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Guardian investigation finds labourers – including those on World Cup-related projects – were left with huge debtsLow-wage migrant workers have been forced to pay billions of dollars in recruitment fees to secure their jobs in World Cup host nation Qatar over the past decade, a Guardian investigation has found.Bangladeshi men migrating to Qatar are likely to have paid about $1.5bn (£1.14bn) in fees, and possibly as high as $2bn, between 2011 and 2020. Nepali men are estimated to have paid around $320m, and possibly more than $400m, in the four years between mid-2015 to mid-2019. Continue reading...

PwC’s postponement of financial audit without reason fuels further fall after 36% slump on WednesdayThe share price of Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising business has fallen further after a surprise delay from its auditors caused the postponement of financial results and a dive in the company’s valuation.S4 Capital’s share price dropped by 36% on Wednesday afternoon after it announced the delay by the auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers without outlining a reason. On Thursday morning it dropped by a further 4.2% to 298p, its lowest point since June 2020. Continue reading...

Exclusive: study finds women are providing 23.2bn hours of unpaid childcare care worth estimated £382bnNearly half of working-age women are providing an average of 45 hours of unpaid care every week, while 25% of men provide 17 hours, according to a study highlighting the gulf in unpaid care work.Every year women in the UK are providing 23.2bn hours of unpaid childcare care worth an estimated £382bn, while men provide 9.7bn worth £160bn, according to research from the thinktank Centre for Progressive Policy. Continue reading...

Kais Saied made the move after parliament voted to repeal decrees he used to assume near total powerTunisia’s president, Kais Saied, has issued a decree dissolving parliament, which has been suspended since last year, after it defied him by voting to repeal decrees he had used to assume near total power.Speaking after an online session of more than half the parliament members, their first since he suspended the chamber in July, Saied accused them of a failed coup and a conspiracy against state security and ordered investigations into them. Continue reading...

Minor injuries sustained by 11-year-old who was rescued by fire service in Dungannon, County TyroneAn 11-year-old boy has been rescued after falling 4 metres down a manhole at a petrol station forecourt in Northern Ireland.The incident happened shortly before 7pm on Wednesday at the filling station in Dungannon, County Tyrone. Continue reading...

Top temperatures expected to reach a maximum of 10C this weekend due to air coming from the ArcticParts of eastern England and Scotland woke up to flurries of snow on Thursday morning, with more snow, hail and ice expected in a dramatic contrast to last week’s spring-like weather.Top temperatures across the UK are plummeting from last week’s highs of 20C to reach a maximum of 10C this weekend due to air coming from the Arctic bringing temperatures below average for the second week of spring. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Australian contribution to become more critical as Scott Morrison pledges extra $25m in military assistance to Ukraine; Sydney rainfall tops record set in 1956; flood and hazardous surf warnings across NSW; nation records 32 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

Ukrainian president’s address to federal parliament came after Scott Morrison called Vladimir Putin a ‘war criminal’ in strongest condemnation yet

Regional NSW hospital has come close to sending women two hours away to give birth due to lack of nurses

UK lacks sufficient understanding of China to make sensible decisions, finds higher education policy reportExperts have called for additional government funding to build “China competency” in the UK education system in the face of “a severe national deficit” in China literacy and Mandarin speakers.Despite the growing importance of China in the world today, research by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) concluded the UK lacks sufficient knowledge and understanding of China to “make sensible decisions”. Continue reading...

Prices boom across all of UK with average price up by £33,000UK house prices grew at the fastest annual pace since 2004 in March, continuing the ascent to new record levels – a fifth higher than at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.Prices rose by 14.3% in the year to March, the strongest pace of increase since November 2004 when the UK experienced a housing boom that preceded the financial crisis, according to Nationwide, the UK’s largest building society. Continue reading...

Labor targets attorney general for engaging top lawyer at taxpayer expense for ‘NSW Liberal party factional war’

This blog is now closed

Analysis: the Nato member that arms Ukraine and will not impose sanctions on Russia seems respected enough by both sides to host talks

Citizens Coalition for Change’s byelection success raises concerns of instabilityZimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party may be facing an uphill struggle to secure a clear victory in elections due next year after a new opposition party made significant gains in byelections last weekend, raising concerns of new political instability and possible violence.The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), which was only founded in January, won 19 out of 28 parliamentary seats in polls widely regarded as a test run for the 2023 presidential election. Continue reading...

Coroner criticises police for losing evidence and says priest Anthony Bongiorno and Peter Keogh are ‘persons of interest’

Several big name brands including Tiffany, Pandora and Chopard announce a pause on buying raw materials of Russian origin amid war in Ukraine

Just $67m over four years allowed for proposed – but not legislated – anti-corruption commission

Comedian makes first public remarks since incident during comedy show in BostonChris Rock has made his first public remarks after being slapped on live television by Will Smith during Sunday’s Academy Awards, saying at a Wednesday night comedy show that he was “still processing” the incident.At his show in Boston, his first since the Oscars and part of a pre-existing tour schedule, Rock addressed the controversy by jokingly asking the crowd, “How was your weekend?” before explaining he “did not have a lot to say” yet about that night. Continue reading...

Australian prime minister told a Brisbane radio station he is also ‘fiercely defensive’ of his wife

Board of governors says it has initiated disciplinary proceedings against actor after he hit Chris RockThe Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said that Will Smith was asked to leave to Sunday’s Oscars after hitting Chris Rock but refused.The Academy’s board of governors, which met on Wednesday, said it had also initiated disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. Continue reading...

National Education Union found ‘no compelling reason’ for all schools in England to join academy trustsUnion leaders have accused the government of relying on “badly flawed” evidence to justify its plans for all schools in England to join academy trusts.The National Education Union (NEU) met the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, on Wednesday to challenge him over evidence used to support the government’s drive for full academisation by 2030, announced in the schools white paper earlier this week. Continue reading...

Labour campaign launch will capitalise on cost of living crisis and Partygate backlashLabour will launch its local elections battle with the slogan “On your side”, urging voters to send the Conservatives a message about the pain of the cost of living crisis and No 10 lockdown breaches.Keir Starmer will launch the party’s campaign in Bury, a symbolic location where one local MP, Christian Wakeford, defected from the Tories to Labour over Boris Johnson’s behaviour during the Partygate investigation. Continue reading...

Sir Jeremy Fleming speech says Russia’s president miscalculated the scale of resistance

Police search for gunman following apparent targeted attack in city of ZwolleTwo people were killed after a gunman opened fire in a McDonald’s restaurant in the northern Dutch city of Zwolle, according to police and local media.“Two people were killed in a shooting incident,” Dutch police tweeted late on Wednesday, with local broadcaster RTL Oost saying the incident happened around 6pm in a McDonald’s. Continue reading...

Relaxing of requirement for Ukrainians does not extend to Afghans eligible for sanctuary in UKA family in hiding in Afghanistan who are eligible for sanctuary in the UK but are unable to escape because they can’t get biometrics done in their home country have taken their case to the high court.The case highlights the differential treatment given to those fleeing conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan over biometrics requirements. Continue reading...

Dominic Raab says there were ‘clearly breaches’, but PM says he won’t give ‘running commentary’Boris Johnson has repeatedly declined to admit rules were broken in Downing Street during lockdown, despite the Metropolitan police issuing 20 fixed-penalty notices, and Dominic Raab saying there were “clearly breaches of the regulations”.Raab, who as justice secretary oversees the legal system, suggested in a BBC interview on Wednesday that the Met’s decision to issue 20 penalty notices to people involved in Downing Street gatherings showed the law had been broken. Continue reading...

Government will be forced to abandon its plan to end a two-year trial of the scheme in AugustWomen in England will be able to access a “pills by post” abortion service indefinitely after MPs voted today to compel ministers to make it permanent instead of scrapping the scheme in September.The decision will benefit tens of thousands of women every year who want to take the two tablets needed to end a pregnancy in the privacy of their own home rather than having to take the first at a clinic or hospital. They have to be taken within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Continue reading...

Salah Abdeslam, main suspect on trial for 2015 terrorist attacks, claims he chose not to detonate vestA police explosives expert has told a court that the suicide vest worn by the main suspect on trial for the 2015 Paris terror attacks that left 130 people dead and hundreds injured was faulty.The witness said the detonators on the front and back of the vest abandoned by Salah Abdeslam near a rubbish bin were “defective” and there was no switch or battery present. Continue reading...

Security cabinet in emergency talks ahead of Ramadan, Passover and Easter celebrationsIsrael’s prime minister has called on citizens with gun licences to arm themselves after the bloodiest attack in years in greater Tel Aviv, which marked the third such killings spree in the Jewish state in a week.“What is expected of you, Israeli citizens? Vigilance and responsibility,” the country’s far-right leader, Naftali Bennett, said in a video statement on Wednesday evening. “Whoever has a gun licence, this is the time to carry it.” Continue reading...

Kyiv official says he thinks Istanbul proposals could lead to summit, but Kremlin says there is ‘a lot of work to be done’

Boris Johnson was questioned at the liaison committee about the plight of those dependent on universal creditBoris Johnson promised to examine a proposal to increase universal credit in line with inflation, as he was grilled by a high-powered committee of MPs over the cost of living crisis.Questioning the prime minister as part of the liaison committee, Mel Stride MP highlighted the plight of those people dependent on universal credit, calling it a “hole”, in Rishi Sunak’s spring statement last week. Continue reading...

Foreign Office also says it plans to extend sanctions to Russian-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk

Michelle Bachelet said the massive destruction of civilian infrastructure indicates the rules of war have ‘not been sufficiently adhered to’

The elections on 5 May will be a key test for Boris Johnson after ‘partgate’, but they are often difficult to predict. Here is our handy guide to the pollsMuch of the UK will go the polls on 5 May for local and regional elections that will be seen as a key test for Boris Johnson after months of negative headlines over allegedly lockdown-breaking parties. Local elections can be hard to decode, so here is what is up for grabs, and what we might learn. Continue reading...

Union says company aims to sack nearly 1,000 managers and bring in lower rates of payRoyal Mail is being warned it could be hit by strikes over plans to cut managers’ jobs.Unite said the company was aiming to sack nearly 1,000 managers and bring in lower rates of pay in another case of “fire and rehire”, which Royal Mail denies. Continue reading...

Pop star who was diagnosed with tumour in 2020 had ‘infectious smile and energetic presence’, says his wifeTom Parker, singer with the Wanted, has died aged 33 from brain cancer.His wife, Kelsey, said on Instagram: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side. Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.” Continue reading...

Taliban’s increasingly repressive rule could lead to donor backlash at UN pledging conference on ThursdayWestern officials fear a UN pledging conference this Thursday aimed at raising more than $4.4bn (£3.34bn) aid for Afghanistan is likely to fall well short of its target. One UN official admitted he feared the Taliban’s increasingly repressive rule would lead to a donor backlash.The new UN appeal, on top of the flash appeal for $600m in the immediate wake of the Taliban takeover in August, is hoping to raise the single biggest sum ever for a single country at a pledging conference. Continue reading...

Yandex-delivered ads found alongside misinformation and propaganda about Ukraine on Russian-language news sites

Judges direct conviction of Elliott Cuciurean in what is being seen as blow to right to protestThe high court has directed that a protester against the HS2 rail line who was originally acquitted of aggravated trespass should be convicted after an appeal by the director of public prosecutions.In a decision that will come as a blow to protesters more widely two judges, including the lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, ordered that the case of Elliott Cuciurean be remitted to the magistrates court with a direction to convict. Continue reading...

John Cole tells court he and boy’s mother, Angharad Williamson, put his body into a bag but says they did not murder himThe stepfather of five-year-old Logan Mwangi has told a jury that he and the boy’s mother both struck him the day before he died and described carrying his body to the riverbank where he was found – but insisted they did not kill the child.John Cole, who is on trial alongside Logan’s mother, Angharad Williamson, and a 14-year-old boy, told Cardiff crown court he was woken on the night of the death by his partner screaming that her son was dead. Continue reading...

Speed and scale of refugee crisis unprecedented in Europe since WW2, says UN refugees commissioner

Labour leader also used prime minister’s questions to attack PM over taxes and cost of living

Justin Lee Price, of Worcester, jailed for six weeks for abuse of striker after Euro 2020 finalA teenager has been jailed for six weeks for racially abusing Marcus Rashford on Twitter after the Euro 2020 final, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.Justin Lee Price, 19, of Worcester, was sentenced on Wednesday at Kidderminster magistrates court, in Worcester. Continue reading...

Unions say strike over ‘anti-worker’ government policies a success despite limited impact, with far fewer than predicted taking partAn estimated 50 million people joined India’s two-day national strike this week, a fraction of the number expected to protest.Bank, factory and public transport workers disrupted services in six states on Monday and Tuesday, but the strike had limited impact across the rest of the country. Continue reading...

Met Office issues yellow weather warning from Wednesday evening as wintry weather covers part of the UKA weather warning has been issued for parts of Scotland and northern England amid snowfall and plummeting temperatures.Wintry weather has replaced the sunshine experienced by much of the UK last week, and now the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice for an area covering a large swathe of eastern Scotland, north-east England and Yorkshire. Continue reading...

Festival’s 75th anniversary will include stage reimagining of The Jungle Book following Mowgli’s journey as a climate refugeeAn adaptation of The Jungle Book that reimagines the journey of Mowgli through the eyes of a climate refugee is part of the programme at this year’s Edinburgh international festival, which shines a spotlight on themes of refugeehood and migration.The outgoing festival director, Fergus Linehan, said the 75 anniversary programme was an opportunity to “pay tribute to our first artistic director, Rudolf Bing, a refugee of war in Europe”. Continue reading...