World news | The Guardian

Newspapers react to the sudden departure of Scotland’s first minister and what it means for the SNP and the UKNicola Sturgeon’s surprise resignation as Scotland’s first minister fills newspaper front pages, along with what the move may mean for the future of Scottish independence.Scotland’s Daily Record splashes with “I want my independence” alongside a picture of a smiling Sturgeon waving from a window. The paper says the “physical and mental impact” of the job was a major factor in her decision. Continue reading...

In decision on bail for Aboriginal 12-year-old, judge says she has ‘disquiet’ about 2005 bail protocol between children’s court and youth justice

Thirty-year-old pleaded guilty and judge calls her choice to leave daughters in vehicle ‘inexcusable’A Queensland woman has been jailed for nine years for negligently leaving her two young daughters to die in a hot car.Kerri-Ann Conley, 30, of Waterford West in Logan, pleaded guilty in Brisbane supreme court this week to two counts of manslaughter and was sentenced on Thursday.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

National Australia Bank warns cash rate increase ‘also causing economic growth and house prices to soften’

Consumers are being warned not to drink Inside Out Unsweetened Almond Milk following a New South Wales recall

Tweed and Byron police establish crime scene after bodies discovered in neighbouring vans

Aircraft surveillance has been boosted and additional ships are on patrol, navy tells Senate estimates

Georgian Constantin was arrested on Tuesday and has now been charged with murder of Valentina CozmaA man has been charged with murder following the death of a woman after a house fire in Stoke-on-Trent.Georgian Constantin, 42, was charged on Wednesday with the murder of Valentina Cozma and with making threats to kill, Staffordshire police said. Continue reading...

Yvette Cooper to cite BBC’s Happy Valley star in major policy speech on restoring community policingLabour will pledge to restore thousands of community officers such as Happy Valley’s Catherine Cawood, saying the local knowledge to tackle antisocial behaviour, violence against women and gang culture has been lost under the Tories.Citing the BBC character as an inspiration, Yvette Cooper will say the Conservatives have “walked away” from community policing and taken a “laissez-faire approach” to vetting and police recruitment. Continue reading...

Woman, 54, accused of dangerous driving causing death outside Macarthur Anglican school at Cobbitty

High court judge rules ‘reasonable provision’ was not made for 83-year-old, ‘left with next to nothing’A widow whose husband of 66 years excluded her and their four daughters from his will, and left everything to their two sons, has won a high court case for a share of an estate worth more than £1m.Mr Justice Peel heard that Karnail Singh, who died in 2021, “wished to leave his estate solely down the male line” after writing his will in 2005. He heard that Harbans Kaur, who married Singh in 1955, estimated the estate to be worth £1.9m gross but one of her sons put the value at £1.2m. Continue reading...

Family members tell TMZ the actor, who rose to fame and sex symbol status in the 1960s, died after a short illness• A life in pictures

Angry protesters attack ATMs and block roads in frustration at lack of new banknotes days before electionRioters have attacked bank ATMs and blocked roads in three Nigerian cities as anger spilled on the streets over a scarcity of cash, just days before the country’s general election.Nigeria has been struggling with a shortage in physical cash since the central bank began to swap old bills of the local naira currency for new ones, leading to a shortfall in banknotes. Continue reading...

Scottish National party leader says she no longer has stamina to carry on in pressured and demanding role

Vehicle carrying families migrating to the US plunged off escarpment near town of Gualaca when driver lost control – reportsAt least 39 migrants have been killed in a gruesome bus accident in Panama after trekking for days through the Central American country’s southern jungles on their way to a new life in the US.The accident took place in the early hours of Wednesday as a convoy of buses traveled from Panama’s border with Colombia towards a migrant reception centre near the town of Gualaca. Continue reading...

Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar says Russian attacks are constant

Local authority in Margate said it had removed installation to make it safeA Banksy artwork that was dismantled by a council in Kent “on the grounds of safety” just hours after its unveiling has had its chest freezer returned.The mural, titled Valentine’s Day Mascara, appeared to highlight the issue of domestic violence. It incorporated a freezer, a broken garden chair, a blue crate and an empty beer bottle, which were all removed from the site on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Former party leader hits back after Keir Starmer says he would not be allowed to stand for Labour in next electionJeremy Corbyn has accused Keir Starmer of a “flagrant attack” on democracy by barring him from standing as a Labour candidate, as allies said he was likely to run as an independent.It comes as Starmer confirmed the former Labour leader would not be allowed to run for the party. In a statement on Twitter, Corbyn said party members and constituents were being denied their choice for representation. Continue reading...

Cut-price retailer struggling as number of high street shoppers remains well below pre-pandemic levelsWilko plans to cut more than 400 jobs, including assistant store managers, retail supervisors, head office managers and call centre workers, in the troubled retailer’s latest effort to control costs.The value household and garden products retailer has told staff it plans to reduce hours for team supervisors in 150 of its 401 stores, leading to the equivalent of about 150 full-time equivalent job losses, after a fall in sales. Continue reading...

Kremlin is said to be pushing back against private army and curbing influence of Yevgeny Prighozin

Like ex-New Zealand PM, Scotland’s first minister speaks of duty to admit how ‘brutality’ of political life got to herShe was, she stressed, “a human being”, not just a politician. And as one who had wrestled with accepting she simply no longer had the reserves needed to do the job justice, it was her “duty to say so”.Just three weeks after insisting there was “plenty left in the tank”, Nicola Sturgeon’s shock announcement revealed the personal toll she said eight years as Scotland’s first minister had exacted on her and her loved ones. Continue reading...

Labour had been hoping to win 15 seats at the next general election but could now aim for double that numberSenior figures in Scottish Labour have said Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation has opened an unexpected opportunity for the party to regain ground north of the border.Party members and advisers said the decision by the first minister to stand down had handed them the perfect opportunity to win an outright majority at the next general election. Continue reading...

Half the contemporary artists will be women, with works by Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, Bridget Riley and Tracey EminWomen artists from the 17th century to the present day will be displayed at Tate Britain when the flagship gallery unveils the first comprehensive rehang of its collections for 10 years in May.More than 800 works by more than 350 artists will feature at the gallery on the banks of the River Thames, including old favourites, recent discoveries and new commissions. Continue reading...

Zholia Alemi practised as psychiatrist without necessary qualifications after forging medical degree certificateA fraudulent doctor who worked in the NHS for 20 years has been convicted of a “deliberate and wicked deception” after forging a medical degree certificate and practising as a psychiatrist without the necessary qualifications.Zholia Alemi, who is believed to be 60, worked in hospitals across England, Wales and Scotland and received income and benefits of more than £1m across her career, Manchester crown court heard. Continue reading...

From trusted deputy first minister John Swinney to Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf, here are the possible names in the hatNicola Sturgeon has quit as Scotland’s first minister in a shock announcement at a press conference in Edinburgh.Sturgeon is the longest-serving and first female first minister in history, having clocked up more than eight years in the role. In a 40-minute speech on Wednesday morning, she told journalists “If the question is: can I battle on for another few months? Then the answer is yes, of course I can. Continue reading...

Latest updates: Scotland’s first minister says she has ‘wrestled’ with decision for weeks

Case on alleged crimes by Gérald Marie in 1980s and 90s closed due to statute of limitationsFrench prosecutors have closed an investigation into possible rape and sexual assault by the model agency boss Gérald Marie, who was accused of a string of offences.The Paris prosecutors’ office concluded that the alleged crimes in the 1980s and 1990s took place too long ago to be prosecuted under French law which sets time limits for offences to be tried in court. Continue reading...

Court orders boy serve minimum of 14 years for murdering Ian Kirwan at Midlands supermarketA 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 14 years for the “utterly senseless” murder of Ian Kirwan, who was stabbed outside a supermarket after confronting a group of teenagers over their behaviour.Kirwan, 53, a software engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, died on 8 March last year after a confrontation with five boys outside an Asda store in Redditch. Continue reading...

Letby texted friends about winnings on same day she allegedly tried to kill twin boys in incubator, jury hearsA nurse accused of killing seven babies celebrated a winning bet on the Grand National shortly after she attempted to murder twin boys, a court heard.Lucy Letby, 33, allegedly attacked the prematurely born infants during a day shift at the Countess of Chester hospital’s neonatal unit. One of the boys, Child M, “dramatically” collapsed in his incubator in the unit’s intensive care room at 4pm on 9 April 2016, the court heard. His brother, Child L, also deteriorated beside him at “pretty much the same time”, theprosecutor, Nick Johnson KC, said. Continue reading...

Kathleen Poole, who lives in a care home, faces removal for not having post-Brexit paperwork in orderThe European Commission has contacted the Swedish authorities after it emerged they were planning to deport a 74-year-old British woman with severe Alzheimer’s because she did not have her post-Brexit paperwork in order.At the same time, the office of the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, is trying to ascertain the exact circumstances that have led to the removal threat faced by Kathleen Poole, who cannot speak, walk or feed herself and is bedbound in a care home. Continue reading...

Third of provinces yet to publish data as country looks to revive economy after zero-Covid policy endsChinese provinces spent more than £42.8bn on tackling Covid-19 in 2022, according to data released by local governments, with the figure expected to rise as the huge cost of the pandemic hits the world’s second-largest economy.Although national statistics are not yet available, at least 20 of China’s 31 provinces have published figures on how much money they spent on measures to control the pandemic. Continue reading...

NEU joint secretary says teachers will ‘not back down’ as pay negotiations with government reach stalemateSchools in England look set for further disruption over the coming weeks after talks to avert planned strike action by teachers ended in failure, with no new offer on the table.Union leaders met the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, on Wednesday morning, the latest of a series of meetings. Though they remarked on a new urgency about the talks, there was still no progress on pay. Continue reading...

Identity of individual not yet been made public but their family has been informed

Mild temperatures in Ottawa make it too dangerous to open Rideau Canal Skateway, the capital’s 7.8km long ‘blockbuster’ attractionCanada’s Rideau Canal Skateway – the largest outdoor rink in the world and a Unesco heritage site – may not open this winter for the first time in five decades, due to a lack of ice.Ottawa is in the grips of its third-warmest winter ever recorded, according to Environment Canada, with temperatures hovering just below freezing through most of December and January. Continue reading...

Leading Coalition moderate says he supports the concept but is waiting to see Alex Greenwich’s bill

Businessman tells NSW inquiry he was approached by Jean-Claude Perrottet because of his previous support for Malcolm Turnbull

Queensland police charge 18-year-old woman with multiple firearm-related offences ahead of community safety forum

Negotiators make progress in Canberra but thorny issue of geographical indicators is believed to remain a sticking point

Australia’s biggest lender’s profits inflated by Reserve Bank’s series of rapid-fire interest rate rises

Warning in surveillance commissioner’s report comes after Chinese CCTV cameras banned from government propertyBritish police are leaving themselves open to spying by Beijing because of their reliance on Chinese-made cameras, according to a report from the government’s independent watchdog on surveillance.Most forces across England and Wales use camera equipment that is either made in China or contains important Chinese components, the biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner has warned. Continue reading...

Man, 49, from Manchester and woman, 20, from Oldham held after reports messages being sent to Wyre council membersTwo people have been arrested on suspicion of sending malicious communications to local councillors over the disappearance of Nicola Bulley, police have said.Lancashire police received reports over the weekend of messages being sent to Wyre council members. A 49-year-old man from Manchester and a 20-year-old woman from Oldham have been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications offences. Continue reading...

Phillip Mark Mehrtens, a pilot for Susi Air, was abducted by armed wing of the Free Papua MovementSeparatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua province have released photos and videos of a man they say is the pilot from New Zealand they took hostage last week.Phillip Mark Mehrtens of Christchurch, a pilot for the Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was abducted by independence fighters from the West Papua National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, who stormed his single-engine plane shortly after it landed on a small runway in Paro, in the remote Nduga district. Continue reading...

There have been more than 37 drowning deaths this summer and the Royal Surf Life Saving Society is urging beachgoers to stay safe

At least 300 people gather on Tuesday night to pay respect to 16-year-old girl stabbed to death in a Warrington park on SaturdayCandles and flowers have been laid out on the steps of St George’s Hall in Liverpool in tribute to Brianna Ghey, a trans teenager who was stabbed to death in a Warrington park on Saturday.A crowd of at least 300 people, many of them also teenagers and young adults, gathered quietly on Tuesday night to pay respect to the 16-year-old, who her family described as “strong, fearless, one of a kind”. Continue reading...

Suspects include the owner of a Miami-area security company that hired ex-Colombian soldiers for the mission, DoJ saysUS authorities have arrested four more people in the assassination of the Haitian president Jovenel Moïse, including the owner of a Miami-area security company that hired ex-Colombian soldiers for the mission, the justice department announced on Tuesday.Antonio “Tony” Intriago, owner of CTU Security, is charged with conspiracy to kill or kidnap a person outside the US among other charges, along with company representative Arcangel Pretel Ortiz. Continue reading...

Court of appeal ruled homeowner could recover loss of value even if knotweed has been treatedA significant legal victory in a case brought by a householder affected by Japanese knotweed has raised the prospect of an increase in claims from people stricken by the hazardous plant.The court of appeal ruled that a homeowner could recover damages for a loss of value of their property from having had Japanese knotweed, even if it had been treated. Continue reading...

Council removes broken freezer that formed part of work artist confirmed was genuineA Banksy mural in Margate has been taken apart by the council just hours after the artist confirmed it was genuine.The artwork, called Valentine’s day mascara, appears to be on the theme of violence against women and girls. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more about the Russia-Ukraine war hereAn air alert has been declared across several southern areas of Ukraine including Mykolaiv, Kherson and Odesa.Earlier, Volodymyr Litinov, head of the Beryslav district administration in the Kherson region reported on Telegram that Russian shelling in the previous 24 hours had damaged “the hospital building, residential buildings and farm buildings” in the area, but that “fortunately, there were no civilian casualties.”This is Martin Belam in London taking over the live blog. Continue reading...

Original cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed when a live round was discharged on set of western in New MexicoThe producers of Rust have hired a new cinematographer and plan to resume filming this spring despite the looming criminal prosecution of star and producer Alec Baldwin, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for the on-set killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, according to the Hollywood Reporter.Rust Movie Productions will also produce a documentary about the life and work of Hutchins that will “show the brilliance and depth of Halyna’s talent while conveying what her loss has meant to her friends, colleagues and the entire film industry”, the company said in a statement to the movie industry publication. Continue reading...

Unknown origins of three of four flying objects shot down over North America renews interest in contact with alien lifeformsWhen unidentified flying objects began being spotted over the US and Canada, there was quite a stir among amateur ufologists.UFO discussion forums lit up with theories about the origins and purpose of these floating entities – were they sent by intelligent lifeforms from outer space or was there an explanation closer to home? Continue reading...