Anna Leporskaya’s Three Figures sent for restoration after guard doodled on it with a ballpoint pen on his first dayA valuable avant garde painting has been vandalised by a “bored” security guard who drew eyes on faceless figures in the artwork on his first day working in a Russian gallery.Anna Leporskaya’s Three Figures was painted between 1932 and 1934, and had been insured for 75m roubles (A$1.3m, £740,000). It was on display as part of an abstract art exhibition at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center in Ekaterinburg when the guard drew eyes on it using a ballpoint pen. Continue reading...

The lax rules contradict other major awards shows as report says high-profile actors may have had an influenceThe Oscars will reportedly not require proof of Covid-19 vaccination in order attend the in-person ceremony in Hollywood on 27 March.Instead, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will require guests to provide a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the event, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported on Wednesday. Attendees are encouraged to be vaccinated and those who are not will have to comply with stricter testing requirements in order to attend. Continue reading...

Courtney will resign after drawing criticism for holiday in France as Tasmanian schools prepared to reopen amid Covid concerns

Apology comes as city enforces new measures including closure of hairdressers and addition of malls to vaccine pass systemHong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has said she is “deeply sorry and anxious” about the lengthy wait for residents to get tested or enter isolation facilities after a record number of new coronavirus cases left authorities scrambling.Hong Kong’s daily Covid-19 infections nearly doubled to a record 1,161 cases on Wednesday as the global financial hub battles a rapid surge that could pose the biggest test yet of its “dynamic zero” policy. Continue reading...

Two hundred pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force 1 shoes smashed expectations in Sotheby’s online auctionAn auction of 200 pairs of the Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force 1 sneakers created by late American designer Virgil Abloh have fetched a total of $25m, Sotheby’s said.The most paid for one of the pairs was more than $350,000 – size 5 – during an online sale that ran from 26 January 26 to 8 February, the auction house said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

This blog is now closedSweden scraps almost all of its few restrictions and stops most testing; Spain’s King Felipe tests positive after displaying mild symptoms

‘Elsy’ was sentenced to 30 years for aggravated homicide over miscarriage and is fifth such woman to be released since DecemberEl Salvador has released another woman imprisoned for aggravated homicide who after suffering an obstetric emergency was accused of aborting her pregnancy in a country where abortion under any circumstances is banned.The woman, who activists helping her identified only as Elsy, had served more than a decade of a 30-year sentence. She was the fifth woman released before completion of her sentence since late December of last year. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer to separately visit Nato headquarters amid whirlwind diplomacy in face of Russian threatsBritain has placed 1,000 troops on standby to deploy to eastern Europe if there is a refugee crisis prompted by any Russian invasion of Ukraine, ahead of a trip by Boris Johnson to Nato headquarters and Poland on Thursday.UK officials warned there was a risk of “a humanitarian disaster” if Russia were to invade. The US has warned there could be a massive displacement of 1-5 million people, with refugees most likely to enter Poland. Continue reading...

Students wrongly accused of deception should be helped to clear names, says shadow ministerThe Home Office was accused of presiding over a “shocking miscarriage of justice” by MPs during an urgent debate on the English language testing scandal which saw thousands of international students wrongly accused of cheating in an exam they were required to sit as part of their visa application process.Those students who were wrongly accused of deception, many of whom were subsequently detained and deported, should now be helped to clear their names, shadow Home Office minister Stephen Kinnock told parliament. Continue reading...

Those identified as part of Operation Hillman will be sent questionnaire asking for their account of events

Controversial legislation passes lower house despite Liberal moderates defecting to help add more extensive protections for LGBTQ+ studentsThe Morrison government has passed the religious discrimination bill in a marathon all-night sitting of the House of Representatives, despite Liberal moderates defecting to help add more extensive protections for LGBTQ+ students.The Liberal MPs Bridget Archer, Trent Zimmerman, Katie Allen, Fiona Martin and Dave Sharma crossed the floor against the government, helping Labor and the crossbench add protections for LGBTQ+ students into the Sex Discrimination Act. Continue reading...

Analysis: As Macron tries to revive 2015 agreement, Ukraine believes it is impossible to fulfil as it could hand power to RussiaIn the often acrimonious back-and-forth between Russia and Ukraine in recent years, “fulfilling Minsk” has become something of a meaningless mantra: all sides agree to abide by the 2015 Minsk accords in public, but neither has any real intention of implementing the provisions of the agreement.Yet in his intensive peacemaking efforts this week, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, appears to be pinning his hopes on a renewed attempt to breathe life into the seven-year-old agreement. Continue reading...

Broadcaster and husband hit by claims they plan to cull wallabies and chop down trees on Inchconnachan islandFirst they were hit by claims they planned to cull wallabies on the Scottish island they are buying, triggering uproar.Now the broadcaster Kirsty Young and her husband, the Soho House founder Nick Jones, have been hit by another hurdle: a formal objection from the Woodland Trust against their plans to chop down scores of trees on Inchconnachan, an idyllic, heavily wooded island on Loch Lomond. Continue reading...

Latest news: picture of Boris Johnson at event with prosecco emerges; PM plans to end all coronavirus restrictions in England in two weeks

Potentially deadly infectious disease, endemic to West Africa, not seen in UK for 10 yearsTwo people in England have been diagnosed with Lassa fever, and a third “probable” case is under investigation, the UK Health Security Agency has said.It is the first time cases of the potentially deadly infectious disease, caused by the Lassa virus, have been identified in the UK for more than a decade. Continue reading...

How does England’s move to end self-isolation compare with rules in other European countries?

Several suffered from hypothermia during journey and some fainted from exposure to exhaust fumesAustrian police found eight people from Turkey hidden in life-threatening conditions in a narrow wooden pallet box attached to the underside of a lorry.Police said the group had been trafficked from Romania via Hungary. Several of them suffered from hypothermia during the trip in freezing temperatures, and some fainted because they were exposed to exhaust fumes for hours. Continue reading...

Arrest for Helen Bailey’s murder set alarm bells ringing, and one vital clue to Diane Stewart’s death remainedIn the dock in both of his trials – both for murder, both of women he had professed to love – Ian Stewart cut an unimpressive figure. Shabby, hesitant, inexplicably dull – he seemed unremarkable in every way.On Wednesday the 61-year-old was unmasked as a serial killer, found guilty of the murder of his wife Diane five years after being convicted of the 2016 murder of his fiancee Helen Bailey. Continue reading...

Online bookie will pay customers who made bets after receiving marketing spam

Before the 2022 Winter Olympic games began, two athletes had already made history - Australia’s first Olympic curling team. With no dedicated curling rink in Australia, the team’s unlikely Olympic debut took a series of series of dramatic turns once they reached Beijing.

Documents obtained under freedom of information show how worried Australian officials were over economic impact of Beijing’s actions

Analysis: psychologists suggest how ‘parasitic’ killer was capable of murdering two women and getting away with it for yearsIan Stewart’s ability to murder his first wife and resume a normal existence, going on to murder another partner, is beyond the comprehension of most.The cold duplicity of his actions would lead many to ask how was he capable of such deceit. Continue reading...

Women on Mauritian-chartered vessel bound for Chagos Islands recall how life there was ‘paradise’Rosemonde Bertin was only 17 when British officials arrived on Salomon Atoll in 1972. Everyone was ordered to gather at the manager’s office on the coconut plantation. She does not remember any advance warning.The commissioner of the British Indian Ocean territory (BIOT) told them they had to leave their homes because Americans were coming to the Chagos archipelago to set up a military base. Continue reading...

Unrest triggered when Karnataka state came down in favour of rightwing Hindu demands for headscarf banThe Indian state of Karnataka has shut its schools for three days after the regional government backed schools imposing a ban on hijabs, leading to widespread protests and violence.The issue began in January, when six female Muslim students staged a weeks-long protest after they were told to either remove their headscarves or stop attending class at a government college in the district of Udupi. Continue reading...

Decision to avoid word in exhibition on Indonesian independence led to accusations of genocide denialThe director of the Rijksmuseum said he was “happy” as Dutch prosecutors announced they would not proceed with an investigation into complaints over a newly opened exhibition on Indonesian independence, the first of its kind in Europe.The exhibition, Revolusi! Indonesia Independent, at the Netherlands’ national museum, has been a source a controversy since one of its curators, Bonnie Triyana, said the term “bersiap”, or stand by, would not be used in reference to the violent upheaval that followed a declaration of independence from the Dutch state. Continue reading...

Satellite imagery shows much Russian hardware has been moved to locations close to Ukraine borderRussia and Belarus will begin 10 days of joint military drills on Thursday, setting in train one of the most overtly threatening elements of the Kremlin’s buildup of forces around Ukraine’s borders.Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Russian general staff, arrived in Belarus on Wednesday to oversee the drills. Continue reading...

In August 2020, the Guardian spoke to workers in the live music industry who had their livelihoods destroyed by Covid. How are they faring in 2022?Eighteen months ago, Tre Stead was in hospital; now she’s on Coronation Street. As Frank Turner’s tour manager, back then she was one of six people the Guardian spoke to about how the shutdown of the live music industry had affected their lives. But now, with Covid restrictions relaxed and gigs allowed to happen as if the pandemic doesn’t exist, have they all returned to work? Yes, but not necessarily in ways anyone expected.Live music is back and bigger than ever. Artists such as the Weeknd and Harry Styles, who were originally going to play arenas, have rebooked their tours for stadiums, while major names such as Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish are beginning their delayed runs. There’s more work than ever before. But some tours – including Frank Turner’s – have been postponed in recent weeks, and new Covid variants mean that live music remains a horribly uncertain industry. Aerosmith cancelled their summer European tour last week, citing “uncertainty around travel logistics and the continued presence of Covid restrictions”, and Doja Cat cancelled her Brit awards performance due to a member of her team contracting the virus. Continue reading...

It is radical to love a body that the world says is wrong – and I love mine completelyThis body is a genetic mistake, a pitiable stare, the scan on a mundane Tuesday lunchtime with a doctor speaking in hushed tones by the bed.It is glorious too, thanks. It is deep-in-the-bones laughter at 2am with people who love you; only strangers care that it is sitting in a wheelchair while doing so (“Have you got a licence for that thing, sweetheart?”). It is straight-As, promotions and beating expectations as much as the odds. It is being buckled over from the pain, clutching a public toilet bowl, pills and dignity rattling at the bottom of a handbag. It is sex, fevered goosebumps and kisses to the skin like magic. It is warm summers with friends, sunshine on bare legs and 90s dance music ricocheting through the air. It is fucking knackered. Continue reading...

Lindsay de Feliz was found dead near her home two years ago; her husband and three other men deny murderThe family of a British author who was found dead close to her home in the Dominican Republic are hoping that a long-awaited trial will finally bring them answers.The body of Lindsay de Feliz, 64, was found in a shallow grave in the north-west of the country more than two years ago. Continue reading...

New advice issued in partnership with Natural Resources Wales designed to help people enjoy countrysideAsk trespassers if they are lost, install gates rather than stiles and only shoot dogs as a last resort.These are some of the guidelines issued to farmers and land managers by the government conservation agency Natural England, in partnership with Natural Resources Wales. The advice is designed to help people enjoy the countryside and covers protecting livestock and keeping rights of way usable. Continue reading...

King Umberto II descendants take legal action over treasure kept in Bank of Italy deposit box for 76 yearsThe descendants of Italy’s last king are suing the Italian state in their fight to reclaim the crown jewels, which for almost 76 years have been stashed in a treasure chest in a safety deposit box at the Bank of Italy amid a long-running mystery over their ownership.The legal action comes after the offspring of King Umberto II failed to reach an agreement with the bank to return the jewels, which comprise more than 6,000 diamonds and 2,000 pearls mounted on brooches, necklaces and tiaras worn by various princesses and queens during the monarchy’s 85-year existence. Continue reading...

Initial investigation is said to have found NSO Group’s Pegasus tool was used against three of 26 alleged targetsAn initial investigation into allegations that Israeli police targeted citizens with spyware has confirmed that the application was indeed used against three people, according to claims by a local news station.The Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 said a police investigation ordered by Israel’s public security minister, Omer Barlev, had concluded that of 26 individuals named in recent reports as having been targeted using NSO Group’s Pegasus software, three named individuals were targeted, with the police successfully hacking only one of the phones. Continue reading...

Formerly an anti-war poet, Maung Saungkha has endured a harsh training regime to prepare for armed struggle against Myanmar’s military junta

With an all-star cast led by Deepika Padukone, Gehraiyaan aims to bring a fresh realism to its love story. She and director Shakun Batra assess the risks they’re taking“I think it’s pretty fresh for an Indian audience,” says Deepika Padukone of her new movie, Gehraiyaan (“Depths”). “The way this story has been told, and the way in which it explores infidelity is certainly very new.” Gehraiyaan’s promotional material isn’t hiding anything, with clips showing Padukone’s character Alisha losing herself in clinches with her illicit lover Zain (Siddhant Chaturvedi), her cousin’s fiance. If that wasn’t messy enough, Alisha also has a perfectly nice boyfriend of six years, Karan (Dhairya Karwa), who’s done nothing to deserve this betrayal.“She feels stuck,” is how Padukone explains her behaviour. A 30-year-old yoga teacher in Mumbai, Alisha seems like an otherwise likable and pleasant human being, and the film dwells closely on how conflicted she is. “She feels like she’s been with this one person for so many years. And now, you know, she is at a stage in her life where she feels stuck.” Continue reading...

Mayor of London ‘disgusted’ by recent scandals and suggests he is prepared to try to oust commissionerThe mayor of London has signalled he is prepared to try to oust the Metropolitan police commissioner in days or weeks over a series of scandals.Sadiq Khan said he was “disgusted and angry” by recent failings and that he thought Cressida Dick lacked a plan to boost confidence in the police force, which had been “knocked and shattered”. Continue reading...

Growing up in Afghanistan I was taught to hide my body. Now I see it as a symbol of rebellion against those who would try to control meAs a child, I never rode bicycles or played sports such as gymnastics and karate because it was “not good for girls”. I later understood it was to avoid the risk of breaking my hymen and “losing” my virginity, but I only understood the magnitude of this “loss” when my cousin and best friend got married. She had been abused by a mullah – a religious cleric – as a baby. Her mother was less worried about the trauma caused to her daughter by the abuse than she was about her daughter’s hymen having been broken as a result.These fears were not misplaced. When my cousin did not bleed on her wedding night, she was sent back to her mother’s home the next morning beaten black and blue. Nobody questioned or blamed the husband. Continue reading...

Appearance of traditional dress denounced as further attempt by China to appropriate Korean cultureChina and South Korea have become embroiled in a cultural appropriation row after a woman appeared at the opening ceremony of the Beijing winter Olympics wearing traditional Korean dress.The Chinese embassy in Seoul defended the decision to include a participant wearing hanbok, describing her as a representative of the country’s dozens of ethnic groups. Continue reading...

Thousands of people celebrated at the Amani festival for peace in Goma, an area hit by escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The weekend of music and culture had been postponed due to Covid Continue reading...

The 2021 Australian of the Year says the intimidating behaviour felt familiar to her as a survivor of grooming and abuse

Two celebrity deaths this week prompt petition to the president calling for tougher punishments for those who post abuse onlineSouth Korea’s government is under mounting pressure to crack down on cyberbullying after the apparent suicides of an athlete and YouTube influencer who were relentlessly abused online.Kim In-hyeok, a professional volleyball player, was found dead at his home in Suwon, last week, a day before the death of Cho Jang-mi, a popular live streamer better known as BJ Jammi. Continue reading...

Shadow treasurer Daniel Mookhey says those responsible must lose their jobs after ‘the most severe lashing of any government I’ve ever read’

Five Pakistani soldiers killed as Taliban-led Afghanistan resists cooperation with IslamabadThe Pakistani-Afghan border, running along Britain’s colonial-era Durand Line, is a centre of the increasing tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban, with a rise in attacks since the group came to power in Kabul.Five Pakistani soldiers were killed on Sunday at a north-western border post in Khurram district by militants inside Afghanistan in an attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP). Continue reading...

L’Equipe reporter Marc Ventouillac, who spoke to Peng this week, says it is ‘impossible to say’ if the Chinese tennis star is safeOne of the journalists who conducted the first sit-down interview with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai said that the carefully controlled conversation did not answer questions about whether she can speak her mind or move freely.A Chinese Olympic official was in the room and translated the conversation with Peng, who disappeared from public view for weeks last year after she made public allegations that a former top-ranked Communist party official pressured her into having sex. Continue reading...

Euthanasia was legalised in November, following years of campaigning by advocates and a referendumAt least 32 people have taken up New Zealand’s euthanasia services since the country legalised the practice three months ago, according to the Ministry of Health.The country’s End of Life Choice Act came into force in November, after years of activism by euthanasia campaigners and being ratified by referendum. Sixty-five per cent of voting-age New Zealanders voted in favour of legalising assisted dying, joining just a handful of countries that allow it.This story has been updated to reflect the most recent data from New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, as of 7 February. A previous version stated at least 28 people had taken advantage of the assisted dying laws – the lower number was due to a lag in ministry reporting. Continue reading...

Scandal erupted after logo selected in contest to mark entry into eurozone looked like a copy of British photographer’s workCroatia’s national bank announced a new tender for the country’s one-euro coin design after a plagiarism scandal led to the withdrawal of an earlier submission.Croatia is preparing to adopt the euro currency in 2023 and last week unveiled the winners of a contest whose designs were set to be struck into the Balkan country’s new coins. Continue reading...

Border checks said to have increased business costs and ‘suppressed’ trade, and the situation could worsenBrexit red tape has damaged Britain’s trade with the EU and the situation could worsen unless the government works with Brussels to reduce hold-ups at UK ports, parliament’s spending watchdog has said.Only hours after Jacob Rees-Mogg was appointed minister for Brexit opportunities, a report by the cross-party public accounts committee (PAC) said border checks in place since the beginning of the year had increased business costs and “suppressed” trade with the EU. Continue reading...

In the first Brits ceremony to do away with gendered categories, women or female-fronted acts won 10 out of 15 overall awardsAdele was the runaway winner at this year’s female-dominated Brit awards, taking home the prizes for artist of the year, album of the year for her fourth record, 30, and British song of the year for its lead single, Easy on Me. “I can’t believe that a piano ballad won against that many bangers,” she said when collecting the single award, her first prize of the night.It brings her Brit awards haul to 12, and reflects her predictable yet still staggering commercial successes in recent months. Her album 30 became the biggest-seller of 2021 after just six weeks on sale, and was heralded with reviving the CD as well as causing backlogs in vinyl production plants. Continue reading...

Raquel Rosario Sánchez launches civil action claiming University of Bristol failed to stop ‘bullying’A PhD student has expressed her sadness in court over what she claims was “intimidation” from transgender rights activists at her university.Raquel Rosario Sánchez has launched civil action claiming the University of Bristol failed to protect her from harassment and bullying over her involvement with the campaign group Woman’s Place UK. Continue reading...

William Coleshill, head of conspiracy theory group Resistance GB, at fracas as experts warn of rise of extremismA former Conservative councillor who was thrown out of the party and now heads an anti-vax group peddling a range of conspiracy theories was among a mob that harangued Keir Starmer before the Labour leader was whisked away by police.As experts warned of a dangerous risk of extremism from a radicalised hard core as the pandemic wanes, the incident has focused attention on the rise of a plethora of protest groups. Continue reading...

Speaker and senior cabinet minister urge PM draw line under matter after protesters shout abuse at Keir StarmerBoris Johnson is under growing pressure to apologise for remarks falsely linking Keir Starmer to the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile after a senior cabinet minister and the Commons Speaker urged him to draw a line under the matter.No 10 made clear the prime minister would not apologise for the remarks, which provoked renewed anger when protesters shouted abuse at the Labour leader on Monday. Surrounded near parliament, Starmer was branded a “paedophile protector” and one demonstrator carried a noose. He and his Labour colleague David Lammy were bundled into a police car. Continue reading...