World news | The Guardian

Agreement in principle follows strikes and 11 months of negotiations over pay, jobs and conditionsRoyal Mail and union leaders have reached an agreement in principle after 11 months of negotiations in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.Royal Mail said it had reached a negotiators’ agreement with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the details of which will be made public once it has been ratified by the union’s executive committee, which is expected to take place next week. Continue reading...

Doctors could join coordinated strike as Royal College of Nurses announce national ballot on mass actionEngland’s biggest nursing union is to ballot its members on whether to join a “make or break” mega-strike that would lead to mass action by nurses in every hospital trust in the country, the Observer can reveal.The move by the Royal College of Nursing to “up the ante” by holding a single national vote – rather than conducting ballots in each individual trust as it did last October – would, if passed, mean twice as many trusts being hit by industrial action by nurses as have been so far. Continue reading...

Melvin’s roles included parts in Torchwood, The Phantom of the Opera and A Taste of HoneyTributes have been paid to the actor, director and theatre archivist Murray Melvin, who has died aged 90.Melvin died at St Thomas’ hospital in London on Friday, according to friends. Continue reading...

Luxury train operator cuts service ahead of biometric passport checks so passengers will have to join train in ParisWhen the Orient Express began operating in the 19th century, passports were optional – the only paperwork required by British travellers was a copy of the Thomas Cook Continental Timetable.But Brexit and 21st-century biometric checks are killing off the romance of crossing borders for modern passengers looking for the nostalgia of the luxury train journey that inspired Agatha Christie and Hollywood. Continue reading...

Police say suspects held on conspiracy to cause public nuisance as activists gather at Aintree racecoursePolice have arrested three people at Aintree racecourse ahead of the Grand National.A 25-year-old woman from London was detained outside the venue at about 11.20am on Saturday while a man was arrested around 30 minutes later. They were both arrested on suspicion of conspirapy to cause public nuisance. Continue reading...

Second day of exchange involving nearly 900 detainees comes amid peace talks to end eight-year warA flight carrying rebel prisoners of war has arrived in Yemen from Saudi Arabia, and Saudi prisoners are due to be released later in the day, the International Committee of the Red Cross has said.The flights are part of a large-scale, multi-day exchange involving nearly 900 detainees and comes amid peace talks which have raised hopes of an end to Yemen’s eight-year war between Iran-backed rebels and a Saudi-led coalition. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Labour figures show scale of issue in England despite Conservatives vowing to abolish the practice four years agoAn estimated 40 families have been threatened with a “no-fault” eviction every day in England in the four years since ministers first promised to scrap them, analysis shows.The Conservatives first promised to end the practice in 2019, but the government has yet to pass legislation despite repeated promises from ministers and former prime ministers. Continue reading...

Wife, parents and sister praise the father of one’s compassion, kindness and love for his job as an ambulance paramedic

France’s highest constitutional court approved the law on Friday, leading to widespread demonstrationsFrench president Emmanuel Macron has signed his controversial pension reform into law, defying three months of protests and pleas from unions not to implement the legislation.The alterations became law on Saturday, after the text was published overnight in France’s official journal. This followed the approval on Friday by France’s highest constitutional court of the essence of the legislation, including the banner change of raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Continue reading...

Thousands being caught out by little-known requirement to pre-register vehicle with TfLA French driver has been handed fines totalling nearly £25,000 for driving in London’s low-emissions zone, even though his minibus was exempt from the emissions charge.Fernando Neiva, who runs a transport service for French tourists to the UK, has received 12 fines of £2,000 each after one of his drivers entered the Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) and three fines totalling over £700 for breaching Ultra Low Emissions (Ulez) rules after visits to London last October and November. Continue reading...

Closures, delayed after Russia reduced Europe’s gas supplies, leave conundrum for energy policymakers

Readers say they are afraid to let children outside after warnings from authorities and neighbours’ threatsCars, dog poo and delivery drivers: why children don’t play out anymoreFamilies are facing threats and police warnings for letting their children play in the street, Guardian readers have reported, leaving parents afraid to let their children spend time outside.Liz Swift thought a basketball hoop on wheels pushed to the corner of her street on sunny afternoons would be a great way to keep her 13-year-old active. But the local authority did not agree. The family received letters from Waltham Forest council warning them that children playing in the street were “causing a nuisance to neighbours”. Continue reading...

Aevin Dugas wins Guinness world record for third time in 13 years, with a circumference of 5ft 5inThe Louisiana woman who has set the Guinness world record for the largest afro three different times in the last 13 years says she keeps breaking the mark to personally vouch for the beauty of natural hair.“I didn’t decide to grow an afro as much as I decided to go natural,” Aevin Dugas told Guinness World Records in an interview earlier this month. “It’s about pride in textured hair which leads to self-love.” Continue reading...

Yulia and Tetiana knew they would have to marry abroad – but never in the context of an invasionYulia and Tetiana had spent a while deliberating over a date for their wedding before they decided it had to be 1 March – exactly a year to the day they fled the war in Ukraine.“That date should be a sad anniversary, the anniversary of us leaving our old life behind, but we decided to rewrite this story and made it our special anniversary,” said Tetiana, 42. “We lost a lot and there is a lot of evil in this world, but we’ve turned that evil into something good.” Continue reading...

Up to 2.6 million people aged 18-34 in damp, draughty and cramped living conditions, says thinktankOne in six young adults in the UK are living in poor-quality housing, according to research that says damp, draughty and cramped living conditions are harming the physical and mental health of millions.Resolution Foundation said Britain was facing a twin housing crisis as soaring rents and mortgage payments added to the pressure on people living in substandard accommodation, with young adults bearing the brunt. Continue reading...

Damaging 90km/h winds forecast for parts of the Simpson district and a flood watch remains in place for the western inland region

Secretary of state to break ground on new US embassy while Hanoi reluctant to antagonise its powerful neighbourChina has reportedly refused to reschedule a visit from the US secretary of state, as Antony Blinken kicked off a trip to Vietnam, a crucial South-east Asian trade partner that Washington is looking to bolster ties with as it works to balance Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the region and beyond.In his first visit to the country as the top US diplomat, Blinken will meet with top Vietnamese officials, including Vietnam’s general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, and formally break ground on Saturday on a new US embassy compound in Hanoi. On Sunday he travels to Japan for a meeting of the Group of Seven wealthy nations. Continue reading...

Alexander Csergo, 55, was arrested in the Sydney suburb of Bondi on Friday on one count of reckless foreign interference

Nine killed and 21 wounded in Russian missile attack on apartment blocks in Sloviansk; Vladimir Putin signs bill sparking fears of new wave of mobilisation

Schnitzels are in and souffle is out as the cost-of-living crisis bites and diners seek more affordable, flexible dining options

Greens to use Parliamentary Budget Office costing to push Labor to clamp down harder on tax concessions for gas producers

Constitutional council’s ruling means government can pass law to increase minimum eligible age as early as next weekFrance’s highest constitutional court has approved Emmanuel Macron’s proposals to raise the minimum pension age from 62 to 64.The ruling means the government can pass the French president’s unpopular plans to increase the minimum eligible pension age as early as next week, to be in force by the end of this year. Continue reading...

RCN members refuse offer recommended by union leaders by 54% to 46% in ballotNurses are to launch fresh strike action across England later this month after rejecting the government’s pay offer, sparking fears stoppages could go on until Christmas.In a major blow to ministers, union leaders and health service bosses, members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) voted narrowly, by 54% to 46%, on a turnout of 61%, to reject the government’s offer of a 5% pay rise this year and a cash payment for last year. Continue reading...

Police say they want to speak to people among large group present in area of incident, after death of Tyler McDermott, 17A murder investigation has been launched after a teenager died following a shooting in north London. Tyler McDermott, 17, died on Friday afternoon after the incident in the early hours of Thursday.Scotland Yard said it was vital that officers spoke to a “large group of people” who may have heard or seen something suspicious in the area of the shooting in Norman Road, Tottenham. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed, you can read more of our Ukraine war coverage hereChina’s defence minister, Li Shangfu, will visit Russia from 16 to 19 April, and meet Russian military officials, Reuters reports the Chinese defence ministry said on Friday.The UK’s Ministry of Defence has claimed in its daily intelligence briefing that Ukrainian troops have been forced to make ‘orderly withdrawals’ from positions they previously held in the highly contested town of Bakhmut, and that the last two days have seen an intense artillery bombardment from Russian forces.Russia has re-energised its assault on the Donetsk oblast town of Bakhmut as forces of the Russian ministry and Wagner group have improved cooperation.The Ukrainian defence still holds the western districts of the town but has been subjected to particularly intense Russian artillery fire over the previous 48 hours. Continue reading...

Charges filed against cartel leaders, alleged chemical suppliers, lab managers, traffickers and others in fentanyl investigationThe US justice department has charged 28 members of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel, including sons of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in a sprawling fentanyl-trafficking investigation.The attorney general, Merrick Garland, announced the charges on Friday alongside the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief, Anne Milgram, and other top federal prosecutors. The charges were filed against cartel leaders, as well alleged chemical suppliers, lab managers, fentanyl traffickers, security leaders, financiers and weapons traffickers. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereNurses in England are preparing to go on strike until Christmas after members of the country’s biggest nursing union voted against the government’s pay deal, the Guardian has learned.The Royal College of Nursing will announce that members have rejected the government’s offer and will at the same time announce a new ballot for more aggressive strikes likely to last for the next six months.The vote has closed and the figures are being verified. There is no result until that point. We will make an announcement later today and tell our members first.Members of the GMB union at the company’s Coventry fulfilment centre will walk out on Sunday for three days.Further strikes are planned from April 21 to 23. Continue reading...

Government’s limiting of average pay rise to between 4.5% and 5% prompts fresh strike dates and potential FDA emergency ballotThe UK’s most senior civil servants could take their first strike action in more than a decade after ministers imposed an average pay rise of between 4.5% and 5%, in a move described as “unconscionable” by union leaders.The Cabinet Office published pay remit guidance limiting awards to an average of 4.5%, plus an additional 0.5% for the lowest pay bands. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police confirms case against unnamed footballer arrested in 2021 has been droppedGreater Manchester police are to take no further action against a Premier League footballer who was arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse offences.The unnamed player had been arrested in connection with an investigation that began in June 2021. Continue reading...

Social services were working to protect him before he was even born. Yet he died at 10 months. How did things go so wrong?September 2019: Shannon Marsden informs social services she is 20 weeks pregnant.October 2019: Derbyshire county council social services begin court proceedings in relation to the unborn child, and its parents, Marsden and Stephen Boden, are subject to regular drug-testing and checks on their home. Continue reading...

Guardian investigation estimates Charles has inherited gems worth at least £533m from the queenA 94.4-carat pear-cut diamond will have an unexpected starring role in the coronation of King Charles III. The stone will sit in the centrepiece of the crown worn by Camilla, the Queen Consort, replacing the Koh-i-noor, the better known but controversial jewel that was plundered from India.Unlike the Koh-i-noor, the replacement diamond is not part of the state-owned crown jewels. In fact, the Cullinan III is one of two large diamonds known as the Lesser Stars of Africa – the second being the Cullinan IV – that were privately owned by the late queen. They usually sit in what is probably the most valuable brooch in the world; one that, with its royal connections, could be worth well over £180m. They are also now the stars of what are likely to be the king’s own treasure chest of gems. Continue reading...

‘No substance in it,’ former chief justice Robert French says, while experts split on whether amendment should include ‘executive government’

Former ABC journalist tells joint select committee on voice wording that it is a ‘simple and unambitious and unthreatening’ proposal

The ‘lateral vascular neck restraint’ cuts blood supply to the brain and was used in combative arrests

Star and creator of show that’s taken the world by storm will discuss their careers at 2023 Vivid festival event

Company denies breaking the law but agrees to pay $210,000 penalty imposed by Liquor & Gaming NSW

Supreme court found no ‘special’ reason to continue bail after former NRL player found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent

PM joins ranks of Jennifer Coolidge, Beyoncé and Joe Biden as Justin Trudeau lauds his choice of a ‘path of hope and opportunity’

Premier cites major challenges including budget woes as reasons for changes less than a month after Labor’s election victory

Brightwater Care Group confirms it will shut three Perth centres due to rostering and financial pressures

This blog is now closed. Our main story is here.Overnight the Times of London has reported that MPs have warned that British lives have been put at risk by the leak of classified US intelligence documents. It writes:Tobias Ellwood, [the Conservative MP] who chairs the defence select committee, said the US leaks could “endanger lives”.“Given our long-established lead in scale and capability when it comes to elite forces it will come as no surprise that our special forces are doing much of the heavy lifting,” he said. Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un hails development of new solid-fuel rocket that can be deployed more quicklyNorth Korea says it has tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with leader Kim Jong-un saying it marked a major step in Pyongyang’s capacity to conduct a nuclear counterstrike, state media reported.South Korea’s military said it had detected one “medium range or longer” ballistic missile launched on Thursday morning on a lofted trajectory – up, not outwards – from the Pyongyang area and it flew 1,000km (620 miles). Continue reading...

President says Belgrade ‘has not nor will it’ send Kyiv arms, after leaked Pentagon paper claimed Serbia had agreed to send weaponsThe Serbian president says his country has not sold arms to Ukraine and would not do so, after a leaked Pentagon report said Belgrade had agreed to provide arms to Kyiv, according to foreign media reports.“Serbia has not nor will it export weapons to Ukraine,” Aleksandar Vučić told reporters on Thursday, according to the Beta news agency. Continue reading...

Acting PM rejects discriminating against children and says leadership qualities are not linked to sexual orientation

Union to announce result of vote on Friday after its leaders recommended that ministers’ offer be acceptedNurses in England will go back on strike this month if RCN members reject ministers’ latest pay offer, with officials saying the result of the three-week ballot is too close to call.The Royal College of Nursing will announce the results of its vote on Friday after a lengthy consultation period in which many members have opposed the recommendation of union leaders to accept the government’s proposed deal. Continue reading...

Promoter claims ‘catastrophe’ has cost it more than £88k and accuses British government of hypocrisyKey members of a Ukrainian state orchestra were refused visas to play a series of concerts in the UK this month in a “catastrophe” that the promoter claims cost it more than €100,000 (£88,000).The Khmelnitsky Orchestra was due to tour the UK this month with two shows: The Magical Music of Harry Potter, and The Music From the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit andThe Rings of Power. Continue reading...

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightwing policies are emboldening attacks on 2,000-year-old community, says Catholic regional leaderThe head of the Roman Catholic church in the Holy Land has warned in an interview that Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has made life worse for Christians in the birthplace of Christianity.The Vatican-appointed Latin Patriarch, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said that the region’s 2,000-year-old Christian community has come under increasing attack, with the most rightwing government in Israel’s history emboldening extremists who have harassed clergy and vandalised religious property at a quickening pace. Continue reading...

Former senior minister accuses home secretary of undermining party for sake of her own leadership ambitionsMore senior Conservatives have hit out at Suella Braverman’s “racist rhetoric”, accusing her of undermining the party for the sake of her own leadership ambitions.Pressure was mounting on Rishi Sunak on Thursday to intervene to protect the party’s reputation after the home secretary stoked renewed anger by criticising police for confiscating a set of racist dolls displayed in an Essex pub. Continue reading...

US president calls for Westminster government to work more closely with Ireland and Northern IrelandChris Philp, the policing minister, has published an article in the Telegraph today explaining the changes being introduced to the way that police record crimes in England and Wales. The changes are being introduced following recommendations from the National Police Chiefs’ Council.Philp says:Firstly, we are dropping the requirement for police to record some crimes twice or more, reintroducing the previous “principal offence” rule. This will remove multiple entries on the database which effectively re-record the same incident many times.Accurate crime recording is vital, and these changes will better reflect victims’ experience. Recording crime does not equate to investigating crime and the police will continue to pursue all offences involved in the incident.Accurate records of crime must be kept, and crimes will be recorded. These changes to the crime-recording rules will enable police to target and focus investigations and provide victims the service they deserve.Ambulance response times for all types of emergencies have got longer, including for life-threatening illnesses and injuries, but remain below record levels.Meanwhile around one in 10 people arriving at major A&E departments are having to wait more than 12 hours before being admitted, transferred or discharged – the first time data of this kind has been published. Continue reading...

Jack Teixeira led Thug Shaker Central online group and is facing arrest in Massachusetts, say reportsThe man believed to be responsible for the leak of hundreds of US defence documents that have laid bare military secrets and upset Washington’s relations with key allies is reported to be a 21-year-old air national guardsman based in Massachusetts.Jack Teixeira was the leader of an online chat group who uploaded hundreds of photographs of secret and top secret documents, according to the New York Times. The online group called itself Thug Shaker Central, made up of 20 to 30 young men and teenagers who shared their love of guns, racist memes and video games. Continue reading...