Top story: More than 10,000 dead in Mariupol, mayor says
Good morning. I’m Virginia Harrison and these are today’s top stories.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has voiced concerns that Russian forces are preparing “a new stage of terror” that could involve the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
“Today the occupiers issued a new statement, which testifies to their preparation for a new stage of terror against Ukraine and our defenders,” Zelenskiy said on Tuesday. “One of the mouthpieces of the occupiers stated that they could use chemical weapons against the defenders of Mariupol. We take this as seriously as possible.”
Ukrainian authorities on Monday claimed Russia dropped a drone carrying a toxic substance on the southern port city but the report has not been confirmed. UK foreign secretary Liz Truss said work was under way to verify the claim, adding: “Any use of such weapons would be a callous escalation in this conflict and we will hold [Vladimir] Putin and his regime to account.”
The comments came as the mayor of Mariupol said that more than 10,000 civilians had died so far in the Russian siege of the city. In an interview with the Associated Press, Vadym Boychenko said the death toll could surpass 20,000, with weeks of attacks and privation leaving the bodies of Mariupol’s people “carpeted through the streets”. Amid signs of a possible major Russian military offensive in Ukraine’s east, intelligence services and Iraqi militias told the Guardian the Kremlin was receiving munitions and military hardware sourced from Iraq for its war effort. You can read our at-a-glance guide to the Russian invasion, or follow all the latest developments on our liveblog.
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‘Rank hypocrisy’ – Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of “rank hypocrisy” and questioned the ability of super-rich politicians to relate to the public, as No 10 came under pressure to reveal if any other ministers had used schemes to avoid tax. In an interview with the Guardian amid controversy over the tax status of Sunak’s wife, Starmer said having a spouse who was a non-dom would create a “very obvious conflict of interest” for any cabinet minister. He called on the prime minister to make clear that no other cabinet ministers had taken advantage of non-dom status, used tax havens or benefited from offshore trusts. Sunak has referred himself to the adviser on ministerial interests for an inquiry, and his wife, Akshata Murty, last week said she would pay all UK tax on foreign earnings in future. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, also admitted on Sunday to having been a non-dom for six years while a banker, before he was an MP.
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Khan verdict – MPs have expressed outrage over comments made by the Conservative MP Crispin Blunt about the guilty verdict in Imran Ahmad Khan’s sexual assault trial. Blunt, the MP for Reigate since 1997 and chair of the all-party parliamentary group on LGBT+ rights, said he was certain Khan was innocent and that the trial “was nothing short of an international scandal”. Khan, the MP for Wakefield, was expelled from the Conservative party with “immediate effect” hours after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. “I am utterly appalled and distraught at the dreadful miscarriage of justice that has befallen my friend and colleague Imran Ahmad Khan,” Blunt said in a statement. Three MPs have since resigned from the APPG – Scottish National party MPs Stewart McDonald and Joanna Cherry, and Labour MP Chris Bryant. Khan was already sitting as an independent MP after the Conservative whip was suspended before his trial, and he may be able to continue in the role for some time while he appeals against the verdict. The firm representing Khan, Janes Solicitors, said he maintained his innocence and would “be appealing as soon as possible”.
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Pass the painkillers - Almost one in six people around the world have a headache on any given day, with about half of those experiencing a migraine, researchers have found. Headache disorders can be painful and debilitating and have myriad causes, from stress to over-use of medications such as painkillers. Now a large scale review has highlighted just how common such conditions are. The results, published in the Journal of Headache and Pain, suggest more than half of the world’s population – 52% – have an active headache disorder, typically described as experiencing some type of headache during the past year.
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Wild swimming – A stretch of the Thames is to get bathing status for the first time, in an attempt to ensure the water becomes safe and clean for swimming. Part of the Wolvercote Mill Stream at Port Meadow in Oxford, an area popular with wild swimmers, will be only the second inland stretch of water to be officially designated as bathing water from next month. Last year, a stretch of the River Wharfe in Ilkley, Yorkshire, became the first river in England to be given bathing status in the hope it would pressure water companies to stop discharging sewage into the picturesque site.
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Sport
Rory McIlroy has been dejected enough times when exiting on to Washington Road via Magnolia Lane that he is entitled to savour a sense of harmony after leaving Augusta National this year. Tiger Woods has ranked playing four rounds at Augusta as one of his greatest achievements and confirmed he will be at St Andrews. Fresh claims have emerged regarding the incident that contributed to the omission of Mike Brown and Ben Te’o from Eddie Jones’s squad in the lead-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and in effect brought the international careers of both players to an abrupt close. The Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, has issued a scathing assessment of the former Formula One race director Michael Masi, whose actions were decisive in denying Lewis Hamilton a potential eighth championship last season. The Tunisian Olympic sailor Eya Guezguez has died in a training accident at the age of 17, the International Olympic Committee has announced. The England captain, Leah Williamson, has described Northern Ireland as a “serious contender” ahead of the Lionesses’ World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park on Tuesday evening.
Business
Growth in UK retail sales slowed last month as fears over the rising cost of living led to the sharpest drop in consumer confidence since the 2008 financial crisis, according to industry data. The British Retail Consortium said total sales rose by 3.1% in March compared with the same month a year earlier, significantly down on the 6.7% increase in February and 12-month average growth rate of 10.3%. The pound is buying $1.302 and 1.197.
The papers
The war in Ukraine fills several front pages. The Metro has “The last stand” in its report on the besieged city of Mariupol. The i newspaper splashes with “Revealed: Putin’s plan to resettle Ukrainians” and the FT has “Ukraine appeals for financial aid to survive wounds of Russia’s war”.
The Guardian leads with its Keir Starmer interview: “Sunak an ‘out of touch’ hypocrite over tax avoidance, says Starmer” is the headline. The Mail has “Emergency bid to avert Easter airport chaos” while the Times goes for “Summer of travel chaos warning for passengers”. The Telegraph reports “GPs told to work late to avoid A&E chaos”.
The Mirror leads on the cost of living crisis with the headline “We’ll never put on our heating again”. The Express has “Rescue package pleas for millions facing £1K bills hike”. The Sun’s headline reads “We’ll cut your fingers off”, alleging that a gang threatened to torture ex-footballer Ashley Cole.
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