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In today's newsletter: As attacks intensify on what once the safest place for civilians in Gaza, what does it mean for the hundreds of thousands of civilians in the area? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Yesterday, the UN's humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, issued a dire warning about the consequences of an Israeli ground assault on Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city. The scenario we have long dreaded is unravelling at alarming speed," he said. Palestinian civilians trapped there, he added, are staring death in the face".For more than a week, Israel has intensified its aerial attack on Rafah, saying that it is the last refuge of Hamas militants who have been driven out of the rest of Gaza. But hundreds of thousands of refugees have also fled to the area - and Israel is yet to set out a plan to keep them safe if it proceeds with a ground operation.US news | At least one person was killed and 22 others injured, including eight children, in a shooting during a Super Bowl victory parade for the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday. Hundreds of people who gathered to celebrate the Chiefs' victory on Sunday over the San Francisco 49ers ran for shelter from the gunfire.Antisemitism | The scale of the surge in antisemitism in the UK since Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October has been revealed, in data showing a 589% increase in the number of incidents compared with the same period in 2022.Labour | Keir Starmer is facing a fresh test of his authority as MPs prepare to vote on a second parliamentary motion calling for an immediate" ceasefire in Gaza next week. The party's abstention on a similar vote in November triggered a huge split in the party and 10 frontbench resignations.Security | The head of the US House intelligence committee, Mike Turner, has called for the Biden administration to declassify information on what he called a serious national security threat", later reported to involve Russian plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space. The New York Times said US allies had been briefed on the intelligence, which was not deemed to represent an urgent threat.Food | Bowls of pink-tinged rice are about to feature on sustainable food menus, according to researchers who created rice grains with beef and cow fat cells grown in them. It is hoped the rice, created using stem cells, will be a more affordable source of protein than traditional beef, with a smaller carbon footprint. Continue reading...

Nathan Bake, 28, was second-in-command at dark web site that allowed millions of child abuse images to be sharedA mechanic from Cheshire who created and ran child sexual abuse sites on the dark web has been jailed for 16 years.Judge Thompson described Nathan Bake, 28, of Runcorn, Cheshire, as a dangerous offender and additionally imposed a four-year period on licence in the community to be served after the prison sentence. Continue reading...

Economy minister says he is best candidate for top job and Senedd needs to do more to look like our country'Vaughan Gething knows that whenever he discusses his skin colour, he is accused of playing the race card and opens himself up to a torrent of abuse on social media. Nevertheless, he does not fight shy of discussing the significance of what he will achieve if he becomes the leader of Welsh Labour, and thus the first minister of Wales, next month.You can't deny the historic nature of it. I think I should win because I'm the best candidate. I've got loads of experience. I've got values rooted in our movement. I was a trade union shop steward, Wales TUC president, had 10 years as an employment lawyer and I have a vision for the future. But if I win, the fact that I'll be the first black leader of any European nation is a matter of historic significance." Continue reading...

Labour leader under pressure over claims Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali's remarks went unchallenged at event

New data reveals backlog of 1.1m claims across all payments while around half of all calls to Centrelink went unanswered in six-month period

Dairy farmer dead after wild weather in South Gippsland, while ongoing power outages affect more than 134,000 customers

ABS data finds participation of children in public education has dropped four percentage points in two decades to 64%

Foreign secretary issues stark warning and implies UK will not back a Rafah offensive

Activist Bart Staszewski hails meaningful and necessary' apology as opening new chapter for state broadcasterA television presenter with Poland's state broadcaster has apologised for the years of shameful words" directed at LGBTQ+ people, in a moment hailed by a prominent rights campaigner as the closing of a chapter in Polish society.Bart Staszewski, an activist and film-maker, said the apology made to him live on air on Sunday showed the transformation of a broadcaster that served as a mouthpiece for the Law and Justice (PiS) party during its time in power. Continue reading...

Cryptosporidium parasite causes 498 diarrhoea cases in NSW this year and 736 in Queensland in January alone

Billionaire politician was jailed on corruption charges in August last year after returning from self-imposed exileJailed former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is to be freed, the kingdom's justice minister has said, possibly as soon as the weekend - just six months after returning from 15 years of self-imposed exile.The controversial billionaire, twice elected premier and ousted in a 2006 military coup, was jailed for eight years on graft and abuse of power charges in August, but within days had his sentence cut to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Continue reading...

MLC school in Burwood overfunded by $2.7m in 2024, figures revealed in Senate show, making it among 40% of private schools overfunded by commonwealth

Prime minister faces one-hour grilling from voters following day of campaigning in YorkshireI must confess that if I was looking for woke extremists" myself, then the British armed forces would be unlikely to be my first port of call, but the idea has gripped defence secretary Grant Shapps, who has complained that time and resources are being squandered to promote a political agenda which is pitting individuals against each other" because there is a woke culture that has seeped into public life over time and is poisoning the discourse."He has ordered a review of diversity and inclusion policies at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after it was reported that the army wants to relax security checks for overseas recruits to increase black, Asian and minority ethnic representation.This is a time when only our enemies want us to be divided and we have absolutely no time for this - sort of putting ideology before security. It is absolutely clear, and let me be totally clear, there is no way we are going to be easing up security requirements for ideological requests. That is simply not going to happen.You know, the British armed forces have one purpose and one purpose alone, and that's to defend the British people and bring death to the king's enemies. There's no way we're going to be putting ideology before security. Continue reading...

Esther Ghey says she believes social media use left her daughter vulnerable, while killers were able to access violent content onlineThe mother of Brianna Ghey has called for her murder to be a tipping point" in how society views the mess" of the internet, warning that a generation of anxious young people will grow up lacking resilience.Esther Ghey said technology companies have a moral responsibility" to restrict access to harmful online content. She supports a total ban on social media access for under-16s - a move currently under debate in certain legislatures, including Florida in the US. Continue reading...

Calls for Labour leader to remove whip from Azhar Ali if he becomes MP, after his suggestion Israel allowed' 7 October attackKeir Starmer has been urged to confirm disciplinary action for Labour's Rochdale byelection candidate, Azhar Ali, if he becomes an MP, after he apologised for comments made about the Israel-Gaza conflict.Some Labour MPs and members have voiced their concern at the leadership's continued support of Ali and his campaign, saying it marks a huge and disappointing shift" from Starmer's promises of taking a zero-tolerance" to antisemitism, and all forms of racism. Continue reading...

David Cameron says extremist' settlers responsible for human rights abuses against West Bank residents

Energy department says location in Wales, which is owned by Hitachi, is among those being consideredThe UK government has said it is working on making sites available for new nuclear power stations, amid reported talks with the owner of the Wylfa facility in north Wales.Hitachi owns the site on the island of Anglesey or Ynys Mon, but its future has been uncertain since 2020, when the Japanese company formally abandoned its own effort to build a new reactor there after failing to agree financial support with the government. Continue reading...

Reports of a fractured relationship with Joe Biden and collapse in public support are isolating Israeli PM

Regulator concerned about concerning spike' in neglect cases, which advocates say are the result of workforce shortages

Creator of Spamalot says he sold home last year and that comedy troupe he co-founded in 1969 is a disaster'The Monty Python star Eric Idle has said that he has continued to work at the age of 80 for financial reasons.The comedian and actor, known for his role as Sir Robin the-not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir-Lancelot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and for many other characters in the group's films and series, said he sold his home last year. Continue reading...

Laws prohibiting sale of knives to minors will also be fast-tracked as government considers expanding police search powers

Annual Hilda survey of 17,000 Australians shows clear trend of younger people becoming lonelier and feeling more isolated as time goes on'

Irish state's founding fathers killed and disappeared five times more people than Provisional IRA would do over 30 yearsThe Irish Republican Army's executioners shot and secretly buried their victims in fields and bogs, leaving them to decay and enter the ranks of Ireland's disappeared".Some were British soldiers, others were suspected informers or turncoats. Uncertainty about their fate and the location of their remains added a cruel twist to a brutal conflict. Continue reading...

More than 500 dogs sent to US for rehoming as local industry breeds more dogs than needed and demand for homes outstrips supply

Inspired by French action, British campaigners say they will continue slow tractor protests after Dover roads were blockedFarmers say there will be further French-style blockades following a slow tractor protest at Dover against low supermarket prices and cheap food imports from post-Brexit trade deals.Around 40 tractors and other farm vehicles blocked roads around the Kent port for several hours on Friday evening by driving slowly and carrying signs with slogans such as No More Cheap Imports". Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Israel-Gaza war coverage hereChildren are going without food for days and some people are resorting to grinding animal feed into flour to survive, says the BBC who spoke to people living in north Gaza. People also described digging down into the soil to access water pipes, for drinking and washing.International charity ActionAid has said that food is becoming so scarce in Gaza that people are resorting to eating grass. Every single person in Gaza is now hungry, and people have just 1.5 to 2 litres of unsafe water per day to meet all their needs," said ActionAid in a statement published that warned intensifying attacks in Rafah would have disastrous consequences". Continue reading...

Suella Braverman and a former priest accuse church but Justin Welby says its role has been mischaracterisedThe Church of England has refuted a claim that it operated a conveyor belt for asylum seeker fake conversions", saying parish records disproved the eye-catching allegation.Churches have been at the centre of a storm over fake conversions" in the past week after it emerged that Abdul Ezedi, the Afghan man suspected of a chemical attack on a woman and two children in Clapham, was granted asylum on his third attempt after converting to Christianity. Police said on Friday that Ezedi was believed to be dead. Continue reading...

Jury returns verdicts hours after starting deliberations in trial of ex-Wallaby accused of sexually assaulting woman at Beach Road hotel in December 2022

President of ExxonMobil Guyana confirms plan to drill two new wells off Atlantic coast as territorial dispute simmersExxonMobil has insisted it will explore for oil in a region bitterly contested by Guyana and Venezuela, despite the dangers that the move is likely to escalate tensions between the two South American neighbors.Relations between the two countries have reached an all-time low in recent months following a series of announcements by the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, suggesting that he could take the Essequibo region by force. Continue reading...

Gun Ufuk, 29, sentenced to 20 years in prison over deadly sinking that occurred metres from shoreAn Italian court has sentenced an accused people smuggler who was involved in a shipwreck last year that killed at least 94 migrants to 20 years in prison.The court in the southern city of Crotone found Gun Ufuk, a 29-year-old Turkish national, guilty of crimes including causing a shipwreck and aiding illegal immigration. It also ordered him to pay a 3m fine and pay damages to civil plaintiffs. Continue reading...

The 2.5-metre animal was coming right up to the fence and attempting to stick its head under' in Cardwell after ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily

Activists will cross the continent visiting areas where the practice is prevalent to revive progress in protecting women and girlsAfrican female genital mutilation survivors will lead thousands of campaigners in a two-year caravan campaign" across the continent, calling for an end to the practice.Organised by #FrontlineEndingFGM, a group of grassroots activists and organisations in Africa will cover about 7,400 miles (12,000km) across 20 countries, including Nigeria, Sudan and Cameroon. Continue reading...

Crown makes closing arguments in case against rugby union star who denies sexually assaulting woman at Bondi's Beach Road Hotel

NSC's Pieter Omtzigt said to be shocked by public finances as he abandons talks to form coalition under far-right leaderGeert Wilders' chances of forming a majority government in the Netherlands have been dealt a heavy blow after one of the far-right leader's three potential partners abruptly withdrew from coalition talks citing concerns over public finances.Wilders, whose Freedom party (PVV) shocked Europe by finishing first in elections last November, said on X he was unbelievably disappointed" by the decision of New Social Contract (NSC) to declare it was finished" with the current round of talks. Continue reading...

Qatar says Hamas generally positive' about proposals, while pressure grows on Netanyahu government over handling of crisisIsrael has said it has informed the families of 31 people held in the territory since 7 October that their relatives are dead. The news came as the Qatari prime minister said Hamas had given a generally positive" response to proposals for a deal trading a break in the fighting and release of Palestinian prisoners for the return of more hostages.The number of the dead equates to more than a fifth of the remaining 136 hostages being held by in Gaza, according to available intelligence collated by the Israeli military, and comes amid pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu's government over its handling of the hostage crisis. Continue reading...

Duke of Sussex has made the journey alone, with wife and children remaining at home in CaliforniaThe Duke of Sussex has enjoyed a brief reunion with the king after taking an emergency overnight flight from California to visit his father following Buckingham Palace's announcement of the monarch's cancer diagnosis.Prince Harry landed at Heathrow shortly after noon after an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles. Travelling alone, with the Duchess of Sussex having stayed in the US with their two children, he was pictured being driven from the airport in a black Range Rover with a police escort. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Politicians say chemicals producer appears to be implicated' in abuses of minorities in Chinese provinceThe German chemicals producer BASF appears to be implicated in gross abuses" of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and should withdraw from the Chinese province, a group of politicians from around the world have said.The group made the allegation in a letter to BASF's chair, Martin Brudermuller, on Monday, after the German media outlets Der Spiegel and ZDF published a joint investigation on Friday. Continue reading...

Royal experts say illness may prompt reconciliation with king and William although as yet there are no signs'

PM says he was taken by surprise' when Piers Morgan challenged him over likelihood of deportation flightsRishi Sunak has rowed back on a 1,000 bet with the broadcaster Piers Morgan on whether deportation flights to Rwanda would take off before the general election, claiming he is not a betting person".The prime minister said on Tuesday he had been taken by surprise" when Morgan had said to him during a TalkTV interview: I'll bet you 1,000 to a refugee charity you don't get anybody on those planes before the election. Will you take that bet?" Continue reading...

Peter Dutton says opposition won't stand in the way of Labor plan, but Greens still in negotiations over $359bn package

Record crowds gather for country's national day as fears of a wind back of Mori rights lead to angry exchanges

A year on from the devastation, questions remain about the pace of reconstruction amid the rubbleDays before the anniversary of twin earthquakes that devastated swaths of Turkey's south-east on 6 February 2023, Recep Tayyip Erdoan returned to Hatay province, the area worst hit by the destruction that killed at least 55,000 in Turkey and Syria. Standing on stage in a sports stadium on the outskirts of Antakya, a city once rich in history now all but levelled by the quakes, the Turkish president continued to offer bold promises for reconstruction at break-neck speed, just as he had a year ago.No matter what difficulties we encounter or we experience due to reasons beyond our control, there is no stopping or resting for us until we make Antakya a more magnificent, safer and more vibrant city than before," he declared. Continue reading...

Queensland's court of appeal dismisses applications by Clive Palmer and his Coolum resort relating to charges brought by corporate watchdog

Study finds unprovoked' attacks were more common for surfers than swimmers

Lavender played Private Pike in the much-loved British sitcom and also appeared in EastEndersThe Dad's Army and EastEnders actor Ian Lavender has died at the age of 77, his agent has said.Lavender, who is best known for playing Private Pike in the classic BBC TV comedy, was also its last surviving regular cast member. He died on Friday morning. Continue reading...

Police investigate after employee tricked into transferring money to fraudsters posing as senior officers of her firmHong Kong police have launched an investigation after an employee at an unnamed company said she was duped into paying HK$200m (20m) of her firm's money to fraudsters in a deepfake video conference call.The Hong Kong police force said it had received a report from a worker that she had been tricked into transferring the money by someone posing as senior officers of the company". Continue reading...

MI6 agent was found dead inside a zipped holdall at his London flat in 2010A forensic review into the death of M16 worker Gareth Williams, whose body was found inside a zipped holdall at his London flat, has not uncovered fresh evidence to suggest he was with someone else when he died, the Metropolitan police have said.Williams, 31, from Anglesey, was last seen alive on 15 August 2010. Eight days later, he was found dead inside a zipped and padlocked red North Face holdall in an empty bath at his central London flat. His body was badly decomposed after remaining in the bag in the August heat until he was discovered. Tests found no traces of alcohol, drugs or poison in his body. Continue reading...

New data casts doubt on viability of Labor government's goal to boost university admissions by tackling education gap

Access cut in Dakar and other areas as parliament due to debate bill on extending Macky Sall's presidencySenegal's government has restricted access to mobile internet as opposition leaders and supporters launched protests against President Macky Sall's decision to postpone a presidential election that was due on 25 February.The mobile internet access in the capital, Dakar, and other parts of the country was cut as parliament was due to debate a bill that could extend Sall's tenure beyond 2 April, when he is due to leave office. Continue reading...

Guardian report found staff allegedly sought bribes in return for helping people win deals as part of $1.5bn construction programmeThe UN Development Programme (UNDP) is dispatching a team to Iraq to assess allegations of corruption in its $1.5bn (1.2bn) construction programme following a Guardian investigation.According to an internal document obtained by the Guardian, the UNDP's administrator, Achim Steiner, has commissioned a management review and assessment of the allegations" after revelations its staff were allegedly taking kickbacks in return for helping business people obtain lucrative construction contracts. Continue reading...