World news | The Guardian

Anneliese Dodds says Theresa May's decision to stand down after 27 years is part of trend of Tory MPs who have no confidence in party or leader before next election

UN special rapporteur on torture to carry out fact-finding investigation after receiving allegations detained Palestinians were mistreated

Items by Italian sculptor Umberto Mastroianni taken from exhibition at Vittoriale degli Italiani estateGold statues and jewellery made by the Italian sculptor Umberto Mastroianni have been stolen from an exhibition in northern Italy in a 1m (850,000) heist.The 20 gold statues and 30 pieces of jewellery were crafted between the 1950s and 1990s by the artist, who was the uncle of La Dolce Vita film star Marcello Mastroianni. Continue reading...

Critics say Elton does not meet revised breed standard, but world's biggest dog show says he passed all relevant health checksA row has erupted at the world's biggest dog show after the prize for the best canine in the utility group went to a French bulldog that some have argued has no discernible nostrils.Concern over hugely popular squashed-face breeds such as pugs and French bulldogs has grown in recent years, not least because they are prone to short lives and myriad health problems. Continue reading...

Amnesty International UK among 46 groups to warn of chilling effect' of new legislation and policing powersNearly 50 organisations have joined forces to condemn what they call a crackdown" on the right to protest by the UK government.In response to Rishi Sunak's recent remarks on extremism and mob rule" linked to protesters, Amnesty International UK and 45 others have sent a letter to the prime minister calling for leadership, not censorship". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Influx of reports comes amid concerns about welfare of young people detained in overcrowded adult watch houses

The preselection of Simon Kennedy in Cook has fanned fears about lack of balance - with more men set to replace retiring female MPs

Salary package for Murray Auchincloss branded sickening' by anti-fossil fuel campaigners

Martyn Blake, 40, pleads not guilty at Old Bailey over death of Kaba, 24, who was shot in south London in 2022A Metropolitan police firearms officer has denied the charge of murdering Chris Kaba, who was shot dead by police in south London in 2022.Martyn Blake, 40, entered his formal plea of not guilty during a pre-trial hearing at the Old Bailey in London. Continue reading...

Documents show officials stressing need to keep the Saudis on side' after revelations about notorious al-Yamamah dealBritain's Ministry of Defence moved questionable payments through its own bank account amid one of the biggest corruption scandals in history, despite concerns the money could be pocketed by the Saudi royal family.Previously confidential documents show how the MoD agreed to make the payments to a Saudi bank account after the transactions came under scrutiny following an investigation by the UK anti-corruption agency, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Continue reading...

Former PM says she wants to focus on causes close to her heart after 27 years in parliament

New owner Frasers Group decides it is unwilling to fund turnaroundThe luxury clothing retailer Matchesfashion is to enter administration after its new owner, Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, said it was not willing to fund a turnaround.Matches was acquired by Frasers just three months ago for 52m in cash from private equity firm Apax Partners but the business has consistently missed its business plan targets" and made losses, Frasers said. Continue reading...

Research looked at three London boroughs to value overall health benefits of active travel over 20 years at up to 4,800 per headPolicies to help people walk and cycle such as low-traffic neighbourhoods can create public health benefits as much as 100 times greater than the cost of the schemes, a long-term study of active travel measures has concluded.The research, based on six years of surveys among thousands of people living in three outer London boroughs that introduced LTNs or similar schemes, found they tended to prompt people to switch some trips from cars to active travel, although the effects were varied. Continue reading...

More workers are taking on multiple jobs as they grapple with higher interest rates, inflation and underemployment

Social services minister Amanda Rishworth says government needed to work hard' to fulfil election promise

Drone team has bombed tanks, armoured fighting vehicles and ammunition dumps but still Russians are on the moveAt night, Sasha and his drone team go in search of the enemy. They set off in a dirt-covered vehicle towards the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariinka, occupied by Russia since December. They unload a large drone. And then they fly it in darkness across the frontline, above a ghostly landscape of fields and ruined houses, towards the twinkling city of Donetsk. The drone carries a deadly arsenal of six grenades.Sasha, who uses the call sign Tourist", has bombed more than 100 pieces of Russian military equipment. The list includes tanks, armoured fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns, as well as hidden ammunition dumps. Russian howitzers are another key target. Recently his special operations unit forestalled a large-scale attack. It spotted seven Russian tanks massed for a dawn raid and disabled two of them. Continue reading...

Electric carmaker concerned at overblown' claims that Albanese government's plan to import environmentally cleaner cars would increase ute prices

Japanese artist remembered for his unique world of creation' including comic series that spawned films, video games and TV seriesAkira Toriyama, the influential Japanese manga artist who created the Dragon Ball series, has died at the age of 68.He died on 1 March from an acute subdural haematoma. The news was confirmed by Bird Studio, the manga company that Toriyama founded in 1983. Continue reading...

Debate has begun on Article 23 - legislation designed to bring laws closer to those of mainland ChinaHong Kong's government has released the draft text of a new national security law that would further tighten control on the city and bring its laws closer in line with mainland China.The law, known as Article 23, is a domestic piece of legislation defining and penalising crimes related to national security. Continue reading...

Findings from survey of UK practitioners may explain why many more women than men suffer from a range of conditionsAbuse and violence suffered by women and girls is the main reason they are much more likely than men and boys to develop mental ill health, Britain's psychiatrists say.Experiencing such behaviour can trigger very serious mental health problems in women and girls, including suicidal thoughts and psychosis, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists.In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Motherhood penalty' appears to be worsening, with pay gap for median hourly pay growing by 93p an hour since 2020The motherhood penalty" is wreaking havoc on women and the economy, according to campaigners, as fresh analysis reveals that the pay gap between mothers and fathers in the UK has grown by nearly 1 an hour since 2020.A study of the hourly earnings of mothers and fathers, released on International Women's Day, found that on average mothers earned 24% less an hour than fathers in 2023 - a motherhood pay penalty" of 4.44 an hour. Continue reading...

Recommendation to ban non-disclosure agreements comes as report uncovers shocking' prevalence of sexual harassmentMPs are calling for new laws that would ban City firms from using gagging orders to silence victims, after a parliamentary inquiry found a shocking" prevalence of sexual harassment and bullying against women in the UK's financial sector.It is one of the key recommendations to come out of the Treasury's committee's Sexism in the City inquiry, which raised concerns about a lack of progress in promoting and protecting women in one of the UK's most lucrative industries. Continue reading...

Latin-inscribed artwork tells story of Walter Tirel whose son killed monarch, William the Conqueror's sonThe Italian descendants of King William II's killer want to donate a work of medieval art partly depicting William's death to a British museum.The three-slab triptych, believed to have been made by a Norman artist in 1100, has been owned by the Tirelli family, whose aristocratic origins can be traced back to France, for over 400 years. Continue reading...

Progress to prevent female genital mutilation needs to be 27 times faster', says UNThe number of girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) has increased by 15% in the past eight years according to new data.Figures released by the UN children's agency, Unicef, show that more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, compared with 200 million in 2016. The trend is towards girls being cut at a younger age, said Unicef executive director Catherine Russell. Continue reading...

Sixty-year-old was found dead in car in Evans Head with police questioning her 39-year-old son

Magistrate lifts order which prohibited naming son of former AFL footballer accused of murder

NSW Corrective Services investigating error that led them to incorrectly believe Corey Hastings had been granted bail

According to the research group, Counting Dead Women Australia, 64 women were killed in violent incidents in 2023

You need drivers, trucks and a distribution system that doesn't exist,' says president of Refugees International aid advocacy groupThe US plan to build a floating port off the Gaza coast is a bold move, reminiscent of the Mulberry harbours built after D-day in Normandy, but there are serious concerns that what relief it brings will be too little too late for Palestinians facing starvation.When we talk about the sea route, it's going to take weeks to set up and we are talking about a population that is starving now. We have already seen children dying of hunger," said Ziad Issa, the head of humanitarian policy at the ActionAid charity. Continue reading...

All high level benefit' targets missed and only three-quarters forecasted to be achieved by 2024/25, according to NAOGovernment plans to overhaul the country's ailing railway system are significantly delayed while promised savings have yet to be achieved, according to a highly critical report by the government's spending watchdog.The National Audit Office (NAO) assessment of how ministers' plans were progressing found the government had failed to meet any of the 12 high level benefit" targets it set for rail in 2021. Continue reading...

Australia co-ordinated the largest search to date, which failed to yield answers despite surveying more than 120,000 square kilometres under the ocean MH370: one of aviation's biggest mysteries remains unsolved 10 years on

School council says Nicholas Sampson resigned following an irrevocable breakdown of trust'

Assailants reportedly surrounded Kuriga school as pupils were starting the day in second abduction in country in less than a weekGunmen have attacked a school in Nigeria's north-west region seizing at least 287 students, in the second mass abduction in the West African nation in less than a week.Authorities had said earlier that more than 100 students were taken hostage in the attack. But Sani Abdullahi, the headteacher, told Kaduna governor Uba Sani when he visited the town on Thursday that the total number of those missing after a headcount was 287. Continue reading...

President to make announcement in State of the Union speech while senior US official says We are not waiting on the Israelis'US forces will build a temporary port on the Gaza shoreline in the next few weeks to allow delivery of humanitarian aid on a large scale, Joe Biden will announce in the State of the Union speech, amid warnings of a widespread famine among the territory's 2.3 million Palestinians.We are not waiting on the Israelis. This is a moment for American leadership," a senior US official said on Thursday, reflecting growing frustration of what is seen in Washington as Israeli obstruction of road deliveries on a substantial scale. Continue reading...

Song amended after organisers banned entry for seeming references to 7 October attacks, which broke rules on political neutralityIsrael will be allowed to compete at the Eurovision song contest after changing the lyrics to its song, organisers have confirmed.Eden Golan, representing Israel at this year's competition, originally submitted a ballad called October Rain, widely thought to reference the Hamas attacks of 7 October. However, the entry was barred on the grounds of breaking rules on political neutrality. Continue reading...

Guests at Biden address to include Alabama woman whose IVF was cancelled, and Texas women who went through abortion ordeals

Housing secretary did not register free box seats organised by owner of company he referred for 164m PPE contractsMichael Gove failed to declare hospitality worth more than 1,700 at three Queens Park Rangers matches over the course of two years, not just the one occasion when he attended with a Conservative donor, it has emerged.The housing secretary was placed under investigation by the House of Commons standards watchdog last week, after the Guardian reported that he failed to register hospitality he received in August 2021 alongside David Meller, a donor whose firm he had referred to the VIP lane for assessing PPE deals during the Covid pandemic. Meller's firm, Meller Designs, won six PPE contracts worth 164m. Continue reading...

UK foreign secretary discusses conflict with counterpart in Berlin amid tensions over Germany's reluctance to provide missilesGiving Ukraine the weapons it needs to defend itself against Russia would not escalate the war, but help to forge peace, David Cameron has said. The UK foreign secretary was speaking on a trip to Berlin, less than a week after a leaked top-secret military call exposed internal tensions about Germany's support for Kyiv.Germany is under growing international pressure to provide Taurus missiles to Ukraine, despite reluctance from Olaf Scholz's government. Continue reading...

Popular national figure given new role after being dismissed by Volodymyr Zelenskiy a month agoUkraine's former commander in chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, is to become the country's next ambassador to the UK, a month after he was fired by the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, from his job leading the military.The decision makes good on Zelenskiy's promise to keep the popular former general as part of the team" but it also removes him from Ukraine, where he is seen as the only realistic challenger to the president if there were to be an election. Continue reading...

No 10 refuses to say how Michelle Donelan was advised over accusation against academic who then sued her for libelThe science secretary, Michelle Donelan, received government advice before she tweeted a letter in which she accused an academic of supporting Hamas, Downing Street has said.No 10 refused to say what advice officials had given her and whether she actually followed it, but insisted she had acted in line with established precedent". Continue reading...

Man, 19, charged with six counts of first-degree murder as police condemn senseless act of violence' in Barrhaven neighbourhoodPolice in Canada say two adults and four young children, the youngest of whom was less than three months old, are dead in a mass killing in what Ottawa's mayor described as one of the most shocking incidents of violence" in the city's history.A 19-year-old male is in custody and has been charged with with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Continue reading...

Prime minister vows to continue offensive as Hamas delegation withdraws from ceasefire talksIsrael will not give in to international pressure to stall an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah and will continue its bloody offensive against Hamas, said Benjamin Netanyahu.There is international pressure and it's growing, but ... we need to stand together against the attempts to stop the war," the prime minister told a military graduation ceremony in southern Israel on Thursday. saying that Israel's forces would operate against Hamas all through the Gaza Strip including Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold". Continue reading...

Visitors joining in tradition of touching the breast of the artwork to bring them fortune in relationships have worn a hole in itTourists in the northern Italian city of Verona have once again created a hole in the right breast of a statue of William Shakespeare's heroine Juliet.The bronze statue sits beneath the balcony in a tiny courtyard where Romeo is said to have wooed Juliet, attracting hundreds of visitors each day who flock there for a selfie and to touch the breast as part of a ritual that is believed to bring luck in love. Continue reading...

PM says people trust me on these things' and refuses to be drawn on whether government would forgo entire 46bn raised from measureKeir Starmer has accused Jeremy Hunt of repeating the budget mistakes made by Liz Truss during her disastrous premiership.In comments on the budget during a visit to a building site this morning, Starmer focused on Hunt's proposal to abolish employees' national insurance over time, saying that this was a bigger unfunded tax promise than those in Truss's mini-budget. (See 9.28am.)How humiliating was that for the government yesterday?We've argued for years that they should get rid of the non-dom tax status, they've resisted that. And now, completely out of ideas, the only decent policy they've got is the one that they've lifted from us.Nothing that Jeremy Hunt did yesterday, nor anything the OBR said, changes anything very significantly. Which is a shame. Because that means we are still:-heading for a parliament in which people will on average be worse off at the end than at the start, Continue reading...

Woman on trial with her partner, Mark Gordon, for manslaughter of infant Victoria says she gave her the best any mother would'Constance Marten, whose daughter Victoria died after she and the baby's father went off the grid in freezing winter weather to evade authorities, has denied ever harming her child, telling a jury she had shown her nothing but love during her short life.Marten was giving evidence at the Old Bailey on Thursday, as she and her partner, Mark Gordon, stand trial for the manslaughter of the child in 2023. Gordon declined to give evidence earlier in the week. Continue reading...

According to official forecasts, measures in Wednesday's budget have left tax as a share of national income at 37.1%In 1948, the country was in the midst of reconstruction following the second world war - and had the tax levels to show for it. Ration cards were still in use and the NHS still on the maternity ward, having been born that July.The previous month, the Empire Windrush had made its historic arrival in Tilbury. Earlier that year, Myanmar and Sri Lanka - then named Burma and Ceylon - had gained independence from the British empire. And, in the summer, Portsmouth ascended the summit of domestic football for the first time - winning the English title. Continue reading...

Scottish government says judge-led public inquiry will look at serious failings' of police investigation, as killer appeals convictionAn independent judge-led public inquiry will be held into how police handled the investigation into Emma Caldwell's murder, the Scottish government has announced. The announcement came as Scotland's most senior law officer said she believes there was sufficient evidence in 2008 to prosecute Caldwell's killer, who was convicted only last week.Caldwell's mother, Margaret, has campaigned tirelessly for nearly two decades to bring her daughter's murderer to justice. She listened from the public gallery as Scotland's justice secretary, Angela Constance, told MSPs on Thursday afternoon: There can be no doubt of the serious failings that brought a grieving family to fight for justice." Continue reading...

Hungary dropping opposition allows historically neutral country to become member, cementing alliance's control of Nordic regionSweden has officially became the 32nd member of Nato, in a landmark moment for the historically neutral country and the western military alliance.Stockholm's ratification process was finally completed in Washington on Thursday, as Sweden and Hungary - the last country to ratify Sweden's membership - submitted the necessary documents after a drawn-out process that has taken nearly two years. Continue reading...

Klette, 65, allegedly took part in three violent Red Army Faction attacks in the 1990sA former member of the radical anti-capitalist Baader-Meinhof gang arrested in Berlin last week after 30 years on the run has been remanded in custody over three violent attacks in the 1990s.Police swooped on Daniela Klette, 65, at an apartment in Berlin's Kreuzberg district on 26 February. They called it a milestone" as Klette was one of the most wanted people in Europe. Continue reading...

Five people died in attack that struck near Ukrainian president and visiting Greek leaderRussia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday that a Belarusian man who had been planning an act of terrorism" inside Russia on behalf of Ukraine had been killed in the Russian region of Karelia, Reuters reports citing the RIA news agency.There is no further information in the report but we will update when more details are released. Continue reading...