World news | The Guardian

Economy bounces back from Omicron wave, but economists expect east coast floods to be reflected in March jobs figures

Ukraine’s president says the capital will only fall to Russian troops if it is completely destroyed, while Moscow warns western shipments of arms to Ukraine could be attacked

Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford tell UK government they want to ‘maximise’ their contributions

Ukrainian president warns of ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ as hundreds of thousands of civilians remain under fire across country

Volodymyr Groysman suggests worry over safety of families who have fled could disrupt those left behind to fight

Missing are presumed dead after three migrants rescued and one body retrieved, Libyan coast guard saysA boat carrying about two dozen migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya on Saturday, with at least 19 people missing and presumed dead, authorities said.Libya’s coastguard said that a group of 23 migrants – Egyptians and Syrians – set off from the eastern city of Tobruk earlier in the day. Three migrants were rescued and taken to hospital. Only one body was retrieved and search efforts were continuing, the agency said. Continue reading...

Demonstration marked one-year anniversary of vigil for Sarah Everard, which was broken up by policeFeminist-led protesters have set off 1,000 rape alarms and hurled them at Charing Cross police station to mark the first anniversary of the Clapham Common vigil for Sarah Everard which was broken up by police.They were joined by Patsy Stevenson, whose arrest while being restrained face down by officers became the defining image of the vigil one year ago. Continue reading...

Relationship between two former soldiers detailed in statement by Rolfe’s mother, Debbie, in Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial

Eugene Shvidler has stepped down as a director of Ervaz, the steel company accused of possibly supplying steel for tanks

From Russia’s threat of nuclear weapons to the patriotic courage of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, an A to Z of how the world has changed

Report finds no correlation between better exam grades and exposure to ‘middle-class’ outingsA family trip to the theatre or an afternoon at a museum may be a fun day out, but new research suggests that such cultural outings will not actually help children secure higher grades.There have been persistent theories that wealthier children may be given an advantage in their school careers by being pressed into visits to art galleries and exhibitions. According to a new academic study, however, outings often regarded as “middle class” had no correlation with improved GCSE results. Continue reading...

The 28-year-old was among 24 climbers caught on Britain’s highest mountain during ‘ferocious’ weatherA man who died after falling about 300 metres (1,000ft) down the UK’s highest mountain has been named as Samuel Crawford.The 28-year-old climber from Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, slipped on the west side of Ben Nevis on 8 March , suffering fatal injuries, as 23 others were rescued in “ferocious” conditions. Continue reading...

Original manuscripts show how author rewrote scenes for 1950s adaptation of his Middle-earth epic Lord of the Rings

Move comes after Boris Johnson and other G7 leaders agreed to deny Russia ‘most favoured nation’ status on key products

Stamp commemorates phrase uttered by border guards at Snake Island that has become a rallying cry

Jackfruit dish beats 976 entries in annual competition held in pork pie heartlandA vegetarian, gluten-free pie has claimed top prize at this year’s British Pie Awards in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.Made from jackfruit “steak”, gluten-free craft ale and black pepper, Pieminister’s Mooless Pie beat 976 entries to the supreme champion crown in Melton Mowbray, whose pork pies have traditional status. Continue reading...

Transport firms urge government to act as rising petrol and diesel prices threaten profitabilityUK businesses reliant on fuel are braced for plummeting profits, as prices at the pump hit yet another record this week, with the cost of petrol topping £1.60 a litre for the first time.Unleaded petrol hit £1.61 a litre on Thursday, having risen by 8p in a week, while diesel reached £1.70 a litre, as wholesale prices for oil remained close to all-time highs after western countries announced bans on Russian energy exports. Continue reading...

Prime minister says old rules ‘starving businesses of staff’; as Victoria records 6,075 new Covid cases and 11 deaths, NSW 12,850 cases and four deaths, Queensland 4,029 cases and six deaths, ACT 704 cases, Tasmania 1,130 cases and WA 4,300 cases. This blog is now closed

1812 Overture features cannon fire and other Russian composers will feature later in year, says director

NSW health minister also ‘not at all keen’ to reintroduce masks and curbs on movement as reportedly recommended by officials

Russia claims social media platform has been used to incite ‘mass riots accompanied by violence’

Tory minister issues statement after it emerges Alexander Temerko called her an ‘absolutely uncontrollable woman’The senior Tory minister Penny Mordaunt has suggested her colleagues should stop taking funds from Alexander Temerko, a major party donor who described her as an “absolutely uncontrollable woman” and “threat to national security”.Mordaunt, a trade minister, said she had no issue with colleagues who have historically accepted money from Temerko but said everyone should be aware now how he has treated her. Continue reading...

Porter had previously stepped down as minister after refusing to identify contributors to a trust that paid his legal fees in a defamation case

Federal government’s appeal against the release of NZ man due to his claim of Aboriginality is being criticised as ‘a significant step backwards’

Education secretary says money will shift to English schools following complaints Randstad had missed targetsThe national tutoring programme is to be overhauled after criticism of the catchup scheme for schools in England, with the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, promising further changes, including shifting funding towards headteachers.Zahawi said he was transferring £65m away from the NTP, including from Randstad, the Dutch service provider, to schools, in an address at the annual conference of the Association of School and College leaders. Continue reading...

Mariana Vishegirskaya, wearing same dotted pyjamas, is photographed holding newborn daughter

Progressive former student leader hopes to transform a country still living in the shadow of the Pinochet dictatorshipAfter a dizzying rise from student protest leader to head of state in just over a decade, Gabriel Boric has been sworn in as Chile’s youngest ever president.“Know that we are going to do our best to rise to the challenges we face as a country,” he said as he received the presidential sash at a ceremony in the port city of Valparaíso. Continue reading...

Owner of brands including Rothmans had said it would still sell products – but will now pull out

‘Putin must pay a price,’ Biden says while also banning export of US luxury goods to RussiaJoe Biden announced on Friday that the US plans to ban the import of seafood, vodka and diamonds from Russia in retaliation for Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.The US president said the ban would be part of a move by America to revoke normal trading relations, with Russia, also known as “most favored nation” status, with a similar move also expected from allies in the Group of Seven (G7) leading nations and the European Union. Continue reading...

‘Pilotless military aircraft’ crosses Hungary into Croatia triggering loud blast but no injuries reported

Media magnate issues statement in relation to peerage, as 386 Russian MPs added to UK sanctions list

Analysis: Lack of heavy guns, tanks or jets leaves Ukrainians fighting uphill battle against Russia

Thousands of people have been killed and more than 2 million have fled Ukraine since the invasionMore than two weeks since the war in Ukraine began, millions of people have fled their homes and thousands have been killed. Here are some of the latest figures on the conflict. Continue reading...

Ian Kirwan was attacked and killed outside an Asda supermarket on Tuesday eveningA 14-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with murder after a man was stabbed to death outside an Asda supermarket in Worcestershire.West Mercia police said Ian Kirwan, 53, was attacked on Jinnah Road in Redditch at about 7.20pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Polina Kovaleva, daughter of Russian foreign minister’s alleged mistress, should be among targets, say campaigners

Campaigners say not enough is being done to prevent loss of life and the causes of death are not being properly investigatedAs many as 10,000 migrant workers from south and south-east Asia die every year in the Gulf countries, according to a report by a group of human rights organisations.More than half of the deaths are unexplained, said the report, and are commonly recorded as due to “natural causes” or “cardiac arrest”. But Gulf states are failing properly to investigate why so many migrant workers are dying. Continue reading...

Unlike the UK, EU countries have offered open sanctuary to the millions fleeing Russia’s attack in biggest refugee crisis since second world war

Reclaim These Streets welcomes judges’ decision as a ‘a victory for women’The Metropolitan police breached the rights of the organisers of a planned vigil for Sarah Everard in the way they handled the planned event, high court judges have ruled, in a decision hailed as a “victory for women”.Reclaim These Streets (RTS) proposed a socially distanced vigil for the 33-year-old – who was murdered by a serving Met officer, Wayne Couzens – near to where she went missing in Clapham, south London, in March last year. Continue reading...

Airport says aviation industry’s recovery ‘being overshadowed by war and Covid’

Oligarch has 29% stake in steel and mining group, which ‘is deeply concerned’ by Russia-Ukraine war

Federal health minister Greg Hunt also says it is most likely older Australians will need a fourth vaccine dose ahead of winter

Chris Philp says Moscow would face ‘dramatic increased response’ if it launches chemical attackRussia can expect a “dramatic increased response” from the west if Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, a minister has said, amid fears that a false pretext is being laid by Moscow for such an attack.Chris Philp, the technology minister, accused Russia of sharing disinformation online to create a false narrative that Ukraine is preparing to use chemical weapons, so that Russia can launch its own chemical attack. Continue reading...

NFU asks government to treat situation over glasshouse crops as ‘matter of urgency’The National Farmers’ Union has warned of a huge drop in UK-grown crops, including peppers, cucumbers and aubergines, as it becomes too expensive to produce them.The NFU said producers of crops who use glasshouses are looking at a drop of up to 50% in the amount they can afford to grow because of the crippling increase in the cost of the gas they use for heating. Continue reading...

Peter Gutwein shares experience after his Liberal colleagues criticised for groaning when the opposition quoted a survivor of child sexual abuse

Ukraine president accuses Moscow of deliberate attack on humanitarian corridor in Mariupol as Russian forces fan out around capital and Biden prepares further trade restrictions

International Red Cross warning comes as UN says Mariupol maternity hospital was third of its kind destroyed since invasion; Vitali Klitschko says half of Kyiv’s population has left

Delgado, who played fix-it shop owner Luis on beloved children’s show, was a rare Latino face on US TVActor and singer Emilio Delgado, the warm and familiar presence in children’s lives for 45 years as fix-it shop owner Luis on Sesame Street, has died.His wife, Carol Delgado, said he died from the blood cancer multiple myeloma at their home in New York. He was 81. Continue reading...

Audio message names Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi as new leader in first admission of former head’s deathIslamic State has named a new leader after confirming that its previous head was killed by the US in north-western Syria over a month ago.In an audio message released on Thursday, an IS spokesman, Abu Omar al-Muhajer, confirmed the death of the group’s leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, as well as that of its former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in the US raid. Continue reading...

Venezuela says Putin is a victim, China blames the US, and a South African pundit calls out western hypocrisy