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Victoria reports two new local Covid cases; remains of missing businesswoman Melissa Caddick found; 85% of Australians likely to get vaccinated. Follow live

In a country where pneumonia, malaria and TB are much bigger killers, doctors say ‘resource-intensive’ Covid-19 is diverting precious resources

Documentary photographer Kirsty Mackay examines the causes of the ‘Glasgow Effect’ in a highly personal project. She looks at Glasgow’s excess mortality in comparison to the UK average and shifts the focus from the individual to government policy.

Ban on violence against children will only apply in Islamabad, but campaigners hope rest of the country will follow suit

When the shock-rocker returned to the place of his birth in the 60s, he found a raw paradise of unsegregated rock’n’roll. As Cooper releases an album celebrating the city, he and his peers relive one of the US’s greatest music scenesIn the beginning there was the production line; the hammering and the pumping and the noise. Always the noise. “Detroit was an industrial city,” says Alice Cooper. “It was like Newcastle. Everybody worked for Ford or Chevrolet or GMC. Everybody’s parents worked on the assembly line. The kids were street kids. I think the Detroit sound has something to do with working with big machines; it made people feel at home hearing big, loud, rock music.” Continue reading...

Coronavirus pandemic meant the envoys and their families had to travel home in an unconventional wayIn normal times, most diplomats can expect to end a foreign posting with an official – if not always fond – farewell from their hosts and a comfortable journey back to their native country.But for one group of Russian envoys and their families, the coronavirus pandemic meant there was only one way home – under their own steam on a hand-pushed rail trolley. Continue reading...

Numbers of Māui dolphins have been slashed by fishing and other threats, with only an estimated 63 adults remaining in the wildThe lives of New Zealand’s smallest and most endangered dolphins will soon become less elusive as drones take to the skies to study their location, habits and numbers.Māui dolphins are a subspecies of the Hector’s dolphin and are one of the rarest dolphins in the world, living in a small stretch of ocean off the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Continue reading...

RJ Cutler’s two-hour-plus Apple documentary on the pop phenom reveals an exceptional artist grappling with both superstar fame and lame parent jokesBy age 19, the singer Billie Eilish has reached heights of fame and success that feel both otherworldly and familiar, carried by the same tides of generational mega-popularity that have buoyed such teen music idols as Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus before her, but with a Gen Z twist. It’s Eilish publicity canon that the then-15-year-old rocketed to social media fame after her older brother and co-producer, Finneas, posted a song they recorded for her dance class, Ocean Eyes, to Soundcloud, that they recorded her smash debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in his childhood bedroom, that the two MaGyver everyday sounds – a dentist’s drill, the slurp of Eilish’s Invisalign retainer – into songs that garner billions of streams.Related: The betrayal of Britney Spears: how pop culture failed a superstar Continue reading...

Father Jamie Spears ‘saved Britney’s life’ says lawyer in response to the #FreeBritney movement that has advocated for the pop starFans of Britney Spears who believe her father should be ousted from his role overseeing her conservatorship “have it so wrong”, his lawyer has said.The pop star’s finances and personal affairs have been controlled since 2008 by a contentious legal agreement that has given her father, Jamie Spears, control over her estate, career and other aspects of her personal life. Continue reading...

One year on from the nation’s first case of coronavirus, Aotearoa has largely eliminated the virus - communications played a key part in its success

Israel set to put scheme on hold after criticism for sending vaccines abroad; China approves two more Covid vaccines. This blog has closed. Follow our new one below.

The majority of the Pacific nation’s population won’t be immunised for another two years, government planning documents show

The Queen said her Covid-19 jab 'didn’t hurt at all' in a video call with health officials leading vaccine deployment across the UK.The monarch praised the vaccine programme, describing its speed and the rapid progress as 'remarkable', and in a morale boost told the health leaders to 'keep up the good work' Continue reading...

In video call, monarch tells officials leading vaccine programme to ‘keep up the good work’

Children unhurt after falling from third floor, and woman later discharged from hospitalA woman rescued her four children from a burning building in Istanbul by throwing them out of a third-floor window.Video footage captured each child falling as volunteers in the street below stretched out a blanket to catch them. Bystanders were heard screaming and some shouted at the woman not to drop the children. Continue reading...

A mother rescued four children by throwing them from the window of a burning apartment block in Istanbul, Turkey. Neighbours caught the children with blankets spread out below as black smoke billowed from the building. Local authorities said the children were in good health. The mother was hospitalised as a precaution before being discharged Continue reading...

CSIS included quote from A Perfect Spy in tweet about job postings, bewildering Twitter usersFor an intelligence agency seeking new recruits, the promises of adventure and intrigue found within the pages of famous spy novels might seem like a useful recruiting tool.But promoting a double agent who lies to his family, betrays his country and ultimately takes his own life, is possibly not a strategy that will produce the best candidates. Continue reading...

Judges rule bullfighter’s performance cannot be registered as intellectual propertyThe Spanish matador Miguel Ángel Perera was delighted by the manner in which he fought and dispatched a four-year-old, 539kg bull by the name of Curioso in June 2014.But, despite being awarded both of Curioso’s ears for his performance in the bullring in the south-western city of Badajoz, Perera was keen for greater recognition of his work that day – namely that it be enshrined in copyright as a work of art. Continue reading...

Actor describes being helped with lines and learning by repetition at event for the Vision FoundationDame Judi Dench has spoken of her determination to carry on working despite sight loss, even if that means using friends to learn lines and being gently told to stop delivering speeches to the proscenium arch rather than her fellow actors.Dench described how she copes with deteriorating eyesight – the challenges, the unexpected advantages and the funny side – at an online event on Thursday with Stephen Fry and Hayley Mills for the Vision Foundation, the London sight loss charity. Continue reading...

Friday: ‘Confronting’ report details degradation of reefs, deserts and forests. Plus: news returns to FacebookHello, it’s Friday 26 February and this is Imogen Dewey, with stories about Australia’s vaccine rollout, the shockwaves still rolling through parliament and some sobering environmental news to see out your week.First off, it looks like news is back on Facebook in Australia (or a fair chunk of it, anyway). Continue reading...

Dog walker is ‘recovering well’ while musician is offering a reward for anyone who has her dogs Koji and Gustav, ‘no questions asked’A man walking Lady Gaga’s dogs for her was shot in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, and two of her dogs were stolen, prompting the pop star to offer a $500,000 reward for their return.The victim, identified in US media reports as Ryan Fischer, is expected to survive his injuries. Continue reading...

The conviction of an intelligence official in Germany marks the end of impunity – but will more senior figures be held accountable?

Analysis: party figures fear Labour may be forced to U-turn if chancellor raises business taxes in budget

Some arriving passengers are dodging mandatory three-night hotel stay while claims of sexual assault tarnish health planLess than a week after the introduction of new rules obliging international air travellers to quarantine at a hotel on arrival in Canada, the plan is facing criticism after allegations of sexual assault and reports that some passengers are ignoring the rules.Amid growing concern that international travellers could pose a risk of spreading variants of the coronavirus, Canada began requiring anyone arriving from abroad to isolate at a hotel for up to three nights, beginning Monday. Continue reading...

Open letter says the launch of online outlet ‘Rightly’ is ‘an affront’ to the network’s journalistic visionMore than a hundred staff at the Qatar-funded media organisation Al Jazeera have signed an open letter to management objecting to the launch of a rightwing digital platform that they say betrays its journalism and will “irreparably tarnish the network’s brand and work”.The internal letter, seen by the Guardian and sent to top leaders of the media network, said the launch of Rightly on Thursday was “an affront to the ethical, journalistic and editorial vision and guidelines of Al Jazeera”. Continue reading...

First minister pressed on what action she took over claims woman’s identity was revealed to former Salmond aide

France’s response to #MeToo was unenthusiastic but its attitude towards sex is coming under increasing scrutiny in a wave of memoirs alleging abuseIt was the fate of another girl that made Vanessa Springora realise how little things had changed. In 2018, newspapers reported that a 28-year-old man had lured an 11-year-old to his home in the Paris suburbs. Though the girl’s parents had reported rape, the charge was reduced as the girl was deemed to have consented because the man hadn’t used threats or force. “I was disgusted,” says Springora. It was then that she decided on the title of her memoir – Le Consentement (Consent).Springora first met the prize-winning author Gabriel Matzneff at a literary dinner in 1986. She was 13 years old, and her mother, who worked in publishing, could not afford a babysitter. Matzneff, the guest of honour, was 50. Over the next year, the two embarked on a passionate affair: he fought for her mother’s blessing, helped her with her studies and wrote of their burning love in his published journals. At least, that was his version. Continue reading...

Guardian finding comes as Angela Merkel talks of vaccine’s ‘acceptance problem’

As she releases her third album, the US indie rocker reminisces about waffles, hardcore Christian punk and her terrible skateboardingWhere I grew up in the Memphis suburbs was not the epitome of cool, so I didn’t know what else to be except a goth kid. When I was 13, I wore lots of safety pins in my clothing. Now, the way I form friendships and meet people is so different, but then I would just get home from school and walk around the neighbourhood, finding other kids outside. We’d hide behind the storm drain and smoke cigarettes, hide from our parents and set stuff on fire. It was Tennessee! There wasn’t a lot to do. Continue reading...

Photojournalist Zohra Bensemra meets Fallou Diop, one of Senegal’s most promising jockeys who won the country’s top racing prize when he was 17. He hopes to begin racing in France next year, realising a dream coveted by some of Senegal’s foremost riders Continue reading...

Additional 700,000 people were away from work, with women, young adults and hospitality staff worst hit

Brian Ringrose from Milton Keynes dies in hospital after being restrained and put in induced comaFive police officers are under investigation for manslaughter after the death of a 24-year-old man in police custody earlier this month.Brian Ringrose, from Milton Keynes, was placed in an induced coma and died in hospital days after he was arrested by Thames Valley police on 27 January. Continue reading...

A year’s worth of intensive handwashing and sanitising has taken its toll on our mitts. Experts advise on the best healing techniques and treatmentsIf you never gave that much thought to handwashing before the start of the pandemic, you’re well practised in it now. But all that soap and water, and repeated squirts of sanitiser gel, may have taken its toll on your mitts. “That’s what we’re seeing during the pandemic,” says Dr Tanya Bleiker, president of the British Association of Dermatologists. “People who have never had problems before are washing their hands so frequently they are developing irritant hand dermatitis [also known as hand eczema].”If your hands become sore or cracked, “then you do need to have treatment,” says Bleiker. A pharmacist should be able to offer advice and products, but it may require a visit to the GP, “because you may need some topical steroid creams to calm that inflammation down”. There are steps you can take, however, to try to prevent getting to that stage. Here are a few tips to keep your hands healthy. Continue reading...

Instances of violence pointed to ‘structural and systematic’ abuses within the police force and sparked calls for reformPolice officers in Colombia killed 86 people last year, according to a local NGO which reported “structural and systematic” abuses in the South American nation’s police force.Temblores, an non-governmental organization that monitors state violence, also documented 7,992 cases of assault and 30 cases of sexual violence, with migrant communities and Afro-Colombians often the victims. Continue reading...

Experts say the 27-year-old can help ‘keep the good ties rolling’ between the two countries at a time of ‘political skirmishes’A 27-year-old Chinese Australian fashion influencer has been appointed editor-in-chief of Vogue China in a move experts believe could serve as positive soft diplomacy at a time of increasing tension between Canberra and Beijing.Margaret Zhang, who was born in Sydney and grew up in the suburb of West Ryde, is Vogue’s youngest editor-in-chief – despite having never edited a magazine. Continue reading...

Pastor Mick Fleming has devoted all of his time in this lockdown to supporting the poorest communities in Burnley. But his life hasn’t always been this way. He tells us how he swapped a life of crime ​for delivering food parcels​ seven days a week, holding funerals for free and counselling people through drug relapses. He says the suffering of the poorest people in his town should make society deeply uncomfortableMick's Church on the Street charity: https://www.cots-ministries.com/

Police believe Paddy Moriarty was murdered after leaving Larrimah hotel with his dog in December 2017Police are offering a $250,000 reward for information about a man who went missing in the Northern Territory more than three years ago.Patrick “Paddy” Moriarty was last seen in the town of Larrimah at dusk on Saturday 16 December 2017 when he left the Larrimah hotel on a quad bike with his red kelpie, Kellie. Continue reading...

Latifa says in letter passed to police ‘your help and attention on her case could free’ Princess ShamsaPrincess Latifa, a daughter of Dubai’s ruler who claims to have been held in captivity by her father since 2018, has asked UK police to re-investigate the kidnapping more than 20 years ago of her sister, Princess Shamsa, according to a letter reported by the BBC.The BBC reported that in a letter handwritten in 2019 – but passed to Cambridgeshire police on Wednesday – Latifa says the police may be able to free Shamsa, who was abducted on the orders of her father when she was 19. Continue reading...

Actor is ‘gleefully anticipating’ the return of the comedy, which is being rebooted after 17 yearsThe hit 90s TV comedy Frasier, starring Kelsey Grammer as a snobbish radio advice-show host, is to return to television nearly two decades after it last aired. Grammer said he would reprise his role in a revival of the series, which ran for 263 episodes between 1993 and 2004.Frasier, a spin-off of the TV series Cheers, was one of the most successful shows of the 90s and 00s, winning five consecutive Emmy awards for outstanding comedy series and running for 11 seasons. The series followed Grammer’s character, who returns to Seattle to care for his elderly father, with his pretentious psychiatrist brother, Niles Crane. Continue reading...

AFP warns Scott Morrison about delays in reporting alleged criminal conduct. Follow live updates

Founder says community centre in Accra was closed pre-emptively to protect its staffA community centre for LGBTQ+ people in Ghana has been closed, following a wave of protest against the rights of sexual minorities in the country.In recent weeks government ministers and religious groups had demanded the closure of the centre, intended to be a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to meet and find support. Yet since the opening in January of the centre in the capital, Accra, many people have received death threats and online abuse. Continue reading...

Children’s commissioner says moves to better regulate home education have been slow and ineffectiveThe Welsh government is failing in its legal duty to protect the rights of home-educated children a decade after a boy who was being taught by his parents slipped under the radar of education and health officials and died of scurvy, an official report has concluded.Eight-year-old Dylan Seabridge lived in a secluded rural community in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, where he had not been seen by any agencies or services for seven years. Continue reading...

People avoided seeking medical help during first lockdown because they did not want to burden NHS

Temperature drops to as low as -19C, with strong winds disrupting shipping in the Aegean SeaThere was widespread snowfall in Greece last week as a cold front plunged southwards across the country. The snow in Athens on Monday was the heaviest since February 2008, blanketing landmarks such as the Acropolis. Florina in northern Greece recorded a minimum temperature of -19.0C. Strong winds accompanied the cold weather, with gusts of over 60mph (97kmph) across the Aegean Sea, resulting in disruption to shipping.Meanwhile, heavy monsoon rains in Indonesia have caused severe flooding around the capital, Jakarta. Flood waters were about 1.8 metres (6ft) deep in parts of the city, with more than 1,300 people forced to evacuate. The Philippines also suffered flooding as Tropical Storm Dujuan approached at the weekend. More than 50,000 people were evacuated from some southern and central parts of the country before the storm made landfall on Monday. Continue reading...

Although femicide is a recognised crime in Mexico, when a woman disappears, the authorities are notoriously slow to act. But there is someone who will take on their case

Covid restrictions means event could be suspended if crowds lining route become too large, organising committee warnsPeople who turn out to catch a glimpse of the Olympic torch during its journey through Japan from the end of next month will be asked to applaud rather than cheer passing runners, and the event could be suspended if crowds lining the relay route grow too large.The unusual provisions for the relay - the main precursor to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics - are another sign of the difficulties organisers face as they attempt to carry off an event involving tens of thousands of athletes, officials and journalists in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

Charity made changes after 2019 earthquake response report found allegations of child sexual misconduct by staff weren’t properly investigatedOxfam will no longer be subject to strict supervision by the charity watchdog following “significant” reforms prompted by a 2019 report into conduct by its staff after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.The Charity Commission for England and Wales found allegations that staff working in disaster zones sexually abused children were not fully disclosed, with the watchdog also citing a “culture of poor behaviour” among Oxfam GB staff sent to help victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Continue reading...

After decades in hiding, in prison or keeping low profile, players from a bloody period in the country’s history are now seen as ‘folk idols’ by the Turkish rightAt first glance, the photograph of two smartly dressed older Turkish men, posing for the camera in an office filled with flags, could be of any important figures in the country – but it is rare for a picture to say so much about both the past and the future.On the left is Devlet Bahçeli, an ultranationalist political dinosaur who has in the past few years become an influential coalition partner in the government of Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Continue reading...

US administration is preparing to release intelligence assessment that reportedly names the Crown Prince as complicit in murder of journalistJoe Biden is expected to call Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, as his administration prepares to release a declassified intelligence assessment that will reportedly name the royal’s son and heir as complicit in the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi.The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Biden’s call to the 85-year-old ruler would take place “soon” and that the declassified report on Khashoggi’s murder was being readied for release. Biden, who said he has read the report, is insisting that he speak only to the king. Continue reading...