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Field workers will be tested twice a week and will be ‘safe and socially distant’, says head of censusThe Office for National Statistics has insisted the 2021 census will go ahead in March, despite the possible risk of spreading Covid.The agency said the impact of coronavirus and Brexit meant it was more important than ever to conduct the census as planned on 21 March. It added that postponing it would cost an estimated £360m. Continue reading...

Nubian ibex have been roaming the empty streets of Mitzpe Ramon as Israel’s coronavirus lockdown extends to the end of the month Continue reading...

The author reflects on the uncoolness of loving a famous painter, and the inspirations behind his latest book – a reimagining of Bacon’s final days in MadridIf I were to visit a floor plan of my artist obsessions and wander from room to room, there would be artists I will always have deep feelings for, the ones who provoke or engage especially, some for whom my affections have cooled, some I ought to revisit, some whose work is sewn organically to life experience and therefore exerts a nostalgic tug and some I’ve gone right off. Deep in this imaginary place is a bloody chamber, a dimensionless room full of bodies. A place I want to escape from, and a place I yearn to be back in. This room is my long and uneasy obsession with the paintings of Francis Bacon.I can’t resist the urge to ruffle the feathers of another baggage-heavy dead icon and re-examine his screaming masterworks. Gorgeous, horrifying images ripped from the book of unspeakable 20th-century brutality. Maybe it’s to try to remind myself that it’s not over, that he was on to something, that the clock is nearer to midnight now than it was then, and in some ways we seem past caring. Behind our wipe-clean screens the snarling reality of ecological collapse, exploitation, injustice, the human tendency towards industrial violence and cruelty is bloodier than ever. More than ever, despite our futile efforts, as Bacon says: “We are all meat.” Continue reading...

Four families seek damages and apology from Renee Bach, who settled two cases out of court last yearFour Ugandan families are taking legal action against an American missionary accused of taking part in treatments at a religious health centre she ran, despite having no medical qualifications.Renee Bach founded the now defunct Serving His Children (SHC) centre in Jinja, a city in east Uganda, where the families took their children, three of whom later died. Continue reading...

Local people expect an economic boost but worry about potential mayhem in the small seaside resortCarly White was taking her sons, Harry, eight, and Finley, two, for their daily stroll on Carbis Bay beach. A seal bobbed up as she pondered the prospect of world leaders including Joe Biden heading to this faraway corner of Cornwall for the G7 summit in June.“I’m excited, surprised and nervous. It will be a boost for the economy. The bars, restaurants and hotels are excited but I’m imagining road blocks and loads of police armed with guns. There is bound to be disruption. By and large, Cornish people don’t relish change.” Continue reading...

Investigation found notes shredded by adviser to Gladys Berejiklian relating to $252m grants scheme should have been retained as state archives

Scott Morrison tells Google that Australia does not respond to threats; Emirates will fly to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane from Monday. Follow all the latest news and updates, liveScott Morrison says he cannot comment on Margaret Court’s awardDaniel Andrews lets fly over Margaret Court’s Australia Day honourNSW hotspots; Queensland hotspotsState-by-state restrictions and lockdown rules explainedFollow the global coronavirus liveblog

Contactless greeting will help fight pandemic, say MPs of worst-hit country in south-east Asia, though some people would prefer more action on a vaccine

The costume designer from the hit French show on how the clothes make the characters – and how you can channel their effortless chicIn France, the hit Netflix series Call My Agent! is called Dix Pour Cent in reference to the fee charged by French cinema agents. For those in the know, the name says it all. For others, like me, the reference was opaque at first, but it sent the message that this is a show – unlike others representing a cliched take on French life, such as Emily in Paris – that positions itself as an insider’s peek into the capital and its movie business.The many cameos from A-list actors playing themselves – with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Sigourney Weaver lined up to appear in season four; Weaver called the series “a love letter to the business” – similarly underlines the show’s proximity to the authentic professional world, something that is subtly shown, too, through its clothes. Continue reading...

Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 hit by coronavirus disruption, along with Ghostbusters sequel and CinderellaJames Bond film No Time To Die has been delayed again as Hollywood grapples with the continued disruption caused by the pandemic.Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 will now arrive on 8 October, the official Bond Twitter account announced. It had been set to be released in April following multiple pandemic-enforced delays. Continue reading...

As long as there have been humans, there have been beds. Here are some landmark examplesBeds are as old as humanity itself. I sleep, therefore I am. Until last year, the first evidence for the use of plant mattresses – made up of layers of stems and leaves – was from 80,000 years ago. But a new study turned that on its head and dated the use of grass bedding to caves in southern Africa 227,000 years ago, which is when homo sapiens were just getting into their stride. Early humans put grass bedding on top of an area that had been burned to get rid of insects. They recognised the value of sleeping well. It also seems they liked staying in bed: the presence of slivers of rock among the remnants of grass mattresses suggests they made stone tools while still in bed. So don’t feel any guilt about using your laptop from bed: we’ve been at it from the start of human existence. Continue reading...

22 January 1936: Many had made their own mind up to pay tribute to the king despite no official request for the wearing of mourning by the general publicFleet Street, Tuesday

FBU have branded the independent inspectors report a ‘biased attack’ full of ‘untruths and omissions’

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Gráinne Moss had been under pressure after reports into systemic bias at Oranga TamarikiThe embattled chief executive of Oranga Tamariki has stepped down, saying the focus of the story has become about her, rather than the well-being of New Zealand’s most vulnerable children.Gráinne Moss’s resignation follows growing concern about the uplift of Māori babies, and the high number of Māori children in care – they account for 65% of kids in state care though Māori comprise just 16.5% of the country’s population. Continue reading...

The First Nations dance company’s retrospective Spirit, comprising 30 years of its history, is being performed at the Headland, Sydney festival’s major outdoor space at Barangaroo. Artistic director Stephen Page says: ‘Reflecting back, looking at those stories, feeding them to our dancers – especially the next generation – it’s just been a wonderful process.’

Artist painted pet as present for Marguerite Lathuille, whose family has owned picture for last 140 yearsA previously unseen painting of a pet dog by Édouard Manet will be sold for the first time at an auction in Paris next month.The French modernist artist dashed off the small work in 1879 as a present for Marguerite Lathuille, the daughter of a Paris innkeeper whose portrait he painted around the same time. Continue reading...

PM praises region’s defences as five severe flood warnings remain in place in UK

As a kid, Isaiah couldn’t escape the police. He went on to spend his teenage years in and out of youth detention. Now this young Dunghutti man is trying to change how our justice system treats Indigenous childrenThis episode is part of the childhood in custody series, you can read the feature on Isaiah here. Continue reading...

Profits from former footballer’s David Beckham Ventures Ltd rise to £16.2mDavid and Victoria Beckham have paid themselves £14.5m – or nearly £40,000 for every day of the year – following the strong performance of the former footballer’s image rights sales.The couple’s total dividends in 2019 were up £3.4m on the previous year, according to accounts filed at Companies House on Thursday. The 2019 accounts are the latest available, but they note that the couple also collected an additional £7m in interim dividend payments in 2020. Continue reading...

Greg Sheppard has been charged over the alleged defrauding of trust funds from the controversial Ok Tedi mineAn Australian lawyer, Greg Sheppard, has been arrested in Port Moresby over an alleged 268m kina (A$96m) fraud involving trust funds from the controversial Ok Tedi mine in Papua New Guinea.Sheppard, a former Queensland crown prosecutor, was arrested in Port Moresby on Thursday and charged with two counts of conspiracy and two of false pretence over the alleged defrauding of a fund established to assist impoverished communities in PNG’s Western Province. Continue reading...

UBS’s George Tharenou says homebuilder and responsible lending changes could prompt a spike in construction that will rapidly fall awayAustralia’s housing market is set for an “up crash” as the government’s homebuilder subsidy scheme prompts a spike in construction that will rapidly fall away, investment bank UBS says.George Tharenou, the chief economist at UBS in Australia, said due to the homebuilder spending spree he had increased his estimate of the number of houses that would be built in 2021 from 185,000 to 230,000 – well above the 175,000 level predicted by other economists. Continue reading...

Coronavirus restrictions to ease in Brisbane tomorrow; Scott Morrison rebukes Cricket Australia for dropping Australia Day reference. Follow all the latest news and updates, liveNSW hotspots; Queensland hotspotsState-by-state restrictions and lockdown rules explainedPfizer Covid vaccine could be approved in Australia ‘pretty soon’NSW records no new locally acquired Covid casesFollow the global coronavirus liveblog7.01am GMTWe will leave our live coverage here for the day. You can follow our rolling global coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here.This is what happened today:6.23am GMTIt’s fair to say Scott Morrison’s comment about how 28 January, 1788 “wasn’t a particularly flash day for the people on those [first fleet] vessels either,” has not gone down well.Labor’s Indigenous Australians spokeswoman, Linda Burney, said:Suffering is not a competition. What the prime minister has said makes no sense.As the leader of the country, he has an example to set for the rest of the nation and he should know better.Luckily our prime minister doesn’t have an electorate connected with this event..@ScottMorrisonMP says it (Jan 26, 1788) “wasn’t such a flash day for the people on the vessels”. Show me the “flash days” Blackfullas have had since then? When you talk about “how far we’ve come”, you mean white prosperity. Coz I’m still set to die 10-15 years before my mates.Could we perhaps change 'Australia Day' to 'Not a Flash Day'? pic.twitter.com/qNObGOXcHU Continue reading...

Early in Trump’s presidency, emboldened neo-Nazi and fascist groups came out into the open but were met with widespread revulsion. So the tactics of the far right changed, becoming more insidious – and much more successful

Exclusive: Adapted single-deckers with seats removed and oxygen onboard will transfer patients

Italy’s Superstudio collective warned against rampant development by imagining one continuous structure stretching around Earth. But did their warning actually inspire new Saudi plans for a 100-mile linear city?There was a sense of deja vu last week when Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, unveiled his plans for a futuristic 100-mile-long linear city, momentously titled The Line. The dramatic promotional video showed aerial views of a glowing urban ribbon cutting right across the country, forming a “belt of hyperconnected future communities” from sea to sea. It will be free from cars, he declared, powered by renewable energy and run by artificial intelligence, slicing straight through the Arabian desert in one continuous strip. As part of the country’s $500bn Neom development, the plan was trumpeted as a “civilisational revolution that puts humans first”; but it had inescapable echoes of another project with a very different purpose.Three thousand miles away, in a gallery in Brussels, hangs a 1960s photomontage of an eerily similar vision, part of a new exhibition about the radical Italian architecture collective Superstudio. A great white oblong is depicted cutting through a desert, slicing through sand dunes and marching past palm trees in an unbroken urban block, its surface inscribed with an endless square grid. Continue reading...

As a bass-playing, leather-clad lead singer, Quatro paved the way for a new generation of female rock stars in the 70s. She talks about fending off predatory men, carrying a knife for protection and why she still wears her famous jumpsuitSuzi Quatro is remembering a “pivotal moment”. It was 1973, and the RAK Records boss, Mickie Most, asked her what she would like to wear to promote her wonderfully raucous single, Can the Can. “When I said leather, he said that was old-fashioned, but I stuck to my guns,” she recalls. Most relented, sketching a jumpsuit inspired by Jane Fonda’s character in the 1968 film Barbarella. “I went to the photo shoot in the jumpsuit and the photographer Gered Mankowitz said: ‘Suzi, give me that Suzi Quatro look.’ And all of a sudden, I had a look I didn’t know I had. I swear to God I didn’t know it was sexy until we got the photos back. He said: ‘Come and look.’ And I just went ‘Oh …’”Can the Can rocketed to No 1, followed by smashes such as 48 Crash and Devil Gate Drive , numerous Top of the Pops appearances and 55m record sales to date. Continue reading...

Gladys Berejiklian will consider changes next week, after 26 January, if case numbers remain low and testing levels improveRestrictions in New South Wales won’t be eased by Australia Day, amid concerns of “super-spreading events”.The state’s premier, Gladys Berejiklian, flagged on Wednesday she would consider easing restrictions next week if case numbers remained low, but has clarified it won’t happen until after 26 January. Continue reading...

Director of Tandav agrees to remove scenes deemed to insult Hindu gods and office of Indian prime ministerAn Indian political drama on Amazon Prime has been forced to edit out scenes that were accused of being an “insult to Hindu gods”, the first time that streaming platforms have been subjected to Indian government censorship.Tandav, a gritty political drama made by Amazon Prime, one of the world’s largest streaming platforms, had faced growing controversy since it launched last week over allegations it had “hurt Hindu religious sentiments” and insulted the office of the prime minister. Continue reading...

European commission will come under fire over agreement that is already causing tensions with USTransatlantic tensions over how to handle China will come into the open next week when MEPs condemn the European commission for rushing to sign a controversial investment agreement with China that they say undermines the EU’s credibility on human rights.The criticism, echoing views held inside the Biden administration in the US, will confirm the view of those including the UK that believe the determination of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, to secure the China deal, and assert European autonomy from Washington on China, was a geopolitical blunder. The EU had set a deadline of the end of 2020 to reach the agreement. Continue reading...

More than 30 countries use UN human rights session to call on Australia to raise age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14Australia has come under international pressure to reduce the number of children in detention, with more than 30 countries using a UN human rights session to call on authorities to raise the age of criminal responsibility.Amid ongoing tensions between China and Australia, Beijing’s representative took the opportunity on Wednesday evening to demand that Canberra “stop using false information to make baseless charges against other countries for political purposes”. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris made history as she was sworn in as the US’s first female, black and south Asian vice-president. The former California senator was sworn in by Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina on the supreme court. Harris chose to be sworn in using two Bibles, one from the late Thurgood Marshall, the first black supreme court justice, and one from Regina Shelton, a close family friend

Thursday: Joe Biden is sworn in as US president, saying ‘democracy has prevailed’. Plus: a father’s struggle to challenge police brutalityGood morning, this is Richard Parkin bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Thursday 21 January. The world’s media will be largely fixed upon Washington DC today after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. And, closer to home, the productivity commission has come under fire for recommending that the Australian government should pursue unpaid student loans from people who have died.Joe Biden has called for unity during his first speech as president, acknowledging the nation’s “historic moment of crisis and challenge”. Kamala Harris became the first woman in history to enter the office of vice president, with the former Californian attorney general expected to play a crucial role as the deciding vote in a Senate that is split 50-50 along party lines. European leaders have expressed relief at a “new dawn in America”, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen saying the continent once again has a “friend in the White House”. Biden’s inauguration could also spell good news for Australia, with advisers suggesting he will look to renew a “really strong relationship” with its historic ally. Continue reading...

With the Covid-19 pandemic still raging, Olympians wonder whether they will – and should – be vaccinated in time for the GamesSteve Solomon, a 400-metre sprinter and co-captain of the Australian athletics team, has plenty to think about. The postponed 2020 Olympics are now just six months away and, barring a Covid-19 outbreak in Australia, Solomon will compete in the national championships in April before beginning final preparations for Tokyo. But there is one thing that the sprinter insists is not front of mind for him and his teammates: the coronavirus vaccine. “Everyone is just focused on making sure we are physically and mentally ready for the Games,” he said.Solomon’s thoughts may be elsewhere, but plenty within the Olympic movement in Australia and overseas are pre-occupied with how the world’s biggest sporting event can take place safely in the midst of a pandemic. The Games are scheduled to begin on 23 July; the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government insist it will go ahead, despite a recent spike in cases in Tokyo. If the Olympics are to proceed, the vaccine offers a potential solution. Continue reading...

When he was eight, Louie (not his real name) was taken from his parents and placed in care. As a teenager he lost both of them in the space of a year, ended up homeless, then became one of the nearly 1,000 kids who Australia keeps locked up in detention centres. This video animation is a recreation of an interview with Louie for the new Guardian Australia series Childhood in custody, which investigates why so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are caught up in our juvenile justice system. The project is supported by the Barlow Foundation

With university online and no job to go to thanks to Covid, it has become easier to spend hours in front of the mirror berating my appearance

‘Trump had threatened Mexico with tariffs if it let in this caravan from Honduras. Two hours after crossing this river, many were teargassed then deported’I had been following a migrant caravan north from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, for around 10 days. It was 23 January 2020, and this was the moment the group crossed the Suchiate river, which divides Guatemala from Mexico.The Mexican authorities had deployed the national guard to stop the caravan entering their country because Trump had threatened to increase tariffs on Mexican goods coming into the United States if they let migrants in. Previously, migrants had been allowed to traverse the length of Mexico with no problem. Continue reading...

Former employees of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could shed light on circumstances of her letter to her estranged father, high court hears

Having so far kept pandemic at bay, about 16% of Barra’s population now impacted

Freight company director blames new requirement for EU transport firms to provide VAT and tariff guaranteesA British freight company director with more than over 20 years’ experience has told how EU hauliers and transport companies are turning their backs on UK business because they are being asked to provide tens of thousands of pounds in guarantees to cover VAT or potential tariffs on arrival in Britain.The financial guarantee requirement did not exist before Brexit and EU transport companies who previously provided a shipping service for small and medium-sized firms have decided they do not want the extra financial burden, according to Colin Jeffries, who runs Key Cargo International in Manchester. Continue reading...

Alibaba co-founder, not seen since Beijing began crackdown on his firms, says he has been ‘studying and thinking’

Using the bedroom as a workspace has its pitfalls, from a disturbed body clock to a dampened libido. But it doesn’t have to be that wayWhat with the leaden skies and killer virus circulating outside, holing up in your bedroom may seem like a perfect strategy for seeing out the rest of winter. For some of those forced to work from home, the bedroom is also currently doubling as a workspace. So how do we stop working from bed interfering with our sleep and sex lives?A major consideration is lighting. Even on a dull overcast day in winter it is at least 10 times brighter outside than indoors. Now that we are no longer commuting to work, depriving ourselves of that daylight could have consequences for our sleep and daytime alertness. Continue reading...

Outgoing acting envoy Stephanie Williams also urges foreign powers to withdraw troops and mercenaries from countryA political class stretching across Libya’s east-west conflict lines is determined to maintain the status quo and privileged access to the coffers of the state, Stephanie Williams, the outgoing acting UN special envoy for Libya has warned.The American diplomat likened many of them to dinosaurs, saying they were linked to pre-revolutionary forces. Continue reading...

Celebrate the life and work of Robert Burns on 25 January with a traditional scotch. But there’s more you can do with whisky than drinkingTraditionally, Burns Night ,which takes place on 25 January, celebrates the life and work of the poet Robert Burns. With Covid restrictions in place, the usual gatherings full of poetry, revelry and haggis will have to be curtailed, but it is still a convenient excuse to drink whisky on a weeknight. Continue reading...

Many more of us are conducting our business in bed. Keeley Hawes and Jeremy Paxman explain the benefits, while Lady Warsi and David Lammy are unimpressed

If bad winter weather in the UK has affected you or your community we would like to hear from youStorm Christoph has brought widespread flooding, strong winds and snow to parts of the UK with South Yorkshire declaring a major incident.Wherever in the UK you are we want to hear how you have been affected and how you are coping or preparing now and throughout the season. Continue reading...

Minister says UK is not pursuing a touring waiver, as stars including Elton John and Sting say musicians ‘shamefully failed’ by BrexitThe UK government will not pursue a waiver scheme that would allow British musicians to tour the EU without the need for visas, carnets and work permits for each individual member state.The announcement comes as over 100 artists including Sting, Bob Geldof and Elton John have signed an open letter published in the Times on Wednesday, calling on the government to negotiate paperwork-free travel for British musicians touring in Europe. The signatories say musicians have been “shamefully failed” by the government’s Brexit deal with the EU. Continue reading...

Turning a sequel to The Karate Kid into a TV series might not have sounded wise but this blockbuster show has found life in a tired franchiseA modern TV reboot of classic 80s teen film The Karate Kid sounds like an almost comically bad idea. It’s the sort of suggestion you can imagine a creatively desperate TV executive leaving for himself in a panicky Partridgean voice note while drunk on a Tuesday night. So many ways it could go spectacularly wrong, and virtually none where it could go right. And yet, with that very same back-of-a-fag-packet premise, Cobra Kai – the smash new Netflix series – has gone miraculously right, racking up 73 million viewers, according to the streamer’s latest figures.Related: 'There's chunks of wisdom': How The Karate Kid launched MMA careers Continue reading...

Two tennis players have tested positive, but hard lockdown of those who shared flights remains. This blog is now closedTennis Australia confirms it will pay for players’ quarantine as cases linked to Australian Open riseNSW hotspots; Queensland hotspots