World news | The Guardian

Several events at No 10 not yet fully investigated by Met police, posing further threat to PM’s positionBoris Johnson is facing another three potential fines for lockdown breaches, according to senior sources, as he suffered his first ministerial resignation over the Partygate scandal.In a sign of the continued nervousness in government that the prime minister’s position could come under threat when MPs return to Westminster from recess next week, a Downing Street source admitted the apparent lull felt like “calm before the potential storm”. Continue reading...

Thursday: Long delays expected at domestic airports before Easter. Plus: WHO chief blames racism for greater focus on Ukraine than Ethiopia

The Oscar-winning actor has been accused of violating three women but has pleaded guilty to just one allegationCuba Gooding Jr pleaded guilty on Wednesday to forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018.The guilty plea came nearly three years after the Oscar-winning Jerry Maguire star was arrested in the case that saw several delays as his lawyers sought to get charges reduced or dismissed. Continue reading...

Christi Dembrowski says ex-wife Amber Heard called Depp an ‘old, fat man’ and resented his job offer from fashion house DiorThe contours of the high-stakes legal battle between Johnny Depp and his former wife, Amber Heard, became clearer on Wednesday, as Depp’s older sister sought to refute Heard’s claims that her brother was a violent, unaccountable, childlike drug addict.Christi Dembrowski, who is also Depp’s personal manager, said she did not share Heard’s concerns – also advanced by a doctor who was treating Depp’s addiction to pain medication – that the actor was dependent on drugs and that he despaired of ever kicking his habit. Continue reading...

Biden had accused Moscow of genocide but French president says ‘escalation of words’ will not bring peace

Former Scottish Tory leader renews calls for PM to resign, in split from current leader Douglas Ross

Revelation is likely to lead to further questions about the criteria for holding the favourable tax statusOne of the most senior Cabinet Office directors is a non-dom, the Guardian can reveal, in a disclosure which comes as Labour vowed to crack down on the favourable tax status.Anand Aithal, a former Goldman Sachs managing director, is the lead non-executive director at the Cabinet Office, a role which a Whitehall source said meant he had significant responsibilities in the department and a close relationship with the Downing Street chief of staff, Steve Barclay. Continue reading...

Peter Ricketts, former UK ambassador, says presidential hopeful’s plans would completely isolate FranceMarine Le Pen’s plan for a new partnership with a post-Brexit Britain is dangerous for France, ignorant and completely misunderstands the basis of British alliances, Peter Ricketts, the former UK national security adviser and UK ambassador to France, has told the Guardian.He said the far-right presidential hopeful’s proposals represented a plan for French isolation from its main strategic partners, the US, Germany and the UK. Continue reading...

New chief replacing Cressida Dick must ‘restore public confidence’ particularly among women and ethnic minoritiesMinisters and London’s mayor have delivered a withering assessment of the state of the Metropolitan police in a job advert for a new commissioner to urgently root out the wrongdoing that is sapping public confidence.A job advert has been published to replace Cressida Dick, who quit in February after Sadiq Khan lost faith in her ability to drag the force out of a series of scandals, with the Home Office declining to save her. Continue reading...

David Wolfson says behaviour of Boris Johnson and others in Downing Street ‘inconsistent with the rule of law’Boris Johnson has suffered the first resignation since being fined by police for breaking Covid rules, with the justice minister, David Wolfson, saying the prime minister’s actions were “inconsistent with the rule of law”.Wolfson said it would be wrong for “that conduct to pass with constitutional impunity, especially when many in society complied with the rules at great personal cost, and others were fined or prosecuted for similar, and sometimes apparently more trivial, offences”. Continue reading...

Presidential candidate says it is ‘inaccurate and unjust’ to suggest she is indebted to Vladimir PutinThe French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has said that once the Russia-Ukraine war is over, she would propose closer links between Nato and Russia and pull France out of the military command of the US-led alliance.“As soon as the Russian-Ukrainian war is over and has been settled by a peace treaty, I will call for the implementation of a strategic rapprochement between Nato and Russia,” she said at a press conference. Continue reading...

Dutch bank says sorry for ‘pain and suffering’ caused by past actions and activities of its predecessor firmsThe Dutch bank ABN Amro has apologised for its predecessors’ role in the slave trade, after it commissioned an investigation into the “untold suffering” it caused.The investigation, by academics at the International Institute of Social History (IISH), an Amsterdam archive, found that two of ABN Amro’s predecessor companies were involved in either financing the operation of slave plantations directly, or underwriting the trade in products produced by slaves. Continue reading...

Analysis: Putin’s ally was Russia’s ‘main guy in Ukraine’ but Kremlin has refused prisoner exchangeHe was Vladimir Putin’s best friend in Ukraine but the Kremlin says it won’t make a trade to secure his freedom.Viktor Medvedchuk, a man often named the “dark prince” of Ukrainian politics, has been a loyal ally to Putin for two decades, leading a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine for years, even after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the beginning of the deadly war in Donbas. Continue reading...

Video mocked up with BBC News logo has been aired on Russian state TV and spread across social media

Amess’s family make plea for greater kindness in society after ‘beyond evil’ attack on MPThe family of Sir David Amess said they would “for ever shed tears” after his murder by a terrorist assassin who was sentenced to “die in prison” for an attack “on the heart of democracy”.Ali Harbi Ali, 26, was handed a whole-life tariff by Mr Justice Sweeney after being convicted on Monday of murdering the MP and of planning terrorist attacks on other MPs, including the cabinet minister Michael Gove, for two years before he killed Amess. Continue reading...

Army says it purchased three silicone implants, rather than the 60 reported by media, after revelations the military bought ViagraFurther questions have been raised about military spending on impotence treatments under Jair Bolsonaro after allegations Brazil’s defense ministry had approved the purchase of penile implants costing more than half a million pounds.Those claims followed revelations on Monday that the armed forces had forked out for more than 35,000 Viagra pills in what one leading opposition politician called an erectile “outrage”. Continue reading...

Most recent graduates in England and Wales will be charged 9% from September amid rising retail prices indexInterest rates on student loans are set to soar to as high as 12%, costing higher-earning graduates an extra £3,000 unless the government intervenes, according to the Institute for Fiscal Students.Interest rates on post-2012 student loans are based on the retail prices index (RPI), with the rise in the RPI in March meaning most recent graduates in England and Wales will be charged 9% from September, up from the current rate of 1.5%. Continue reading...

Those fined up to £1,000 during UK lockdowns contrast their experience with the prime minister’sIn May 2020, David Wilson received a £1,000 fine after hosting an outdoor party he says followed coronavirus rules at his restaurant, Calypso, in Blackburn. He’s still fighting the fine in court, and is terrified that if his case fails and he’s asked to pay, he’ll be forced to close an 11-year-old family business that delivered food to vulnerable people during the pandemic.This, he said, was the reality for “the small man”, contrasting his experience with that of the prime minister and his associates, who have been fined for attending parties at 10 Downing Street during lockdown. Continue reading...

Sylvia Lancaster set up charity after daughter was killed in ‘savage’ attack in Lancashire in 2007Sylvia Lancaster, the mother of a 20-year-old woman who was murdered in 2007 because she was dressed as a goth, has died.Lancaster died suddenly and unexpectedly on Tuesday morning, according to a statement posted by the Sophie Lancaster Foundation on social media, a charity founded in her daughter’s memory. Continue reading...

Firm says ‘significant uncertainties’ weigh on business despite pre-tax profits jumping from £1.1bn to £2.2bnTesco doubled pre-tax profits to more than £2bn last year but has warned on profits for this year as it faces a battle to “keep the cost of the weekly shop in check” amid soaring inflation driving up costs and squeezing household budgets.Total revenues for the UK’s biggest supermarket, which proved to be a pandemic winner by taking a share from rivals and boosting online sales, rose by 6% to £61.3bn as pre-tax profits jumped from £1.1bn to £2.2bn in the year to the end of 26 February. Continue reading...

Thirty children among dead found by Ukrainian authorities investigating killings, torture and rape

Caribbean Community had endorsed Patricia Scotland but Jamaican minister Kamina Johnson-Smith will now oppose herPatricia Scotland’s hopes of being re-elected Commonwealth secretary general have been dealt a blow, with Jamaica’s foreign minister, Kamina Johnson-Smith, announcing that she is challenging Scotland for the post.The decision has sparked controversy in the Caribbean, which had previously met to back Scotland’s bid for a second term. The Antiguan prime minister, Gaston Browne, has described Jamaica’s decision to break ranks as a “monumental error”. Continue reading...

David Smith, former security guard at British embassy, faces nine charges under Official Secrets ActA former security guard at the British embassy in Berlin who is accused of spying for Russia will face a trial at the Old Bailey next year.David Smith, 57, allegedly passed secret information about the British government to a military attache. Continue reading...

Prime minister says if Coalition wins election he would only introduce legislation if Labor agreed in advance to back heavily criticised model

General David Berger raises concerns about Chinese influence while Australia’s Pacific minister asks Solomon Islands ‘to consider not signing agreement’

March raid in remote Putumayo village was intended to target former Farc dissidents now involved in cocaine tradeColombian authorities are facing growing calls to investigate a botched army raid in which at least four civilians – including a 16-year old boy, a pregnant woman, and an Indigenous leader – were killed.The raid took place early on 28 March in a remote village in the conflict-racked southern province of Putumayo. It was intended to target dissident guerrillas from the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) who are now involved in the cocaine trade. Continue reading...

Nurses are being flown in from interstate amid staffing shortage after 30 positive cases reported, including inside the Alzheimer’s unit

Michael Gove announces deal involving 35 firms but further £3bn still needed to fully address fire safety issuesMore than 35 homebuilders have agreed to put £2bn towards fixing unsafe cladding on high-rise buildings in England identified in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, Michael Gove, the housing secretary, has said.The move had been expected after Gove asked 53 homebuilders to contribute towards fixing buildings they have had a role in developing. More than 35 said they would commit £2bn, but that still leaves a further £3bn needed to address fire safety problems in high-rise buildings across the country. Continue reading...

Liberal Katherine Deves apologises for post describing trans kids as ‘surgically mutilated and sterilised’ as Zali Steggall calls for her disendorsement

Decision in case of murder suspect Kyung Yup Kim concludes government can trust Chinese assurances extradited defendants will not face tortureNew Zealand’s courts have ruled the government can extradite to China a man suspected of murder – a landmark ruling that, if it proceeds, will be the first time the country has sent a resident to face trial in China.The courts had previously blocked the extradition of Kyung Yup Kim, a man accused of killing a young woman in Shanghai, citing the risk of torture and not receiving a fair trial. Continue reading...

Incumbent MPs and first-time ‘teal’ candidates say unemployment benefit below poverty line is unacceptable

Governor of Luhansk urges people to evacuate as Vladimir Putin insists Moscow will achieve its ‘noble’ aims

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Appeal did not establish that judge had made an error in deciding previous defamation case, court rules

Annunziata Murgia is oldest person ever to attend lessons for middle school diploma after second world war ruined her studiesAn Italian woman who missed out on formal education because of the second world war has returned to the classroom to study for her school diploma – at the age of 90.Annunziata Murgia is the oldest person ever to attend lessons for the licenza media, or middle school diploma, an exam typically taken by children in lower secondary education at the age of 14. She does so at the evening school close to her home in Dolianova, Sardinia. Continue reading...

High-profile death row case prompts some Singaporeans to call for executions to be halted though overall support for capital punishment remains highThe news was delivered in just a few cold sentences. An appeal for clemency for Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, a man on death row whose case has prompted a global outcry, had failed.“Please be informed that the position...remains unchanged” wrote Singapore president’s principal private secretary, in a letter to Nagaenthran’s family: “The sentence of death therefore stands.” Continue reading...

OECD leader urges increase despite previously defending Australia’s cuts while finance minister

Ovalbek Turdakun was given special authorization to enter the US after he had been imprisoned in detention camp in ChinaOvalbek Turdakun still doesn’t know what was in the shot the doctors in the Xinjiang detention centre gave him in 2018. He and his 23 cell mates were told it was a vaccine to prevent colds but Turdakun said that after the injection he and his cellmates felt pain in their ears, hands and feet; yellow fluid came out of their ears; some had trouble walking. When he was released after 10 months’ detention, Turdakun still struggled to walk.Turdakun is among the nearly 2 million people who are estimated to have been imprisoned in China’s mass detention camps in the Xinjiang region. On Tuesday, Turdakun, his wife, Zhyldyz Uraalieva, and son Daniyel Ovalbek arrived in the US on a special immigration authorization called significant public benefit parole which grants entry to people who would provide “significant public benefit” such as testifying in a criminal or legal proceeding. Continue reading...

Change to border restrictions marks first step in welcoming international visitors back to country after two years“Hello & kia ora & g’day & welcome” a sign waved at Auckland’s international airport said on Wednesday morning as Australian travellers set foot on New Zealand soil for the first time since the short-lived travel bubble between the two countries abruptly ended in mid-2021.More than 4,000 people travelling from Australia on Air New Zealand flights are expected to arrive at Auckland and Wellington airports on Wednesday, after the Covid-19 border restrictions lifted at midnight. Continue reading...

The front pages offer differing perspectives on fines issued to Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak over Covid breachesAs might be expected, there is a polarity to the coverage in today’s papers of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak being among those to receive a fixed-penalty notice over Partygate.“PM: I broke my own law but I refuse to go”, with Johnson and Sunak shown side by side, is on the front page of the Guardian. Continue reading...

US president says Russian leader is ‘trying to wipe out the idea of even being Ukrainian’ in comments welcomed by Voldymyr ZelenskiyJoe Biden has accused Russia of carrying out genocide in Ukraine, saying that Vladimir Putin is “trying to wipe out the idea of even being Ukrainian”.Biden has been consistently outspoken in denouncing Russian wholesale killing of Ukrainian civilians, labelling Putin as a “war criminal” in mid-March. Multiple investigations are under way into Russian atrocities in Ukraine, which include the razing of Mariupol and the executions of civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. Continue reading...

Unusual move to seek legal clarification, which cannot reverse verdict, amounts to the ‘politicisation of jury trials’, says defence lawyerThe attorney general has referred the case of four protesters cleared of the toppling of the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston to the court of appeal for legal direction.In a rare move, which cannot reverse the not guilty verdicts, Suella Braverman is to ask appeal judges for clarification on whether defendants can cite their human rights as a defence in a case of criminal damage. Continue reading...

Joint committee on human rights says plans contravene principle that human rights are universal

Practitioners’ struggles include increased workloads, greater demand from patients, and paperworkA third of GPs in England say they want to quit within five years, according to a regular survey which warns that clinical doctors are especially unhappy with the number of hours they work.The survey of 2,195 GPs undertaken in 2021 found 33% planned to leave “direct patient care” by 2026. The figure represents a return to levels last seen in 2015, after plans to quit peaked in 2018 when two in five GPs wanted to stop seeing patients within five years. Continue reading...

Few sexually transmitted infection test kits available online meet official standards, BMJ study findsPatients are being put at risk in the UK because very few sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests offered online meet official standards, experts have warned.The NHS provides free in-person tests for STIs via its network of sexual health and genitourinary medicine clinics. Patients can also order tests via the internet from both NHS-commissioned and private providers, a practice that has become increasingly popular during the pandemic. Continue reading...

House prices are dropping amid rising living costs and higher interest rates – what does that mean for you?For the first time in more than a decade, New Zealand house prices recorded a quarterly drop. ANZ economists say the mood in the market has shifted – from “fear of missing out” to “I’m not paying that”.We’re eager to hear from our New Zealand readers on how this might be affecting you. Continue reading...

Number of young people disappeared is increasing as total number of cases exceeds 95,000, very few of which are solvedCorrupt state officials and organized crime factions are to blame for Mexico’s soaring number of enforced disappearances, whose victims increasingly include children – some as young as 12, according to a new UN investigation.Just over 95,000 people were registered as disappeared at the end of November 2021. Of those, 40,000 were added in the past five years, according to the new report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances. Continue reading...