World news | The Guardian

Law weakens state’s oversight of child labor and represents latest attempt in mostly Republican-led states to ease regulationsThe governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on Tuesday signed a bill that significantly rolls back protections against child labor, eliminating state requirements to verify that children are at least 16 before they receive a job.A spokesperson for Sanders, who before becoming governor was White House press secretary under Donald Trump, told the Washington Post state law had been “burdensome and obsolete”. Continue reading...

Call for ministerial code inquiry over message blaming civil servants for failure to stop Channel crossings

Kyle Bevan, boyfriend of child’s mother, blamed family dog for her injuries and denies murderA two-year-old girl was killed in a “frenzied and extremely violent attack” by her mother’s boyfriend, who blamed the family dog for her death, a jury has heard.Lola James, described as a “happy, beautiful and busy little girl”, was found to have 101 external injuries, “catastrophic” head trauma and extensive damage to both her eyes, the court was told. Continue reading...

About 150 free tickets to sports, shows and hospitality have been given to politicians since the 2019 election, according to analysis

UK regulator says breaches found in ‘every area’ looked at in relation to audit of engineering firm’s accountsThe consultancy group PwC has been hit with a £7.5m fine over a string of serious breaches while auditing the engineering company Babcock’s accounts, including faking evidence related to a sensitive government contract.The accounting regulator, the Financial Reporting Council, said breaches were found in “every area” it had investigated in relation to the audit of Babcock’s accounts for 2017 and 2018, with PwC repeatedly failing to either challenge management, gather sufficient evidence to confirm financial statements, or follow basic audit requirements. Continue reading...

‘Tonmai’, 26, given two-year sentence over cartoons of yellow ducks that became symbol of democracy protestsA 26-year-old man in Thailand has been sentenced to three years in prison, reduced to two years, for selling satirical calendars featuring pictures of cartoon ducks that officials say insult the monarchy.The man, a legal officer known by the nickname Tonmai, was arrested on 31 December 2020 after police raided his home and confiscated desk calendars that included images of yellow ducks – one of the symbols of youth-led pro-democracy protests that began more than two years ago. Officials said the calendars, which were being sold through a Facebook protest group, defamed the king. Continue reading...

In interview with Guardian Australia, Jonathan Mead moves to allay concerns as Aukus partners prepare to announce detailed plans

Decision by Civil Aviation Authority comes despite airport having argued for higher feesHeathrow airport has been ordered to cut average passenger charges by about 20% next year, in a move that could translate to lower ticket prices for travellers.The decision by the UK regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) comes despite Heathrow having argued for higher fees, which are charged to airlines and are used to fund baggage handling, security and other costs across the airport’s terminals. Continue reading...

Justin Lewis began his closing address on Wednesday afternoon after four weeks of evidence about Leifer’s alleged abuse of three Melbourne sistersUltra-Orthodox Jewish school principal Malka Leifer allegedly used her position of power to sexually exploit her teenage students, taking advantage of their vulnerability, a jury has been told.Leifer, 56, is facing 27 charges over the alleged abuse of Melbourne sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper when she was head of religion and principal of the Adass Israel School in the city’s eastern suburbs between 2003 and 2007. Continue reading...

Debra Haigh tells hearing she now understands she should have stood in front of cell for longer and used a torch to look for movement

Follow all the news live on International Women’s Day

Ferocious STV battle revealed fissures within Scottish National party as Forbes, Yousaf and Regan traded blowsIt was billed as the first chance for candidates for Scottish National party leadership to speak directly to the country.But at Tuesday’s first televised debate, after five fairly bland party hustings, the message the three prospective first ministers screamed loud and clear at Scotland was “We are a party at war with ourselves”. Continue reading...

Consumer champion and charities seek a policy that supports UK households hit hardest by high billsCharities and the consumer champion Martin Lewis have ramped up pressure on the government to implement a “social tariff” for energy, which new research estimates could save 12m households on the lowest incomes up to £1,500.Citizens Advice and Lewis have backed a push to introduce a special tariff for those struggling to pay gas and electricity bills by next year, while energy suppliers have said they are “ready” to work up the proposals. Continue reading...

BCC says tackling barriers to work such as soaring childcare cost vital for a strong economy as well as equalityTwo-thirds of women with childcare responsibilities believe they have missed out on career progression as a direct result, business leaders have warned, amid growing pressure on the government to boost support for parents.Ahead of next week’s budget, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said tackling barriers to work posed by soaring childcare costs and a lack of support for elderly or disabled relatives was vital for equality and the economy. Continue reading...

Met Office says parts of Northern Ireland, Wales and northern England to see worst of cold weather conditions from early Thursday, with Scotland and northern England expecting snow later in the dayMore sleet and snow is expected across southern England and south Wales on Wednesday while scattered snow and hail showers will affect Scotland’s northern coasts as the Arctic blast intensifies.The Met Office’s early morning radar showed an area of rain moving in from the south and west which was starting to turn increasingly to sleet and snow as it pushed north and east. Continue reading...

Ex-prime minister says he will remain in politics as he seeks to retain his opposition party’s share of parliamentary seatsFormer Fijian prime minister Frank Bainimarama has resigned from the Pacific nation’s parliament, weeks after he was suspended for sedition and insulting the president.Bainimarama said he was tendering his resignation “with immediate effect”, but had no intention of resigning from politics, in a post on his FijiFirst party’s Facebook page. Continue reading...

The media outlets, which are being sued by Bruce Lehrmann, say their teams took great lengths to verify the story

Independent’s comments made in support of proposal to bring to Australia 150 refugees and asylum seekers held in PNG and Nauru

The popular chocolate and peanut butter treat is one of two new ‘plant based’ offerings from the chocolatier in the next two monthsReese’s Peanut Butter Cups are getting the vegan treatment.The Hershey Company said on Tuesday that Reese’s plant-based peanut butter cups, which go on sale this month, will be its first vegan chocolates sold nationally. A second plant-based offering, Hershey’s plant-based extra creamy with almonds and sea salt, will follow in April. Continue reading...

Minister for women Katy Gallagher takes media to task for choosing ‘clickbait’ over community responsibility

Change in parents’ work patterns since Covid may have led to pupils staying homeSchools in England are seeing “a huge amount” of pupil absence on Fridays with children staying at home with their parents following a shift in attitudes post-Covid, MPs have been told.Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, told the education committee that persistent absence from schools is “one of the issues of our age” and called for a “razor sharp focus” on the problem. Continue reading...

Philip Lowe delivers speech saying it will soon be time to stop and assess the impact previous rate increases have had

Kate Forbes clashed with fellow frontrunner Humza Yousaf over his track record in first of four debates to decide Sturgeon’s successorThe battle to lead the Scottish National party became bitter and personal after the two leading candidates attacked each other’s suitability to succeed Nicola Sturgeon in the first televised debate of the leadership campaign.Kate Forbes clashed with Humza Yousaf over his track record in government, claiming that trains were never on time when he was transport secretary; the police were at breaking point when he was justice secretary; and now, as health secretary, the NHS had the longest ever waiting lists. Continue reading...

Candidates to replace first minister Nicola Sturgeon clashed in first TV debateNow Regan quizzes Forbes on how she plans to move the SNP away from being seen as just a “party of referendum” when “your plan is to keep asking for a referendum”.Forbes says the party needs to persuade people to believe independence is a “route to an end” rather than an “abstract concept”. It needs to be seen as a way of ending poverty and ending injustices and inequalities in Scotland.I’m the only potential leader who can reach out and persuade No voters to vote for independence in a referendum. Continue reading...

Two killed, third person injured and fourth unharmed after quartet traveling for cosmetic surgery were seized in TamaulipasTwo of four Americans kidnapped in northern Mexico have been found dead, authorities said on Tuesday, while their two compatriots were found alive, bringing to an end the frantic search that had captivated media attention on both sides of the border.The governor for Mexico’s northern Tamaulipas state, Américo Villarreal, confirmed the news at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, adding that one person who had been found watching over the victims was in custody. Continue reading...

Critics of ‘foreign agents’ law say it could dash Tbilisi’s hopes of joining the European UnionPolice in the former Soviet state of Georgia have used water cannon and teargas in an attempt to disperse thousands of people who rallied on Tuesday night after parliament gave its initial backing to a draft law on “foreign agents” which critics say represents an authoritarian shift.Some protesters threw petrol bombs and stones at police in the centre of the capital Tbilisi, as demonstrators warned that the draft law could hurt the south Caucasus country’s hopes of EU membership. Continue reading...

Union suspends planned strike on 16 March after receiving fresh pay offer from Network RailThe RMT union has called off a strike at Network Rail next week, fuelling hopes of a significant breakthrough in the long-running dispute.The union said it was suspending the strike planned for Thursday 16 March and all other industrial action, which was to include an overtime ban, after it received a fresh offer from Network Rail. Continue reading...

Exclusive: energy secretary issued edict to deal with ‘outrageous’ backlog of support for paying billsMinisters in the newly formed energy department faced a ban on foreign trips due to a mounting backlog of issues raised with them by MPs, the Guardian can reveal.Grant Shapps issued the edict last month in a bid to speed up the “outrageously” slow response to cases raised on behalf of constituents, some of whom were struggling to claim support with their energy bills during the cost of living crisis. Continue reading...

Solvency II reforms governing sector may prove inadequate, warns Sam Woods, head of the Bank’s regulatory armMoves to hand the Bank of England fresh powers over insurers will not be enough to offset the risks posed by looser regulation, one of the central bank’s most senior officials has warned.The comments by the chief executive of the Bank’s regulatory arm, Sam Woods, come a day after his boss and the Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, said that reforms to so-called Solvency II regulations would increase the possibility of life insurance firms failing by 20% in a given year. Continue reading...

Ukraine deputy PM says around 38 children remain in besieged city as western officials estimate Russia has sustained heavy losses thereSuspilne, Ukraine’s state broadcaster, reports on its Telegram channel for Sumy that Bilopillia, a city in the north-east of Ukraine, close to the border with Russia, has been hit by mortar fire this morning. No damage or casualties were reported. The claim has not been independently verified.Russian forces carried out 50 airstrikes and five missile strikes overnight and Ukrainian forces repelled 37 attacks in the area around Bakhmut, according to the latest update by the General staff of the armed forces of Ukraine.This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com Continue reading...

Research finds ‘motherhood penalty’ is greater than 40 years ago, with mothers making 69% of fathers’ wagesThe pay gap between mothers and fathers with post-school education has increased since the late 1970s in the UK, according to research.As the world marks International Women’s Day on Wednesday, research from the University of Kent has found that the gap in pay between higher-educated mothers and fathers – the “motherhood penalty” – is greater now than 40 years ago. Continue reading...

Israeli forces enter camp to find gunman suspected of killing two brothers in Huwara last weekAt least six Palestinians have been killed and 10 wounded in an Israeli army raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestinian officials, the latest bloody incident in a new chapter of violence across Israel and the Palestinian territories.A fierce gun battle erupted in the crowded refugee camp on Jenin’s western outskirts on Tuesday afternoon after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) mounted an operation to find the Palestinian gunman suspected of killing two Israeli brothers as they drove through the West Bank town of Huwara last week. Continue reading...

Only EU and Norwegian firms will be able to take advantage of joint procurement agreement, says leaked paper

New body will replace banking and insurance regulators after concerns over creaking property marketChina will set up a new financial watchdog to replace its banking and insurance regulators as part of an overhaul of state institutions after concern about exposure to its creaking property market.The new body, which does not have an official name yet, would bring oversight of China’s financial system under direct control of the State Council, the top government body. There are also reports that the president, Xi Jinping, who will in all likelihood be granted a third presidential term on Friday, will revive the Central Financial Work Commission, an organisation that would supervise the financial system on behalf of the Chinese Communist party, although this has yet to be announced publicly. Continue reading...

Britain’s biggest bakery chain says it expects cost inflation of between 9% and 10% this yearGreggs has said higher wage and energy bills are weighing on its profits but it plans to push ahead with opening 150 new stores this year as well as trialling a 24-hour drive-through outlet.Britain’s biggest bakery chain, known for its sausage rolls and steak bakes, said costs had risen by 9% last year and would continue to be a challenge in the year ahead. Continue reading...

Powerful voice of Tory backbenchers says he will no longer contest Altrincham and Sale West seatSir Graham Brady, whose role as chair of the Conservative party’s 1922 Committee saw him usher three prime ministers out of Downing Street in four years, is to step down as an MP at the next election.The most powerful backbencher of his political generation, Brady released a statement to his local newspaper saying it was time to “bring this fascinating and fulfilling chapter of my life to a close”. Continue reading...

WhatsApp leak shows then health secretary agreeing with idea of threatening to withhold funds for local projects

Ike Ekweremadu tells Old Bailey court he became suspicious of Lagos street trader offering kidneyA Nigerian politician at the centre of an alleged organ-harvesting plot said he feared his family was being scammed by a man from Lagos offering to donate a kidney, the Old Bailey has heard.Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife, Beatrice, 56, daughter Sonia, 25, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 51, are accused of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of the man to exploit him for his kidney. They deny the charge. Continue reading...

Jack Benham and Sian Hedges accused of murdering boy in village near Faversham in November 2020Two people have been charged with murdering a one-year-old boy during lockdown.Jack Benham, 34, and Sian Hedges, 26, are accused of murdering the child on 28 November 2020 in the village of Hernhill, near Faversham, Kent. Continue reading...

Controversial deputy chair joins Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther McVey and Philip Davies on rightwing channelLee Anderson will become the latest Conservative MP to host a show on GB News, the channel has announced.The Conservative party deputy chair and MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, will join fellow Tories Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther McVey and Philip Davies as a GB News host and contributor. Continue reading...

Two adults and two children taken to hospital after blaze destroys second-floor flat in Stern CloseAn 11-year-old boy has died after a flat caught fire in Barking, east London.London fire brigade said it was called at 3.25am on Tuesday to a flat in Stern Close, Barking. A three-room flat on the second floor was destroyed by fire, the fire brigade said, and a child was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading...

Legislation aims to increase number of women in decision-making roles such as in company boardroomsSpain’s government has approved a draft law that aims to bolster the presence of women in decision-making spheres by setting out quotas for women in politics, business and professional associations.“This is useful policy that changes people’s lives,” the country’s finance minister, Nadia Calviño, said on Tuesday. “It’s clear that we’ve come a long way … but there is still a lot to do.” Continue reading...

Ioanis Patsias plays pop star himself, replicating performance down to costume changes and dance numbers for 3,500 Lima fansThe Spanish pop superstar Rosalía disappointed thousands of fans in Peru when the country was left off the 15-country list on her Motomami tour last year.But one Peruvian, Ioanis Patsias decided to make sure his fellow fans did not miss out on her pop spectacle and put on a tribute show, playing the avant-garde pop queen himself. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy vows to ‘find the murderers’ after video appears to show killing of unarmed combatant

Thomas Cashman, 34, accused of murdering nine-year-old in Liverpool shooting that went ‘horribly wrong’Olivia Pratt-Korbel, the nine-year-old girl who was shot dead in her home in Liverpool last August, screamed “Mum, I’m scared” before she was hit by a bullet, a court has heard.Thomas Cashman, 34, shot Olivia in the middle of her chest in a shooting that went “horribly wrong”, a prosecutor told Manchester crown court at the opening of the murder trial. Continue reading...

Road, rail and air services affected in protest over plans to raise pension age from 62 to 64France faced street protests and heavy disruption on Tuesday as transport workers and refinery staff began rolling strikes over Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the pension age to 64.For the sixth time since the start of the year, unions called a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations, aiming to repeat the large turnout seen on the first major protest, on 19 January, when more than a million people marched against the pension changes. Continue reading...

If adopted, shake-up of 1967 Abortion Act would scrap rule that two doctors must approve terminationNurses and midwives should be able to approve abortions, MPs have been told, in what would be one of the biggest shake-ups of regulations in more than 55 years.If adopted, the “two-doctor rule”, which stipulates that abortions have to be authorised by two GPs, would be scrapped. Continue reading...

No details given about suspects as regime cracks down on criticism of its response to alleged school attacksIran has announced the first arrests connected to a spate of suspected poisonings of schoolgirls that has gripped the country.“Based on the intelligence and research measures of the intelligence agencies, a number of people have been arrested in five provinces and the relevant agencies are conducting a full investigation,” the deputy interior minister, Majid Mirahmadi, told state television. Mirahmadi did not provide details on the detained individuals. Continue reading...

Police say death not being treated as suspicious, after Albina Yevko found unconscious on Dawlish BeachThe mother of a Ukrainian teenager who died after being found unconscious on a beach in South Devon has said “nothing can ever replace her”.Devon and Cornwall police named the 14-year-old refugee as Albina Yevko, a Ukrainian national who was living near Dawlish on the south coast. Continue reading...