General news

• Cyclone Gabrielle: child among four dead in New Zealand storms as regions remain cut off

  14-02-2023 23:58 via theguardian.com
  
  North Island wakes to devastation, as flood waters continue to rise, hundreds rescued from rooftops and more than 10,000 people displaced New Zealand was attempting to come to grips with the extent of destruction from Cyclone Gabrielle, as the severe weather system moves away from the country, leaving behind high flood waters, widespread damage, more than 10,000 displaced and at least four dead, including one child.The child’s body was found on Wednesday afternoon in Eskdale, Hawkes Bay. T
  
  Read more

• ‘You want the title? OK, fight’: Guardiola challenges Arsenal before City clash

  14-02-2023 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  City will top Premier League on goal difference with win‘Take it. It’s in our hands. We’ll defend this title until the last day’Pep Guardiola has told Arsenal they will have to “fight” to take the Premier League title from Manchester City as the teams prepare to meet on Wednesday night.Victory for City at Arsenal would make them leaders on goal difference, although Mikel Arteta’s team will have a game in hand. Guardiola’s side hope to secure the ti
  
  Read more

• Karen Carney says review of women’s football will ‘leave no stone unturned’

  14-02-2023 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Ian Wright and Hope Powell among experts includedGame could become closed American-style leagueKaren Carney says her government-commissioned review of women’s football will focus on building the game up from its foundations, as she announced Ian Wright, Hope Powell and the head of the NFL in Europe, Brett Gosper, as part of an expert panel offering guidance.Carney is continuing to gather evidence and remains open-minded as to the outcome, saying it would be “naive” not to consi
  
  Read more

• Two arrested over suspected malicious messages in Nicola Bulley case

  14-02-2023 23:23 via theguardian.com
  
  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 communication
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• January 6 rioter who used stun gun on officer Michael Fanone pleads guilty

  14-02-2023 23:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Daniel Rodriguez, 40, from California, admitted his part in violent assault of then Metropolitan police officerA California man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to using a stun gun to attack Michael Fanone, the Washington DC police officer who was seriously injured while trying to defend the US Capitol from Donald Trump’s supporters on 6 January 2021.Daniel Rodriguez, 40, of Fontana, admitted to taking part in the violent assault on Fanone, now a former Metropolitan police officer, after another
  
  Read more

• Brahim Díaz gives Milan narrow advantage over Tottenham in last 16

  14-02-2023 23:08 via theguardian.com
  
  For Antonio Conte, it had been easy to wonder which Tottenham would turn up for the biggest game of the season so far. The team that outplayed and beat Manchester City on the Sunday before last? Or the one which collapsed at Leicester on Saturday?Conte has craved consistency, a little stability and it was not for nothing on Monday night that he likened life at the club to a rollercoaster. This was the latest ride. The manager, who continues to recover from the after-effects of his gallbladder re
  
  Read more

• Kingsley Coman returns to haunt PSG and give Bayern Munich the edge

  14-02-2023 23:07 via theguardian.com
  
  For the last few weeks Paris has been gripped by stories of superstar players wanting to leave this place. For an hour at the Parc des Princes it was easy to sympathise, as a Paris Saint-Germain team with Neymar and Lionel Messi installed as a walking-football front two produced a horribly constipated performance en route to a 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich that threatens to deadhead their season before the end of February.The emir of Qatar was in Paris to watch this last-16 first leg, hotfooting i
  
  Read more

• Inside Our Autistic Minds review – this beautiful documentary will make you see the world differently

  14-02-2023 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Chris Packham gives autistic people the chance to make a film about their life, and the results are deeply moving. It’s a charming, powerful watch that’s hugely intimate‘What I see is different,” says Chris Packham as he introduces Inside Our Autistic Minds (BBC Two). The naturalist is in his natural habitat, a woodland scene, which looks lush and peaceful but is, Packham explains, a lot for him to take, because he sees not just a vista of nice trees but all the connectio
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Amazon deploys fleet of self-driving robotaxis on California streets

  14-02-2023 22:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Online retailer has been aggressively expanding into driverless technology and bought the startup ZooxAmazon is testing a fleet of robotaxis on public roads in California, using employees as passengers, as the tech behemoth moves closer to a commercial service for the general public.The online retailer has been aggressively expanding into self-driving technology and bought the self-driving startup Zoox for $1.3bn in 2020. A test conducted on 11 February saw the robotaxis successfully drive betwe
  
  Read more

• West Papuan separatists release video of New Zealand pilot they took hostage

  14-02-2023 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  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
  
  Read more

• Pharrell Williams named as creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear

  14-02-2023 22:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Musician and entrepreneur is second Black American designer to hold position at French luxury house after Virgil AblohThe American musician and fashion entrepreneur Pharrell Williams has been named the creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear.The role was previously held by Virgil Abloh who died in November 2021. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Brianna Ghey: candles and flower tributes laid at vigil for trans teenager

  14-02-2023 21:40 via theguardian.com
  
  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 &ld
  
  Read more

• Tiger Woods expects awkward Masters champions dinner with LIV rebels

  14-02-2023 21:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Woods makes PGA Tour return this week at Genesis InvitationalFormer world No 1: ‘I don’t know what the reaction’s going to be’Tiger Woods has admitted this year’s champions dinner at Augusta National will inevitably involve awkward moments as he comes face-to-face with LIV rebels.Speaking ahead of this week’s Genesis Invitational, where he will make a first playing appearance since last summer’s Open Championship, Woods implied he fully intends to tee up
  
  Read more

• New on the menu: Subway sandwich chain explores potential sale

  14-02-2023 21:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Franchise company, with more than 37,000 restaurants in over 100 countries, could be valued at more than $10bnFast-food chain Subway has put itself on the menu – announcing on Tuesday it is exploring a possible sale of its business after 58 years of family control.After years of rapid growth, rising costs and mounting competition from rivals have taken their toll on the company in recent years, but it still has more than 37,000 restaurants in over 100 countries – making it one of the
  
  Read more

• Hunt for mysterious object shot down in remote Yukon faces daunting odds

  14-02-2023 21:09 via theguardian.com
  
  The Canadian territory is an aircraft graveyard – now the difficult search is on for a downed unidentified craft in its vast environsThe rugged, “unpeopled” landscape of Canada’s Yukon territory is a graveyard for aircraft, with more than 500 planes crashing in its forests, mountains and lakes over the years.Now, Canada’s military and police, alongside their US counterparts, are searching the unforgiving landscape in midwinter for a mysterious object recently shot o
  
  Read more

• US officials arrest four more people over assassination of Haitian president

  14-02-2023 21:02 via theguardian.com
  
  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 t
  
  Read more

• Steve Bell on Sunak’s plan to defend against spy balloons – cartoon

  14-02-2023 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Legal victory in UK Japanese knotweed case could lead to more claims

  14-02-2023 20:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Court of appeal ruled homeowner could recover loss of value even if knotweed has been treated A 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...
  
  Read more

• Wayne Couzens’ crimes should change way we see indecent exposure, experts say

  14-02-2023 20:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Academics and criminologists say we need to stop seeing non-contact offending as a ‘nuisance offence’Wayne Couzens is the “worst case example” of why indecent exposure offences need to be taken more seriously, experts have said.The former Metropolitan police firearms officer is serving a whole-life term for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021. At the Old Bailey on Monday, the 50-year-old admitted a string of flashing offences, including exposing him
  
  Read more

• Council removes part of Banksy domestic violence artwork

  14-02-2023 20:09 via theguardian.com
  
  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...
  
  Read more

• Rust to resume filming with Alec Baldwin and new cinematographer

  14-02-2023 19:45 via theguardian.com
  
  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 lif
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on the Knowsley riot: a wake-up call for Whitehall | Editorial

  14-02-2023 19:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Performative government rhetoric on migration has handed an opportunity to the far rightThe spectacle of a torched police van outside a Merseyside hotel, and a mob chanting “get them out” at asylum seekers cowering inside, should provoke profound soul-searching in the Home Office. Amid evidence that far-right groups are monitoring hotels accommodating migrants, and after the recent petrol bomb attack on a Dover immigration centre, Friday night’s disorder in Knowsley must be a w
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on Labour’s plans for self-referral: approach with caution | Editorial

  14-02-2023 19:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Letting more patients bypass GPs and refer themselves to specialists risks heaping pressure on a system already in crisisIt’s a story that most people in England are familiar with: you ring the GP to book an appointment and are put on hold, only to be informed 20 minutes later that all the slots that day have been taken. Many people are struggling to book GP appointments and therefore waiting longer to be referred to specialist clinics. Satisfaction with GP services has fallen sharply, and
  
  Read more

• Nicola Bulley: Arrests over malicious messages to councillors

  14-02-2023 19:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man and a woman are arrested after councillors receive abusive messages over the missing mother.
  
  Read more

• Man who stole 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs convicted

  14-02-2023 19:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The 32-year-old surrenders to police with his hands up, a court hears.
  
  Read more

• Prepare for wave of extraterrestrial sightings in UK, say UFO experts

  14-02-2023 19:25 via theguardian.com
  
  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...
  
  Read more

• Nicola Bulley: Arrests over malicious messages to Wyre councillors

  14-02-2023 19:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man and a woman are arrested after Wyre councillors receive abusive messages over the missing mum.
  
  Read more

• British man dies in Ukraine, says Foreign Office

  14-02-2023 19:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  He becomes the eighth British man to die in Ukraine since the Russian invasion last year.
  
  Read more

• Wayne Couzens: Police misconduct cases over indecent exposure reports

  14-02-2023 19:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of his offences was committed four days before the then-Met PC abducted Sarah Everard.
  
  Read more

• As Rishi Sunak concludes tortuous NI deal, Boris Johnson watches and waits

  14-02-2023 19:07 via theguardian.com
  
  The prime minister has an easier ride than his predecessors on a deal with Brussels – provided Johnson likes itRishi Sunak is approaching what might be his toughest party management challenge yet – the conclusion of a long negotiation to find a way through the tortuous issue of the Northern Ireland protocol.But his being able to his MPs in line is likely to depend hugely on whether Boris Johnson sees the protocol as his moment to stage a key intervention that could launch a potential
  
  Read more

• Met police officer accused of sexually assaulting woman at home

  14-02-2023 19:06 via theguardian.com
  
  PC Fabian Aguilar-Delgado allegedly ‘groped’ defendant after call to deal with domestic incident in CroydonAn on-duty Metropolitan police officer sexually assaulted a woman at home after a call to deal with a domestic incident, a court has heard.Southwark crown court, south London, heard the alleged assault occurred after PC Fabian Aguilar-Delgado, 40, offered to search her house in Croydon for her abusive ex-partner while his colleague was in the car outside. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• ‘Worst party in town’: abusive audiences force UK musicals to tone down ads

  14-02-2023 18:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Theatre operators and producers changing marketing strategy as rowdy behaviour escalatesPopular musicals will be told to avoid phrases such as “best party in town” and “dancing in the aisles” after growing reports of rowdy and abusive behaviour from audiences.Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the largest theatre operator in the UK, is working with producers to temper any ad campaigns that could encourage bad behaviour, the Stage reported. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Wood burning air pollution in UK has doubled in a decade

  14-02-2023 18:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Experts say wood burners have become ‘middle-class status symbols’ and government should regulate sale in urban areasEmissions of toxic air pollution from wood burning in UK homes has more than doubled in the past decade, according to official government statistics.The report also showed that solid fuel burning in homes, which includes a small proportion of coal, is the single biggest source of PM2.5 pollution, which refers to particulate matter that is smaller than 2.5 microns in si
  
  Read more

• Seven more people rescued in Turkey eight days after earthquake

  14-02-2023 18:33 via theguardian.com
  
  The survivors, including two teenagers, saved as rescue teams look to next phase of aidSeven more people have been rescued eight days after a massive earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, but hopes of finding further survivors of what the World Health Organization called the worst natural disaster in 100 years in its 53-country Europe region are dwindling.As a UN aid convoy entered stricken north-west Syria through a new crossing, the combined death toll rose to nearly 38,000, including 31,974 in Tur
  
  Read more

• What is the BBC Modi documentary and why is it so controversial?

  14-02-2023 18:32 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘India: the Modi Question’, examining2002 sectarian riots, comes at sensitive time for prime minister• BBC offices in India raidedA BBC documentary on the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi’s, actions during deadly sectarian riots in 2002 continues to cause controversy, with the British broadcaster’s offices raided by India’s tax officials on Tuesday. What is the documentary and why has it proved so contentious? Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• We’re ready to talk covertly about Brexit failure – but still far from ready to fix it | Martin Kettle

  14-02-2023 18:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Contrary to what leavers say, it’s not a betrayal to discuss Brexit’s shortcomings – but it should be done openlyIn a life-enhancing essay that confirms, if nothing else, that he would have been the all-time ideal dinner party guest, Robert Louis Stevenson writes that to talk with others about the affairs of the day is to “bear our part in that great international congress, always sitting, where public wrongs are first declared, public errors first corrected, and the cour
  
  Read more

• Ford to cut one in five jobs in the UK

  14-02-2023 18:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The carmaker will cut 1,300 jobs, mainly at its research and development site in Essex.
  
  Read more

• Invest in arts subjects to protect our children’s futures | Letters

  14-02-2023 18:08 via theguardian.com
  
  There is a harmful disconnect between the Tories’ education policy and the country’s economic and social needs, says Michele Gregson. Plus letters from Mike Tucker and Dr Reg OrslerAs your editorial (The Guardian view on arts education: a creativity crisis, 7 February) made clear, the creative arts are a cultural, social and economic success story for the UK, and yet they have been under attack for more than a decade. The essential contribution that the arts make to the health, wealt
  
  Read more

• Manchester United fans, let’s fight takeover by Qatar | Letter

  14-02-2023 18:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Kathryn Fletcher says United and City fans should pull together in protest against the sportswashing of human rights abuses in the UAE and QatarYour article (Manchester United Q&A: could Qatari investors realistically buy the club?, 8 February) addresses questions surrounding the possible takeover of Manchester United by Qatar. It focuses on the Uefa ownership rules as a potential stumbling block, but ignores human rights (the very issue featured in the photo accompanying the article, which
  
  Read more

• Don’t trust the process: why Guardiola may unleash Haaland against Arsenal

  14-02-2023 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Part of the Manchester City’s manager siege mentality could see a switch to play to his thrillingly direct striker’s strengthsWaking from a dream, exhausted by his studies, struggling, for now, to channel the force, Pep Guardiola looks up through the misty combat cave and sees his arch adversary Mikel Arteta striding towards him, lightsaber already unsheathed and cleaving the air.Pep leaps up in fear, attacks and strikes down his nemesis. Stepping forward tenderly, he stoops to see t
  
  Read more

• ‘Every day is doomsday’: how a food bank is struggling to keep up

  14-02-2023 17:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Not only is demand even greater than it was year ago, but rampant inflation means the pound is buying less The shelves should be chock-a-block with baked beans, soup and tuna but it looks as if someone has played Supermarket Sweep and Angela Gardiner admits she has never seen supplies at the food bank so depleted.“I have never seen it like this,” Gardiner says, pointing to yawning gaps on the blue racks filling the unit at the Canterbury food bank, where she is operations director. &
  
  Read more

• Brexit created frictions in trade, says work and pensions secretary Mel Stride

  14-02-2023 17:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Mel Stride tells the BBC Brexit brought "major opportunities" but they are taking time to appear.
  
  Read more

• Nuneaton development to be named after Larry Grayson

  14-02-2023 17:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The leisure and culture complex is set for Nuneaton, where the late entertainer lived.
  
  Read more

• Man facing jail over theft of almost 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs

  14-02-2023 17:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Joby Pool used a stolen tractor to tow away the chocolate and is expected to be imprisoned for about two yearsA chocolate thief is facing jail after admitting he stole almost 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs in a heist worth more than £31,000.Joby Pool, 32, dubbed “the Easter bunny” by police, used a stolen lorry cab to make off with chocolate after breaking into a Telford industrial unit with a metal grinder on Saturday. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Controversial diamond won't be used in coronation

  14-02-2023 17:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Camilla's coronation crown will not feature the disputed Koh-i-Noor diamond, says Buckingham Palace.
  
  Read more

• Will George Santos’s dog scandals finally bring him down? | Arwa Mahdawi

  14-02-2023 17:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Mitt Romney has called the US congressman a ‘sick puppy’. But, more broadly, the GOP has made itself a home for those who mock honesty and decencyThere are lies, there are damned lies, and then there is George Santos’s CV. In the short time that he has been in the public eye, the 34-year-old Republican congressman from New York has been accused of fabricating almost every facet of his life. During his election campaign, Santos claimed to be a “proud American Jew” wh
  
  Read more

• Welsh road building projects stopped after failing climate review

  14-02-2023 17:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Only 15 schemes reassessed by expert roads review panelunder ‘world-leading’ policy will go aheadDozens of road building projects across Wales have been halted or amended as part of a “groundbreaking” policy that reassessed more than 50 schemes against a series of tough tests on their impact on the climate emergency.Only 15 of the projects reviewed by an expert roads review panel will go ahead in their original form, with others scaled back, postponed or in some cases she
  
  Read more

• S Club 7 reunion: Bringing 'joy and positivity' on 25th anniversary comeback tour

  14-02-2023 17:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The pop group, who last performed in 2015, are coming together again for a series of UK gigs.
  
  Read more

• ‘Is it time to reframe romance?’: Otegha Uwagba on her Valentine’s Day vibe shift

  14-02-2023 17:04 via theguardian.com
  
  In her final column, the bestselling author reflects on how romance isn’t dead, it just needs to be packaged differentlyThe most romantic meal I’ve ever had was eaten entirely on my own.Years ago, on a solo trip to Barcelona, ostensibly to finish working on a book proposal, I found myself dining alone, sitting outside at a little neighbourhood restaurant as the heat of the day faded into a quiet evening. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Banksy Margate Valentine's Day artwork has piece removed within hours

  14-02-2023 17:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A part of the artwork, a fridge freezer, will return "once it has been made safe", a council says.
  
  Read more

Follow @GeneralnewsUK on Twitter!