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US secretary of state Antony Blinken says collision of Russian fighter jet with US drone was ‘reckless and unsafe action’

Civilians are being killed by Russian weapons just like in Ukraine, says special rapporteur Tom Andrews in call for global actionMyanmar is a “failing state” and the crisis is getting exponentially worse, a UN special rapporteur for the country has warned, urging countries to adopt the same unified resolve that followed the invasion of Ukraine.“The same types of weapons that are killing Ukrainians are killing people in Myanmar,” Tom Andrews, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, told the Guardian in an interview, citing the supply of Russian weapons to the junta since the coup two years ago. The junta relies heavily on aircraft from China and Russia, and has increasingly resorted to airstrikes to attempt to quell determined resistance forces. Continue reading...

Annual rate of 102.5% is denting purchasing power, savings, economic growth and government’s chances in elections next yearArgentina’s annual inflation rate tore past 100% in February, the country’s statistics agency announced, the first time it has hit triple figures since a period of hyperinflation in 1991, over three decades ago.Inflation over 12 months clocked in at 102.5% in the second month of the year, according to government data released on Tuesday, with a higher-than-expected 6.6% monthly rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and a 13.1% year-to-date increase. Continue reading...

Chancellor pledges cash for businesses and parents, and says UK will avoid recession this year

Find out how Jeremy Hunt’s tax and spending plans will affect your personal finances

Unions and UCEA declare agreement ‘on terms of reference for detailed negotiations’ on pay and conditionsUniversity staff have made a breakthrough in their months-long dispute with employers during which lecturers have gone on strike, worked to rule and refused to cover for absent colleagues across the UK.A group of five higher education trade unions and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) announced agreement “on terms of reference for detailed negotiations covering a review of the UK higher education pay spine, workload, contract types and equality pay gaps”. Continue reading...

Small, sturdy purebred dog’s meteoric rise took it past labrador retrievers but critics say it is prone to numerous health problemsFor the first time in three decades, the US has a new favorite dog breed, according to the American Kennel Club.Adorable in some eyes, deplorable in others, the sturdy, push-faced, perky-eared, world-weary-looking and distinctively droll French bulldog became the nation’s most prevalent purebred dog last year, the club announced on Wednesday. Frenchies ousted labrador retrievers from the top spot after a record 31 years. Continue reading...

A survey found the number of gambling ads was the top concern among fans, ahead of umpiring and rule changes

Data from LinkedIn also indicates share of job postings for remote roles has shrunk in past 10 monthsMore than a third of UK workers have said they would quit their job if their employer demanded they return to the office full-time, according to research showing how much the world of work has changed since the first Covid lockdown.Six in 10 employees are considering changing their job this year, according to data gathered by the professional networking site LinkedIn. Continue reading...

Move follows reports alleging that the army used Pegasus spyware software to hack the phone of a prominent rights activistLawmakers in Mexico this week will launch a federal commission to investigate allegations of human rights abuses by the country’s military, including the use of powerful spyware technology, the head of the governing Morena party in the Senate has said.The commission, made up of lawmakers from both Mexico’s upper and lower houses of Congress, will request a report from the army in the wake of recent media reports alleging that it used Israeli software known as Pegasus to hack the phone of a prominent human rights activist. Continue reading...

Incident involving Vianne Timmons is latest high-profile case of apparent cultural identity fraudThe president of a Canadian university has apologized and is taking a leave of absence after allegations that she falsely claimed to be Indigenous, in the latest high-profile case of apparent cultural identity fraud.Vianne Timmons, who is president of Memorial University of Newfoundland, said that she would be taking a six-week leave after the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) published a report last week questioning her claims that her father’s great-great-grandmother was Mi’kmaq. Continue reading...

Alrico Nelson Martin also charged with conspiracy to wound with intent, say police investigating January shootingA man has been charged with possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life after a shooting outside a church in Euston, north London, in January, the Metropolitan police have said.Alrico Nelson Martin, 19, from Kilburn, who is also charged with six counts of conspiracy to wound with intent, will appear at Willesden magistrates court on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Aslef and RMT unions take action in protest against pensions review and planned job cutsCommuters in London are facing a day of transport chaos after a 24-hour strike by tube drivers and station staff started on Wednesday morning.Transport for London (TfL) urged passengers to check their route before travelling, with virtually all of the Underground network closed and other services likely to be much busier and liable to disruption and delay. Continue reading...

Match of the Day host decries Stoke-on-Trent North MP’s claim he called constituents ‘racist bigots’Gary Lineker has described accusations that he called northern voters “racist bigots” as “outrageous and dangerously provocative”.The recently reinstated Match of the Day host made the comments on Twitter in response to comments made by the Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis. Continue reading...

Promoter says title – Dawn French is a Huge Twat – is humorous and aims any offence at comedian herselfAn ad that read “Dawn French is a Huge Twat” – the title of her live show – has been cleared by the advertising watchdog after complaints it was offensive.The ad for the actor and comedian’s forthcoming UK tour, which featured in the Sunday Times Culture magazine on 4 December, also included a picture of French and text stating: “Back due to phenomenal demand.” Two people complained it was likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Continue reading...

Trend sees higher pollen levels and worsened allergy and asthma symptoms, though reduction in carbon emissions could reverse itAs the global temperature has increased in recent years due to climate change, allergy season in the US is starting earlier and the amount of pollen during such periods has increased, leading to worse allergy and asthma symptoms for some – and new symptoms altogether for others, according to scientists.That trend is projected to increase as average temperatures continue to rise, but could be reversed if humans are able to reduce carbon emissions, allergists say. Continue reading...

Government has promised not to enrich uranium or reprocess spent fuel as part of the nuclear-powered submarine program

Former Labor prime minister attacks Aukus, the media, post-Brexit Britain and his own side of politics

Over-50s who dropped out of work since pandemic say better and quicker NHS treatment is neededWhen chancellor Jeremy Hunt urged people over 50 who have dropped out of the workforce since the pandemic to get off the golf course, Julie*, 52, from Hertfordshire, “laughed out loud”.Julie has been waiting over a year for a knee replacement operation so she can get back into employment. She is one of many unable to work due to long-term illness who will be looking to the chancellor to provide much needed funding to tackle NHS waiting lists in his budget speech on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Dominic Perrottet and Chris Minns correctly name their children in order of age, a welcome moment of clarity in a muted campaign

National Education Union going ahead with two more days of industrial action that will disrupt schoolsPay negotiations between teachers and the government could start in earnest as early as next week, after strikes that are expected to disrupt schools across England on Wednesday and Thursday.The National Education Union (NEU) is going ahead with its final planned two days of strikes in England, which will mean many pupils missing school or working from home, despite an offer by Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, to open talks if it called them off. Continue reading...

About 42% of men reported experiencing physical violence since the age of 15, report finds

The battle to replace Nicola Sturgeon is dividing the SNP and growing increasingly bitter, reports Libby BrooksWhen Nicola Sturgeon announced her imminent departure from the leadership of the Scottish National party, she assured her supporters that there was a wealth of talent vying to take her place.As Scotland correspondent Libby Brooks tells Hannah Moore, the resulting leadership contest has been a period of cold realisation for many supporters of Scottish independence. Not only do they not have a successor with anything like the stature of Sturgeon, the candidates are divided on economic as well as social policies and even the best route to independence. Continue reading...

British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal was detained and says he was tortured after alleged tipoff by UK intelligenceThe Foreign Office has asked for claims to be examined in a secret court that a British citizen was detained and tortured after the security services passed intelligence to the Indian government, newly filed court papers show.The government department is refusing to confirm or deny claims that Jagtar Singh Johal, a British Sikh activist, was detained in India in 4 November 2017 after an alleged tipoff to the Indian security services. Continue reading...

Labor backs the Coalition’s energy roadmap but accelerated coal plant closures and renewable project delays are raising concerns

Joshua Alan James Wootton, 32, admits one count of intimidation and one of accessing restricted data

TikTok clip shows PM’s pet near Serpentine in Hyde Park, where dogs must be kept on a lead to protect wildlifeRishi Sunak’s family have been spoken to by police after letting their dog roam free in Hyde Park.It came after the prime minister and his family were filmed apparently breaking the rules of the park in central London. Continue reading...

Internal study was commissioned in 2019 over concerns that sanctions have negative effect on claimants’ health and financesThe Department for Work and Pensions has been ordered to release “sensitive” research into whether fining benefit claimants is effective in getting them to take a job or work more hours.The internal DWP study was commissioned in 2019 after a cross party committee of MPs concluded that while there was no evidence benefit sanctions incentivised people to get work, they did have a negative effect on claimants’ health and finances. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Chancellor will promise to provide extra 30 hours a week to parents of one- and two-year oldsA £4bn expansion of free childcare for one- and two-year-olds in England is expected to be announced in the budget on Wednesday as part of a wider drive to help people into work and boost growth.The plan would provide an extra 30 hours a week to parents of one- and two-year olds, and increase funding for the existing programme of free childcare for three year-olds. Continue reading...

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Malicious communications sent to two people against ex-Top Gear host’s Diddly Squat farm expansionDeath threats have been made against two people who opposed Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm expansion, the local council has revealed.West Oxfordshire district council has said it is aware of malicious communications against an unnamed councillor and a member of the public who spoke out against the 62-year-old former Top Gear presenter’s plans. Continue reading...

Defence claims Beal had been in a coercive relationship with Nicholas Billingham, who she stabbed and buried in back gardenA primary school teacher on trial accused of the murder of her long-term partner was mentally “broken” by the time of the killing, after being subjected to coercive behaviour, her barrister has claimed.Defence KC Andrew Wheeler told Northampton crown court there was no dispute that Fiona Beal unlawfully killed Nicholas Billingham, whose body was found buried in the back garden of their home in March last year. Continue reading...

Psychiatrist speculated she had PTSD from childhood trauma but trial offered few other clues

Jockey Club says relaxed code makes racing more accessible but some are unimpressed by the less well-dressedLooking across the packed stands of Cheltenham Racecourse on day one of this year’s festival, it is fair to say the usual mix of tweed suits, blazers, flat caps and feather-topped country hats dominated.But after the Jockey Club’s decision to ease dress restrictions across its courses, there was also a noticeable increase in denim jeans and leather jackets – and even the odd tracksuit on show. Continue reading...

Aslef and RMT members to stop work for 24 hours on budget day in dispute over pensions and staffing changesA strike by Tube drivers and station staff will shut the London underground on Wednesday, bringing widespread disruption to the capital.Trains will continue to run as normal on the Elizabeth line and London Overground, but Transport for London warned that those services, as well as buses, would be much busier and could have some disruption and delay. Continue reading...

Head of Great Britain’s energy regulator tells MPs installations will not resume until suppliers found to be adhering to code of practiceA ban on the forced installation of prepayment meters by energy companies has been extended beyond the end of March, Ofgem has said.The energy regulator’s chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, told MPs that suppliers would not resume the installations until a code of practice was published and Ofgem was satisfied it was being adhered to. Continue reading...

WhatsApp messages disclosed showing actor discussed pretending she had been hospitalisedEva Green was so concerned she would have to make what she had described as a career-wrecking B-movie that she discussed pretending she had been hospitalised in order to avoid turning up, a court has heard.New detail of Green’s antipathy towards a failed multimillion-pound sci-fi film, A Patriot, at the centre of a legal battle between her and a production company emerged in freshly disclosed WhatsApp messages from the actor. Continue reading...

MoD refuses to say whether it has looked into claims civilians were injured in December strikeBritain’s Ministry of Defence is refusing to say whether it conducted an investigation into reports of civilian casualties after an RAF drone strike conducted against a terrorist target in northern Syria last December.Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, told MPs on Monday that a Reaper drone was used to attack “a leading Daesh [Islamic State] member in al-Bab, northern Syria” on 20 December, the latest strike in controversial policy of attempted targeted killing. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leeds University research reports desperation, hair loss and intrusive thoughts as medics struggle with staff shortagesNHS junior doctors suffer panic attacks and feelings of desperation because they get so stressed from the pressure they are under at work, research has found.Some also experience intrusive thoughts, migraines and hair loss as a direct result of trying to give patients high-quality treatment in hospitals struggling with serious staff shortages. Continue reading...

Analysis by Local Data Company also says closures in the most affected categories have been offset by new openings in othersHairdressers, dry cleaners and fish and chip shops were among the independent retailers hardest hit by surging energy bills and a consumer spending squeeze last year, but overall indies fared better.A jump in shop closures among those categories was offset by new openings led by beauty salons, convenience stores and takeaways, according to the latest report by analysts at the Local Data Company. As a result, the overall number of independent retailers across the UK remained flat year on year in 2022, compared with a jump in closures of more than 2,000 in 2021. Continue reading...

One man died in fire on 5 March in two-bedroom flat where at least 18 people were livingA criminal investigation has been launched into a fatal fire in a two-bedroom flat in which at least 18 people were living, with some sleeping on the kitchen floor.The privately owned flat in a Tower Hamlets council block was rented to mostly Bangladeshi couriers and students paying £100 a week, according to one resident. A fire started in the early hours of 5 March, possibly sparked by a faulty e-bike battery. Most of those people squeezed into bunk beds and sleeping on the floor escaped, but Mizanur Rahman had to be rescued by firefighters and later died in hospital. Continue reading...

Greg Hands says sorry through cabinet secretary for attack on civil service over Channel crossingsThe Conservative party chair has been forced to apologise to the civil service after an email sent out in Suella Braverman’s name said public servants had frustrated plans to curb small boats crossings.The home secretary distanced herself from the email sent to thousands of Tory supporters, in which she blamed “an activist blob of leftwing lawyers, civil servants and the Labour party” for the government’s failure to stop Channel crossings. Continue reading...

Twenty-two-year-old from Barrow posted photos on Facebook falsely claiming she had been abusedA woman has been jailed for eight and a half years after being found guilty of lying about being raped and trafficked by an Asian grooming gang, and making false rape claims against a series of other men.Eleanor Williams, 22, from Barrow-in-Furness was convicted in January of nine counts of perverting the course of justice. Sentencing her at Preston crown court on Tuesday, the judge, Mr Justice Altham, said her allegations were “complete fiction” and criticised her for showing “no significant signs of remorse”. Continue reading...

Interim report shows significant evidence former PM misled MPs over lockdown parties

DfT document appears to undermine ministers’ claims, saying jobs are likely to go and construction firms could be at riskAn internal Department for Transport briefing on the HS2 project has admitted delays to the high-speed railway will increase costs, appearing to undermine ministers’ claims.The document seen by the Guardian says the decision to delay the project is also likely to cost jobs, put construction firms at risk of going into administration and that the department could face compensation claims. Continue reading...

Governor says foreigners will only be allowed to rent cars, after series of road traffic offencesThe Indonesian island of Bali plans to ban tourists from renting motorbikes after a series of incidents in which foreigners have violated traffic rules.Bali’s governor, Wayan Koster, said that underchanges to be imposed this year, foreigners would only be allowed to drive cars rented from travel agents. Continue reading...

Authorities will resume issuing all visas after closing borders to international holidaymakers in 2020China will reopen its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in the three years since the Covid pandemic erupted by allowing all categories of visas to be issued.The removal of this last cross-border control measure on Wednesday comes after authorities declared victory over the virus last month. Continue reading...

This year’s Academy Awards with Jimmy Kimmel at the helm drew an average TV audience of 18.7m – and a bigger share of younger viewersThe audience for the 2023 Academy Awards broadcast improved substantially on last year’s unimpressive figures, with a 12% jump on what was the second worst ratings performance in history.Early ratings from Nielsen, supplied to the Hollywood Reporter, said that the show on ABC attracted an average of 18.7m viewers, compared to 16.6m in 2022. The audience share in the key 18-49 age demographic also improved, from 3.76 last year to 4.0. Continue reading...

Beijing accuses US, UK and Australia of disregarding global concerns with plan to build nuclear-powered vesselsChina has accused the US, UK and Australia of embarking on a “path of error and danger” in response to the Aukus partners’ announcement of a deal on nuclear-powered submarines.“The latest joint statement from the US, UK and Australia demonstrates that the three countries, for the sake of their own geopolitical interests, completely disregard the concerns of the international communities and are walking further and further down the path of error and danger,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a regular press briefing on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Aimed at finding ‘lively, unusual, original’ writing by those aged between 11 and 14, the prize is inspired by the ‘imagination and curiosity’ of Martha, who died in 2021 aged 13The London Review Bookshop has launched a prize for “lively, unusual or otherwise original” writing by 11-14 year olds, offering young people the chance to have their work published.The Martha Mills Young Writers’ prize has been set up in memory of the daughter of Merope Mills, editor of the Guardian’s Saturday magazine, and Paul Laity, an editor at the London Review of Books (LRB). Martha died in 2021. Her parents said that it was Martha’s “great curiosity and imagination” that inspired the new award.​Every book starts with nothing,