Little progress in talks between Russia and Ukraine as humanitarian convoy is forced to turn round

Solaris is tracked off coast of Sicily, joining hurried sailings of Russian yachts to avoid seizure

Zelenskiy shares footage showing destruction of 600-bed complex with children’s and maternity wards in south-eastern city as US House passes huge aid package

Outgoing chief inspector of constabulary says police must confront series of problems to ‘rebuild public trust’Major shortcomings persist in England and Wales’s police forces, the outgoing chief inspector of constabulary has warned, as he said one of the most important missions was to “rebuild public trust”.Sir Tom Winsor, in his ninth and final annual review, said that police must confront a series of problems, including the aftermath of Sarah Everard’s murder by a police officer, if damage to confidence is be restored.Fraud has “exploded” and continues to be wrongly treated as a low priority by many forces.The model of local accountability, involving police and crime commissioners, has fractured some relationships between police and politicians, and left some chief constables lacking in confidence in their operational independence.The speed with which the government has tried to recruit 20,000 officers, in line with the Conservative manifesto, means there is a “heightened danger” that people unsuited to policing may get through.The “fragile architecture” of having 43 police forces, devised in 1962 and implemented in 1974, is “very far from fit for purpose” in the 2020s.Online crime is now by far the most prevalent type of crime. “It used to be that children were seen as unsafe out on the streets. Now they may be more at risk in their own bedrooms,” he said.Public expectations to fight crime cannot be met without sufficient funding and “the public through their politicians must decide how much threat, harm and risk they are prepared to tolerate”. Continue reading...

A jury has retired to consider its verdict in the case of the Northern Territory constable charged with the murder of Warlpiri man Kumanjayi Walker

Mining giant’s decision follows other big names exiting Russia and casts doubt over Queensland Alumina Ltd joint venture

The interference began soon after a meeting between presidents Sauli Niinistö and Joe BidenAircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Continue reading...

Man falls 300 metres to his death and army group gets into difficulty after going to his aidA man has died after falling about 300 metres (1,000ft) down Ben Nevis, and 17 others had to be rescued in “ferocious” conditions during an eight-hour operation on Britain’s highest mountain.After a 28-year-old man fell down an icy slope at Red Burn, on the west side of the mountain, members of an army group went to his aid but ended up requiring multiple rescues themselves. Continue reading...

Airport will reopen south terminal and restore landing and takeoff slot rulesGatwick is expecting 3 million passengers a month this summer as the easing of travel restrictions and the return of takeoff and landing slot rules help the airport recover from its pandemic slump.The airport reported narrower losses of just over £1m a day in 2021, down £95m on 2020 to £371m, despite passenger numbers falling further to 6.3 million last year. Continue reading...

Analysis: the public spat over planes is a setback and the upshot of this mini-debacle is that Russia retains air superiority

Mothercare and Universal Music also among latest round of firms to halt operations after invasion of Ukraine

Aircraft impounded in Hampshire as aviation sanctions come into effect

SAS soldier tells defamation trial he heard a burst of gunfire and later walked past dead body lying outside Whiskey 108 compound

Yevhen Lavrenchuk was imprisoned for more than two month after being detained at Moscow’s requestA Ukrainian opera director who was arrested in Italy at Russia’s request said he hopes to be “the last ever victim of Russian exploitation of Interpol”.Yevhen (Eugene) Lavrenchuk, 39, was imprisoned in Naples for more than two months after Russia issued a call for his arrest through Interpol’s “red notice”, an instrument once used to hunt fugitive criminals but which now includes the names of political dissidents. Continue reading...

Messages from online casino occurred during industry’s Safer Gambling WeekSky Vegas has been fined £1.2m for sending free casino “spins” to recovering addicts during the industry’s annual Safer Gambling Week.The fine comes at a sensitive time for the British gambling industry, which has been at pains to show it has improved its attitude to social responsibility. Continue reading...

Latest proposal on process to decide candidates ahead of May federal election scuttled by four votes against

Reserve Bank will act ‘to maintain low and stable inflation in Australia’, Philip Lowe says

President tells Commons Ukraine will fight Russia ‘in the forests, the fields, the shores and in the streets’

More than 2,500 Scots – most of them women – were executed under the Witchcraft Act of 1563Nicola Sturgeon has issued a posthumous apology to the thousands of people persecuted as witches in Scotland, underlining that the deep misogyny that motivated this “colossal” injustice is something women today still have to live with.As she responded to a petition demanding a pardon for the more than 4,000 people in Scotland – the vast majority of them women – who were accused, convicted and many of whom were executed under the Witchcraft Act of 1563, the first minister told the Scottish parliament that she was acknowledging “that egregious historic injustice” and extending a formal posthumous apology to all those who were so vilified. Continue reading...

Attacks on hospitals and ambulances increasing rapidly, says WHO, as medical supplies dwindle

Duchess of Cornwall jokes that ‘alter ego’ could step in at any moment while speaking at International Women’s Day eventThe Duchess of Cornwall came face to face with the actor who played her younger self in The Crown at an event to mark International Women’s Day.The event, a reception at Clarence House, was hosted by Camilla and was attended by a range of women leading in fields such as the arts, politics and business for International Women’s Day. Emerald Fennell, who portrayed her in the Netflix series, was among those in attendance. Continue reading...

London Metal Exchange suspends nickel trading as Russia-Ukraine crisis causes market panicCar manufacturers are facing soaring costs and supply issues after the price of nickel doubled to record levels in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Prices passed $100,000 (£76,000) a tonne – driven up by buyers racing to cover short positions – before the London Metal Exchange (LME) suspended trading in nickel for the day. Continue reading...

Civilian deaths reported in incidents including on minibus carrying teachers to an orphanage in Mykolaiv

Islabikes to mass-produce model specifically for adults with achondroplasia, after working with campaign groupFor much of the 15-plus years Islabikes has existed, managing director Tim Goodall recalls, adults with dwarfism would regularly get in touch, asking to come in to try out one of the bikes they make for children.The company, he says, was happy to oblige, if aware of the implications: “It was the best option out there, but it was still pretty awful. It did feel like it was a problem that could be solved through better design.” Continue reading...

‘The treatment we received from the French and the British has been so different,’ says father Yakiv Voloshchuk

Analysis: Advance of Putin’s war machine through key southern cities likely to have major impact on war’s outcome

Bakery chain expects overall cost inflation of 6-7% this year amid escalating conflict in Ukraine

Complaints had been made about alarms and ‘stay put’ policy before fire broke out in 17th-floor flatResidents of a high-rise building in east London said they had complained about the fire alarms and “stay put” policy before a major fire broke out there on Monday.The London fire brigade (LFB) was called to the Relay Building in Whitechapel High Street shortly before 4pm after a fire started in a 17th-floor flat. Continue reading...

Simon Hoare responds to claims that open door policy creates security risk

Jia Qingguo claims the proliferation of misinformation online has fuelled tensions between China and foreign countriesAn adviser to the Chinese government has called for new laws to ban “fabricating and disseminating fake information online”, blaming the rampant disinformation on the internet for polarising Chinese public opinion.Jia Qingguo, a member of China’s highest political advisory body, said he also believed the proliferation of misinformation online had fuelled tensions between China and foreign countries. Continue reading...

Presidential hopefuls trade insults and fend off allegations of impropriety in race some liken to Squid Game seriesHitler insults, shamanistic intrigue and some colourful language for good measure. It was always going to be difficult for South Korea to match the vitriol surrounding Park Geun-hye’s dramatic removal from office five years ago over corruption charges for which she would spend more than three years in prison.But the campaign leading up to Wednesday’s election for the country’s next president has given even Park’s chaotic exit a run for its money. Continue reading...

Images captured by satellite showed very early signs of activity at the Punggye-ri siteCommercial satellite imagery shows construction at North Korea’s nuclear testing site for the first time since it was closed in 2018, US-based analysts said on Tuesday, adding to concerns the country could resume testing major weapons.Images captured by satellite on Friday showed very early signs of activity at the Punggye-ri site, including construction of a new building, repair of another building, and what is possibly some lumber and sawdust, specialists at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) said in a report. Continue reading...

Paintings highlighting stories of women who have helped shape British culture are part of three-year project by NPGThe National Portrait Gallery has acquired five self-portraits by female artists as part of a three-year project to enhance the representation of women in its collection.The gallery, which is currently closed for a major refurbishment, said the works highlighted stories of women who have helped shape British culture. Continue reading...

Growing older can mean getting bolder – so why shouldn’t this be reflected in our clothes? Meet four people who refuse to blend into the backgroundOur style evolves as we move through life; trends come and go. When we get older, the phrase “age-appropriate” is suddenly everywhere. But not everyone is content to blend into the bland smart-casual background. Some choose to tear up their old wardrobes for something entirely different.What is it that prompts people to revolutionise their styles later in life, to swap streetwear for flouncy skirts or trousers for kilts? And how does it feel to disregard the fashion rulebook? Continue reading...

Convoy of cars, trucks and ambulances will leave London for the Poland/Ukraine border on ThursdayWith a people under attack in dire need of help, and medical supplies vital to treat the wounded, doctors from across the NHS have been gathering kit, drugs and equipment to take to Ukraine.On Thursday a convoy of cars, trucks and ambulances will start the long drive from London to the Poland/Ukraine border, carrying tons of much needed stock donated by hospitals, GP surgeries and drug companies. Continue reading...

Deputy prime minister raises prospect of closing Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany, and says rejecting Russian oil would be ‘catastrophic’ for world

Value of country’s fakes tripled from 2019 to 2020 as it became main source of counterfeit designer clothes stopped at EU bordersPhotos of fake Gucci bags, Louis Vuitton sweatpants and Nike sneakers are flaunted on the social media accounts of a Turkish store with more than 155,000 followers on TikTok. There are thousands of comments under the posts in English, Italian, Bulgarian, Polish, German, Spanish and French.Turkey is the third biggest exporter of counterfeit products to the EU after China and Hong Kong, according to data on the value of goods seized. Falls in the value of the Turkish lira and the deterioration of the Turkish economy are further fuelling demand as such items become cheaper to traders buying in euros. Continue reading...

Nigerian medical student escapes to safety but Indian coordinator remains trapped in hostel with wife and young babyAgainst a constant backdrop of shelling and air raids, more than 1,200 international students remain trapped in the besieged city of Sumy, eastern Ukraine. Diplomatic efforts to evacuate them and create a safe corridor appear to have stalled.Many of the students have run out of water, resorting at times to boiling ice, and are running out of food. In their desperation, many are contemplating taking a treacherous journey out of the city to Poltava, 110 miles to the south. Continue reading...

Millions of people are on the move, heading for Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. It is Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since the second world warAfter four days on the road, sleeping in her car, Ludmila Lyskevska was in a defiant mood. “Putin has gone bonkers. He wants Ukraine to be part of his imperium,” she said, stretching her legs as snow fell from a white sky. “He’s managed to unite the whole country against him.”Lyskevska was travelling in a three-car family convoy. The group was part of a vast caravan of vehicles waiting to leave war-stricken Ukraine and cross the border into Poland. Over the course of a 20-minute conversation, her group advanced a mere 100 metres. They had been queueing for 20 hours. Behind her, more cars arrived. Continue reading...

Russian shelling is stopping civilians from leaving Kyiv, Mariupol, Sumy, Kharkiv, Volnovakha and Mykolayiv, Ukraine foreign ministry says

Ukrainian intelligence says major general in Russia’s 41st army died outside Kharkiv along with other senior officers

Expert says pigs are ‘worst invasive wild mammal on the planet’, carrying diseases, destroying crops and contaminating waterThe Canadian city of Edmonton may soon be hogtied with a problem that it won’t be able to barbecue its way out of.Wild pigs have been spreading across central Alberta’s prairies and if left unchecked, could soon find themselves in the river valley of Edmonton. According to Ryan Brook, a University of Saskatchewan professor studying the pigs, the creatures are an “ecological trainwreck” and would cause “absolute destruction” if they make their way to the river valley, which is abundant in water and forest cover. Continue reading...

Firefighters from multiple brigades mobilised after blaze broke out on 17th floor of building in WhitechapelTwenty fire engines and 125 firefighters were called to a fire at a block of flats on Whitechapel High Street on Monday.Crews tackled a fire on the 17th floor of the building. The London fire brigade mobilised its 64-metre ladder for the incident and said its control officers took more than 50 calls about the blaze. Continue reading...

Unlike other western nations, NZ has so far refused to change its visa rules in response to the crisisA group of “desperate” New Zealanders with Ukrainian friends and family have called on the government in Wellington to allow visa-free travel for people from Ukraine, as other western countries loosen their entry rules to allow in more of those fleeing the Russian invasion.New Zealand’s government has so far resisted calls to change its refugee system in response to the crisis, which the UN says has caused more than 1.3 million Ukrainians to leave their country. Continue reading...

MPs vow to toughen up economic crime bill rushed through House of Commons on MondayOligarchs or kleptocrats who try to sell off property in order to avoid it being listed in a new public register may be forced to declare their details upon sale, a minister has said, as MPs vowed to toughen up a new bill targeting hidden wealth.Ministers have promised sweeping changes to toughen up the economic crime bill, which was rushed through the House of Commons on Monday, as MPs also demanded the closing of loopholes allowing false reporting of assets. Continue reading...

US defence official says it is ‘noteworthy that Putin believes he needs foreign fighters’Russia has been trying to recruit Syrians to fight in Ukraine to bolster Moscow’s flagging invasion, according to the Pentagon.A senior US defence official said it is unclear how many Syrians Vladimir Putin is seeking to recruit, but said “we find it noteworthy that he believes he needs to rely on foreign fighters”. Continue reading...

Tuesday: Autopsy results reveal Shane Warne died from natural causes. Plus: controversial Netflix series Byron Baes to air this weekGood morning. The Amazon is approaching a tipping point, data shows, which would have “profound” global implications. International Women’s Day today takes a focus on gender equality in the face of the climate crisis, which feels also pertinent on home shores today. Heavy rains and strong winds are expected to continue to batter the east coast again.Heavy Russian shelling was preventing civilian evacuations from six cities, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has said, just hours after Moscow announced the opening of “humanitarian corridors” that Kyiv dismissed as immoral and unacceptable after it emerged only two led to elsewhere in Ukraine, with all others heading straight to Russia or pro-Russian Belarus. Meanwhile, Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak faces a lengthy ban for wearing a “Z” on his uniform, a symbol in support of the invasion of Ukraine, on the medal podium of a World Cup event. Continue reading...

Musician Dizzee Rascal, real name Dylan Mills, smashed a photographer’s camera outside court on Monday after he was found guilty of assaulting his ex-fiancee. Mills hurled the camera across the road outside Wimbledon magistrates court just moments after a verdict of guilty was returned for a charge of assault against Cassandra Jones, the mother of his two children

Footage shows people lining up outside Kharkiv train station – and later clambering over the tracks in darkness – in a desperate attempt to flee Ukraine. As of Sunday night more than 1.5 million people have fled abroad, with 1 million crossing into Poland, according to the UN Continue reading...

UK prime minister says he will announce an energy supply strategy soon but adds that UK must go ‘step by step’