by Caitlin Cassidy (now) and Graham Readfearn (earlie on (#5WSWA)
More than 70,000 people in NSW covered by 55 evacuation orders as Sydney and Central Coast face more heavy rain; extreme heatwave warnings for north Queensland as severe storms develop in south-east; magnitude 3.8 earthquake at Mount Barker near Adelaide; NSW records five Covid deaths, Victoria four and South Australia and Queensland two apiece. Follow all the day’s news
by Angela Giuffrida in Roscigno Vecchia on (#5WT0T)
Abandoned hamlet’s last remaining resident is now its unofficial guide. Our writer joins him for a tourGiuseppe Spagnuolo wakes up at about 6am each day, eats the leftovers of the previous night’s dinner for breakfast, greets the stray cats he calls his “security guards” and clambers down the steps of his crumbling home to splash his face with water from the fountain in the square. Occasionally, he walks up to the next village, if his “aches and pains” allow, for coffee in the bar.For 25 years, Spagnuolo has been the only inhabitant in Roscigno Vecchia, a long-abandoned hamlet 400m up a mountain in the Cilento area of Italy’s southern Campania region. “If you’ve experienced the school of life like I have, then you can easily live this way,” the 74-year-old said, sitting in front of the fire in his kitchen, which is cluttered with pots, pans, bottles of wine, tinned tomatoes, cheese and hanging salamis. Continue reading...
From its biggest private house to a disused tube station, London has long been an attractive place for the Russian president’s cronies to buy property. Their ill-gotten wealth permeated the capital at the expense of us all
Practice saying self-revelatory thoughts to another person without knowing how they are going to land, says Philippa Perry. And tune into your own feelingsThe question My partner broke up with me after being together throughout the pandemic and, at the end, part of her reasoning was that she felt she “didn’t really know who I am”.I recently started seeing someone new and, although we’ve only known each other for a month, she said the same thing unprompted. Truthfully, I feel the same way about myself. I’m 30 and I’ve always felt subdued and unable to be expressive. I don’t know how to be authentically me. How do I find myself? Continue reading...
by Samantha Lock (now), Joanna Walters , Miranda Brya on (#5WS9Y)
Biden says US and allies have ‘raised the costs’ on Russia over its aggression, as credit card giants Visa and Mastercard halt Russian business operations
by Ed Aarons, Romain Molina and Suzanne Wrack on (#5WSVB)
Over the past few years, allegations of abuse have been reported from a number of countries and there is a sense that this is just the beginningBelow is a list of countries where allegations of sexual abuse have been reported in the past few years. Not all of the accusations have been tested through investigations. Continue reading...
Ukrainian soldiers shoot down a plane and helicopter as Russia bombs multiple civilian targetsUkraine claimed to have destroyed more Russian forces on Saturday, as the Kremlin continued to bomb civilian targets on the tenth day of its invasion, and a plan to evacuate residents from the besieged city of Mariupol fell apart because of hostilities.The defence ministry in Kyiv said its soldiers had shot down an enemy helicopter and a warplane, capturing its pilot. They also launched a successful counter-attack in the Kharkiv region, seizing equipment. The city, Ukraine’s second biggest, has been under ferocious Russian bombardment. Continue reading...
What’s going on in our theatres? A recent spate of rowdy behaviour – notably at jukebox musicals – raises the question: have audiences simply forgotten how to behave?A drunk woman in the seat next to me is softly caressing my hair as though stroking the ears of a particularly mild-mannered spaniel. It’s a strange sensation, but I can’t really complain because I’m at the theatre. You’re not meant to talk. Just as I rouse myself to say something, she stumbles to her feet and lurches her way to the exit. “Finally!” mutters the woman in front, who made the mistake of asking her to be quiet a few minutes earlier (when my neighbour was dancing in her seat and yelling “That’s right!” after lines she particularly enjoyed), resulting in a whispered row. Order is restored, and we settle down once more to watch Frozen, a moving family show about sisterhood and redemption.But your average West End audience is not always one big happy family. Especially not right now, when complaints about drunken, chaotic and argumentative audience behaviour have been reaching fever pitch. “It feels like every bloody day there’s a new debate coming up on Twitter about theatre etiquette,” says one theatre usher. “And I hate to stereotype, but the worst incidents seem to happen at jukebox musicals.” Continue reading...
Statistics watchdog wrote to the PM about ‘selective use of data’ after statement about number of people in workGovernment officials were warned repeatedly about making misleading claims about job figures before the official statistics watchdog reprimanded Boris Johnson over the matter.Ed Humpherson, the director general of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), said there had been “a series of informal discussions” before the regulator took the “unusual” step of issuing public rebukes to No 10 over the same issue twice last month. Continue reading...
Mariupol evacuation postponed as Russian troops fail to respect ceasefire; Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Nato ‘has given green light for further bombing’ after it rules out no-fly zone
Radwa Helmi sits on bench of state council, marking ‘historic’ step along road to equalityRadwa Helmi has made history as the first female judge to sit on the bench of Egypt’s state council, a top court in the Arab country.Helmi, making her appearance in a Cairo courthouse, was among 98 women appointed last year to join the council, one of Egypt’s main judicial bodies, after a decision by the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Continue reading...
The Sydney Mardi Gras parade began in 1978 as a march and commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York. This is the parade’s 44th year and it was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground due to Covid-19 restrictions Continue reading...
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has criticised Nato for refusing to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying the decision gave 'the green light for further bombing' of the country.In an emotional nighttime address, he said: 'All the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your lack of unity.'
Ukraine’s armed forces claim to have shot down a Russian military helicopter.Its operative command released video of a missile hitting a low-flying helicopter, which crashed seconds later
by Vincent Ni and Agence France-Presse on (#5WSC4)
Premier Li Keqiang warns of risks in economic outlook as the coronavirus, a property slump and uncertainty in Ukraine play outChina has set its lowest annual GDP target in decades, as premier Li Keqiang warned of a “grave and uncertain” outlook against the backdrop of the coronavirus, a slowing economy and uncertainty over the war in Ukraine.Li announced on Saturday the unusually modest target of about 5.5% growth for 2022 – the lowest since 1991 – in an address to about 3,000 members of the National People’s Congress in Beijing’s cavernous Great Hall of the People. Continue reading...
Rio Jones, 18, charged with attempted murder as victim’s condition remains stableAn 18-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after the shooting of a 15-year-old girl at a bus stop.Rio Jones, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and possession of a controlled drug, Merseyside police said. Continue reading...
by Elena Ferrante and Elizabeth Strout on (#5WSEA)
The author of the Neapolitan quartet and the Pulitzer prize-winning novelist discuss identity, ambition, truth – and the ‘convulsive’ urge to writeThank you for all of your work. I am a huge fan, and I have read all your books, and by reading them I was able to take new risks with my own work. So thank you for that as well. In this new book you go deep, deep into the things that matter for readers and writers alike. I am very glad to be in a conversation with you about it.“And your novel?”“Oh, I put in my hand and rummage in the bran pie.”“That’s what’s so wonderful. And it’s all different.”“Yes, I’m 20 people.” Continue reading...
On a weekend away with friends, she tells everyone about my medical issues. I’d forgotten how indiscreet she isMy wife and I are setting off on a weekend away; she’s driving. After about 20 minutes conversation flags, and I take my phone out of my pocket.“Ow,” I say, examining my fingers. Continue reading...
Scientists identify impact of sudden cleaning of skies and drop in greenhouse emissions in 2020China’s record-breaking rainfall during summer 2020 was linked to Covid lockdowns, research suggests.Hundreds of people died and millions were evacuated as unprecedented rains fell over heavily populated regions of eastern China during June and July of 2020. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Arugam Bay on (#5WS9Z)
Women and girls have challenged conservative attitudes in the hallowed surf spot of Arugam BayGrowing up in a small fishing village along the east coast of Sri Lanka, Shamali Sanjaya would often sit on the beach and look out at the boisterous waves. She would watch in envy as others, including her father and brother, grabbed surfboards, paddled out into the sea and then rode those waves smoothly back to shore. “I longed for it in my heart,” she said.But as a local woman, surfing was strictly out of bounds for her. In Sri Lanka’s conservative society, the place for women was at the home and it was only the men, or female tourists, who were allowed to ride the hallowed waves in Arugam Bay, considered Sri Lanka’s best surf spot. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe (now); Dani Anguiano, Gloria Ola on (#5WR39)
Linda Thomas-Greenfield tells emergency security council meeting Russia actions were ‘reckless’; Jens Stoltenberg warns of ‘more death, more suffering and more destruction’
A blogger in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv had been recording a video message to his followers as an airstrike hit near him. Nikita Demenkov was telling his followers about the use of donations they had sent when a missile exploded above him on Wednesday. The blast sent him scrambling to seek shelter in a basement.
by Interviews by Nick Ames and Larisa Kalik on (#5WS5K)
Four players and a coach with Ukrainian clubs reveal how their lives have been turned upside down by Russia’s invasionOn the day the war began, I was in Kyiv with my family. I have been injured recently, so could not train with the team. At 5am my young son awoke, and my wife got up to calm him. Then we heard the explosions, one after the other. We thought there had been an accident, but then we read online that the war had begun. We quickly began to gather our belongings. I am Georgian, and was in Georgia in 2008 when Russia attacked our country, so this is not the first time I’ve been through a war. I told my wife: “Let’s get ready more quickly.” I drove the car closer to our house, loaded it with things and then waited for a couple of my teammates. They are foreigners and also have young families. We drove away from Kyiv together. Continue reading...
Footage shows team’s vehicle being attacked by a Russian ambush squad on Monday near KyivA Sky News crew has been evacuated back to the UK from Ukraine after journalists were shot during an ambush by a suspected Russian “death squad” on Monday.The team of five were attacked while out in a car, after unsuccessfully trying to visit the town of Bucha near Kyiv. Continue reading...
$27m boat impounded after EU blacklists owner Alexei Mordashov following Moscow’s attacks on UkraineItalian police have seized a yacht owned by Alexei Mordashov, the richest man in Russia before being blacklisted this week by the European Union following Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.The 65-metre (215-ft) “Lady M” was impounded in the northern Italian port of Imperia. Continue reading...
His career statistics are extraordinary but he will be best remembered for playing the game with joy and panacheThe first thing I did was watch that clip. Shut your eyes and you can probably picture it. Shane Warne’s first ball in the Ashes, his choppy peroxide blond hair ruffling in the wind, the zinc cream smeared across his lips and the tip of his nose, his top button undone, his collar turned up, a flash of the gold chain bouncing around his neck. Seven steps, then he sweeps his arm over, sends the ball flying. It dips, hits the pitch, zips, spins the width of Mike Gatting, clips the off-stump. Bowled him! Warne roars, Gatting baffled, stares back down the pitch trying to figure out what’s just happened, umpire Dickie Bird tries to hide the ghost of a smile that’s crept across his face.It was some introduction. And it turned into some story, too. Continue reading...
by Presented by Katharine Murphy, with Daniel Hurst a on (#5WRXJ)
Katharine Murphy speaks to the Australian National University’s professor of international security and intelligence studies John Blaxland and Guardian Australia’s foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst about the events leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, what lies ahead for global peace and security, and the effect of Australia’s response on its international reputation and the upcoming federal election Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#5WRVJ)
The artist was in court for a dispute with two musicians who claim Shape Of You plagiarises parts of their songEd Sheeran has been accused of being a “magpie” who allegedly “borrows” ideas from other artists for his songs on the first day of a three-week copyright trial over his hit single Shape Of You.Sheeran, 31, appeared at the high court on Friday for the dispute with two musicians who claim Shape Of You – the UK’s bestselling song of 2017 and the most streamed song in Spotify’s history – plagiarises parts of their earlier song Oh Why. Continue reading...
Gustavo Zanchetta convicted by court in a major blow to Pope Francis, who had initially defended the bishopA court in Argentina has sentenced a Roman Catholic bishop to four and a half years in prison for sexual abuse of two former seminarians in a major blow to Pope Francis, who had initially defended the bishop.Gustavo Zanchetta, 57, was convicted on Friday of “simple, continued and aggravated sexual abuse”, with his offense aggravated by his role as a religious minster. Continue reading...