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With country gripped by icy weather, thousands track daily journeys of gritters and snowploughs online

A series of photographs created by photojournalist Jonny Weeks during coronavirus lockdown 3.0. ‘I live on a rugged stretch of coastline that gets battered by the Atlantic Ocean during winter. I wanted to capture the raw elements – waves, weather and landscape – in a way that was simple yet confounding’ Continue reading...

Restrictions have changed around the country in response to hotel quarantine outbreaks in Victoria, so what exactly is and isn’t allowed? Do I have to wear a mask and where can and can’t I go in Australia? Untangle Australia’s Covid-19 laws and guidelines with our guide

For two decades the global community has stood by while militia groups have got away with killing, raping and lootingI was food shopping when I read the news. Nearly 22 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are facing starvation and malnutrition. Now. In 2021.You have to wonder how a country with eight months of rain, more than 50% of all the rivers, lakes and wetlands in Africa, and more agricultural land than any African country, with the potential to feed up to 2 billion people, gets to the point where it is unable to feed its population of 100 million. Continue reading...

The identically dressed quintet combines dance, comedy and DIY electro-punk in a world they have created for themselvesHow to describe the joy of watching people dancing in unison? Anthropologists talk about synchronous activities leading to a sense of “collective effervescence”; that lightness we feel when we’re all moving together in time – doing the macarena, maybe, or the YMCA – and trace it back to the need to bond members of a family or a tribe to one another, to reinforce the sense of unity that would have once been essential for survival.The first thing I knew about Figs in Wigs was that they liked to dance in unison. A quintet of identically dressed performers, they appeared whenever the evening got weird enough at Latitude festival or London’s Royal Vauxhall Tavern. They wore DayGlo jumpsuits and matching bum bags, deadpan stares, glittery painted-on monobrows. Watching Figs in Wigs dance was like listening to an alien language, a semaphore of hops and hand gestures that existed at the midpoint between Yvonne Rainer’s Trio A and Saturday Night by Whigfield. Dances made of pixels rather than steps. And like any act of synchronous dancing, there was a satisfaction to be had in watching people moving together in unison, but with Figs, there was always something more: the thrill of how audaciously they constructed their own way of dancing, their own way of being on stage together. Continue reading...

Question mark over far Biden administration will go to push allies to end arms sales

Daniel Andrews says stage four lockdown is to prevent a third wave in response to ‘hyper-infectivity’ of variant

Both countries say they are disengaging in disputed Ladakh where soldiers killed each other with sticks and rocksChina and India have been pulling back frontline troops along disputed portions of their mountain border where they have been in a standoff for months, officials in both countries said.The troops started the disengagement on Wednesday at the southern and northern bank of Pangong Lake in the Ladakh region, according to the officials. Continue reading...

New documentary on legal arrangement, which gives singer’s father control over her estate, has prompted fresh calls to #FreeBritneyA Los Angeles judge has denied a request by Britney Spears’s father to retain some of his rights over the pop star’s estate, the latest twist in a protracted court struggle over the singer’s finances and guardianship. Continue reading...

Court filing ‘denies generally and specifically each and every allegation’ in the complaint made by the British musician in DecemberAmerican actor Shia LaBeouf’s legal team has denied allegations of sexual battery and assault made by his former girlfriend, British musician FKA twigs, in a civil lawsuit last year.LaBeouf’s attorney said in a court filing that the actor “denies generally and specifically each and every allegation” in the complaint. Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern says vaccination of the wider population will begin in the second half of the year

People in the US who have had full number of jabs can skip 14-day quarantine, public health officials say; Irish lockdown set to be extended until April

Joint statement between UK and EU agrees to ‘spare no effort’ in implementing solutionsMichael Gove and the European commission’s vice-president have reiterated their “full commitment” to the Northern Ireland protocol following crisis talks in London.A joint statement said Gove and Maroš Šefčovič had a “frank but constructive discussion” on Thursday evening, in which they agreed to “spare no effort” in implementing solutions. Continue reading...

The composer, keyboardist and bandleader, who won 23 Grammy awards, has died of a rare form of cancerThe jazz pioneer Chick Corea has died at the age of 79.According to a post on his Facebook page, the musician died from “a rare form of cancer which was only discovered very recently”. In his career, Corea won 23 Grammys and was the fourth most-nominated artist in Grammys history. Continue reading...

Ontario’s special investigations unit concludes gunfire was cause of one-year-old’s death in Kawartha LakesNearly three months after an armed confrontation in rural Canada, a police watchdog has concluded that a police bullet killed a one-year-old baby when officers opened fire on his father’s truck.In its first public finding on Thursday, Ontario’s special investigations unit said that a review of evidence indicated police gunfire was the cause of the child’s death on 27 November. Continue reading...

Health workers were reportedly attacked with bows and arrows after visiting an indigenous community in Amazonas

Founding director of Unifem, the United Nations development fund for womenWhen Margaret Snyder first started working for the UN in Addis Ababa in 1971, programmes for African women centred around healthcare and support for children. Snyder, who has died aged 91, established the first UN regional women’s programme to change that perception. She went on to launch the UN’s development fund for women (Unifem) and became affectionately known as the “UN’s first feminist”.Her job in Ethiopia was to help establish a women’s programme at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to support women in their roles as farmers, entrepreneurs and often family breadwinners. The programme evolved into the African Training and Research Centre for Women (ATRCW). Continue reading...

Friday: Two more Covid cases linked to the Holiday Inn quarantine hotel. Plus: simple strategies to cope with bluebottlesGood morning – it’s Imogen Dewey here with the latest news on Victoria’s Covid-19 cluster, the impeachment trial, and what the Australian government is and isn’t doing for the environment.Melbourne’s hotel quarantine cluster has risen to 13 as more close contacts test positive to Covid – and a pandemic survey has found Australians are more worried about money and less confident in the government. While Scott Morrison still says hotel quarantine is “the right way to go”, US health officials are advising that anyone who has received the full course of Covid vaccines can skip the standard 14-day lock-in. And in good news on that front, the Pfizer vaccine is showing a strong response to new Covid variants. Continue reading...

A Melbourne airport cafe has been added to the list of exposure sites after five new cases reportedMelbourne’s hotel quarantine cluster has grown to 13, with two more Covid-19 cases reported late on Thursday.The latest cases were people living with someone who had previously tested positive and were already isolating. Continue reading...

Traders offered grant of up to £2,000 each to pay for practical support for importing and exportingSmall British businesses are being offered access to a £20m Brexit support fund from the government to help them with new trade rules following border disruption in the first few weeks since the UK left the EU.In response to mounting criticism from business leaders over the impact of the new arrangements, the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, said the funding would help businesses adapt to the changes. Continue reading...

Sisters of women’s rights activist step up pressure on Saudi leaders a day after her release from prisonThe sisters of the women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul have stepped up pressure on Saudi Arabia’s leaders after her release from prison, demanding “real justice” and insisting the human rights campaigner will fight a year travel ban.One day after Hathloul’s release from custody – widely billed as a peace offering from Riyadh to the administration of the new US president, Joe Biden – Lina al-Hathloul said her sister would take legal action in the kingdom to overturn restrictions imposed on her as part of her probation. Continue reading...

Judge gives summary judgment in favour of royal over extracts of letter to estranged father, Thomas MarkleThe Duchess of Sussex has won her high court privacy case against the Mail on Sunday, hailing her victory as a “comprehensive win” over the newspaper’s “illegal and dehumanising practices”.After a two-year legal battle, a judge granted summary judgment in Meghan’s favour over the newspaper’s publication of extracts of a “personal and private” handwritten letter to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. Continue reading...

Accounting firm investigates as more details emerge of meeting where Bill Michael told staff to stop moaningNew details have emerged of controversial comments by the UK chair of KPMG, who has stepped aside while the accounting firm investigates what he said to staff during a virtual meeting.A video of the Zoom meeting was published on Thursday in which Bill Michael describes the concept of unconscious bias as being “complete and utter crap for years”. Continue reading...

Brian Jacques’ tale of valiant mice and no-good rats introduced me to fantasy fiction. My daughters love it too, and here are some reasons why everyone should

Draft human rights council resolution stops short of condemnation in effort to keep Russia and China on boardThe UK and EU want the UN human rights council to “strongly deplore” the military coup in Myanmar and urgently demand access for monitors when the body meets for a special session on Friday.A draft resolution circulated by UK and EU diplomats appears to have been watered down from earlier drafts that would have condemned the coup. The move hints at the resistance that efforts to pressure Myanmar’s army, known locally as the Tatmadaw, will face from other powers in the 47-member forum with ties to it, especially Russia and China. Continue reading...

Covid-19 isolation blamed as number of children with anorexia and bulimia in England soars amid fears for similar rise among adults

Exclusive: Employers are putting workers at risk and increasing infections rates in communities, unions say

This week, the Coalition debated what it would exempt from a policy to achieve a target of net zero emissions by 2050 – a policy and a target that do not currently exist. Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor and head of news Mike Ticher discuss what’s at stake while Australia fails to act on climate changeYou can read the articles mentioned in the podcast here: Continue reading...

Hossein Dehghan criticises continuing sanctions by US and says Tehran’s approach to nuclear issue will changeThe only declared candidate in Iran’s presidential elections this June has accused Joe Biden of continuing Donald Trump’s international policies, and warned that Tehran is preparing retaliatory measures to force the US to change its diplomatic trajectory.In an interview with the Guardian, Hossein Dehghan, a military adviser to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Washington was not in a position to set preconditions for Iran’s return to the 2015 nuclear deal and called for guarantees that the US will not leave the agreement again. Continue reading...

The singer recalls the joy of 60s California pop, being enthralled by Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and the Go-Go’s first gigI grew up in Burbank in southern California. Music played a huge part in my life. I loved California radio – every summer, I would lie in front of the big speakers at my friend’s house. Her mother would go off to work and we would just sing along to the radio from 9am to 6pm every single day, every summer. When I was about 10, I saved up my babysitting and chore money to buy Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In by the 5th Dimension on 45rpm. It was so joyous and still sounds fresh to this day. Continue reading...

Pawel Relowicz, 26, convicted of murdering university student after 13-day trial at Sheffield crown courtA man has been found guilty of raping and murdering a university student before dumping her body in a river.Pawel Relowicz, 26, was convicted of murdering the university student Libby Squire following a 13-day trial at Sheffield crown court. Continue reading...

Departure to cost EU 0.5% of GDP but UK 2.25% by end 2022, according to first official estimate since deal was agreedThe economic blow dealt by Brexit will be four times greater in the UK than the EU, according to the latest forecasts by Brussels.A month into the new relationship, the European commission said the UK’s exit on the terms agreed by Boris Johnson’s government would generate a loss in gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of 2022 of about 2.25% in the UK comparedwith continued membership. In contrast, the hit for the EU is estimated to be about 0.5% over the same period. Continue reading...

Labour leader says all arrivals in UK should have to face hotel quarantine as Sturgeon calls UK borders ‘too leaky’ to protect against variants

Self-portrait featuring his trademark ‘crotch grab’ figure will be first work by a street artist in Italian gallery

Human rights groups ask international community not to forget other female prisoners of conscience in Saudi jailsSaudi campaigners and human rights groups have welcomed the release of the prominent women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul from prison, while urging the international community not to forget the other female prisoners of conscience still behind bars for their activism in the ultra-conservative kingdom.Hathloul, 31, was granted probation by a judge in Riyadh and allowed home to her family on Wednesday evening. She is subject to a travel ban, and a suspended sentence if she breaks the terms of her release. Continue reading...

Olga Freeman sentenced at Old Bailey after admitting manslaughter of Dylan, 10, in August 2020A woman who killed her disabled 10-year-old son after undergoing a breakdown during the UK’s coronavirus lockdown has been detained in hospital indefinitely.Dylan Freeman had been “an indirect victim” of the interruption caused by Covid-19 to normal life, said Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb as she sentenced his mother, Olga Freeman, 40, at the Old Bailey. Continue reading...

Notes on Grief will recount the life of ‘a remarkable man of kindness and charm’ and the author’s struggle to absorb his loss during lockdown last year

A year of coronavirus may have dented Hollywood’s enthusiasm for films about deadly outbreaks, but the genre has a history of mutating and returningOf all the things this wretched disease has taken from us, the pandemic movie ranks among the least essential. But, for a few years at least, we should brace ourselves to elbow-bump the genre goodbye.In 2021, we all know exactly what a pandemic is. And, for the most part, it is nothing like the movies. The undead do not roam the streets. Infected monkeys are not leaping from host to host. The vaccine was created without Brad Pitt having to tiptoe gingerly through a zombie-infested laboratory. As tragic as Covid has been, it has manifested itself mainly in the form of endless drudgery, with everyone stuck at home or following arrows around supermarkets. Unless there emerges a bizarre public hunger for films in which tired parents try to connect their tablets to Google Classroom during a phone call with their boss, it is hard to think that anyone will want to watch the reality of this pandemic reflected back at them. Continue reading...

Gang of four allegedly behind spate of robberies targeting footballers, TV presenters and influencersNicknamed the “acrobat thieves”, a gang of four have been arrested in Milan after allegedly monitoring the movements of the city’s celebrities and influencers on Instagram before scaling their apartment buildings and robbing their homes.The Inter Milan footballer Achraf Hakimi, the TV presenter Diletta Leotta and the influencer Eleonora Incardona have been among the victims. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s picture editors select photo highlights from around the world Continue reading...

Michael D Higgins accuses academics and journalists of turning blind eye to impact of colonialism

Analysis: Mohammed bin Salman views the move as an attempt to engage the new US administrationAs Loujain al-Hathloul marked her first day outside prison in nearly three years, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, was bracing for a reaction from Washington to what amounts to a peace offering on his part.Prince Mohammed views the decision to release the women’s rights activist as an attempt to belatedly engage the new administration, whose strident tone on human rights issues in its early weeks of office has all but conditioned a working relationship with Riyadh on righting the wrongs of the Trump years. Continue reading...

Several actors come forward with allegations about show creator’s behaviourJoss Whedon, the writer and director whose credits include Avengers, Justice League and Agents of Shield, has been accused of creating a “toxic environment ” by actors who worked with him on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.The most extensive allegations came from the actor Charisma Carpenter, who said on Twitter that, during her pregnancy, Whedon called her “fat” and joked about firing her. Representatives for Whedon did not immediately respond to a request by AP for comment. Continue reading...

The Muscovite’s work is arriving in English this year in three books of remarkable memoir, poems and essays that, she explains, reach for ‘the truth of the past’

With Emma Stone lined up to play a female version of the monster in Poor Things, we rate a century’s worth of cinema inspired by Shelley’s novelDoctor Stein injects “DNA solution” into an African American multiple amputee (he is a Vietnam veteran), but there is an “RNA problem” and things go horribly wrong. This Blaxploitation attempt to do for Frankenstein what Blacula did for Dracula edges into this list only because its sheer ineptitude entertained me more than competently filmed snoozefests such as Victor Frankenstein and I, Frankenstein. Continue reading...

Trying to impress your partner? Get organised in the kitchen. From scallops with chorizo to lemon posset, via molten chocolate cake, here are some great treats to tryI love to make prawn linguine for a special night in. After frying chopped garlic and chilli, add a pack or two of fresh tomatoes and cook them down into a thick, fresh sauce. While doing this, marinate raw prawns in chilli, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and leave to rest. Once the sauce is thick, fry the prawns in a hot griddle pan and cook the linguine until al dente. Mix it all together with fresh parsley and lemon juice – voilà! Sally Dickens, economic development officer, London Continue reading...

The company had said further ‘board renewal’ was part of its plan to make itself suitable to hold a casino licence in SydneyThe chief executive of Crown Resorts, Ken Barton, and a non-executive director of the casino group, Andrew Demetriou, have reportedly resigned following pressure from gambling regulators in New South Wales and Victoria.A third director, Harold Mitchell, is believed to be planning to resign after the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) asked him to explain why he was suitable to remain on the board. Continue reading...

Dealing with Covid in Japan has already placed huge strain on medical workers, experts warn

Mercury drops to -22.9C in Scotland, the coldest temperature recorded in UK in more than 25 years

Strict rules and government enticements prevent majority from making annual trip home