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Hastie, giving evidence in defamation trial, also claims Roberts-Smith’s reported version of Afghanistan mission was an ‘alternate universe’

Exclusive: League says after ‘a number’ of allegations about McCrory’s work it will launch an independent review of his research and advice

President urges people to ‘come from your offices, your homes, your schools and universities’ to support Ukraine

Duke of Cambridge also ‘forever grateful’ to Windrush generation for contribution to postwar reconstruction and British lifeThe Duke of Cambridge has expressed “profound sorrow” for the “appalling atrocity of slavery” during an address to Jamaica’s prime minister and other dignitaries that stopped short of the apology activists had demanded.“Slavery was abhorrent and it never should have happened,” Prince William said. “I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history.” Continue reading...

Former housing minister accused of ‘postcode snobbery’ after saying there is ‘no point’ putting disadvantaged families in ‘best street in Brighton’

Prime minister says Houston’s resignation is ‘entirely appropriate’ after alleged inappropriate behaviour

Report finds intervention by energy minister Angus Taylor led to ‘mountain of oversupply’ and many projects will now be paused

Community deserves to know the truth about steelworker turned art donor Bronius ‘Bob’ Sredersas, Jewish leader says• ‘I am Bob. Just Bob’: could a Wollongong folk hero have had a Nazi past?

Francia Márquez, 40, an environmental campaigner who has survived at least one assassination attempt, is leftist Gustavo Petro’s running mateShe is an Afro-Colombian environmental crusader who has faced down untold death threats and survived at least one assassination attempt to become one of the leading lights of Latin America’s new left.Now, Francia Márquez, 39, could be on the verge of becoming Colombia’s next vice-president after the leftist frontrunner, Gustavo Petro, picked her as his running mate – a move that has thrilled progressives and civil rights activists across the region. Continue reading...

Hospitality, manufacturing and haulage sectors say spring statement falls far short of the help needed

PM criticised for chuckling and pulling a face while chancellor paid tribute to Ukrainian peopleBoris Johnson was accused of “buffoonish” behaviour for chuckling and pulling a face while the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, spoke in the Commons of the terrifying ordeal faced by millions of Ukrainians.As Sunak began his spring statement, Johnson appeared to relax having just faced half an hour of prime minister’s questions. Continue reading...

Proposals for an entertainment venue with the biggest LED screen in the world have been accepted despite oppositionAn east London music venue as wide as the London Eye and as tall as Big Ben has been approved by planners, despite opposition from thousands of local people.The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) made the decision about the MSG Sphere, a live entertainment concept from New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG) company, on Tuesday night. It would be built on an empty spot of land between Stratford station and the Olympic Park, but has not yet been approved by the mayor. Continue reading...

Analysis: Chancellor trying to distance deliberate political choices from declining living standardsRishi Sunak’s spring statement opened by summoning the power of free societies and open markets, as a counterpoint to Russian aggression in Ukraine. “What the authoritarian mind perceives as division, we know are the passionate disagreements at the heart of our living, breathing democracy,” he said.It was a Thatcherite rhetorical flourish aimed at stirring his supporters on the Conservativezx backbenches, but also framed the statement as a response to the war, which Sunak said had made the UK’s economy more fragile and underlined the need for “security” at home. Continue reading...

At least nine UK councils have severed arrangements with Russian cities in protest at war in UkraineCoventry, which has voted to suspend its 80-year connection with Volgograd, joins at least eight other UK councils in severing twinning arrangements with Russian cities in protest at Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.But Canterbury remains twinned with Vladimir, 120 miles east of Moscow. A spokesperson for Canterbury city council stressed that the arrangement had nothing to do with the council and was the sole responsibility of the Canterbury Three Cities Association. Continue reading...

The Kremlin’s climate envoy resigns from government in highest-ranking defection yet

Five plaintiffs said they were promised ‘paradise on Earth’ in North but endured decades of abuseA Tokyo court has rejected a lawsuit filed by five people seeking compensation from North Korea for what they said was decades of abuse after they were lured there by Pyongyang’s false promise of living in the “paradise on Earth”.The five plaintiffs, including ethnic Koreans and Japanese who moved to North Korea under a 1959-1984 repatriation programme and later fled, filed the lawsuit in 2018 seeking 100m yen (about £625,000 today) each in compensation over what they said was illegal “solicitation and detainment”. Continue reading...

The award-winning film, with a predominantly deaf cast, will be turned into a ‘signed and sung live adaptation’Award-winning drama Coda is set to become a stage musical.The $10m-budgeted film, bought by Apple for $25m at 2021’s Sundance film festival, will be turned into a live production by the Tony award-winning company Deaf West Theatre. The non-profit is best known for acclaimed productions of Big River and Spring Awakening. Continue reading...

Moscow dispatched military doctors, PPE and ventilators to Italy early in coronavirus pandemic

Family of late boxer Willy Collins disputes claim over huge marble tribute in Shiregreen cemeteryA row has reportedly broken out between a bereaved family and a council after a 37-tonne marble memorial to a former bare-knuckle boxer featuring a solar-powered jukebox was erected in a cemetery in Sheffield.Sheffield City council said the family of Willy Collins, who died aged 49 in July 2020 after collapsing while on holiday in Majorca, did not seek permission to build the tribute, according to the Sheffield Star. Continue reading...

Officials hope retrieval of one of two onboard flight recorders will shed light on crash in mountainous area of GuangxiChinese recovery crews have found one of the two black box flight recorders from the China Eastern Airlines jet that crashed on Monday with 132 people on board, regulators have said.The domestic passenger plane plunged from more than 20,000ft into a mountainous area of Guangxi, sparking an intense bamboo fire and almost disintegrating on impact. Response officials said the circumstances of the crash meant investigators faced “a very high level of difficulty” in establishing a cause. Continue reading...

In England last year a home cost an average of 9.1 times earnings – up from 7.9 in 2020House price rises outstripped wage growth in more than 90% of England and Wales last year, according to official data that prompted talk of a possible full-blown “affordability crisis”.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said house prices grew faster than earnings in 91% of local authority districts in 2021. Continue reading...

Company bows to pressure from shoppers, activists and political figures to suspend brandsNestlé has bowed to pressure and stopped the local production and sales of non-essential goods such as KitKats and Nesquik in Russia.The food and drinks group announced earlier this week that it had stopped the import and export of non-essential goods but said on Wednesday that it was also stopping the vast majority of its local production of such items including coffee, confectionery and pet food. Only production of a limited number of essential items, such as baby food, food for hospital use and some basic pet food will now continue. Continue reading...

Trial hears there was no security in place at church hall where Amess was holding constituency surgeryThe alleged killer of David Amess had a look of “self satisfaction” and “smugness” as he was led away by police after assassinating the veteran Conservative MP, a court has heard.Julie Cushion, an aide to the MP, told of her horror as Amess was attacked as he held a constituency surgery in a church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Continue reading...

An open letter to the foreign secretary says proposed changes to Britain’s development strategy are shortsighted and dangerousBritain’s proposed cuts to foreign aid on healthcare, conflict prevention and the climate crisis could cost lives, more than 200 NGOs warned in an open letter to the foreign secretary.A government review of the international development strategy ordered by Liz Truss is due soon but the reported restructuring of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has raised concerns about development being abandoned. Continue reading...

Water rationing imposed in besieged northern city, where about 150,000 people are also without heat and power

Regulator warns that consumers could end up funding payments to suppliers that took on customers of failed rivalsHouseholds could end up funding £2.4bn of payments to energy suppliers that took on the customers of rivals that collapsed as a result of sky-high gas prices, the energy watchdog has told MPs, as it warned a second wave of failures could be on the horizon.In evidence to the business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) select committee, Ofgem detailed the costs associated with the “supplier of last resort” system, under which customers of an energy supplier that collapses are transferred to a healthier utility company. Continue reading...

Chief justice says PPS ‘crossed the threshold of irrationality’ in deciding to discontinue murder caseA British army veteran accused of killing two civilians on Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972 may face prosecution after a high court judge quashed a decision by the public prosecution service (PPS) to drop murder charges.The chief justice, Mrs Justice Keegan, said the decision by the PPS not to continue the prosecution of Soldier F, as he is codenamed, for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney “crossed the threshold of irrationality” and was illogical. Continue reading...

Domain name is among 150 being sold off after Welcome to Yorkshire was placed into administrationKnow your rhubarb triangle from your Rudston Monolith? Enjoy giving detailed explanations about the difference between a riding and a county? Have strong opinions on levelling up?You could be in with the chance of securing a web presence to match your regional pride, as the domain name Yorkshire.com is going up for auction, following the collapse of the Yorkshire tourist board. Continue reading...

Increasing numbers of people needing hospital treatment for coronavirus, says chief medical officerThe NHS is coming under “significant” pressure amid a rise in Covid cases in virtually every area of England, the chief medical officer has warned, with hospitalisations likely to continue increasing at least until April.Prof Chris Whitty said the mounting numbers of people becoming infected was likely to be largely driven by the new Omicron variant, BA.2. The sharp resurgence of the coronavirus underlined that the crisis “is not over”, Whitty added. Continue reading...

PM tells MPs ferry firm could face fine as its boss finally apologises over sudden firing of 800 staffBoris Johnson said it looks as though P&O Ferries broke the law when it suddenly sacked 800 workers, and the government will be taking action.The prime minister said if found guilty, the company could face fines running into the millions. Continue reading...

Council suspends 80-year link with Russian city and says it is exploring options for twinning with Mariupol

Richard Walker says some UK households cannot afford the energy to boil root vegetablesSome food bank users are declining to accept products such as potatoes as they cannot afford the energy to boil them, the boss of the supermarket Iceland has said, as the soaring cost of living pushes vulnerable groups to the financial brink.Richard Walker, who says the 1,000-stores in the budget chain are in the “poorest communities in the UK”, also called on the government to help businesses that are being forced to increase prices significantly as their own costs dramatically increase. Continue reading...

Former president rejects PM’s conference remarks, saying ‘zero’ citizens died over vote to leave EU

New route offers children of those born on islands right to be British overseas territory citizens or British citizensDescendants of people born in the Chagos Islands will have a new route to British nationality, the government has announced.Direct descendants of Chagossians who were born on the islands that now form part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, and who are not already Britishoverseas territory citizens (BOTCs) or British citizens, will be able to apply for both forms of British nationality, the Home Office said. Continue reading...

Inquest hears Clarke confided to boss about ‘domestic violence’ and feared estranged husband

Maharashtra government criticised over prop for health workers to demonstrate how to put on a condomA rubber penis that health workers are using as part of a family planning kit to demonstrate how to put on a condom has sparked anger in rural India, where sex remains a taboo subject.Some members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) have demanded that the kits be withdrawn and an apology offered to the health workers. One BJP state legislator, Chitra Kishor Wagh, said the Maharashtra government, which introduced the kit, “has lost its mind”. His colleague, Akash Bhundkar, wanted the government to apologise to the health workers for the “embarrassment” it had caused them. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy voices concerns for seized humanitarian convoy and decries ‘constant bombing’ of besieged Mariupol

National survey finds one in six students have been sexually harassed, with gender diverse students affected worst

Europe and North Atlantic alliance could never return to the world it knew before the Ukraine invasion, says Jonatan VseviovEstonia is calling for Nato to abandon its current “tripwire” posture in eastern Europe and build up a permanent force in the region capable of stopping a Russian offensive.Ahead of Thursday’s Nato summit, Jonatan Vseviov, the permanent secretary of the Estonian foreign ministry, said the Europe and the North Atlantic alliance could never return to the world it knew before the 24 February Russian invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Sydney’s Hornsby Shire Council says political stickers could ‘cause confusion’ and prevent waste pickup

Amanda Melling’s visit follows fears UK tax havens may offer loophole for those trying to avoid clampdownA Foreign Office minister has flown to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to hold urgent discussions on how sanctions against Russian oligarchs with cash stored in the secretive islands can be implemented, amid fears. UK tax havens may provide a loophole for those trying to escape the international clampdown.Amanda Milling’s visit follows news that a succession of oligarchs appeared to have hidden their assets in trusts based in the BVI in a bid to put them beyond reach of UK sanctions. British sanctions laws apply in the overseas territories, and enforcement officers are supposed to have full access to registers of beneficial ownerships. Continue reading...

MPs and charity criticise ‘appalling’ treatment of teenagers following closure of privately run centreThree girls have been held in an all-boys prison for at least eight months owing to “appalling” and systemic failures in the prison system, MPs and campaigners have said.The girls, aged 15 to 18, were transferred to the UK’s biggest prison for boys following the enforced closure of a privately run centre for safety reasons last year, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading...

Former players, including Evonne Goolagong Cawley, join fans from Australia and around the globe in paying tribute to world No 1 after decision to leave game

Staffer for Australian political party alleges misuse of donations, nepotism, and ‘big problem with women’ in widely-shared resignation email

Ukraine president says conditions are ‘inhumane’ in devastated southern city, and accuses Russian forces of seizing convoy on humanitarian corridor

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Motion thanking community should not be ‘political’ and reference to climate change was ‘piss poor’, councillor says

Full-time income of a single parent worker not enough for essential expenses, Australian Aged Care Collaboration report reveals

Resignation comes after internal investigations found Houston engaged in inappropriate conduct ‘of serious concern’Hillsong’s founding pastor, Brian Houston, has resigned from the megachurch he founded in Sydney two decades ago after internal investigations found he had engaged in inappropriate conduct of “serious concern” with two women.Houston stood down last Friday, but following another emergency staff meeting on Wednesday the Sydney-based church issued a brief statement announcing his resignation. Continue reading...