed working hours with 10-hour days in response to higher fuel prices

Commission accused of putting EU wartime unity above concerns over rule of law

People from Black or minority ethnic background make up 34% of those held on remand, latest figures showThe likelihood that a prisoner held on remand is from a Black or minority ethnic background has increased by 17% over six years, new figures have disclosed.Data from the Ministry of Justice also shows that the proportion of BAME people held on remand has risen since the beginning of the pandemic in late 2019.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

Pharma firm joins AstraZeneca and Pfizer in saying it will not enrol new patients into studies

Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams call off June auctions during traditional Russian art week

West used racial slur after Noah criticised his behaviour in the wake of the former’s divorce from Kim KardashianKanye West has been suspended from Instagram for 24 hours, after he used a racial slur to describe TV presenter Trevor Noah.A spokesperson for Instagram’s parent company Meta told TMZ and HuffPost that the suspension was due to West violating the company’s policy on hate speech, bullying and harassment.You’re an indelible part of my life Ye. Which is why it breaks my heart to see you like this. I don’t care if you support Trump and I don’t care if you roast Pete. I do however care when I see you on a path that’s dangerously close to peril and pain … Don’t ever forget, the biggest trick racists ever played on black people was teaching us to strip each other of our blackness whenever we disagree. Tricking us into dividing ourselves up into splinters so that we would never unite into a powerful rod. Continue reading...

Albanese promises to ‘show up and take responsibility’ as campaign begins; Scott Morrison says ‘further names’ added to sanctions list every day after Ukraine embassy calls for sanctions against two Russian oligarchs; at least 26 Covid deaths recorded. This blog is now closed

Mark Bailey says emails to union secretary were ‘rookie error’ after Queensland CCC report finds no evidence of corrupt conduct

Witness tells defamation trial he knew appearing on 60 Minutes in 2019 breached defence force rules but does not regret it

Despite record infections and fatalities, public opinion appears to support plans to ease Covid curbs in the coming days

Covid-19 infections continue to rise in the state with a second day of over 20,000 cases as BA.2 Omicron subvariant spreads

Damaging winds and torrential rainfall strike Madagascar, Mozambique and MalawiTropical Cyclone Gombe affected parts of Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi last week, bringing damaging winds and torrential rainfall. Gombe made landfall in the Nampula province of northern Mozambique on Friday as a category three tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of about 120mph and more that 100mm of rainfall in places. Mozambique has already been hit this year by Tropical Storm Ana in January and tropical depression Dumako in February.A powerful late-winter storm system surged across eastern parts of the US on Friday night and Saturday, bringing heavy rain, widespread heavy snow, strong winds, thunderstorms and freezing temperatures. Snow was reported as far south as Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, with 20-30cm falling quite widely across the Appalachians and northwards through parts of Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont. Damaging winds affected parts of Florida, with a tornado reported near Crescent City, Florida. Cold weather plunging well into the south has been a frequent feature of this winter in the US. Continue reading...

Report highlights inequalities in older age groups, and raises concerns for people nearing retirement ageOne in five pensioners – more than 2 million people – are living in relative poverty in the UK, an increase of more than 200,000 in the past year alone, according to a comprehensive review of national data.The Centre for Ageing Better’s annual State of Ageing report, published on Thursday, says inequalities within older generations are some of the most extreme in society today: the wealth of the richest 20% doubled between 2002 and 2018, while that of the poorest 20% fell by 30%. Continue reading...

Anti-slavery commissioner says change in law needed so that victims are more likely to be allowed to stay in UK

Claimants will have to prove malice, as government seeks to curb ‘Slapps’ that use wealth to deter scrutinyMinisters have set out plans to cap the costs of libel lawsuits and force claimants to prove “actual malice” in an attempt to deter legal action often used by Russian oligarchs to intimidate journalists and block publication of their links to Vladimir Putin.The UK government said it would seek legal reforms to discourage so-called strategic lawsuits against public participation (Slapps). Such lawsuits can be pursued by corporations or individuals with deep pockets, with the aim of deterring investigation and scrutiny by threatening years of costly and time-consuming legal action. Continue reading...

Acting education minister says teacher training needs overhaul as ‘bottom 10%’ are ‘dragging the chain’

Ukraine authorities say hundreds of people were hiding in theatre and that convoy of cars leaving besieged city was also shelled

The jobless rate for women fell to the lowest rate since May 1974 at 3.8%, as the economy added a net 77,400 jobs in FebruaryAustralia’s jobless rate sank to a new 13-year low last month with a big rise in full-time positions, as the economy shrugged off more of the Omicron Covid disruptions.The country’s unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 4.0% in February, compared with 4.2% in January. That’s the lowest rate since August 2008, the ABS said. Continue reading...

Ex-TV host, fired after assisting brother Andrew amid sexual harassment allegations, files request for arbitrationThe former CNN primetime host Chris Cuomo filed a request for arbitration on Wednesday, seeking $125m in damages for alleged wrongful termination.The network fired Cuomo in December, following an inquiry into his efforts to help his brother, the former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who was accused of sexual harassment. Continue reading...

Ukraine is holding out in the heavily bombarded port city and even as thousands of people try to leave, others are arriving

Release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashoori mixed serpentine statecraft, brutal realpolitik and occasional stubborn idealism

Transparency advocates ‘can’t make sense’ of decision to exclude resource industry figures from sanctions

Liz Truss says British-Iranian dual nationals are flying back to Britain after being released from custody in Iran

Rayleigh scattering phenomenon in the south comes as hottest day of year so far forecast for SaturdaySaharan dust moving across Europe has hit the UK, turning the skies orange over southern parts of the country, meteorologists have said.It comes ahead of what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far on Saturday, with temperatures set to reach up to 18C in some areas.

Analysis: Putin’s rhetoric remains uncompromising and analysts are sceptical negotiations will yield a lasting solution

Government says 5,500 visas granted and 20,000 applications submitted

Ofsted criticises £37,905-a-year Ampleforth college for inadequate safeguarding of vulnerable studentsVulnerable students at a British boarding school had sex in front of another pupil and others were able to sneak out and drink themselves unconscious because they were so poorly supervised, inspectors have found.“Serious failures” were identified at Ampleforth college, a Catholic boarding school in North Yorkshire that charges £37,905 a year. Continue reading...

Government says it will modify legislation giving nationality to descendants of expelled Jews to prevent it being ‘manipulated’The Portuguese government is to tighten the law granting nationality to the descendants of Jews who were expelled from the Iberian peninsula 500 years ago, as concerns grow over the controversial decision to award Roman Abramovich citizenship because of his apparent Sephardic Jewish heritage.The Russian oligarch and Chelsea FC owner, who is now subject to UK and EU sanctions because of his ties to Vladimir Putin, was granted Portuguese citizenship last year under a 2015 law designed to make amends for the mass banishments at the end of the 15th century. Continue reading...