World news | The Guardian

Campaigners say millions are struggling, in letter to Michael Gove signed by leaders of Manchester, Liverpool and LondonAn immediate rent freeze and a ban on evictions should be introduced in England to help renters deal with the cost of living crisis, the mayors of three of the biggest cities have said.It would bring the country into line with Scotland, where tenants have been protected under emergency measures designed to curb a “humanitarian emergency” announced by Nicola Sturgeon last September. Continue reading...

Labour leader to set out policy details for how to grow stalled UK economyKeir Starmer is to launch his five “national missions” which will form the building blocks of Labour’s next manifesto as the party starts to set out how it would transform the country if it wins the election.In a major speech in Manchester on Thursday, the Labour leader is expected to say the country needs a “serious plan” to provide more stability after years of Tory government “blowing with the wind” rather than fixing deep-rooted problems. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Claimants will have only 20 days to respond or face rejectionPlans to cut the asylum backlog by sending questionnaires to refugees instead of conducting official interviews will demand that claimants reply in English within 20 working days or risk refusal, a leaked document shows.The Home Office will on Thursday begin sending out copies of the 11-page document to about 12,000 people from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen as part of Rishi Sunak’s plans to cut the “legacy backlog” of 92,000 asylum claims. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Taxpayers to foot another five-figure bill as government prepares to extend support for former PM for second timeTaxpayers are on the hook for another five-figure bill to cover Boris Johnson’s legal fees during the inquiry into Partygate, as Rishi Sunak’s government prepares to extend support for the former prime minister for a second time.Labour said the move would spark outrage given the hardship being experienced by many during cost of living crisis, and pointed to the millions Johnsonhas earned since he left No 10 in September. Continue reading...

Kevin Spaine, who delivered famous line in TV ad 34 years ago, given life sentence with minimum of 18 yearsA former child actor who appeared in a TV advert for milk in the 1980s has been given a life sentence for murder.Kevin Spaine wore a Liverpool football kit in the commercial for the Milk Marketing Board in 1989 and uttered the famous line “Accrington Stanley, who are they?” Continue reading...

New rules after some workers on zero-hours contracts last season – but rights bodies say more must be doneOrganisations supporting seasonal workers have welcomed the new government guarantee of at least 32 hours paid work a week to people coming to harvest British crops.In a speech at the National Farmers’ Union conference on Tuesday, the farming minister, Mark Spencer, confirmed changes to the conditions for 2023 visas. Continue reading...

Evangelical convention says church ‘not in friendly cooperation with the convention’ following appointment of Stacie WoodThe Southern Baptist Convention has expelled Saddleback church, one of its largest congregations, due to its appointment of a female pastor.On Tuesday, the SBC executive committee approved a recommendation from its credentials committee that the California-based megachurch be labeled as “not in friendly cooperation with the convention”. Continue reading...

The 24-hour strike kicks off on budget day in dispute over pensions and working arrangementsLondon Underground drivers are to strike on 15 March – budget day – in a dispute over pensions and working arrangements.The Aslef union announced on Wednesday that members would strike for 24 hours, in a row over changes to working arrangements and pensions. Continue reading...

Woman attacked in classroom at Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin school near BordeauxPolice have arrested a 16-year-old pupil after a teacher was stabbed to death at a secondary school in south-west France.The attack at the Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin, a Catholic private school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, near Bayonne, happened in a classroom when a teenager allegedly pulled a knife from his bag at about 10am on Wednesday and stabbed the 52-year-old woman once. Continue reading...

The actor is to get the lifetime achievement honour and the choreographer the special award at this year’s theatre prizes in AprilSir Derek Jacobi and Dame Arlene Phillips are to be honoured for their illustrious stage careers at the Olivier awards in London in April.Jacobi, who was one of the first actors to appear with Laurence Olivier’s fledgling National Theatre company in the 1960s, is to receive the lifetime achievement award. He has won the best actor Olivier award twice, for his performances in Cyrano de Bergerac in 1983 and Twelfth Night in 2009. The 84-year-old star, whose career has included TV roles in I, Claudius and Last Tango in Halifax, was last on stage in the West End in 2016 as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet directed by Kenneth Branagh. Jacobi told the Guardian last year: “I’ve got a feeling I won’t be on stage again. It’s not stage fright exactly. But I’m not comfortable like I used to be.” Continue reading...

The treasurer suggested that the small percentage of people with pots over $3m should not receive tax benefits, but prime minister more cautious

Condition overtakes coronary heart disease with 62% rise in number of healthy years lost since 2011, report finds, causing significant impact on carers and families

Poll reveals west more united but gulf growing with countries such as India that do not subscribe to post-cold war view

The PM insists Australia will maintain its sovereignty in the event of a disagreement with the US or UK on military strategy

Only a third of low-carbon heating scheme’s annual budget has been used since launch in May 2022A scheme to encourage UK households to upgrade their gas boilers to heat pumps and other low-carbon alternatives is failing to deliver after suffering a “disappointingly low” take-up, a parliamentary report has said.Members of the House of Lords environment and climate change committee have written to ministers urging them to boost the profile of the £450m boiler upgrade scheme, after discovering just a third of its annual budget had been used since its launch last May. Continue reading...

Legal groups also criticise the push to override the state’s Human Rights Act to create the offence

Toowoomba magistrate rules media will have to adhere to Queensland laws that prevent naming him before he’s committed to stand trial

Exclusive: Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah says strategy is letting Australians down but medical groups back regulatory approach

Persistence pays off for WA quintet, who have had their sights set on song contest since 2015

Ibac finds Theo Theophanous, who rejects the report, improperly lobbied and received ‘in-kind benefit’ to Labor MP for Northcote Kat Theophanous. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Kat Theophanous

Second day of NSW Independent Planning Commission begins after NSW government stripped council of power to cap short-term rentals

Federal government had planned to split increase over two years, as union eyes push for further increase

Coalition of lawyers, doctors and activists hope to put the question of abortion directly to state voters after toppling of Roe v WadeToday, reproductive health advocates in Ohio are handing in language to the state’s attorney general, looking to bring a ballot initiative on abortion to voters in November 2023.Following the US supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade last summer – which had secured a federal right to abortion – an Ohio ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy immediately came into effect. That ban was then put on hold by an Ohio judge in October 2022, restoring abortion rights in the state up to 22 weeks of pregnancy until further notice. Continue reading...

Authorities believe Constance Marten and Mark Godon have been sleeping rough and travelling around the UK by taxi for six weeksPolice have released new CCTV footage of an aristocrat who disappeared more than six weeks ago with her boyfriend, a registered sex offender in the US, and their newborn baby.Constance Marten, 35, and her partner, Mark Gordon, 48, have been travelling around the UK by taxi since their car was found burning on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on 5 January. Continue reading...

New iced coffee and tea range introduced from April will be included in its £25 monthly subscriptionPret a Manger has announced it will stop making smoothies and frappes, with an expanded iced drinks range being introduced from April.The blended drinks, which can be more expensive and take longer to make, will be phased out altogether. Smoothies and frappes will still be available in select shops until 29 May. Continue reading...

Suspect Jamie Tran was arrested in nearby Riverside county after two men were wounded in separate shootings last weekLos Angeles was left reeling after alleged antisemitic hate incidents in which two Jewish men were shot and wounded as they left synagogues in the city last week.Law enforcement say that over the course of two days Jaime Tran, 28, shot two men who were wearing black coats and head coverings identifying their faith. Both men survived the shootings. Tran, who had a “history of antisemitic and threatening conduct”, allegedly targeted the victims in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood because they were Jewish. He has been charged with federal hate crimes. Continue reading...

Russian leader says war is about Russia’s right to exist, as US president describes it as a battle for freedom, in vastly different speechesIn their speeches, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin could not have been further apart in their interpretations of the past year, its culprits, causes, and consequence. But in one aspect they were agreed: this is a war intended to remain on the territory of Ukraine, but is being elevated into something far wider – a battle of survival between the west and Russia. Both men also implicitly tied their own futures to the outcome of this war, saying their opponent was bound to lose.While both men avoided setting out the specifics of what victory would constitute, or how the battle was faring on the frontlines, Putin said the war was about Russia’s right to exist, and Biden said it was a battle for freedom, a word he ultimately chose more often in his speech than democracy. Continue reading...

Some state schools had to close down permanently due to extensive safety concernsAt least 39 state schools in England have been forced to close either partially or entirely in the last three years because one or more buildings have been deemed unsafe, the government has confirmed.In three cases, concerns about building safety were so extensive that the entire school site had to be closed down permanently, with pupils moved off-site to alternative accommodation. Continue reading...

Prime minister and EU press ahead on protocol agreement before momentum slipsRishi Sunak is preparing to face down his Brexit critics and press ahead with a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol if he can secure one in the coming days, government sources have said.The prime minister was said to be “relaxed” about a growing backlash over what hardline Eurosceptic MPs fear will amount to little more than a “glossary” on “how to implement” the existing protocol. Continue reading...

Ministers say they have raised New Delhi and Mumbai raids with their Indian counterpartsLabour has condemned raids by Indian tax authorities on BBC offices in Mumbai and New Delhi as “deeply worrying”, as ministers say they have raised the issue with their Indian counterparts.In the first significant intervention by a main British party since last week’s raids, the shadow foreign minister Fabian Hamilton criticised the Indian authorities and expressed concern that BBC staff had been held overnight for questioning. Continue reading...

Government under pressure to reform licensing system, with one MP describing it as ‘a thicket’The siblings of the Plymouth gunman Jake Davison have criticised the police and the UK government for failing to strengthen the firearms licensing system after an inquest jury concluded he killed himself after shooting dead his mother and four other people.There is growing pressure on the government to reform the licensing system, with one former Home Office minister describing it as “a thicket” and Labour saying it would carry out a review if it wins the next general election. Continue reading...

Research reveals children struggling across many parts of country despite changes aimed at helping them get inChildren from disadvantaged backgrounds are struggling to get into grammar schools in many parts of England, despite changes to admissions procedures aimed at helping them gain entry, according to research.A quarter of England’s 160 state grammar schools have fewer than 5% of their pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM), compared with 22.5% of children nationwide. In contrast, only 13 of England’s 2,877 non-selective state secondary schools have fewer than 5% of pupils receiving FSM. Continue reading...

Newspaper owner made peer by Boris Johnson has only attended once in last year and did not speak or voteEvgeny Lebedev, the newspaper owner made a peer by Boris Johnson, has burnished his reputation as one of the more relaxed members of the House of Lords by marking a full year since he last formally contributed to proceedings in the chamber.The crossbench peer, who has spoken just once in the Lords and never voted, submitted two written questions to ministers on 21 February last year, but has shown no signs of action since. Continue reading...

Broadcasters asked to ‘explain their actions’ as family say they ignored request for privacy after body was foundOfcom has contacted Sky and ITV about complaints made by the family of Nicola Bulley that the broadcasters intruded on their grief when they had asked for privacy after the discovery of her body.The broadcasting regulator said it was “extremely concerned” to hear the comments from the family of Bulley, whose body was identified on Monday after being pulled from a Lancashire river after a near month-long search. Continue reading...

Russian president airs grievances against west in speech devoted to first anniversary of Ukraine invasion

Exclusive: Last winter was the worst on record for the sport since 2018, a Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission report says

Former Centrelink employee told the commission she would never forget what staff were ‘forced’ to do to victims of the program

Branches to get payments to cover lost international income, as postal workers threaten further strikesRoyal Mail has restarted international parcel and letter deliveries through Post Office branches almost six weeks after it revealed it had been affected by a ransomware cyber-attack that left it battling to get its international services back up and running.It refused to pay an $80m (£67m) ransom sought by hackers linked to Russia after the “cyber incident”, which resulted in 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK being unable to handle international mail or parcels. Continue reading...

Bank increases CEO’s bonus and plans bigger shareholder payout as it faces pressure from investor Ping AnHSBC has increased bonus payouts for its chief executive after fourth-quarter profits more than doubled on the back of a jump in mortgage and loan costs for its borrowers.The London-headquartered lender said it had increased Noel Quinn’s bonus by 36% to nearly $2.2m (£1.8m), taking his overall pay to $5.5m for 2022. That compares with his $4.9m payout in 2021. Continue reading...

Steven Waldman says a new initiative, Rebuild Local News, wants to revitalize hundreds of outlets decimated by the industryLocal news organizations across the United States need to be given serious government financial help, especially in the form of tax breaks, in order to stave off a crisis in the media sector and help save US democracy, a leading advocate for non-profit journalism has said.Steven Waldman, co-founder of Report for America, said a new initiative, called Rebuild Local News, wanted to revitalize hundreds of local news outlets across America decimated by changes in the industry, shifts in the sector’s advertising revenue structure and more recently, the pandemic. Continue reading...

Security organisation’s latest threat report says foreign agents targeted government officials, bank workers, doctors, police and journalists

Monique Ryan, a paediatric neurologist before entering parliament, says Patrick Folbigg’s death could be linked to epileptic seizures

Senior Brexiter Maria Caulfield says PM must be given ‘time and space’ to conclude talks with EUA senior Brexiter minister has urged colleagues to give Rishi Sunak “time and space” to finish negotiations with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol, as warnings grew of potential ministerial resignations.Sunak has been told he is facing the possibility ministers may quit if his deal does not significantly rewrite the protocol or remove any powers for the European court of justice. Continue reading...

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Opposition set to move for an investigation into how prepared Victoria was for last year’s flooding crisis

The Merchant of Venice 1936 among four plays to feature at RSC’s reopened Swan theatre this summerA new take on Shakespeare’s controversial play The Merchant of Venice, set in London’s East End in the 1930s as the threat of fascism looms, will be among four plays to feature at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s reopened Swan theatre this summer.The Merchant of Venice 1936 is “breathtakingly honest about the antisemitism described in [Shakespeare’s] play, and its new setting in 1930s Cable Street reveals a shameful slice of our history,” said Erica Whyman, the RSC’s acting artistic director. Continue reading...

Opening weekend of Australia’s biggest arts festival largely ignored by hometown paper which says it’s covering event on its merits

In-store betting company looks to take on foreign-owned bookies by prioritising recently launched digital gambling app

Rwanda is the only other country to have had a visit cancelled, with Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner calling decision ‘disappointing’