Papers in Europe and the US report on ‘sexism in politics’ and how Scott Morrison has been ‘dealing awkwardly’ with the problemAs the Australian government responds to yet more revelations about toxic male culture inside parliament, newspapers worldwide have reacted in horror, with Germany’s Der Spiegel warning that the news has put the prime minister, Scott Morrison, in “dire straits”, in a story headlined “Australia’s government is sinking into a scandalous swamp”.This week a whistleblower alleged that Coalition staffers were swapping videos of themselves engaging in sex acts in Parliament House, including on the desk of a female Coalition MP. The whistleblower claimed that the building’s prayer room was often used for sex and sex workers had been invited into Parliament House by a former minister. Continue reading...

Former president’s vindication could prove a precedent for other high-profile politicians and business leaders in prisonBrazil’s supreme court has ruled that the former judge Sergio Moro was biased in the way he oversaw former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s corruption trial, providing vindication for the leftist leader who has long claimed political persecution.The decision further darkens the shadow over the reputation of Moro and the sweeping “Car Wash” corruption investigation he presided over for years. Continue reading...

‘Beacon of remembrance’ tribute sees public light candles, torches and phones to honour those who have died; Spain to change rules on 30 March after UK vaccination success

Girl was shot in her home and is youngest victim so far in crackdown against opposition to military coupA seven-year-old girl was killed in her home when security forces opened fire in Myanmar’s second city Mandalay, becoming the youngest victim so far in a crackdown against opposition to last month’s military coup.The ruling junta accused pro-democracy protesters of arson and violence during the weeks of unrest, and said it would use the least force possible to quell the daily demonstrations. Continue reading...

Ruling Likud party leading but short of decisive parliamentary majority to end political deadlockExit polls from Israel’s fourth election within two years suggested Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party was ahead but still short of a clear parliamentary majority needed to form a government and end the political deadlock.Unofficial figures from three major television channels released late on Tuesday evening showed the Likud party with around 31-33 seats in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset. That was far more than the opposition head, Yair Lapid, predicted to take about 16-18 seats. Continue reading...

PC Oliver Banfield had been spared jail after drunkenly attacking woman in streetA male off-duty police officer convicted of attacking a woman as she walked home alone has resigned from West Midlands police.PC Oliver Banfield was spared jail for the assault, which sparked criticism from the Labour MP Harriet Harman, who said the “system fails women and protects men”. Continue reading...

Anne Sacoolas to give account of events under oath by 23 July, almost two years after Dunn’s deathThe parents of the teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn are set to hear face-to-face legal testimony from their son’s alleged killer, Anne Sacoolas, for the first time almost two years after his death.Sacoolas and her husband, Jonathan, have been told they will be “deposed” by 23 July this year – meaning they will give their account of events under oath in front of Dunn’s mother, Charlotte Charles, and his father, Tim Dunn. Continue reading...

Two tankers flying the flag of the remote Pacific archipelago are alleged to have been involved in subterfuge shipping of Iranian oilTwo tankers flying the flag of the Cook Islands have been scrubbed from the islands’ shipping registry after allegations the vessels were sanctions-busting, transporting Iranian crude oil while concealing their movements.US sanctions on Iran’s oil and gas sector have, somewhat improbably, caught up the tiny Cooks archipelago on the other side of the world. Continue reading...

PM fumbles press conference to reassure Australian women by trying to weaponise complaintScott Morrison has apologised for claiming News Corp was dealing with an active claim of workplace harassment during a media conference on Tuesday, saying he deeply regrets his “insensitive response to a question”.In a late night Facebook post, the prime minister said, “In the course of today’s media conference when responding to further questions I deeply regret my insensitive response to a question from a News Ltd journalist by making an anonymous reference to an incident at News Ltd that has been rejected by the company. I accept their account. I was wrong to raise it, the emotion of the moment is no excuse. Continue reading...

Russian president declines to have first dose in public after delaying jab for months

George and Alfred Degiorgio offer Maltese prosecutors details on other men they say were involved in killing

Avon and Somerset police have also released images of 10 people they want to speak to over the violenceA man has appeared in court charged with carrying a homemade spear on the night of the riot that followed a “kill the bill” protest in Bristol as police released images of 10 people they wish to trace.Avon and Somerset police have arrested eight men aged 20-44 following Sunday night’s disorder and said pictures of “many more” individuals they are seeking would be released in coming days. Continue reading...

Bloc expected to assess countries’ Covid vaccination coverage and record in facilitating exports to EU

At least 15 people killed as blaze spread across Bangladesh camp of about 124,000 refugees from MyanmarHundreds of people are missing with at least 15 confirmed dead, including three children, after a fire tore through a camp for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.The toll was exacerbated by barbed wire fencing that caged refuges into areas of the sprawling Balukhali camp that were going up in flames, aid workers said. Continue reading...

Filling in the census form doesn’t worry Albert Beale – he hasn’t completed one for 50 years. The section on national identity ticks boxes for Juliet Chaplin, while Shelagh Garvey finds an annoying loopholeZoe Williams notes the biased census question asking people’s religion (G2, 22 March). Indeed, it’s offensive to many of us; what if it asked “What is your non-religious or anti-religious belief?” with an “Other” box for the religious? That’s no more of a leading question, yet would never be contemplated. Zoe was also concerned about a £1,000 fine if she didn’t fill it in properly. I object to many aspects of the census, so I boycott it entirely. I’ve never had any comeback in 50 years.

Deputy first minister says ‘mistakes were made’, as Tories’ vote of no confidence in Nicola Sturgeon fails

My father, Harry Lewis, who has died aged 93, was a carpentry and joinery teacher who spent many years working abroad, first as a Christian missionary in Malawi and then in government teaching posts there, and in Lesotho and Kenya.Harry was born in London to Minnie Lewis, a housemaid. He never knew his father, and at the age of two he was put into the Farningham Home for Little Boys in South Darenth, Kent. His time there made him strong and resilient, and it also gave him a great appreciation of life. Continue reading...

Report ordered after arrests of five men including Labour mayor Joe AndersonPoliticians in Liverpool are braced for government commissioners to intervene in the city council in an unprecedented move following allegations of corruption.Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, is expected to make a statement on Wednesday in response to a report from inspectors investigating whether the council has provided best value to the taxpayer. The report was ordered following the arrests of five men, including the Labour mayor Joe Anderson, last December. Continue reading...

He started out learning his craft on a school work experience programme. Now the comic is about to make history with the first standup special from Africa.It’s not every day a comedian can claim to have made history. Step forward Loyiso Gola, whose new Netflix show – its first ever standup special from Africa – was released this week. But if you’re looking for some expression of pride or excitement about that, Gola’s not your man. “It is meaningful,” he acknowledges, after a bit of arm-twisting. “But for me, I never really pegged myself as an African act. I just always thought of myself as a global act.”You can see why. Based part-time in London (pre-pandemic, at least), Gola is a UK panel-show veteran, and a regular at what he calls “all those glorious festivals all round the world”. His 2018 Live at the Apollo turn, viewed 1.5m times online, teased British audiences to great effect – about Brexit, among other things. (“You are trying to leave Europe. Where are you going to go? Because you are not welcome in Africa!”) With one prior Netflix gig under his belt, on an all-South African Comedians of the World bill, Gola hopes his solo special will cement that international appeal. “I’m extremely nervous,” he tells me, Zooming from Johannesburg. “This feels like a breakthrough album. Sometimes you can feel the moment coming.” Continue reading...

Days of heavy rain and flooding along Australia’s east coast have caused widespread damage and triggered the evacuation of thousands of residents – from western Sydney to the mid-north coast.

Test-run flights from UK to Greece will be allowed from next month while Spain says restrictions will be lifted on 30 MarchGreece will begin accepting test-run flights from the UK next month, while Spain has announced that the entry restrictions on flights from Britain that have been in place since late December will be lifted next week.Greece’s tourism minister, Haris Theoharis, said while Athens’ ambition remained to open up to holidaymakers from 14 May, border controls would also be relaxed in April when “some” airports were allowed to receive traffic from abroad. Continue reading...

From going braless and wearing black – to therapists in ‘sympathetic necklines’ and politicians in fleeces, readers reflect on a year of getting dressed in the pandemicIt is a white linen suit that Perry Seymour misses the most. “It serves so many purposes, but always reminds me of summer nights,” he says.Slim-fitting and miraculously stain-free, it is what he wore in the garden to celebrate his 55th birthday last July. Not that anyone saw it. “I never thought I dressed for anyone else, but I’ve found, without occasions or parties, I have no motivation to get dressed at all. These days, I don’t wear trousers unless I leave the house.” Continue reading...

Analysis: British government will hope a deterioration in relations can be avoidedThe UK government is bracing itself for retaliatory action by China over its decision to impose sanctions on four Chinese officials in response to human rights abuses of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province.The British ambassador to China, Caroline Wilson, was summoned by the Chinese foreign ministry to hear “solemn representations” about the UK sanctions imposed for the mass detention of Muslim minorities. Continue reading...

Continuing our series on a year of bumper pandemic viewing, our critics finally watch the shows that had passed them by, from Downton to Twin PeaksAs with my experience of so many modern cultural touchstones, I first came to 24 via a Simpsons parody. Being only seven years old in 2001, when the 24-episode “real time” thriller first aired, my knowledge of Kiefer Sutherland’s exhausting counter-terror mission to stop the assassination of a presidential hopeful came from a 2007 Simpsons episode starring Lisa and Bart in a split-screen chase to hold off the detonation of a powerful stink bomb at Springfield Elementary. Continue reading...

Duke of Sussex’s first formal role since ending royal duties involves ‘meaty role’ as chief impact officer at BetterUpPrince Harry has been given a job by a $1bn (£730m) Silicon Valley startup which provides professional coaching, mental health advice and “immersive learning” as its chief impact officer.The Duke of Sussex said he hoped to be able to “create impact in people’s lives” by working with BetterUp to provide “proactive coaching” for personal development, increased awareness and “an all-round better life”. Continue reading...

Impostor syndrome is always described as a bad thing, but the UK’s political class would genuinely benefit from self-doubt

British Museum and Pitt Rivers under pressure to hand back sculptures looted from Nigeria

Holyrood committee highly critical of Scottish first minister’s accounts of meeting with former mentor

While flood waters will continue to rise in some areas, the worst of the weather is over, the Bureau of Meteorology says

While the Mexican spirit is most commonly consumed in shots or cocktails, it can also be a joy to cook with, whether you’re making tasty roast beef or boozy chocolate pots

Trade bloc indicates desire to ease tensions with UK over alleged breach of protocolThe EU is pressing to reopen Brexit talks with the UK in an effort to end the bitter row over Northern Ireland a week after it formally launched legal action against the government.Ireland’s foreign minister has indicated that the EU is willing to show some flexibility despite the UK’s recent decision to unilaterally delay implementation of the special arrangements for Northern Ireland, which led to the threat of court action. Continue reading...

Thousands of extra buildings and new roads on the flood plain have changed how rainwater runs off into the Hawkesbury River, locals say“Where do they think the water is going to go? It’s not 1960 any more.”Shaun Boland was furious on Tuesday and it wasn’t because live power lines had blocked him from accessing, by boat, his two-storey house at Pitt Town Bottoms in Sydney’s north-west. His home, like dozens of others nearby, was drowned and blending into the Hawkesbury River. Continue reading...

In the pandemic, many have rediscovered the sheer pleasure of writing to strangers, with new schemes spreading hope and connection around the worldA few months ago, when the rules had been sufficiently relaxed to allow friends to sit together outside, Liz Maguire had coffee with a woman she had never met. The pair had already been communicating for months, and quickly fell into easy conversation. Later on, this woman tweeted about their meeting, to which another woman replied: “You met Liz Maguire? As in the Liz Maguire?”.The Liz Maguire is a 27-year-old American expat living in Dublin. Though undoubtedly a celebrity in her chosen field, she is not a professional, but that is simply because she is not paid to do what she loves, which is to write letters to strangers. Continue reading...

Memoir by Peter Fabjan, an acclaimed hit in Bernhard’s native Austria, describes a tormented man who flitted between ‘affection and icy contempt’

With his new album, Deacon, the US singer-songwriter has finally left heartbreak and anger behind. It’s been a journeyAcross the long stretch of the pandemic, with formal face-to-face interviews replaced by cosy conversations over phones and laptops, we have become used to images of kitchens, living rooms and carefully selected bookshelves. For today’s conversation, though, singer-songwriter Serpentwithfeet has offered up a far more novel setting in the current locked-down climate: an airport. After struggling to connect, he appears, most of his face covered with a mask, his neck tattoos just visible through the compressed video image. “Can you hear me?” he asks, before a disembodied voice interrupts to announce that a flight is now boarding.Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips Continue reading...

Australians deceived into risking nest eggs after clicking on Mayfair 101 sponsored links, court rulesThe corporate regulator has warned Google to carefully consider the implications of a court decision that found people were misled into tipping money into high-risk investments after following sponsored links in search results.In a decision handed down on Tuesday, the federal court judge Stewart Anderson found the search ad campaign formed part of a broader pattern of misleading and deceptive conduct by Mayfair 101, an investment company best known for buying Queensland’s Dunk Island. Continue reading...

Sources raise possibility of sharing jab supplies from Dutch AstraZeneca plant as diplomacy blitz begins

The prime minister warns media to ‘be careful’ on questions of sexual misconduct. Follow all the latest news and updates, live

More torrential rain and flooding predicted on Australia’s east coast, with 18,000 people evacuated. Follow all the latest news and updates, live

Chief executive Jakob Stausholm says he will make heritage protection be ‘felt in the hearts and minds’ of his employeesRio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm has pledged to make protecting cultural heritage an issue which is “felt in the hearts and minds” of his employees in an effort to avoid another Juukan Gorge-style disaster.The mining company on Tuesday announced it would publicly report to investors on its progress on improving cultural heritage systems and renewing trust with traditional owners, as it attempts to rebuild its shattered social capital. Continue reading...

Eighteen years ago, 24 photographers agreed to document New Year’s Day for 24 years. Each was allocated one hour of the day to record what was going on around them and each moves forward one hour every year. Here is a selection of their work, which will be displayed in Soho Square, London, from 24 March until 16 April at one of the first exhibitions to reopen in the UK after a series of coronavirus lockdowns Continue reading...

From an R-rated Mrs Doubtfire to an ultra-violent Event Horizon, film history is littered with rumours of cuts that may or may not existSnyder Cut fever has taken over America, with streaming viewers responding to the reinstatement of one man’s unchecked vision over the mucking-about from interferers at the studio. The shifting fate of Justice League retells an old showbiz narrative – talent v industry – with a heartening victory for the David of the dynamic, as the global conglomerate yields to the ceaseless requests of a vast and ardent fanbase. But more frequently, the money-men win out and get their way in edits, wresting control from the creators for the sake of marketability.Below, we’ve surveyed eight of the most prominent stories in this vein, tales of mythical cuts without an army of devotees to force them into release. Tinkered with for the sake of length, profit and taste both good and bad, they’re playing in an exclusive engagement in the public imagination. Continue reading...

Chinese embassy accuses Australia of the ‘despicable tactic of smearing China’ after foreign minister raises ‘grave concerns’ about human rightsAustralia and New Zealand have raised “grave concerns” about human rights abuses against Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang region, citing “the growing number of credible reports” of severe violations.But while both countries have welcomed new coordinated sanctions announced by the UK, US, the EU and Canada, they have not announced any such measures of their own. Continue reading...

German chancellor supports EU chief’s threat to block AstraZeneca vaccines from being exported as country faces ‘very serious situation’

Here, you can see the flooding and rainfall in context with historical data, with some areas breaking longstanding records for river heights

Tuesday: Dozens of NSW communities declared disaster zones after flooding as the downpour continues. Plus: Concussion tests for AFL and NRLIt’s Tuesday 23 March and today we’ll be covering all the latest from widespread flooding on Australia’s east coast. There’s more trouble in Canberra with an adviser sacked for a “disgusting and sickening” lewd act. Plus Chinese officials are facing sanctions over the country’s treatment of Uighur people. Continue reading...

Sanctions over treatment of Uighurs mark first time for three decades UK or EU has punished China for human rights abusesBritain and the EU have taken joint action with the US and Canada to impose parallel sanctions on senior Chinese officials involved in the mass internment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province in the first such western action against Beijing since Joe Biden took office.The move also marked the first time in three decades that the UK or the EU had punished China for human rights abuses, and both will now be working hard to contain the potential political and economic fallout. China hit back immediately, blacklisting MEPs, European diplomats and thinktanks. Continue reading...

Young women quickly come to realise that our world is a very different place from that of our male friendsCreatures that are hunted need survival strategies. I watched a video clip of a cat seeing off a black bear. Despite the ridiculous size difference, the cat flies at the bear – all ferocity and flashing claws. Small animals turn fear into rage, and sometimes – only sometimes – rage saves them.These thoughts come to me in the quiet garden of my Wellington home. Sexual assaults have increased in this city by 50% over the past five years. In the news, I read about an appalling killing in London. Women protesting, holding vigils and being beaten by the police as “activists”. Continue reading...

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