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Consumers are using their spending power to switch retailers and the major chains are scrambling to shore up customer loyalty

Covid peak-era PM described his constituents as quiet Australians' who seek the fair go for those who have a go'

For Swedes it means a dramatic change of national identity, while the alliance gets greater control of the Baltic SeaJust a few short months ago, Sweden's Nato membership seemed a very long way from being a done deal. Having submitted its application to join in May 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it seemed at times as though Stockholm might be left hanging interminably. While Finland, which had applied to join the alliance at the same time as its neighbour, became a member at record speed last April, Sweden got stuck in a diplomatic quagmire.Last summer a series of Qur'an burnings in Sweden inflamed ties with Turkey, making a yes" from Ankara look unlikely and at times inconceivable. And as recently as September, Viktor Orban's government was embroiled in a public war of words with Sweden over criticism of Hungary's democracy and teaching in Swedish schools. Late last month, after Turkey's parliament had given Sweden the green light, the Hungarian prime minister was still pushing for negotiations in a public letter to his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson. Continue reading...

Coalition government to slim down school curriculum after cramming of subjects under previous nationalist administrationPoland's new government is seeking to slim down the material taught in schools by about 20%, saying a cramming of the curriculum under the previous rightwing populist administration has left teachers and students exhausted.Speaking during a school visit in the Silesian town of Mysowice over the weekend, the education minister, Barbara Nowacka, said she was consulting experts on how to narrow down the curriculum, which will come into force in secondary schools after the summer break, from 1 September. Continue reading...

Detectives, who have charged Sen Const Beau Lamarre with murder, also canvassing at Grays Point near Cronulla and searching Royal national park

Australian Chinese former fashion blogger, whose appointment in 2021 was met with controversy, announces she is leaving the magazineThree years after becoming the youngest person to hold an editor title at Vogue, Margaret Zhang is leaving her position as editorial director of Vogue China.The Australian Chinese creative director announced her exit on Instagram on Monday, writing: As we kick off a transformative Year of the Dragon, I'm excited to announce that I have decided to wrap up with Vogue and jump into the next chapter of my career." Continue reading...

City of Melbourne council says CCTV footage shows a group cutting down statue early Monday, in third attack on a Captain Cook memorial in Melbourne, this year

Police and ambulance workers given unlawful directions to get vaccinated or face potential disciplinary action, supreme court findsCovid-19 vaccine mandates for Queensland police and ambulance workers were made unlawfully, the state's supreme court has found.The court on Tuesday delivered its judgments in three lawsuits brought by 86 parties against Queensland's police ambulance services for their directions to workers issued in 2021 and 2022. Continue reading...

NSW police allege multiple shots were fired from a dark-coloured sedan at about 8.30am on Stella Street

NSW police claim an alleged incident occurred around 2.30am on Tuesday and the photographer did not require medical attention

The 67-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was travelling alone when he left a luxury lodge to travel to Victoria Falls National ParkAn Australian tourist reported missing late last week in Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls already had been missing for nearly a week before that, according to new information released Monday by national park officials.

As millions skip meals and are unable to regularly afford groceries, the Food Foundation warns of widening health inequalitiesMillions of people - including one in five families with children - have gone hungry or skipped meals in recent weeks because they could not regularly afford to buy groceries, according to new food insecurity data.According to the Food Foundation tracker, 15% of UK households - equivalent to approximately 8 million adults and 3 million children - experienced food insecurity in January, as high food prices continued to hit the pockets of low-income families. Continue reading...

Defra proposal to relax farming rules accused of breaking Tory pledge to raise standards post-Brexit as the practice can cause painProposals to legalise the carrying of chickens by their legs in the UK would represent an unacceptable dilution of animal welfare standards and the first such weakening of regulations in the area since Brexit, campaigners have said.The government's Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) has made the recommendation despite acknowledging it to be a welfare compromise" that can cause pain, discomfort and breathing difficulty" leading to distress and injuries such as fractures and dislocations. Continue reading...

Exclusive: activists endorse Anderson's comments and decry threat of Islam' in leaked messagesGrassroots Conservative supporters have called Rishi Sunak a snake" over Lee Anderson's suspension as MPs on the Tory right said he should be given a route back in.In leaked WhatsApp messages obtained by the Guardian, members of the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), which was founded by disgruntled Tories after Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss were ousted, attacked the prime minister for kicking Anderson out of the parliamentary party. Continue reading...

The shadow education secretary said they would help schools train role models as powerful counterbalance' to Andrew Tate influenceLabour would help schools to train young male influencers who can counter the negative impact of people like Andrew Tate, the shadow education secretary has said.In an interview with the Guardian, Bridget Phillipson said that in order to combat sexual harassment, Labour wanted to see schools develop role models who could provide a powerful counterbalance" to Tate and others like him. Continue reading...

Leslie Reti quoted as saying the event's program description is deeply offensive', but artistic director calls it a celebration' of connection between communities

Exclusive: Sen Const Beau Lamarre took a police gun home before allegedly using it to murder his former partner and his ex's new boyfriend

French president tells Paris conference Moscow must not and cannot' win the war and that Europe's security is at stakeThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, has called for western countries to step up their support for Ukraine, warning that Moscow's actions in recent weeks signal that Russia could attack Nato states in the next few years.Speaking at the opening of a hastily convened conference of 20 mainly European leaders in Paris designed to speed up the supply of weapons and financial aid to Ukraine, Macron said Russia must not and cannot win this war" and that Europe's own security was at stake. Continue reading...

Committee releases minutes of board meeting before appearance by former Post Office chair Henry StauntonNewly published documents show that a toxic culture of disbelief" persists at the top of the Post Office when it comes to wronged post office operators, MPs have been told.Post Office board members complained of being tired and constantly distracted by historical issues, short-term crisis management and funding issues", minutes of one of their meetings last year show. Continue reading...

Actions of Kyle Parker might have crossed legal bounds that could make him an unregistered foreign agent, New York Times reportsA senior staffer who advises the US Senate on Russia policy is under investigation for making trips to Ukraine in military uniform and supplying the country's armed forces with privately donated sniper equipment, it was reported on Monday.The actions of Kyle Parker, chief of staff to the Helsinki commission that informs senators on issues of European security, might have crossed legal and ethical grounds that could make him an unregistered foreign agent, according to the New York Times, which reviewed a confidential report by the commission's director and general counsel. Continue reading...

Sir Lindsay Hoyle tells MPs he was advised that granting fresh vote could be further breach of Commons protocolThe Commons speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has rejected an SNP request for a further Gaza ceasefire vote after last week's angry scenes at Westminster amid concerns that it could be a further breach of parliamentary protocol.The SNP had asked for a vote on a substantive" motion on whether there should be an immediate ceasefire after the speaker said last week that he would be willing to consider an emergency debate. Continue reading...

First Nation members say in lawsuit that radiologists subjected them to a secret study without their knowledge or consentMembers of a First Nation in Canada have launched a lawsuit alleging they were subjected to a secret medical experiment without their consent that left them feeling violated and humiliated".The class action lawsuit, which was certified by the Nova Scotia supreme court in early February, revives the painful history of Canada conducting medical experiments on Indigenous peoples and the persistent discrimination they continue to face within the country's healthcare system. Continue reading...

Yes vote comes nearly two years after historically neutral country applied to join military allianceHungary's parliament has approved Sweden's Nato accession nearly two years after the historically neutral country applied to join the western military alliance, bringing to an end months of diplomatic wrangling.Speaking after the vote in Budapest on Monday, the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, hailed a historic day". Continue reading...

Pupils at four schools in Beziers introduced uniform the government says could be rolled out nationwide if successfulThey have not been compulsory in state schools in mainland France since 1968. But uniforms have made a return to one town as part of a government pilot scheme to establish if they can reduce inequality - and improve behaviour.About 700 pupils at four schools in the southern town of Beziers became the first to introduce a uniform on Monday in a scheme that the government says could be rolled out nationwide if successful. Continue reading...

Court hears that Christine Rawle, who stabbed her husband, Ian, in August 2022, claimed he had made her life a miseryA woman who allegedly murdered her 72-year-old husband by stabbing him in the back during an argument told police he had been violent, sexually abusive and financially controlling, a jury has heard.After the attack, Christine Rawle, 69, removed the knife from her husband Ian Rawle's back, kicked it under a stable door and sat down to wait for the emergency services to arrive, the court was told. Continue reading...

Sir Lindsay Hoyle says he will not allow further emergency debate, saying that MPs came to a resolution on Gaza only last weekRishi Sunak is now on BBC Radio Lincolnshire. Scott Dalton is interviewing him, and asks why it is taking so long for the HS2 money to go to transport projects in the north.Sunak says he thinks the money has been redirected quite quickly.I believe racism or prejudice of any kind is completely unacceptable, and we must stamp it out.And that's because we're the most successful multi-ethnic democracy in the world. And that's because we have a way of doing these things, of respecting everyone, and at the same time ensuring that everyone integrates into our community and subscribes to a common set of British values. That's not an easy thing to do. But I think we do it better than any other country, and we need to work hard to protect that. Continue reading...

FTC argues Kroger's $24.6bn takeover of Albertsons would narrow consumer choice and weaken quality of productsA top US antitrust watchdog sued to block the country's largest-ever supermarket merger on Monday, alleging the deal would raise prices for millions of shoppers.The Federal Trade Commission argued that Kroger's $24.6bn takeover of rival grocer Albertsons would narrow consumer choice and weaken the quality of products on shelves. Continue reading...

Capital's mayor is often accused of allowing crime to soar, but Guardian analysis shows reality is more nuancedA London under siege" with criminals ruling the streets". That's not the plot of a comic book, but rather the picture that mayoral candidate Susan Hall painted of the capital in an article for the Express on Saturday.Sadiq Khan - who as the mayor for London, also acts as police and crime commissioner for the city - is often targeted with claims of spiralling crime and rising violence. But Guardian analysis of government data shows the reality is more nuanced. Continue reading...

In Kirkby-in Ashfield, some call their MP an embarrassment' while others say he's telling the truth a lot of people daren't say'In his Nottinghamshire constituency, Lee Anderson has long been considered a Marmite character, attracting staunch supporters and vehement critics alike, and the reaction to his latest comments proved no different.Some said they felt Anderson had been punished unfairly for his statements about the London mayor on Friday, which have been labelled Islamophobic and led to him losing the Conservative whip. Others said they were horrified by his words and believed his suspension from the Tory party had been a long time coming. Continue reading...

Scarlet Blake to serve minimum of 24 years for murdering Spanish engineer Jorge Martin Carreno Warning: includes graphic contentA cat killer obsessed with violence and death has been jailed for life with a minimum of 24 years after being convicted of murdering a man she deliberately targeted as part of a sexual fantasy.Scarlet Blake, 26, targeted Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, one of a triplet, as he walked home from a night out in Oxford in July 2021. Continue reading...

Belgian capital blocked by 900 tractors amid protests throughout bloc demanding policy changesFarmers have clashed violently with police in the European quarter of Brussels, spraying officers with liquid manure and setting fire to mounds of tyres, while the EU's agriculture ministers met to discuss the crisis in their sector.As farmers also protested in Madrid and on the Polish-German border, at least 900 tractors jammed streets in the centre of the Belgian capital, police said, with protesters throwing bottles and eggs and setting off fireworks while riot police fired water cannon. Continue reading...

Celebrity owl was found dead on Upper West Side after apparently hitting a building, as further tests planned to see if he was sickNew York City's celebrity owl Flaco died from a traumatic impact, zoologists confirmed a day after he reportedly flew into a building, with further testing planned to determine if the Eurasian eagle owl may have been sick.What happened in Flaco's final hours is top of mind for his fans across the city, who cheered him on as he defied the odds by fending for himself despite a life in captivity. Police are still seeking to arrest whoever let him out of his enclosure at the Central Park Zoo a year ago. Continue reading...

Human rights body says Israel not following ICJ order on Gaza aid provision; Mohammad Shtayyeh submits resignation to President Mahmoud AbbasThe UN rights chief has decried disinformation and other attacks that aim to undermine the legitimacy" and work of the UN and other institutions, describing them as profoundly destructive".Speaking at the opening of the UN human rights council's main annual session, Volker Turk criticised widespread disinformation that targets UN humanitarian organisations, UN peacekeepers and my office".The UN has become a lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures.This is profoundly destructive of the common good, and it callously betrays the many people whose lives rely on it. Continue reading...

RNC leader will step down on 8 March after Trump endorses loyalists including daughter-in-law for key rolesThe chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) plans to stand down beginning next week, paving the way for a slate of Donald Trump loyalists to lead the party in the run-up to the November general elections.Ronna McDaniel announced her decision to step down just days after the former president endorsed the North Carolina Republican party chair, Michael Whatley, to lead the RNC; his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to be its co-chair; and his close campaign aide Chris LaCivita as the party's chief operating officer. Continue reading...

Amount reaching starving territory dropped 50% in February despite severe shortages of basic necessitiesThe amount of aid reaching Gaza fell by half in February from the month before, the UN has said, as its secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said that an Israeli assault on Rafah would be the nail in the coffin" of deliveries to the starving territory.February registered a 50% reduction of humanitarian aid entering Gaza compared to January," Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said in a statement on X. Aid was supposed to increase not decrease to address the huge needs of 2 million Palestinians in desperate living conditions." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labor's change of position on stage-three tax cuts appears to have hit the prime minister's personal favourability

Exclusive: Infrastructure department describes $400m budget for precinct grants program as modest', while Catherine King says it will require additional funding in the future'

Data showing nearly two thirds of workplaces have a pay gap that favours men is being published in the hopes of ending disparity

New minister's pro housing' direction wins praise but council taxes policy deemed probably not particularly effective'

Police discipline panel dismissed Neil Buckmaster in 2021 over offensive and utterly unacceptable' behaviourA Metropolitan police detective initially sacked for racism has been reinstated and sent on a leadership course, the Guardian has learned.DS Neil Buckmaster was dismissed in 2021 after a discipline panel found him guilty of gross misconduct. The panel heard he had used racist terms, which he gave to avatars while playing an online football game. Continue reading...

Former ball player turned businessman Steve Garvey enjoys name recognition as he makes an unlikely Republican bid for vacant seatCongressman Adam Schiff is leading in the polls for California's US Senate seat. But a Republican challenger is rising as well - thanks in part due to a boost from his Democratic competitor.The field of candidates for the seat held by Dianne Feinstein until her death last year is crowded with high-profile Democrats, including Schiff and congresswomen Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. Steve Garvey, a former LA Dodgers baseball player turned businessman, announced his campaign last fall and quickly emerged as the main Republican candidate. Continue reading...

Country follows Sweden in ending inquiries, saying there is not enough grounds to pursue criminal case

British Board of Film Classification lifts it from U certificate almost 60 years after film was first releasedMary Poppins has had its age rating lifted to a PG by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) almost 60 years after it was first released.The film's rating has been upgraded from U - which signifies no material likely to offend or harm - to one advising parental guidance due to the use of discriminatory language, the Daily Mail reported. Continue reading...

Warm spell in northern and central areas will make way for icy blast this weekA sharp swing in temperatures has been forecast across northern and central parts of the US this week, with potentially record-breaking warm weather giving way to a cold front.Wisconsin is likely to challenge its all-time February high on Tuesday with a forecast of 17C (63F) - 0.5C above the record set at Stevens Point in 2000. The warm spell is likely to be short lived, however. On Tuesday evening a broad area of low pressure will bring heavy rain before a surge of cold air turns rain into snow as the temperature dips to zero. Continue reading...

Beat chief says NHS bosses must end postcode lottery in care for people with avoidant restrictive food intake disorderThe number of people in the UK who have a previously little-known eating disorder, in which those afflicted avoid many foods, has risen sevenfold in five years, figures show.The eating disorders charity Beat received 295 calls about avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (Arfid) in 2018 - comprising 2% of its 20,535 inquiries that year. However, it received 2,054 calls last year, which accounted for one in 10 of its 20,535 requests for help. Many were from children and young people or their parents.Feeling full after eating only a few mouthfuls and struggling to consume more.Taking a long time over mealtimes or finding eating a chore.Sensitivity to the texture, smell or temperature of foods.Eating the same meals repeatedly or eating food only of the same colour, such as beige.Avoidance of sensory aspects, such as particular tastes, smells, textures and look of foods.An apparent lack of interest in food.Concern about adverse consequences, such as a fear of choking or vomiting or fear of new foods Continue reading...

Watchdog says there is need for significant intervention' over supply and quality of new homes

Mark Harper condemns remarks by Tory vice-chair but declines to say if they were motivated by prejudice against London mayor

Prayer room of Great Mosque of Algiers, beset by political wrangling and cost overruns, accommodates 120,000 peopleAlgeria has inaugurated a gigantic mosque on its Mediterranean coastline after years of political upheaval transformed the project from a symbol of state-sponsored strength and religiosity to one of delays and cost overruns.Built by a Chinese construction firm throughout the 2010s, the Great Mosque of Algiers features the world's tallest minaret, measuring 265 metres (869ft). Continue reading...

Federal court hears appeal after finding Mostafa Moz' Azimitabar's Melbourne detention lacked ordinary human decency' but did not breach law

Inquest hears elite tactical unit held annual racist mock award but former police officer who shot Warlpiri man says he does not believe Aboriginal people were treated differently