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Exclusive: Proposals also include cutting thousands of civil service jobs and restructuring NHS EnglandA radical blueprint for reforming the state is being drawn up by government officials, including a crackdown on quangos and thousands more civil service job cuts, the Guardian understands.Proposals to restructure NHS England, with entire teams axed to save money and avoid duplication, could be replicated across a range of arm's length bodies that spend about 353bn of public money. Continue reading...

Two-party alliance led by the Social Democratic party was in power for less than a yearPortugal's minority government has lost a vote of confidence in parliament, forcing its resignation and bringing the EU country's third general election in three years.

Westchester county has laws limiting cooperation, but Ice has accessed trove of data that holds license plate readersAs Donald Trump's administration ramps up its crackdown on undocumented immigrants to the US, advocates are increasingly worried immigration agents will turn to surveillance technology to round up those targeted for deportation, even in so-called sanctuary cities" that limit the ways local law enforcement can cooperate with immigration officials.That's because US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (Ice) in past years has gained access to troves of data from sanctuary cities that could aid its raids and enforcement actions. Among that information is data from the vast network of license plate readers active across the US, according to documents obtained by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Jessica Brosche to join Lucas Sielaff, who is reported to have returned to Germany on 6 MarchA German tourist detained by US immigration authorities is due to be deported back to Germany on Tuesday after spending more than six weeks in detention, including eight days in solitary confinement.Jessica Brosche, a 29-year-old tattoo artist from Berlin, will reportedly join Lucas Sielaff, 25, from Bad Brida in Saxony Anhalt, who is reported to have returned to Germany on 6 March, after being arrested at the Mexican border on 18 February before being detained for almost two weeks. Continue reading...

Books about Banksy and by Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe were removed, and one of the owners detainedIsraeli police have raided the leading Palestinian bookshop in East Jerusalem for the second time in a month, detaining one of its owners for several hours and seizing some of its stock.The deputy state attorney's office had warned police that they overstepped their authority with the first raid on the shop in February. Officers again arrived at the Educational Bookshop without a warrant on Tuesday morning, staff said. Continue reading...

Putin may well stick to previous demands over Ukrainian elections and a rejection of European peacekeeping forces

Baloch Liberation Army claims to have killed 30 military personnel after blowing up tracks in Balochistan regionA separatist militant group in Pakistan's south-western Balochistan province says it has taken 214 hostages including military personnel after hijacking a train, as the country's security situation continues to decline sharply.The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) blew up the tracks and fired on the Jaffar Express train as it travelled through a tunnel in a remote and mountainous area, bringing the train to a halt. Continue reading...

During the sentencing of Clifford for the murders of Carol Hunt and her daughters Louise and Hannah, the court heard from their family and partnerThe sentencing of Kyle Clifford for the murders of Carol Hunt and her daughters Louise and Hannah has heard emotionally charged victim statements, paying tribute to the women and describing the ex-soldier as a monster".Clifford was given a whole-life order at Cambridge crown court for the murder and rape of his ex-partner, Louise Hunt, and the killings of her mother and sister. Continue reading...

Kyiv ready to do everything' to end fighting after Trump cut support for Ukraine in its war with Russia

Police launch criminal investigation as local leaders call on Starmer to prevent environmental catastrophePolice have launched a criminal investigation into the collision between two ships in the North Sea, with one man arrested, as experts voiced growing fears over the environmental impact of the crash.A 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after the search was called off for a sailor onboard the Solong cargo ship, which drifted ablaze off the coast of Yorkshire on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Interim principal says drastic measures needed to tackle 35m shortfall in day-to-day spendingDundee University has announced plans to cut more than 600 jobs and reduce its teaching by a fifth to help cope with a 35m deficit in its accounts.The university's interim principal, Prof Shane O'Neill, said that nearly 200 academic staff and 435 support staff would be made redundant, with every department hit by the cuts. Continue reading...

Poll takes place against backdrop of threats by Donald Trump and growing demands for independenceVoters on the vast Arctic island of Greenland are going to the polls after a dramatic election campaign that the territory's prime minister said had been burdened by geopolitical tensions".The vote on Tuesday has attracted global attention after Donald Trump's repeated assertions about acquiring the autonomous territory, using military and economic force if necessary. Continue reading...

Higher costs from April on course to derail prime minister's plan for 300 bill reduction, warns Energy UK

Since pontiff was hospitalised conspiracy theories have swirled online claiming he has diedWhile Pope Francis was being treated for double pneumonia, Italian TikToker Ottavo made his way unchallenged into a ward at Gemelli hospital in Rome, followed by a camera. His aim was to bolster a conspiracy theory circulating on social media for weeks: that the 88-year-old pontiff was dead and the Vatican refuses to tell us".There's no security at all - nothing whatsoever," he told his 10,000 followers in the video. I would never have been able to get this far if he were there. For that reason, in my opinion, Pope Francis passed away." Continue reading...

Louise Haigh and Layla Moran cite broadcaster in arguing for amendment that would ban such agreements that stopped staff revealing harassmentIn the Commons Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, is asking Shabana Mahmood about the Sentencing Council's decision to refuse her request to change what he described as its two-tier guidance".Jenrick says Mahmood briefed the papers that she was incandescent". Was she incandescent about her officials, or about her failure to read the papers about what the Sentencing Council was proposing.We will never stand for a two-tier approach to sentencing, but I am actually getting on with fixing the problem, rather than looking for a bandwagon to jump on. That is why I have already written to the Sentencing Council. I will be meeting with them later in this week, and I have made it very clear I will consider their role and their powers, and if I need to legislate, I will do so.But I will make sure that whatever changes I bring forward are workable and they deliver the fair justice system that we all need and deserve, and one his government did not deliver. Continue reading...

At least 91 drones targeted Russian capital, according to officials, disrupting flights and train servicesUkraine has launched its largest drone attack on Moscow since the start of the war, only hours before US and Ukrainian teams convened for key peace talks in Saudi Arabia.The Russian defence ministry reported that 337 drones were launched at Russia overnight on Monday, including 91 targeting the Moscow region, killing two people, sparking fires and disrupting flights and train services. Continue reading...

Steven Payne, 37, was fatally attacked at remote beach in Western Australia while on a six-month holiday with his partner and dog

Ben Habib, an ex-Reform deputy leader who was also forced out by Nigel Farage, makes offer to Great Yarmouth MPThe ousted Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe could join forces in a breakaway rightwing party with a former deputy leader of the party who was also forced out by Nigel Farage.The offer came from the former Brexit party MEP Ben Habib, an outspoken critic of Farage, who said he was constantly in touch" with Lowe. Continue reading...

Australian Community Media, publisher of the Newcastle Herald, removes ad promoting Clive Palmer's party from digital edition, saying it does not meet the company's values Sign up for Guardian Australia's free weekly media newsletter hereThe Newcastle Herald has apologised for publishing a front page ad from Clive Palmer's new Trumpet of Patriots party which says there are only two genders", as journalists at the Age say they are furious" the Melbourne newspaper has apparently accepted the same ad for publication.In the past week the Age has published Palmer's anti-immigration and anti-welcome to country advertisements, which have also appeared in News Corp publications.Sign up to get Guardian Australia's weekly media diary as a free newsletter Continue reading...

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Member for Runcorn and Helsby quits two weeks after receiving a suspended sentence for punching a constituentMike Amesbury has resigned as an MP after being given a prison sentence for punching a constituent, triggering the first byelection of Keir Starmer's government.The Runcorn and Helsby MP was suspended by Labour and lost the party whip in October after a video of the incident on a night out was published online. He was given a 10-week prison sentence, suspended for two years. Continue reading...

Adrian and Joanne Fenton had called the police when they discovered the boy hiding inside a bike-rack coverA couple who discovered a boy hidden on the back of their motorhome after their journey from France to Essex have been fined 1,500 by the Home Office.Adrian and Joanne Fenton called the police when they found the person zipped inside the cover of a bike rack after pulling up on their drive at their home in Heybridge. Continue reading...

Ex-Barclays CEO says FCA made no attempt' to understand his relationship with child sex offender Jeffrey EpsteinThe former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley has accused the UK's financial regulator of seeking to destroy" his reputation built up over a 43-year career in banking and making no attempt" to understand his relationship with child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Staley took the witness box for the first time on a Monday at the start of the second week of a high-profile legal challenge in London. It marked the first time the former UK banking boss has given any detailed public account of his experience with Epstein or the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) investigation. Continue reading...

Graham Stuart says other 36 mariners across both crews are safe and accounted for'

Estate agent manager, who had quit after being denied a symbolically significant' seat, was right to view it as demotion, panel saysAllocating a senior employee a desk that they believe to be associated with a junior position amounts to a breach of workplace laws, an employment tribunal has ruled.The panel said being made to sit somewhere in the office where junior staff work could logically" lead a senior employee to conclude they have been demoted. Continue reading...

Lowe's online presence, helped by Elon Musk, dwarfs that of Nigel Farage, but may not bring him new Reform votersIf you were to looking for answers as to why Rupert Lowe, a relatively little-known Reform UK MP, thinks he can lecture Nigel Farage about running a party and winning an election, there is one place you should probably start: X.For all that in person Lowe can sometimes resemble a slightly embarrassing uncle at a wedding, on the social media site formerly known as Twitter, the Great Yarmouth MP is a big name - and by some metrics, a notably bigger one even than his party leader. Continue reading...

Residents sought safety in a temporary shelter after the Fuego volcano spewed lava, ash and rocksGuatemalan authorities have evacuated around a thousand people after Central America's most active volcano erupted, spewing lava, ash and rocks.Residents sought safety in a temporary shelter after the Fuego volcano - located 35km (22 miles) from the capital Guatemala City - showed escalating activity on Sunday. Continue reading...

President tells Republicans to support measure boosting defense and deportation budgets before Saturday deadlineRepublican lawmakers are scrambling to avert a government shutdown set to begin on Saturday, with Donald Trump's backing for a temporary funding measure having suddenly silenced the usual conservative opposition.The stopgap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), would maintain government operations at current funding levels through 30 September, the end of the fiscal year. Republican US House speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to hold a procedural vote on Monday, aiming for a passage vote on Tuesday before sending lawmakers home for recess. Continue reading...

Couple facing retrial at Old Bailey deny manslaughter of newborn by gross negligenceA wealthy aristocrat and her partner caused the entirely avoidable" death of their baby daughter through their reckless" and grossly negligent" conduct while on the run to evade authorities, a retrial has heard.Constance Marten, 37, and Mark Gordon, 50, of no fixed abode, deny manslaughter of their newborn by gross negligence and a second charge of causing or allowing the death of a child between 4 January and 27 February 2023. Continue reading...

Mali Bennett-Smith jailed for 10 years and five months after admitting he killed Luka, 19, because she was annoying'A 17-year-old boy who stabbed his older sister to death after telling her he wanted to practise a headlock on her has pleaded guilty to her murder.Mali Bennett-Smith, said his sister, 19-year-old Luka Bennett-Smith, had been annoying" and he wanted to kill her. Continue reading...

The prime minister has more reason than most to be the boots on the ground after 63% of voters said he is not in tune with ordinary Australians

Former chancellor's roles since becoming a peer in 2020 include working for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait

Middle East nations among those to have paid 27 members of Lords for work such as consultancy and legal advice

MP's wife and daughter describe Yvette Cooper's decision as insulting' and adding salt on to an open wound'

The Emilia Perez actor, whose offensive resurfaced tweets sank the film's hopes for awards glory, says public hatred left her on the edge'Karla Sofia Gascon, the first out trans actor to be nominated for an Oscar, whose hopes of winning were dashed after offensive social media posts were surfaced a month before the ceremony, has spoken out about the unexpected, devastating storm" of awards season.The Spanish actor says that the final stretch of the race, was the most exposed" period of her life. She faced widespread criticism for her tweets, and despite repeated apologies, was cold-shouldered by the cast and crew of Emilia Perez, while studio Netflix dropped her from campaigns and cut off funds allowing her to travel to ceremonies. A contract with her Spanish publisher was cancelled, and senior politicians in her home country spoke of their disappointment in her. Continue reading...

Campaigners say funding halt is a staggering blow' to vulnerable nations and to efforts to keep heating below 1.5CDonald Trump's withdrawal of US overseas aid will almost decimate global climate finance from the developed world, data shows, with potentially devastating impacts on vulnerable nations.The US was responsible last year for about $8 in every $100 that flowed from the rich world to developing countries, to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, according to data from the analyst organisation Carbon Brief. Continue reading...

Watchdog warns that move, which also includes domestic abusers, must be closely watched to keep public safeDomestic abusers and sex offenders in England and Wales will be rehabilitated by less-experienced staff with fewer qualifications from June, prompting warnings from a watchdog that the plans must be closely monitored to ensure public safety.Proposals approved by ministers will roll out behaviour programmes for offenders to be delivered by band 3" staff who are not fully qualified probation officers. Continue reading...

Chief executive of Reach says he is committed to print, and higher online income will keep business afloatThe boss of the publisher of the Mirror, Express and Star newspapers has said that its print titles will become loss-making in six to eight years, but that its burgeoning digital strategy will save them from closure.The chief executive of Reach, which owns more than 100 news brands including the Manchester Evening News, the Birmingham Mail and the Liverpool Echo, said he intended to remain committed to print even when the operations became a drag on the business. Continue reading...

City received 275mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am, the BoM said, a level not seen since Tropical Cyclone Wanda flooded the Brisbane River

Sydney-based lawyer Zali Burrows will defend Lehrmann, who is accused of raping a woman twice in October 2021

People warn of growing lawlessness amid concerns that thousands of escaped convicts may try to exact revengeMass prison escapes during the chaos of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have captured two of its largest cities over the past two months, have caused panic among the public.Jailbreaks involving thousands of people at four prisons in the region have accompanied the rapid advance that the militia started in January in its fighting against the Congolese army that also caused widespread chaos and confusion. Continue reading...

Former Lenin Museum in Tampere, which opened in 1946 as a symbol of Finnish-Russian friendship, has rebranded amid Ukraine warA Finnish museum dedicated to the Russian Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin has reopened under a new name and with new exhibits in response to rapidly changing relations between two neighbouring countries after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The former Lenin Museum in Tampere, which closed in November, reopened this month under a new name, Nootti, which refers to the Finnish word for a diplomatic note. Continue reading...

Human rights commissioner calls for investigation into extremely disturbing' attacks in Latakia provinceThe UN has condemned what it called extremely disturbing" reports of entire families being killed in north-west Syria as clashes between security forces and Assad regime loyalists resulted in the country's highest death toll since the start of its revolution in 2011.The UN commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, called on Sunday for investigations into the killings and for perpetrators to be held accountable. We are receiving extremely disturbing reports of entire families, including women, children and hors de combat [surrendered] fighters, being killed," he said in a statement. The killing of civilians in coastal areas in north-west Syria must cease, immediately." Continue reading...

Five people onboard survived small plane crash near Lancaster but officials say no details of their conditionA small airplane with five people onboard crashed in a parking lot near Lancaster airport in Manheim Township, Pennsylvania, on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the single-engine plane was a Beechcraft Bonanza, and the incident happened around 3pm in Lancaster county. Continue reading...

Crowds gather in park where Amen played football to remember remarkable' teenager, who died on WednesdayAmen Teklay, a remarkable" teenager who loved music and was light on his feet on the football pitch, was remembered by friends and family on Sunday afternoon at a vigil near his family home in Scotstoun, Glasgow.A crowd of more than 100 mainly younger people gathered to pay their respects to the 15-year-old Eritrean refugee, who died on Wednesday night in the St George's Cross area of the city, in the park where he played football. Continue reading...

But Friedrich Merz cautions such a move could not replace the US's existing protective shield over EuropeGermany's chancellor-to-be, Friedrich Merz, has said he will reach out to France and Britain to discuss the sharing of nuclear weapons, but cautioned that such a move could not be a replacement for the US's existing protective shield over Europe.The sharing of nuclear weapons is an issue we need to talk about," Merz said in a wide-ranging interview on Sunday with the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk (DLF). We have to be stronger together in nuclear deterrence." Continue reading...

Jean-Michel Aphatie stands by comments he made on broadcaster RTLA prominent French journalist has said he is stepping down from his role as an expert analyst for broadcaster RTL after provoking an uproar by comparing French actions during colonial rule in Algeria to a second world war massacre committed by Nazi forces in France.Jean-Michel Aphatie, a veteran reporter and broadcaster, insisted that while he would not be returning to RTL, he wholly stood by his comments made on the radio station in February equating atrocities committed by France in Algeria with those of Nazi Germany in occupied France. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Costs particularly acute in more rural areas, where many children with special needs have to use taxisCouncils in England urgently need more money to help them pay for school transport for children with special needs.Many councils have told the Guardian that their obligations under the wider special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system are financially unsustainable, with the rapid increase in pupil transport costs becoming a particular issue. Continue reading...

Commission president says something fundamental' has shifted and democracy and rule of law are under threatNothing is off the table" when it comes to raising money for defence, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has said, as she warned European values such as democracy and the rule of law were under threat in a increasingly transactional" world.Without mentioning Donald Trump by name, the head of the EU executive told reporters there was a new sense of urgency in the geopolitical sphere and that something fundamental" had shifted since she began her second term in office on 1 December, nearly 100 days ago. Continue reading...