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Official city app previously used to buy tickets now warns of air raids and directs users to bomb shelters

Sergiy, 50, is a university lecturer who did not want to leave the Ukraine capital despite the advance of Russian troops

Nearly 90% of new infections in Jilin province, while tens of millions of people across the country remain confined to their homes

Roberts-Smith ‘wanted people to see he was going to kill someone’, former comrade tells defamation trial during cross-examination

Western Australia police believe they are from the same family and the fire was started by someone in the carDetectives say they are not looking for any suspects after a woman and two young children were killed in a Perth car fire.Western Australia police confirmed the bodies of a woman in her 40s, a 10-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy were found in a burnt-out vehicle in Coogee on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

Ballot to refuse return cases in England and Wales from 11 April follows independent review’s recommendation of 15% increaseCriminal barristers in England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action beginning next month in protest over levels of legal aid funding.A ballot by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) saw 94% of votes in favour of refusing to accept returns – where a barrister steps in to represent a defendant whose original barrister is unable to attend court – from 11 April. Continue reading...

Remaining rules including mandatory passenger locator forms and tests for unvaccinated arrivals will end on FridayAll remaining Covid travel restrictions are to be dropped across the UK from later this week, despite a concerning rise in cases and hospitalisations.Ministers approved the scrapping of passenger locator forms and the requirement for all unvaccinated arrivals to get tested, with the changes to come into force from 4am on Friday. Continue reading...

Marina Ovsyannikova ran on to the set of the Channel One transmission shouting: ‘Stop the war. No to war’

Group earlier said they had made peace with arrest after claiming property for Ukrainian refugees

Photograph shows Chelsea FC owner in VIP lounge shortly before jet linked to him took off for IstanbulRoman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea FC who was subjected to sanctions by the UK government last week, has been spotted at a VIP lounge at an airport in Israel.One of seven Russians who had their assets frozen last Thursday in an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on Vladimir Putin after the invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich was seen in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport on Monday shortly before a jet linked to him took off for Istanbul. Continue reading...

Criticism follows announcement that UK householders will have to name refugees they wish to sponsor

Paul Fontaine and Frankie Sinclair convicted of plotting revenge shooting using encrypted messaging systemTwo men who planned a revenge shooting have been convicted at the Old Bailey in the first murder plot case involving the use of the encrypted messaging system EncroChat.Paul Fontaine, 36, from Hackney in London, and Frankie Sinclair, 34, from Cardiff, were found guilty of plotting a murder using the system, which was described in court by prosecuting counsel Kevin Dent QC as “an Amazon for organised criminals” in that it allowed them to purchase guns, drugs and counterfeit money clandestinely. Continue reading...

Exposure to artificial light at night worsens glucose and cardiovascular regulation, research suggestsSleeping with the light on might scare away monsters under the bed, but it could be linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, research suggests.Light is an important signal by which the body’s internal clock, which governs a host of biological processes from temperature to hormone release, is synchronised to the external cycle of day and night. Continue reading...

Labour leader was invited to visit a church with Standard owner but declined to be pictured alongside himKeir Starmer turned down a lengthy photo opportunity with Evgeny Lebedev shortly after he became Labour leader, the Guardian can reveal, with aides citing a desire to keep the Russian businessman at arm’s length.Starmer, the MP for Holborn and St Pancras in north London, was invited to spend the day with the proprietor of the Evening Standard and the Independent during the first months of the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...

Singer’s anti-war song reached US Top 3 in 1973 before being widely covered and sampled by artists including DrakeTimmy Thomas, whose spellbinding anti-war song Why Can’t We Live Together was a global hit in 1973, has died aged 77.No cause of death has been given. His family wrote on his Facebook page: “With appreciation and gratitude, the family extends a thank you for the prayers, support, precious words and other expressions of love and kindness during this time.” Continue reading...

Formula One driver says he intends to add Larbalestier to surname, adding: ‘I really want my mum’s name to continue on’The British racing driver Lewis Hamilton is to change his name to incorporate his mother’s original surname – Larbalestier.The seven-time world champion says he intends to incorporate his mother Carmen’s surname, Larbalestier, alongside Hamilton. Continue reading...

Concerns that PM may limit media scrutiny of trip as Tory MP secures urgent question over mass execution by regimeBoris Johnson is expected to visit Saudi Arabia to push for an increase in oil output despite an outcry over the regime’s biggest ever mass execution and growing fears the prime minister may try to limit media scrutiny of the trip.Downing Street would not confirm Johnson’s likely trip to Riyadh, but sources have said he wants to appeal to the Gulf state to increase its oil output to replace supplies from Russia. Continue reading...

Sense of solidarity with refugees remains strong in Warsaw and Krakow, but cities say they are struggling to accommodate people

Move comes after concerns about care of female victims of sexual abuse and assault at London hospitalAn NHS trust has ended the use of a monitoring system that continuously records video of mental health patients in their bedrooms amid concerns it allows trauma to resurface in sexually abused women.Camden and Islington NHS foundation trust (C&I) discontinued use of the Oxevision system after female patients and staff warned that it undermined the care of victims of sexual abuse and assault. Continue reading...

Pair said they had changed locks and wanted to offer property to Ukrainian refugees fleeing war

‘We will not be silenced,’ says CEO after government accuses Hong Kong Watch of endangering China’s national securityA UK-based rights group has pledged not to remain silent after Hong Kong’s government demanded it shut its website and accused it of endangering China’s national security.While China heavily restricts the internet on the mainland, Hong Kong does not generally censor the web, allowing residents to access sites and content that might be critical of Beijing. Continue reading...

No additional funding is available to continue testing regime in special schools and children’s care homesAll free Covid testing in special schools and children’s care homes in England is to come to an end this month as the government presses ahead with its plan to return to normal life despite rising cases of the virus.Last month the government dropped its recommendation that secondary school pupils in England should take Covid tests twice a week, but said special schools would still be given free tests. Continue reading...

Igor Ivanov joins appeal for return to diplomacy to reduce ‘elevated risk’ of nuclear conflict

Prime minister says it would be ‘fine’ for private sector to build new coal power plants if commercially viableScott Morrison has said the Coalition wants Australia’s coal power stations to “run as long as they possibly can”, vowing to support the coal industry if re-elected.Morrison made the comments in a Sky News town hall on the New South Wales Central Coast on Monday, during which he tested attack lines against Anthony Albanese and warned leadership was “not for the faint-hearted or inexperienced”. Continue reading...

First people using route expected by end of week, and will be matched with people offering spaces in their homes

Kremlin ally posts video said to be from Hostomel and warns Ukrainians to surrender ‘or you will be finished’

Woman was taken to another hospital in city in south-east Ukraine where medics could not save her or her child

Group severs relations with donors and supporters who were sanctioned by US and EU

NRMA says any fuel excise cuts likely to be ‘eaten up’ by soaring prices; NSW health minister ‘not keen’ on reintroducing Covid restrictions as state records one death, Victoria one and Queensland two; sixth Japanese encephalitis case in NSW; cruise ship ban could lift soon. This blog is now closed

Union president criticises rapid decision to charge officer after shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker, saying members have left the police force over it

Witness tells defamation trial he saw Roberts-Smith throw a man to the ground and shoot him in the back with a machine gun outside Whiskey 108 compound

The two countries will allege Russia breached international aviation law for its role in 2014 downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight over Ukraine

Trades Union Congress renews calls for ban on umbrella firms to address labour market abusesThe Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned that government plans to address labour market abuses by umbrella companies are inadequate, amid signs that thousands of temporary workers may be being denied pay and basic rights.As many as 600,000 temporary workers in the UK are thought to be employed by umbrella companies – used by recruitment agencies and companies to cut temporary payroll costs, which are usually charged as fees to the workers instead. The problem costs workers and the government as much as £4.5bn in fraud and misappropriation, according to estimates recognised by the government. Continue reading...

Anthony O’Donohue tried to reach service less than two months before throwing molotov cocktail, inquest into death of driver Manmeet Sharma hears

Some state Liberal leaders and National MPs are calling on the government to slash the fuel excise as petrol hits $2.20 a litreThe prime minister, Scott Morrison, has emphasised the importance of the government’s tax cuts amid speculation about how the budget will address rising cost of living pressures.Facing calls from state Liberal leaders and National MPs to cut the fuel excise as petrol tops $2.20 a litre, Morrison said on Monday that the government was “very aware” of the strain being felt by families across the household budget. Continue reading...

Public high schools and other educational institutions will drop five regulations, including one requiring students to have black hairControversial rules on hairstyles and underwear are to be scrapped at high schools run by the Tokyo metropolitan government, after pressure from students.Almost 200 public high schools and other educational institutions will drop five regulations, including one requiring students to have black hair, from April, the Mainichi Shimbun said, citing official sources. Continue reading...

Integritas Investigative Solutions approached people to obtain information about those James Watt believed had maligned him, the Guardian can revealThe boss of BrewDog, James Watt, hired private investigators to obtain information about people whom he believed were taking part in a smear campaign against him and repeatedly accused one woman of being involved until she blocked him on social media.According to multiple sources and evidence seen by the Guardian, private investigators who said they were working for Watt approached people to gather evidence about those who he appeared to believe had maligned him. Continue reading...

Visa applicants say they are struggling with bureaucracy, unclear guidance and getting stuck in expensive hotels

Resolution Foundation says prolonged Russian invasion of Ukraine would drive up food and energy pricesThe poorest households in the UK could see their cost of living jump by as much as 10% by this autumn if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine leads to a prolonged conflict, a thinktank has warned, as Rishi Sunak faces mounting pressure to tackle the cost of living crisis.The chancellor will deliver his spring statement on 23 March. He is reluctant to commit to significant extra spending, but Treasury sources concede he has acknowledged the necessity to take some limited action. Continue reading...

The US was among the best equipped to deal with a pandemic – but its Covid response has been plagued by failuresIt has been just over two years since Donald Trump declared a national emergency in the face of the coronavirus pandemic that was rapidly spreading across the United States – and the rest of the world.Now, even as Covid-19 remains a threat, US public health officials and researchers are looking to the next potential pandemic – whether it’s influenza, another coronavirus, antimicrobial resistance, or a different health threat entirely – as they hope to build on the progress and avoid the pitfalls of the past two years. Continue reading...

Scott McDougall says the public’s willingness to accept restrictions on their rights might be tested in future pandemic waves

Dozens from Middle East ordered at gunpoint by soldiers to choose between leaving for Poland, where soldiers have beaten them, or UkraineBelarusian armed forces are pushing asylum seekers from the Middle East who became trapped in the country after they were promised passage to the EU to cross the border into war-torn Ukraine, according to the testimony of people in Belarusian camps.Dozens of asylum seekers stuck for months in a makeshift dormitory in Bruzgi, a village in Belarus less than a mile from the Polish border, were ordered by a group of Belarusian soldiers on 5 March to leave the building at gunpoint and given two options: crossing the border into Poland, where guards have beaten them back, or entering Ukraine, one of them said. Continue reading...

Zelenskiy pushes for meeting with Putin as Moscow draws warnings from Nato after strikes on a major military base close to the alliance’s border

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Stepanov told a parliamentary committee ‘I was called that term’ by the Public Service Commission chief executive

Australia follows UK and US in slapping sanctions on individuals linked to Vladimir Putin

Two weeks ago New Zealander Ryan Nixon created a social media poll for his fewer than 1,500 followers – the rest is historyThe New Zealander who unwittingly sparked an agonising global debate over whether there are more doors or wheels in the world has come to his own conclusion – “I’m firmly team wheels”.Auckland man Ryan Nixon, 37, was at home watching sport two Saturday nights ago when a friend posed the question to a group chat he shares with a bunch of mates. Unable to reach a consensus, he decided to create a poll for his fewer than 1,500 Twitter followers. Continue reading...

Hamptons expects sums to become 54% of post-tax income for average rented household in Great BritainTenants already struggling with the cost of living crisis typically face having to find an extra £1,000 this year to cover higher rent and essential bills, research shows.The estate agent Hamptons said tenants’ finances faced a record squeeze as higher rents and energy bill increases combined to pile more pressure on households in Great Britain. Continue reading...