World news | The Guardian

Rikki Mitchell went missing after becoming disorientated south of Townsville while going for a swim

Researchers say ‘studies not good enough’ to know whether medications work or not for painAntidepressants commonly used to treat chronic pain lack evidence as to whether or not they work, researchers have said, declaring the situation a global public health concern.Chronic pain, typically defined as pain lasting three months or more, is a widespread problem affecting up to one in three people, with conditions ranging from osteoarthritis to fibromyalgia. Continue reading...

Charles should adopt specific measures to build understanding of the legacy of enslavement, say activists and academicsKing Charles has been urged to go further towards offering reparatory justice for the UK’s role in transatlantic slavery, even as he was praised for reportedly ignoring Boris Johnson’s advice to avoid the issue at all costs.Academics and campaigners called on Charles to adopt specific measures to help build an understanding of the legacy of the enslavement of black people, as well as putting forward suggestions for how the UK could work towards making amends. Continue reading...

Cartoons of treasurer Jim Chalmers dominated front pages, while the budget works ‘a Chalm’ for the voter featured on the Daily Telegraph

While the 2023 budget is unlikely to budge the RBA, experts are watching for inflationary pressure from a population boom and energy prices

Governments urged to roll out chargers, reduce prices and recruit celebrities to mobilise public as one in four new vehicle sales predicted to be electric by 2025

PM cites increased workload for staff of all political stripes while treasurer points to ‘well-publicised court cases’ as motivation

Group reportedly got into difficulty as torrential rain hit during outing in Northland regionSearchers in New Zealand have found the body of a teenager who died on Tuesday as torrential rain fell during a school trip into caves in the Northland region.The deluge swamped parts of the North Island, including Northland, where damage from record floods in February was still evident. In New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, inspections of 120 water-damaged buildings began on Wednesday morning as the weather cleared. Continue reading...

Report says UK will also blacklist as terrorists the mercenaries who have led months-long assault on Bakhmut, UkraineThe French parliament has called on the EU to formally label the Russian mercenary group Wagner as terrorists, as the UK reportedly prepares to do the same.France’s parliament unanimously passed a non-binding resolution aimed at encouraging the 27 members of the EU to put Wagner on its official list of terrorist organisations. Continue reading...

BMJ Global Health article calls for halt to ‘development of self-improving artificial general intelligence’ until regulation in placeAI could harm the health of millions and pose an existential threat to humanity, doctors and public health experts have said as they called for a halt to the development of artificial general intelligence until it is regulated.Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionise healthcare by improving diagnosis of diseases, finding better ways to treat patients and extending care to more people. Continue reading...

Watchdog says gaps in regulation are letting landlords offer costly supported accommodation ‘with little or no support’Increasing numbers of landlords are profiting from letting bad housing to some of society’s most vulnerable people, the National Audit Office has found.Gaps in regulation are allowing property owners “to profit by providing costly, sub-standard” supported housing “with little or no support, supervision or care”, the spending watchdog said. Continue reading...

Justin Welby to join peers condemning measures that seek to criminalise people seeking refuge in UKThe archbishop of Canterbury will make a rare intervention in the House of Lords to join dozens of peers condemning the government’s flagship asylum bill.Justin Welby will argue against measures championed by Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman that seek to criminalise people seeking refuge in the UK if they arrive on small boats. Continue reading...

Verdict for first time legally brands a former US president as a sexual predator but clears Trump of rape

Images released by US labor department show conditions over 100 children faced at Packers Sanitation Services IncorporatedHarrowing photos released by the US labor department taken at a slaughterhouse plant in Nebraska show the conditions more than 100 children faced while illegally working for Packers Sanitation Services Incorporated (PSSI) before the department cracked down on the company for violating child labor laws.The pictures show employees covered in protective gear, using chemicals to spray down and sanitize equipment. In some of the pictures, made public on Sunday by the television news show 60 Minutes, some of the employees appear to be young children, wearing protective face glasses and holding buckets. Continue reading...

Somerset experiences ‘different scale’ of rain as flood warning issued for EnglandParts of England have been battered by hailstorms among a deluge of rain as well as thunder, as a yellow weather warning remains in place for the UK until 10pm.Basingstoke was hit by an onslaught of hail on Tuesday, with one resident describing his worry over the storm damaging his car – while Somerset experienced a “different scale” of rain. Continue reading...

The latest shooting of an innocent victim spotlights ‘stand your ground’ laws, which some Republicans are trying to strengthenA 14-year-old girl was playing hide-and-seek with her friends when she was shot in the head by her neighbor in Louisiana, according to authorities.The shooting on Sunday adds to a recent string of gun attacks across the US aimed at people who were engaged in innocuous activities when they encountered their shooter. Continue reading...

About 1,700 houses in Manipur have been destroyed in clashes between Meiteis, who are mostly Hindus, and mainly Christian Kuki tribeThe road to Heirokland is smooth and freshly laid, with a sign proclaiming it part of an Indian government development initiative. But ethnic violence has reduced the village itself to little more than smouldering ashes.Sanatomba picked through the ruins of his sister’s home in the north-eastern state of Manipur, trying to salvage anything of value, but could only recover a traditional stool. Continue reading...

Sharon White wants to bring in investors to build flats above stores, potentially leading to the sale of stake in the businessThe boss of John Lewis will face a confidence vote by staff members on Wednesday as the business considers the option of raising funds by selling a stake in the business.Chairman Sharon White is considering looking at radical ways to bring in outside investment of up to £2bn as a way to secure the future of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP), partly by diversifying into building flats for rent above shops, after reporting hefty losses from its chain of department stores and Waitrose supermarkets. Continue reading...

PM’s costly helicopter trip to Southampton to announce prescription reforms underlines fears of some he is out of touchRishi Sunak flew to the south coast and back by helicopter to announce a new government health policy on Tuesday as he tried to calm Conservative jitters after a disastrous set of local election results.In the latest example of the prime minister’s fondness for short-distance air travel, the prime minister visited Southampton to set out plans for pharmacists to provide prescriptions for millions of patients in England to help ease the GP crisis. Continue reading...

Jithender Ballepu says more staff and funding would be needed and has concerns about passing antibiotics over the counterThere is no plaque outside Bassett Pharmacy in Southampton to indicate this was once run by the prime minister’s mother but there is a sign round the back that gives the game away: “Parking for Sunak Pharmacy customers.”Inside, the pharmacist Jithender Ballepu was expressing reservations about Rishi Sunak’s plans for chemist shops to provide prescriptions for millions of patients in England. Continue reading...

Exclusive: John Allan, a prominent business leader and former CBI president, denies all but one of the allegationsOne of the UK’s most prominent business leaders, the Tesco chair John Allan, faces claims of inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour from four women, the Guardian can reveal.Allan allegedly touched the bottom of a senior member of Tesco staff in June 2022, at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM). It is also claimed that he touched the bottom of a member of staff at the business lobbying group the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), at its annual dinner in May 2019, when he was the organisation’s president. Continue reading...

UK foreign secretary and US secretary of state have urged Russia not to use global hunger as a tool of war. This live blog is closedThe North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, said Russia “will prevail” in its fight against what he described as “imperialists”, the state news agency KCNA said on Tuesday, in remarks seen to be aimed at Ukraine and its western supporters such as the US.North Korea has forged closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine last year, including its proclamation later of having annexed parts of Ukraine, which most UN members condemned as illegal. Continue reading...

Multibillion-dollar deal for 737-Max-10s could double capacity at budget airline and create 10,000 jobsRyanair has announced an order for a further 300 aircraft from Boeing, a deal worth $40bn (£32bn) at list prices, which could allow the budget carrier to nearly double passenger capacity over the next decade.The new Boeing 737-Max-10 aircraft are 10% larger again than the newest fleet of Max planes the Irish carrier has recently introduced from Boeing, which Ryanair called “gamechangers” for their fuel burn and costs per passenger. Continue reading...

Chair of health committee did not properly declare work for health recruitment firm Remedium PartnersA leading Conservative MP and former health minister did not properly declare his second job for a health recruitment firm when lobbying Matt Hancock and Michael Gove during the pandemic, the standards watchdog has found.Steve Brine, the chair of the Commons health committee, was found to have breached the rules twice by failing to declare in his approaches to cabinet ministers in early 2021 that he was a paid strategic adviser to Remedium Partners, a recruitment firm offering doctors for free to the NHS. Continue reading...

UK opens tender for rockets akin to those denied by US, which could enable strikes deep into CrimeaBritain and a group of European allies are hoping to supply long-distance cruise missiles to Ukraine, similar in range to those the US has so far refused to supply Kyiv, which could allow its army to strike deep into Russian-occupied Crimea.A tender document quietly released by the UK calls for western arms makers to offer “missiles or rockets with a range 100-300km” (62 to 186 miles) to the International Fund for Ukraine, run jointly with Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Continue reading...

Six anti-monarchy protesters were detained on day of coronation but Met later admitted they ‘regretted’ their arrestsRishi Sunak has recorded a clip for broadcasters in Southampton. Asked about the arrest of some anti-monarchy protesters at the coronation, for which the Met has now apologised, Sunak refused to criticise police for what they did.Asked if the arrests made him feel uncomfortable, Sunak said the police were “operationally independent of government”. He went on:They make the decisions on the ground in the way they see fit.It wouldn’t be right for me to interfere with their operational decisions, but it is right for the government to give the police the powers to tackle serious disruption.With regard to protest, of course people have the right to protest freely but peacefully, but it is also right that people have the ability to go about their day-to-day lives without facing serious disruption.What the government has done is give the police the powers that they need to tackle instances of serious disruption to people’s lives.Pharmacies in Wales have been able to prescribe certain medicines for a year now, so this is just the government stealing a Labour policy again. Why does the media happily report everyone Tory slur on the Welsh NHS but never point out the positives? As another example, there have been several stories in the Guardian recently about pregnant women being chased for prescription charges because they didn’t do the correct paperwork, but no mention that this would not have happened in Wales, where all prescriptions are free! Continue reading...

Labour leader does rule out deal with SNP but dodges speculation on general election outcomes after local election winsKeir Starmer has repeatedly refused to rule out a deal with the Liberal Democrats if Labour fails to win a majority at the next general election during an interview after last week’s local elections.The Labour leader has said he is focused on securing a Labour majority government “with a workable majority”, which he believes is achievable based on the party’s performance in that vote. Continue reading...

Northamptonshire force failed to pass on warning that abusive ex was outside woman’s home before he stabbed her repeatedlyA police force breached its duty of care to a woman by failing to warn her that her abusive ex-partner was outside her house minutes before he stabbed her seven times in front of her children, the high court has found.Esengul Woodcock’s neighbour made a 999 call to Northamptonshire police approximately 13 minutes before the attack, on 19 March 2015, informing officers that Riza Guzelyurt was loitering outside Woodcock’s house, but the force did not pass on the warning. Continue reading...

Xu Zaozao’s case is widely followed in a country where women’s rights have become increasingly prominentA single Chinese woman has begun an appeal in her legal battle for the right to freeze her eggs, a procedure only available in China to married couples.Xu Zaozao took legal action in 2019 after a Beijing hospital refused to freeze her eggs but a Beijing court dismissed her case in July 2022. Continue reading...

Watchdog’s decision follows criticism of Lancashire force after it made public details about missing woman’s private lifeLancashire police will not face any action after releasing personal information about Nicola Bulley to the public, including problems with alcohol brought on by “struggles with the menopause”.They were labelled “misogynist” and “as sexist as it comes”, by MPs and campaigners during the three-week search for the missing 45-year-old woman whose body was found on 19 February. Continue reading...

Deborah O’Neill has also raised concerns that other consultancy firms may have engaged in similar practices without being detected

Indigenous community says the plan to meet with Torin O’Brien only legitimises his offensive views

Treasurer also finds $492m for Closing The Gap plan and $250m for programs to tackle antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs

Financial Reporting Council to look at group’s 2021 accounts, a year before it went into administrationOne of the UK’s biggest advisory firms, Deloitte, is under investigation by the UK’s accountancy watchdog in relation to its audit of fashion group Joules’ 2021 accounts.Joules, best known for its colourful wellies and waterproof coats, called in administrators in November, putting 1,600 jobs and the future of its 132 shops at risk, after failing to secure emergency funding. Continue reading...

Welfare group claims two forensic reports show that culprit was male, while captive bear is femaleAnimal rights activists are calling for the immediate release of a female bear captured on suspicion of killing a jogger in northern Italy after they claimed tests showed the culprit was male.The 17-year-old bear, identified as JJ4, is suspected of killing Andrea Papi, 26, who was mauled to death while jogging along a mountain path close to his village of Caldes in Trentino on 5 April. Continue reading...

Harare high court quashes suspended sentence and fine handed down to Booker-longlisted writer last yearZimbabwean author and activist Tsitsi Dangarembga has had her conviction for inciting violence by staging a peaceful protest overturned.The critically acclaimed writer was given a six-month suspended sentence and fined 70,000 Zimbabwean dollars (£170) in September 2022 for staging a protest calling for political reform. During the 2020 protest, alongside fellow activist Julie Barnes, Dangarembga held a placard inscribed: “We want better. Reform our institutions.” Continue reading...

Find out the scale of Conservative losses and the gains made by Labour, the Lib Dems and the Green party

Former Labour PM, writing in the Observer, calls for action as charities increasingly take over role of social security systemFood banks are increasingly “taking over from the welfare state”, former Labour PM Gordon Brown has warned, amid growing concerns that lack of state support is forcing them into a permanent role in fighting poverty.With food banks increasingly warning that even working people are seeking help, a new “multibank” model is now emerging to help families with everything from hygiene products to furniture. However, concerns are growing within the food aid movement that their services are becoming so widespread that they are now a crucial fixture, rather than a last resort. Continue reading...

Pirc and Church of England back calls for investors to vote against Sir Andrew Mackenzie at AGMAn influential investment adviser has added its weight to a move to oust the Shell chair, Sir Andrew Mackenzie, at next week’s annual shareholder meeting as a row over the energy company’s climate goals intensifies.Pirc, which advises shareholders on how to vote at annual meetings, has recommended that investors vote against Mackenzie’s re-election and oppose its annual report to “hold board members to account”. Continue reading...

Australia’s financial books have generally improved, with most of the main metrics looking better than expected

Spending includes $19bn over four years for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines, long-range strike capabilities and strengthened northern bases

Property values in south of England fall most, while West Midlands records strongest growth

Senior police officer said he thought Lehrmann was innocent of raping Brittany Higgins, barrister Steven Whybrow claims

Senior counsel assisting told royal commission one brother’s 12-month plan was worth $102,000, but only $361 was spent

Police allege Michel Elias Germani, 65, planned an armed robbery in a bid to defraud an insurance company

Passengers faced average 30-minute wait, slightly worse than Manchester during 2022’s travel chaosPassengers flying from Birmingham airport experienced the longest delays in the UK last year, official figures show.Flight departures from Birmingham were on average half an hour behind schedule in 2022, marginally worse than Manchester, in a year marked by chaos for travellers. Continue reading...

Major Australian sporting organisations expected to play a significant role in the yes campaign, with AFL and Cricket Australia yet to announce a stance

Transport Workers’ Union says Qantas’s actions constitute ‘the largest case of illegal sackings in Australian history’

Author says paparazzi and reporters began to follow him in his car and snoop around his homePrince Harry’s ghostwriter has said he bonded with his subject over the “callousness” of paparazzi and media after the “frenzied mob” around the book Spare led to photographers and journalists invading his own privacy.In a first-person piece for the New Yorker, JR Moehringer, the celebrated ghostwriter behind Spare said he agreed to write Harry’s memoir because he “just liked the dude” and had recently lost his own mother. Continue reading...

Advocates for a compensation scheme claim Australia lags behind the rest of the world