World news | The Guardian

The drop in civil inquiries by fraud unit sparks criticism that the authority's use of its powers of enforcement are waningThe number of civil investigation cases opened by a HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) fraud unit investigating offshore, corporate and wealthy taxpayers has fallen by more than half in five years, figures reveal.The Observer reported last month that HMRC has not charged a single company under landmark legislation to crack down on tax evasion. Campaigners warned that HMRC was undermining its own deterrents by failing to use its criminal enforcement powers. Continue reading...

Price Promise tariff gives discount on current cap and guarantees to be at least 1 per fuel under April oneBritish Gas has launched a fixed-rate gas and electricity deal that offers a 12% saving over most existing price-capped tariffs, adding a new choice to the hard-to-navigate home energy market.For the past two winters, consumers have largely been spared having to seek out the cheapest deal, because, in almost all cases, it was their supplier's price cap-protected standard tariff. Continue reading...

Despite victory in two Conservative safe seats, a Labour government is not a foregone conclusion, say party hawksFor the past few months, with Labour enjoying a stubbornly large double-digit lead in the polls, close allies of Keir Starmer remained obsessed with the notion that complacency will slip into the mindsets of MPs, advisers and activists.In a breathless week that saw Labour veer from having to abandon one byelection before scooping previously safe Tory seats in two others, the obsessives were given three opportunities to drive their point home. Continue reading...

As fresh party infighting erupts after two byelection losses, the right are targeting public service funding to pay for tax cuts while others urge restraintRishi Sunak is being warned he risks taking his party further towards disaster by sanctioning a new public spending squeeze in a desperate pursuit of pre-election tax cuts, as more Tories said they feared an election wipeout.With more infighting erupting this weekend after two huge byelection losses in former safe seats, Treasury officials are examining cuts to public spending should they be needed to fund tax cuts, demanded most vociferously by the right of the party. Continue reading...

NSW environment watchdog gives venue green light after tests; agency says schools at Marsden Park and Orchard Hill found to have mulch containing bonded asbestos. This blog is now closed

Positive tests recorded at schools in Marsden Park and Orchard Hills takes total number of sites to have tested positive to 34 since early January

Move comes after second group found in Western Australia and believed to have arrived on same boat as group found 25km away on Friday

Formerly exiled billionaire freed six months into eight-year sentence due to age and healthFormer Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been freed on parole and returned home, six months after he was arrested on his dramatic return to the kingdom from 15 years of self-imposed exile.The controversial billionaire, twice elected premier and ousted in a 2006 military coup, was jailed for eight years on graft and abuse-of-power charges after he arrived in Thailand in August. Continue reading...

Refugees will have certainty and assurance' says Home Office, but charities say move insufficient as many face homelessnessUkrainians who sought sanctuary in the UK after the Russian invasion will be permitted to extend their visas for an extra 18 months, the Home Office has announced.More than 200,000 Ukrainians visa holders have arrived in the UK since March 2022, with the first visas to expire in March next year. The Home Office said that the new scheme would provide certainty and assurance" for Ukrainians in the UK. Continue reading...

Many families move to afford a freestanding house, but higher density living could save them money, experts say

Labour leader thought loss to Tories in byelection meant party going backward, according to new biographyKeir Starmer considered resigning as Labour party leader after the defeat in the Hartlepool byelection in 2021, according to a new biography.The loss of the County Durham constituency to the Conservatives was a blow to Starmer as the party had held the seat since it was created in 1974. Nearly two and a half years later, Labour are ahead in the polls and achieved a double success by winning the byelections in Wellingborough and Kingswood on Friday. Continue reading...

Move comes as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas make little progress, according to key Qatar negotiator

Exclusive: Family calls for inquest, saying Wilkinson visited police almost every day' before she was murdered by her husband in 2021

Party hopes for compromise wording after previous SNP motion saw 56 MPs defy Keir StarmerLabour is hoping to defuse a fresh crisis over Keir Starmer's cautious stance on Gaza by rewording a Scottish National party motion calling for an immediate ceasefire.With the support of Scotland's first minister, Humza Yousaf, the SNP will table a motion to be debated in the Commons on Wednesday, which intends to challenge Starmer by calling for an immediate end to the violence. Continue reading...

Suspect charged with assisting unlawful entry into the UK after discovery at Newhaven ferry portOne person has been charged with assisting unlawful entry into the UK after six people were found in the back of a lorry at a ferry port in Sussex.Police had arrested two men in connection with the incident at Newhaven port in East Sussex on Friday. One was detained on suspicion of people smuggling and the other on suspicion of entering the UK illegally. The six people discovered in the lorry were taken to hospital. No deaths have been reported by Sussex police. Continue reading...

Actor left fourth draft of screenplay for first movie in the London flat that he was renting while filmingA Star Wars script left in a London flat by Harrison Ford has been sold at an auction for 10,795.The fourth draft of the screenplay for the first Star Wars movie, originally titled The Adventures of Luke Starkiller, had an estimated selling price of 8,000-12,000 and was bought on Saturday by an Austrian private collector. Continue reading...

Reading is cool again, but publishers and parents fear that new TikTok trend promoting erotic titles goes too farParents, publishers and booksellers have generally welcomed BookTok", the videos on TikTok promoting literature. In an age when many worry about children spending too much time in front of a screen, reading has become cool" on the platform.But a trend for spicy" (ie sexy) books has led to fears children may be reading titles with adult content. Continue reading...

Russian opposition leader's death occurred on Friday, say supporters, but official cause remains disputedThe death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, has been confirmed by his representatives, who are calling for the return of his body amid confusion over the cause of the death of Putin's once most significant political challenger.Navalny, 47, died in jail on 16 February at 2.17pm local time, said his official spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, citing a message from Navalny's mother and challenging Russia's official explanation that Navalny died after a fall at the Arctic penal colony where he was being held. Continue reading...

In an age when we love bagging bargains online, locals and experts in one of the UK's most affluent towns debate whether there's any future in high-street retailingIf you wanted to look at the struggles of the British high street, Cheltenham would not necessarily be the first place to start. There are no boarded-up shop windows or empty windswept streets, no surplus of betting offices and charity shops. Nor do outlets with the word pound" in their titles loom conspicuously large.On the contrary, the handsome town centre streets are bustling, business seems to be, if not booming, then not exactly in existential crisis. So it is not hard to believe, on a bright Wednesday afternoon, that all is right in the world - or at least in this affluent corner of Gloucestershire. Continue reading...

US secretary of state tells Munich security conference that almost all Arab countries want to normalise tiesA climate of fear pervades a hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, where patients and doctors are reeling from last month's deadly raid by Israeli agents disguised as medics, reports news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).AFP say that at the rehabilitation ward at Jenin's Ibn Sina hospital, two patients recalled hearing the screams of a nurse as Israeli forces reached the third floor. Continue reading...

Amid biting austerity and rising inflation, the al-Sisi government is off-loading assets - some to a convicted murderer with Emirati cashAs dusk fell over the verdant grounds of the Marriott Mena House hotel, the reflection of the Great Pyramid of Giza grew darker in a pool built to reflect the last of the seven wonders of the world.A band played a smooth jazz rendition of the Eagles' Hotel California on the grassy lawns as guests assembled for dinner, while the staff attempted to project a sense of business as usual, despite the hotel's recent acquisition by an infamous Egyptian real estate tycoon, Hisham Talaat Moustafa, and two powerful Emirati conglomerates. Continue reading...

Latest figures show racial disparity in use-of-force incidents among inpatients in EnglandThe number of black inpatients injured while being restrained by police in mental health units has risen dramatically - at the same time as the number of non-black inpatients injured has fallen, according to analysis of government data by the Observer.The Home Office's police use of force statistics for 2022/23 show that police forces across England recorded 820 incidents of force used in mental health units against black inpatients, resulting in 36 injuries. This is up from the 770 use of force incidents and 27 injuries recorded in 2021/22. Continue reading...

Confession by Punjab commissioner exacerbates tension over legitimacy of February general election resultsA senior official in Pakistan has admitted to election rigging amid protests breaking out across the country over claims that its general election results were unfair.The confessional statement throws further questions over the legitimacy of the 8February elections, which were marred by controversies and allegations of rigging in Pakistan. Continue reading...

British producers to back EU's proposed regulations to stop trade in adulterated honeyBritain's beekeepers are backing proposed new rules to combat fraud in the supply chain, ensuring a jar of honey can be traced on its journey of up to 5,000 miles from the beehive to the shop shelf.The European parliament has agreed new labelling rules and a project to establish a traceability system for honey from harvesting to the consumer. The proposed rules are part of an overhaul of the breakfast directives", including the honey directive. Continue reading...

Billy (not real name) is now being home-schooled after bullying turned into physical violenceStarting secondary school had not been easy for Billy (not his real name). What started as verbal taunts from one boy soon saw him become the target of a group of four boys. Bullying became physical violence. Yet the abuse got even worse, escalating to sexual assault. The group would corner him in the toilets and grope and touch his genitals. Unsurprisingly, Billy's mental health quickly deteriorated. He is now being home-schooled and he struggles to leave the house because of anxiety.Billy is receiving support from Embrace, a charity that works with children who have been the victims of crime. He says that he is starting to feel stronger, while his parents say his panic attacks and nightmares are receding thanks to the support he is getting. However, what he experienced was part of an increase in peer-on-peer abuse" that is worrying schools, police and professionals who work with young people. Continue reading...

Observer investigation in England and Wales reveals 40% increase in reports of sexual assaults and rapes where both victim and perpetrator were under 18

Silver boots, Banksy original, pinball machine and more going under hammer at Christie's, New YorkFans of Sir Elton John's flamboyant style will next week have the chance to splash out on his snappiest Versace looks in a huge 900-plus lot auction that includes the contents of the Rocket Man's $7.2m (5.7m) Atlanta apartment.Christie's auction house in New York's Rockefeller Center has been transformed into a John emporium for two live - and six online - sales of the singer's collection, including several pairs of his trademark thick rim spectacles and a vast art collection that features a Love, Lust and Devotion section dedicated to his treasure trove of male art. Continue reading...

Iris Haim says she does not blame soldiers who shot Yotam and two other escaped captivesIris Haim cannot bear to think about how close her kidnapped son came to freedom before he was mistakenly shot dead by Israeli soldiers. After being held captive by Hamas in Gaza for more than two months, Yotam Haim and two other Israeli hostages escaped and evaded their captors for five days, only to be killed by the IDF.Haim has repeatedly insisted she does not blame the soldiers who mistakenly identified Yotam as a threat. But she said it was devastating to know how close she had come to being reunited with the 28-year-old, who had dreamed of becoming a professional musician. Continue reading...

SAF join engineering corps in south of city where they have been besieged by RSF forces since AprilThe Sudan armed forces (SAF) have advanced in Omdurman for the first time since the beginning of the war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April last year.It is reported that the SAF in the Karari military area, north of Omdurman, have joined their peers in the engineering corps in the south of the city, where they have been besieged by the RSF since April. Continue reading...

Prime minister makes appeal after heavy byelection losses to Labour and support lost to Reform UKRishi Sunak has called on British conservatives to come together" after two heavy byelection losses to Labour.The loss of votes to Labour and an emboldened Reform UK party came as a twin blow to the prime minister, and were just the latest in a series of byelection defeats for Sunak. Continue reading...

Sanctions already imposed on Russia over Ukraine have not deterred the Kremlin. Will unconventional approaches work?When Joe Biden met Vladimir Putin in 2021, the leaders staring at each other across the library of a Geneva lakeside villa, the US president warned there would be devastating consequences" for Moscow if Alexei Navalny died in Russian custody.Biden was reminded of those words on Friday following Navalny's sudden, mysterious death in a Russian penal colony, and his response was to point out that the warning had been delivered three years ago and that, in the intervening time, Putin had faced a hell of a lot of consequences". Continue reading...

Best rates are easy access and notice options rather than ones that lock money awayThis week's news that inflation stayed steady at 4% in January means it is still possible to put your money in a savings account with an interest rate that beats the rising cost of living.Returns on fixed-rate savings accounts have been falling, but, so far, variable rate deals have remained unchanged. Continue reading...

Andy Haldane, government's top levelling-up adviser, calls for urgent rethink to prevent deeper cuts across EnglandThe government's top levelling-up adviser has warned ministers that failure to tackle the funding crisis for councils across England is threatening one of the Conservatives' flagship 2019 election promises.Andy Haldane, the chair of the government's levelling-up advisory council, said a root and branch rethink" of local authority funding was urgently required to prevent a fresh round of ever-deeper cuts to local services. Continue reading...

The lack of medicine, food and water means thousands of people with asthma, kidney disease or diabetes are unable to treat or control their conditionsFour months of conflict in Gaza is jeopardising the health of thousands of people with chronic illnesses such as kidney disease, diabetes and asthma, doctors have warned.The chronically ill are the hidden casualties of the war, as access to water, food and medicine is severely restricted, said Guillemette Thomas, the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical coordinator for Palestine. Continue reading...

Views on what the future might hold at a pivotal moment for the country's fractured pro-democracy movementWestern leaders have held Vladimir Putin responsible for Alexei Navalny's death in prison, where he had been sentenced to 19 years under a special regime".Navalny's death - a pivotal moment for the country's fractured pro-democracy movement - sent waves of anger and despair through the ranks of his supporters in Russia and abroad. Continue reading...

Online abuse is latest challenge for plant-based eateries along with high costs and changing appetitesWhen Jim Anderson and his wife, Samantha, opened their vegan restaurant, the Oak Tree, in 2013, they boasted proudly of its plant-based menu. Not any more. The V-word" has become such a target for abuse that they have removed it from their menu and social media.We block up to 10 people a day on social media," said Anderson. All we are is a restaurant that serves a type of cuisine. But for some reason, that word - the V-word - seems to cause people to go crazy, so we've dropped it." Continue reading...

Close-run race could see PP ousted and Ana Ponton of BNG installed as area's first female and nationalist leaderSpain's opposition conservative party faces the prospect of defeat in its leader's home region, where it has governed for much of the past four decades, when voters in Galicia go to the polls on Sunday.The People's party (PP) won an absolute majority four years ago under the then regional president, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who now leads the national party, but polls suggest its declining fortunes could open the door to a coalition of the Socialist party and the surging Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG). Continue reading...

Formal rules to block relevant candidates will make it easier to weed out the bad apples', politicians sayRishi Sunak has been urged to push through new rules to block anyone convicted of a sexual offence from standing to be an MP before the next election.At least six MPs have lost their seats because of alleged sexual misconduct since the 2019 general election, and 10 MPs have been suspended from their parties pending investigations. Continue reading...

Demonstrators from Berlin to Vilnius, London to Rome chant slogans against Russian president and demand accountability over death

Single piece of bonded asbestos found in a garden bed at Allambie Heights public school

Peter Dutton says Russian president a murderous dictator' while foreign affairs minister Penny Wong says Navalny an inspiring figure

Russian takeover of eastern city would give it full control of area surrounding Donetsk, which Moscow annexed in 2014Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the eastern city of Avdiivka to avoid encirclement, army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has said, marking the biggest change on the frontlines since Russian forces captured Bakhmut in May last year.In a Facebook post on Saturday, the recently appointed Syrskyi said he had acted to preserve the lives and health of servicemen", stabilise the situation and move troops to more favourable defence lines. Continue reading...

Hundreds of sites including schools are being investigated amid the growing asbestos mulch crisis across NSW. This map shows contaminated parks and other locations

The 47-year-old says he is undergoing chemotherapy, which is going really well'The Olympic champion track cyclist Chris Hoy has announced he has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.The six-time gold medallist told followers on his Instagram account that he had hoped to keep his diagnosis private but said his hand was forced. Continue reading...

Activists decry ruling by top court as a travesty of justice' after two men sought to strike down colonial-era lawsA top court in St Vincent and the Grenadines has upheld laws that criminalize gay sex, in a blow to activists who have long decried the violence the LGBTQ+ community has faced on the conservative Caribbean archipelago.The ruling on Friday by St Vincent's high court stems from a 2019 case filed by two gay men from St Vincent who live in the UK and US. They sought to strike down colonial-era laws that call for 10 years in prison for anal intercourse and five years for gross indecency" with another person of the same sex. Continue reading...

Florida deputy Jesse Hernandez resigned after opening fire when he thought sound of acorn hitting police cruiser was shot from gunA Florida sheriff's deputy mistook the sound of an acorn hitting his patrol cruiser for a gunshot and fired multiple times at the SUV where a handcuffed Black man was sitting in the backseat, officials said.The man, who was being questioned about stealing his girlfriend's car, was not injured during the 12 November shooting. He was taken into custody but released without being charged. The officer who initiated the shooting resigned. Continue reading...

Gun rights group and ex-leader Wayne LaPierre accused of being caught with their hands in the cookie jar' over lavish spendingA New York state jury on Friday began its deliberations in the civil corruption trial of the National Rifle Association and its former long-serving leader Wayne LaPierre.Jurors started deliberating a day after a lawyer with the New York attorney general's office said Friday that the NRA and LaPierre were caught with their hands in the cookie jar", summarizing accusations that the gun rights group's executives wildly misspent millions of dollars on private flights, vacations and other lavish perks. Continue reading...

The Wayfarers Chapel, designed by eldest son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, was completed in 1951 and hosted star weddingsThe Wayfarers Chapel, a glass-walled, mid-century marvel that sits beneath a canopy of redwoods in Los Angeles, has closed indefinitely due to accelerated land movement" in the area.Known locally as the glass church", the building was designed by architect Lloyd Wright and designated a national historic landmark just two months ago. But the structure sits on the Palos Verdes peninsula, which is prone to landslides. Cracks had begun to appear in the structure, and several panes of glass had broken in recent months. Continue reading...

Russian opposition leader's death described as political assassination attributable to president

Ex-president favors ban with exceptions for rape, incest and to save mother's life, NYT says, but won't discuss until after primaryDonald Trump likes the idea of a national ban on abortion past 16 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother, the New York Times reported on Friday morning.Trump has veered away from taking a firm stance on abortion during his presidential campaign. He has taken credit for the US supreme court's 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade, since he appointed three of the justices who took part in that decision, but he has also suggested that Republicans who take extreme stances on abortion lose elections. Continue reading...