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It’s two months since a minister known for making headlines was given NSW’s most troubled portfolio. Some colleagues now agree with the opposition that he should go

Forces not being sent to Ukraine itself to avoid ‘existential’ war with Russia, say UK ministers

Analysis: whether tapping other suppliers or switching energy sources, there is no quick and easy option to loosen Putin’s economic grip

Russian forces enter outskirts of Kyiv and – according to the US – launch amphibious assault from Sea of Azov

Move is largely symbolic but part of attempt to highlight resolve to stand up to Russia over Ukraine

Legal hearing challenges Home Office decision to prevent prince from paying for police protection when visitingThe Duke of Sussex received “insufficient information” about a decision to change his taxpayer-funded police protection when he is in the UK, the high court has heard.Prince Harry has brought a legal challenge against the Home Office after being told he would not be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting the UK from the US – despite him offering to pay for it himself. Continue reading...

As invasion continues, people from worlds of entertainment, business and journalism voice opposition

UK watchdog says app was not clear about how data is used and it may consider ‘further regulatory action’

Garage worker, 36, pleads guilty at the start of his trial over death of schoolteacher in LondonA garage worker from Eastbourne has pleaded guilty to the “sadistic” murder of the schoolteacher Sabina Nessa in London last September.At the start of his trial at the Old Bailey in London, Koci Selamaj, 36, was asked how he wished to plead to the charge of murder. “Guilty,” he replied. Continue reading...

Russia continued to press its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, on Friday, with troops and tanks moving in from three sides. Ground forces coming from Crimea were caught on CCTV cameras as they advanced toward Kherson to the north-west. The footage shows troops stopping and climbing up the masts to point the cameras downwards

Air raid sirens wail over capital and heavy gunfire and explosions heard in residential district

The GB News man had a hot take for us, while adaptations of the same old Dickens leave me coldMondayJust over a week ago, I headed up to north London to see Spurs play Wolves. As we’d recently lost to both Chelsea (several times) and Southampton, my expectations weren’t high. Just some signs that the players vaguely recognised one another would have been nice. But even that was too much to ask. Wolves took the lead early on thanks to some chaotic defending, doubled it within 20 minutes and Tottenham never mustered a threatening shot on goal. Come the final whistle, the person in charge of the PA system immediately ramped up the music to drown out the sound of the boos from the few spectators who had bothered to stick it out to the end. On the walk back to the tube, Matthew and I wondered if the team had hit a new low. Going to matches was beginning to feel like a chore. Without even the excitement of a relegation battle to liven things up. Just an endless tide of mediocrity. Then came Saturday’s match away to Manchester City, one that took even the diehard optimists by surprise. An early goal to give you hope where previously you had none. Tick. A City equaliser to remind you it was only a matter of time before they scored again. Tick. A second goal totally against the run of play to reignite the hope. Tick. A third goal disallowed to make sure you’re not tempted to relax. Tick. A 90th-minute penalty conceded to allow City to level the game and for you to convince yourself a draw isn’t so bad and that you’re not secretly devastated. Tick. An improbable 95th minute winner to steal all three points. Tick. This was Classic Spurs. One week seemingly useless and unable to see where their next win is coming from and the next beating the best team in Europe. And nothing in between. It’s why I love and support the team. But God it feels exhausting. Continue reading...

Programme that involves small communities bidding for slice of €420m fund sparks controversy and divisionPerched on a rock surrounded by a vast nature reserve, the hilltop hamlet of Trevinano sent tremors across the Lazio region when it was announced this month that it and its 142 residents were in line for €20m (£16.73m) from a Covid recovery fund to save small villages on the verge of extinction – equal to a whopping €140,845 per resident.“This initiative is generating a lot of envy and bad feeling,” said Alessandra Terrosi, the mayor of Trevinano, who has the responsibility for spending the millions before 2026, when the funding programme ends. The hamlet’s good fortune has fuelled rancour among its neighbours who missed out, raised questions over how efficiently Italy will invest some of the €191bn coming its way from the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund and had critics asking if €20m is just too much money for one small village. Continue reading...

Britain’s edgiest crime drama is about to return – and this time its scope is bigger than ever. Ashley Walters, Little Simz, Kano and more discuss turning Drake down, the call of Hollywood and not depicting BLMYou know a show has made it when it’s prepared to say no to its main backer, especially when that backer is a megastar rapper who is singlehandedly responsible for the show even being on TV. “When we first met Drake to talk to him about helping us to revive the series, he said, ‘Look, I’d love to be in it!’” says Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett, but this offer gave him a problem. “If Drake were to appear, it would have been a distraction. It would be hard to maintain Top Boy’s level of authenticity – so it didn’t happen.”Since its launch in 2011, Top Boy has had a reputation for an unblinking depiction of the drug trade rife on inner-London estates. Soon, viewers will be treated to its second, hyper-realistic season on Netflix, nine years after it was cancelled by Channel 4 following two runs. Longtime fan Drake helped convince Netflix to commission the series, becoming executive producer along the way. It was also helped by calls from fans – including famous ones. When Kane “Kano” Robinson, the grime musician who plays gang leader Sully in the show, met Noel Gallagher, the first thing Gallagher said was: “When’s Top Boy coming back?’” Continue reading...

The director of The Arbor and The Selfish Giant returns to her favourite city for her new film. She talks about celebrating lives on the margins and how an ice-rink kiss changed her lifeWould you like coffee?” Clio Barnard asks. “Is goat’s milk OK?” Ooh, that sounds exciting, I say. “There’s oat milk, too.” Barnard is scouring the fridge. “We’ve even got regular cow milk.” It’s early morning when I arrive at her house. Though, as she explains repeatedly, it’s not her house – she’s just renting it while working in London and Essex. It reminds me of Ali & Ava, her lovely new film. Every time Ali tells his friends that Ava is a teacher, she corrects him with “teaching assistant”. Details are important to Barnard.“Right, would you like some breakfast?” She couldn’t be a warmer host. Then we sit down to talk, and suddenly she’s a bag of nerves. She loses her words, apologises for going blank, and looks to her producer Tracy O’Riordan for support. She eyes my recorder enviously. “I’d much rather be the person with the tape machine on the table asking you questions.” She pauses. “I’m quite a shy person, Simon.” Continue reading...

Ukraine is expecting Putin’s tanks to attack Kyiv and citizens have been urged to resist Russian forces

Thirteen border guards died in air and sea bombardment on Snake Island in Black Sea after refusing to surrender

Last week tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and Canadian asset management company Brookfield launched their extraordinary takeover bid for energy generator and retailer AGL. AGL is Australia's largest energy provider as well as largest polluter. Guardian Australia's environment editor Adam Morton breaks down the elements in the proposal and explains the strategy behind the consortium's offer

The British writer on discovering Barthes, channelling Burroughs and appreciating the talents of Patricia Highsmith’s Mr RipleyMy earliest reading memory

Musicians and their crew used to be notorious for their booze and drug consumption on tour. Now, however – partly thanks to the pandemic – there’s support for those who would rather try to stay soberRandy Blythe, frontman of the US metal band Lamb of God, remembers the first time he performed live sober. It was 18 October 2010, and the band were opening for Metallica in Brisbane, Australia. “I was thrown into the lion’s den,” he says. “On stage in front of 14,000 people, weeping uncontrollably – thank God I had long hair so it covered my face. I got sober on tour, surrounded by free drugs and alcohol. I felt if I could do it out there, I’d be able to maintain it anywhere.”Substance abuse and addiction can affect anyone. But with its tendency towards hedonism, the music industry can be dangerous for those who struggle with alcohol and drugs. We have watched many stars succumb to addiction, not to mention those who work behind the scenes. My own alcohol problem started before I became a music journalist, but I took full advantage of the late nights and heavy-drinking culture that came with the territory before I finally stopped. Now, as Covid-19 has forced a pause, change is afoot to help those who need it. Continue reading...

Many Guardian readers in Russia who got in touch with us said Putin was not representative of the country – and there was concern about sanctionsRussian forces have attacked Ukraine on the orders of Vladimir Putin who announced a “special operation” at dawn on Thursday. World leaders have denounced the invasion and warned that it could ignite the largest war since 1945.Though many Russians may support their president’s actions in Ukraine, others are against the conflict. A new poll released by the independent Levada Centre showed only 45% of Russians were in favour of Putin’s recognition move that preceded the invasion. There were protests against the war in town and cities across Russia on Thursday night. Continue reading...

Government says priority is to support British nationals and families in Ukraine first and people should go to first safe country

Officials claim the controversial barrier will stop migrant crossings, as well as drugs and contraband, from crisis-hit HaitiThe Dominican Republic has begun work on a border wall with Haiti, sparking controversy between the neighbouring Caribbean countries.Construction began this week on a concrete barrier that will span nearly half of the 244-mile (392km) border between the two countries, with Dominican officials claiming it will reduce flows of migrants, drugs, weapons and contraband. Continue reading...

A crowd of anti-war and pro-Ukrainian protesters have gathered in Martin Place in Sydney today, chanting 'stop Putin now!' and calling for further sanctions to be imposed on Russia. Undeterred by the rain, the protesters held aloft placards and wore the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

Stolen London hire-scheme bicycles sighted in unlikely destinations as annual thefts riseThey have been a feature of London’s streets for nearly 12 years: the docked public bikes for sharing that are billed as one of the easiest and quickest ways for people to make shorter journeys. Or in some cases, it seems, considerably longer ones.Among the hundreds of bikes that go permanently missing from the 14,000-plus fleet every year, a handful have been tracked down to distinctly non-London locations, including Australia, the Gambia and Turkey, a freedom of information request has disclosed. Continue reading...

He may star in The Batman, but his taste is more arthouse thrillers and experimental theatre. He discusses overacting, bad accents – and being cast as a charmer by his wifePeter Sarsgaard peers into the webcam, half-man, half-beard. “I’m in the Kenny Rogers camp right now,” says the 50-year-old actor. “I look like a dropout. Whenever I’m not working, I feel like I’m growing hair in case I need it for the next movie.”His sleepy grin matches the rest of him: bed head, bed eyes, bed voice. It is this apparent languor that makes his glinting wit and flashes of cruelty stand out sharply on screen. He can be creep, charmer or both. “I don’t tell myself I’m the antagonist or the protagonist,” he says. “They can figure that out later.” Continue reading...

Case of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who has learning difficulties, among four to be heard next weekCourts in Singapore will next week consider arguments by four men who have spent more than a decade on death row, amid fears the city state may push ahead with executions to free up space on death row.The Singaporean government does not disclose how many people are held on death row, though campaigners believe there are likely more than 50 men awaiting execution, the majority of whom have been convicted of drug offences. Continue reading...

Latest updates: US secretary of state says Russia plans to encircle and threaten Kyiv; Ukrainian spokesman condemns ‘totally pointless attack’

Concerts are banned thanks to Hamas hardliners, but the Delia arts centre is determined to give young musicians a chance to playWafaa Al-Najili’s voice, fiery and bright, enchants the group of young people clustered around an audio workstation at the Delia arts centre in Gaza City. Together, they muse over how to mix her vocals with the other tracks of their latest project, a new recording of a traditional choral song.Outside, the neighbourhood still bears scars from last year’s fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in control of the Gaza Strip. The joint Israeli and Egyptian blockade that isolates Gaza from the rest of the world means rebuilding efforts have been slow. Continue reading...

It’s appropriate to question restrictions, but those who want to lift them all immediately won’t be responsible for the consequencesIf the protesters in front of New Zealand’s parliament have anything in common, it is a self-professed opposition to “Covid vaccination mandates”. These, they say, are an unacceptable burden on the individual rights of those who choose not to be vaccinated and so must be abolished immediately.These protesters are correct about one thing. Although the various mandates, which mean around 40% of New Zealand’s workforce face losing their jobs if not vaccinated, are not strictly compulsory in the sense of making it an offence to not be jabbed, they do limit individual rights. Specifically, the right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment, as guaranteed by section 11 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Continue reading...

Australian government working with Nato to send nonlethal military equipment and medical supplies to Ukraine and will continue ‘rolling wave of sanctions’

Former Good Morning Britain host, who quit after a spectacular meltdown over Meghan Markle, strikes gold with News Corp. Plus: Hot Albo returns

Photograph of teacher bloodied by Russian attack on Ukraine dominates front pages as Putin sends his troops to war

Protests against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine broke out in 53 cities across Russia, with police making 1,700 arrests.

Anti-war protesters have taken to the streets in Moscow and St Petersburg to voice their opposition to their country's military intervention in Ukraine. Protesters chanted slogans against the war and Russian president Vladimir Putin while police made arrests

Vladimir Putin has plunged Europe back into war and a conflict that ‘I think will reverberate far beyond Ukraine and have huge implications for Europe, for the rest of the world’, says Guardian foreign correspondent Luke Harding. Reporting from Kyiv, he examines why the Russian president launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour, if Putin can be stopped, and what might come next

Latest updates: UK prime minister also says he has urged fellow leaders to remove Russia from Swift as he announces larges set of sanctions ever

Police make more than 1,300 arrests as protesters take to the streets in cities across country

Footage on social media shows lines of cars moving out of cities and heading west

Military helicopters, apparently Russian, were filmed flying over the Dnieper river on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where they were met by Ukrainian counter fire. An ambitious attack by helicopters on the Hostomel military airbase on the outskirts of Kyiv was also recorded.Russian forces have attacked Ukraine by land, sea, and air on a massive scale, bringing to a calamitous end weeks of fruitless diplomatic efforts by western leaders to avert war

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing or preparing to flee the country after Russian leader Vladimir Putin began an invasion.Videos and photos on social media show lines of cars moving out of cities and heading west, as well as numbers of people on foot near the southern and western borders while reports of casualties mount.We spoke to Maria Romanenko and Alena Dalskaya-Latosiewicz from their cars as they tried to escape the conflict, as well as Romeo Kokriatski a Ukrainian-American, who says he hopes to stay in the capital, Kyiv, for as long as possible.'I love my country. I don't want to leave,' said Romanenko

Critics says statistics undermine Priti Patel’s claim that she is getting grip on immigration and asylum systemThe number of people being deported from the UK is at a record low while asylum applications have soared over the last year, according to Home Office data.Government statistics, which have measured irregular migration for the first time, also confirmed that 28,526 people arrived on small boats in 2021 – slightly higher than previous reports and a huge jump from the 8,466 who came in 2020. Continue reading...

President Zelenskiy calls on Ukrainians to defend country as Russia claims to have neutralised its airbases and air defences

Bringing Spideys old and new together was a masterclass in giving audiences what they want, and points to what Batman v Superman got so wrongFan service has come a long way since 2006, when studio New Line allowed its audience to basically crowd-think the entirety of Samuel L Jackson action epic Snakes on a Plane. Back then, somebody high up thought it would be a really good idea to start borrowing lines for Jackson to say (while fighting off those airborne reptiles) from a hyped-up geek community who had been spending most of their spare time discussing the unreleased movie on fan forums and blogs. The best/worst of them ended up being the legendary (for all the wrong reasons) line: “Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!” Up there with Jackson’s famous Ezekiel 25:17 speech about the path of the righteous man it really wasn’t.This week Marvel and Sony have shown how to do fan service properly. And all it took was a staged meme featuring all three webslingers from global megasmash Spider-Man: No Way Home pointing at each other. The image recalls a famous still from episode 19 of the 1967-1970 animated Spider-Man show, in which a Spidey-impostor – clue, he’s really a criminal – tries to impersonate the masked wallcrawler. It’s since been used millions of times in social media posts, often to illustrate moments when celebrities meet each other (according to the Know Your Meme website). Continue reading...

British PM sets out wide-ranging new measures against Moscow in wake of invasion of Ukraine

Valérie Pécresse hounded over allegations that dog named Douglas signed up for Les Républicains presidential primaryFrench politicians have long embraced domestic animals – from Emmanuel Macron’s rescue dog, Nemo, who once peed on a fireplace during an Elysée meeting, to the far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s hobby of breeding Bengal cats.But a dog called Douglas from the south of France is causing ridicule for the rightwing presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse. Continue reading...

Where is fighting happening and how did we get here

PC Adam Zaman found not guilty after Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence against himA Metropolitan police officer has been cleared of rape after prosecutors dropped the case against him.PC Adam Zaman, 28, of Romford, east London, was accused of raping a woman at the Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street, central London in October last year. Continue reading...