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Low-cost airline is flying humanitarian cargo to the country after halting all commercial flights

Residents in Camden, Chipping Norton, Georges Hall, Lansvale, Milperra, Moorebank and Warwick Farm told to evacuate with thousands more in city’s north-west preparing to leave

From unreadable scripts to ‘cripping up’, a career in theatre with a visual impairment can be a challenge. Chloë Clarke and Douglas Walker share their successes and hopes for the futureWhat is it like to navigate not only a stage but the entire theatre industry as a blind person? From the practicalities of performing to harmful preconceptions about the roles visually impaired actors can play – and how blindness itself is portrayed – there is a lot to deal with.Actors Chloë Clarke and Douglas Walker recognise scenarios such as audition scripts printed in a font size that is too small – but they also tell me about the good practice they have experienced. Speaking over Zoom from her home in Cardiff, her guide dog resting by her feet, Clarke explains how technology helps. The 38-year-old performer, who is also an audio description consultant, uses bone-conduction headphones in rehearsals to be line-fed by a colleague, rather than struggling to sight read. She also tells me enthusiastically how her iPad is useful, “in terms of enlarging text and using the camera to zoom in on action happening in the room that I can’t otherwise see”. Continue reading...

Plans to name new CBD station Gadigal were signed off by previous minister but changed when Elliott took over transport

Beloved English author and illustrator behind more than 60 books, including Dogger and the Alfie series, was voted the most popular Kate Greenaway winner in 50 yearsShirley Hughes, the author and illustrator whose everyday stories of early childhood cast a happy glow across generations of family life, has died aged 94, her family has said.Over a career that spanned 70 years, Hughes illustrated and wrote some 60 books, winning BookTrust’s inaugural lifetime achievement award in 2015, and being voted the most popular winner in the first 50 years of the Kate Greenaway medal for illustration for her picture book Dogger, which told the story of a little boy who is left distraught when his beloved toy dog turns up at a jumble sale. Continue reading...

I used to survive on tinned lentils, microwaved eggs and the kindness of more gifted cooks. Then I learned to pull my weight in the kitchen – and if I can do it, so can anyoneFor most of my life, I have been a terrible cook. Some people say they are terrible cooks then whip up a perfectly palatable meal for four. I have given myself food poisoning, twice.My regular diet used to include microwaved scrambled eggs, children’s lunchbox cheeses, tinned lentils mixed with tinned tomatoes, bowls of garden peas, and the “complete food” powder Huel. I alternated between the same two dinners for nearly a year, and the same sad desk lunch for two years. Continue reading...

Former SAS sergeant tells defamation trial he still believes Roberts-Smith a deserving VC recipient but process ‘politicised’

The country is in the midst of one of the worst financial crises in decades, exacerbated by a tourism collapse in the wake of CovidIn recent weeks, Shamla Laxman, 54, has been rising at dawn or staying out late at night. She is on the prowl for an item that has become rarer than gold dust in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital of Colombo in recent weeks: sachets of milk powder.“These days it’s become impossible to find, and when you do find it in a shop, the prices are so expensive, double or triple what it was before, that I can’t afford it for my family,” said Laxman, who feeds a family of seven in her small house. Continue reading...

Oligarch has investments ranging from London-listed travel giant Tui to the ‘personal bank’ of senior Russian officials

‘Open-source intelligence community’ is already collecting and studying video and photo evidenceSix days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, there is mounting evidence that its military is committing war crimes with deadly attacks on civilians and the use of cluster munitions.Eliot Higgins, the founder of the investigative journalism site Bellingcat, said there was evidence of Russia causing “civilian harm”, including through the use of “cluster bombs in civilian areas”, from credible video and stills of the conflict. Continue reading...

Oksana Markarova appears moved as she thanks attendees, while US president condemns Putin’s ‘tyranny’Oksana Markarova, the ambassador of Ukraine to the US, was given a standing ovation at the US Capitol on Tuesday nightduring Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address to Congress.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the early part of Biden’s speech, as the president condemned Vladimir Putin’s “tyranny” and announced he would ban Russian aircraft from US airspace. Continue reading...

The reopening comes after 697 days and one false start – and amid controversial new restrictions

Christian Dior delves into luxurious wearable tech, while Saint Laurent reinvents art deco with a contemporary twist.“I’d like to start a conversation between technology and everyday life,” says Maria Grazia Chiuri backstage a few minutes before the start of the Christian Dior Fall-Winter 2022-23 show. Subtle clues on the direction of this collection are floating around her – such as a cover of Donna Haraway’s Chtulucene piece, a driving force in feminism and post-humanism.“I want to open a feminist outlook on what we envelop our bodies in, and how that has the power to free,” Chiuri says of a collection that she conceived as a discussion between technology, tradition and emancipation, and between past, present and future. Continue reading...

Girl now in stable condition in hospital as 21-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murderA man has been arrested after a teenage girl was seriously injured in a shooting in Liverpool.Police were called to Upper Warwick Street in Toxteth at 5.10pm on Tuesday after reports that shots had been fired and a girl had been injured. The 15-year-old was taken to hospital for treatment in a “serious condition”. Her condition was subsequently described as stable, police added. Continue reading...

Bombed and menaced by an unchecked Putin since 2015, Syrians hope the tide might be finally turningWhen a Russian air raid in north-western Syria killed 34 Turkish troops, Ankara’s revenge quickly followed. But, instead of targeting the forces of Vladimir Putin, whose jets had caused the carnage, Turkey sent armed drones towards the Syrian army, pulverising hundreds of pieces of weaponry and killing scores of troops – all as Russia watched on blithely.In the years since Putin intervened in Syria in 2015 to save the regime of Bashar al-Assad there had been countless examples of Russian attacks on civilian sites – schools, bakeries and hospitals – all of which had met meek responses from global leaders and drawn scant attention from war crimes prosecutors. Continue reading...

Defence minister says Moscow aims to cut off communications to ‘break the resistance of the people’

Exclusive: Petr Aven’s donation returned after he was called one of Putin’s closest oligarchs in the listA Russian billionaire named in EU sanctions “as one of Vladimir Putin’s closest oligarchs” stepped down on Tuesday as a trustee of the Royal Academy, which has also returned a donation he made towards a Francis Bacon exhibition.The RA – which had had been among UK cultural institutions and bodies facing calls to sever ties with Russian oligarchs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – said that the billionaire banker Petr Aven would be stepping down with immediate effect. Continue reading...

Will Quince gave reaction to Commons question about single-sex schools seeking guidance for inclusion of trans pupilsThe children’s minister has told MPs he “probably wouldn’t be overly happy” for his daughters to share a school boarding house with a pupil identifying as transgender.Will Quince was giving evidence before the Commons education select committee, which heard that schools in England were seeing an increase in the number of children identifying as trans. Continue reading...

Senior military figures targeted for role in joining and facilitating Russian invasion of Ukraine

Thousands of people trying to escape Ukraine capital amid fears that large-scale attack is imminent

Only eight people named so far sanctioned in UK with critics saying a process likely to ‘take weeks and months’ allows time for ‘asset flight’

Russia accused of war crimes as at least 18 civilians killed in Kharkiv attack and five more die in strike on Kyiv TV tower

While many Pacific communities are facing shrinking coastlines, a newly formed island has led to generational and tribal fightsWhile across the Pacific communities are dealing with shrinking coastlines, one area in Papua New Guinea has an altogether different problem: a new island that has solidified and started supporting vegetation in the last few years has caused tensions and even outbreaks of violence as competing clans lay claim to the land.That fight has been intensified as communities struggle to deal with the consequences of warming oceans and the devastating impact of natural disasters. Continue reading...

The annual Shrove Tuesday ball game has been played since the 12th century in Atherstone, Warwickshire. The ball, too large and heavy to kick far, is decorated with ribbons that can be exchanged for money by those lucky enough to grab one. Shop windows are boarded up and traffic is diverted while hundreds take part in what can only be described as a complete free-for-all Continue reading...

Latest updates: prime minister warns of repeat of Russian destruction of Chechen capital

Further relaxing of rules could allow in up to 200,000 relatives of Ukrainian nationals, government claims

We should demolish the Palace of Westminster rather than spending billions to prop it up, writes Roy Appleyard, while architect Brian Turner calls for a cheaper alternativeThe proposal to renovate parliament is the biggest waste of money I have ever heard about (Parliament renovation could take 76 years and cost £22bn, report says, 23 February). The final amount could be double, bearing in mind the history of overspends in major projects. The Palace of Westminster should be pulled down and replaced with a 21st-century building that meets the needs of a modern democracy. The Scots and the Welsh have modern parliament buildings – the English deserve one too.I can see that the people who do not want to change anything would oppose this. So the Thames frontage could be preserved and the new building could be attached to it. Continue reading...

As families unload from trains arriving in Przemyśl, returning Ukrainians and others head in the opposite direction to fight or be with loved ones

Analysis: convoy estimated to be 40 miles long raises fears of siege tactics and escalating civilian casualties

A vast, fast-moving cloud of ash hundreds of metres tall and several kilometres wide has swept over southern Paraguay, blown in from wildfires raging in neighbouring Argentina after two years of severe drought.A weather front of cold air from the south acted 'like a broom', explained Eduardo Dose, a Paraguayan hydrologist, scooping up soot from burnt pastures and forests as well as dust from drought-stricken wetlands. Strong winds then channelled the choking cloudWildfires send giant cloud of ash across southern Paraguay Continue reading...

Sarah Panitzke disappeared in 2013 while on trial for money laundering offencesA convicted British money launderer wanted for her role in a £1bn mobile phone tax scam has been arrested by Spanish police after spending almost nine years on the run.Sarah Panitzke, 47, described by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as one of the UK’s most wanted tax fugitives, was arrested by plainclothes Guardia Civil officers while out walking her dogs on Sunday in the Catalan town of Santa Bárbara. Continue reading...

Valérie Lemercier directs and plays both old and young versions of the Canadian singer in a bizarre film that digitally superimposes her face on to the head of a young girlHere is an utterly bizarre fictionalised biopic of Canadian singing star Céline Dion, whose opening scenes will have audiences screaming and running out of the cinemas the way they were mythically supposed to have done at the Lumière brothers’ first silent movie about the arriving train. Even now, I still can’t believe I have seen it.Valérie Lemercier (from Claire Denis’s Vendredi Soir) directs and stars, playing Aline Dieu – a made-up version of Dion – the youngest of 14 children in Quebec, all the kids kept in line by their formidable working-class mum Sylvette (Danielle Fichaud). Young Aline shows precocious singing talent and her parents send a demo tape to ageing record producer Guy-Claude Kamar (Sylvain Marcel), a version of the real-life René Angélil, who is to become her manager, husband and soulmate as Aline begins her ascent to mega-selling glory, culminating in the Titanic theme My Heart Will Go On and legendary Vegas residencies. Continue reading...

Māori women are represented in every category and two Māori writers are among the four shortlisted for the fiction prizeFrom an acerbic novel about queer Māori-Russian-Catalan siblings to a self-published portrait of 100 indigenous women, the books in line for New Zealand’s top literature prizes are some of the most diverse yet, with Māori women represented in every category and emerging authors claiming their seat at the table of established writers.“Within that field of New Zealand writers, there is tremendous diversity of points of view, style and of experience,” said Paula Morris, the spokesperson for the New Zealand Book Awards Trust.A Good Winter by Gigi Fenster (Text Publishing)Entanglement by Bryan Walpert (Mākaro Press)Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly (Te Herenga Waka University Press)Kurangaituku by Whiti Hereaka (Huia Publishers) Continue reading...

In interview with Guardian, Andriy Sadovyi also calls for Nato countries to establish immediate no-fly zone over Ukraine• Russia-Ukraine crisis: live newsThe mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv has called on Boris Johnson to seize the villas of Russian oligarchs living in London and to use them to accommodate Ukrainian refugees fleeing Vladimir Putin’s invasion and military onslaught.In an interview with the Guardian, Andriy Sadovyi said the UK and other Nato member countries had to establish an immediate no-fly zone over Ukraine in order to save “millions of lives”. Continue reading...

The mind-boggling hoard of jewellery the plundering first lady tried to smuggle out of the Philippines is being remade as sculpture by artist Pio Abad – with all its sparkle goneOver his three terms as president of the Philippines from 1965, Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda were able to cream off some $10bn of the nation’s assets through offshore banks. New revelations that a close associate of the dictator was also able to maintain an account with Credit Suisse as late as 2006 therefore comes as no surprise to Manila-born Pio Abad. For a decade the artist has been making work under the title The Collection of Jane Ryan and William Saunders, a reference to the aliases the couple used with the Swiss bank.“It’s funny when a 10-year project becomes news,” says Abad, who is now London-based. “These institutions are very culpable for what happened in the Philippines.” Continue reading...

Details of report revealed in high court as attorney general seeks interim injunction to prevent broadcastA proposed BBC news report that the government is trying to block concerns an allegation that a named MI5 agent with “dangerous, extremist and misogynist beliefs” used his status to abuse, control and coerce a former partner, the high court has heard.The attorney general, Suella Braverman, is seeking an injunction to prevent the BBC publishing its report, alleging breach of confidence and a breach of the agent’s rights, including his right to life, under the European convention on human rights (ECHR). Continue reading...

The EFA has released a statement criticising Putin’s actions, after the Ukrainian director resigned from the organisationThe European Film Academy (EFA) has issued a strongly worded condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, though only after prominent Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa resigned from the organisation in protest at its initial response to the crisis.In a statement released on 1 March, the EFA said it had “joined the massive global sanctions currently in effect against Russia and fully supports the call of the Ukrainian Film Academy to boycott Russian film. The Academy strongly condemns the war started by Russia – Ukraine’s sovereignty and territory must be respected. Putin’s actions are atrocious and totally unacceptable, and we strongly condemn them.” Continue reading...

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, gave a passionate speech in the European parliament in which she outlined the bloc's commitment to stopping Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Entire underground suspended during Tuesday morning rush-hour after picket lines mounted outside tube stationsCommuters have been left facing chaos after thousands of tube workers went on strike over Transport for London spending cuts.TfL encouraged people to work from home on Tuesday and Thursday as a result of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union’s strike. The union said members were “solidly supporting” industrial action with picket lines mounted outside tube stations. Continue reading...

Democrats knew it would not pass but wanted the votes recorded nonethelessA bill to enshrine the right to abortion in federal law was blocked by Senate Republicans on Monday. Although Democrats expected the bill to fail, they brought the measure forward at a perilous moment for abortion rights, to ensure votes were recorded.The supreme court is expected in June to decide a Mississippi case which could severely curtail or gut abortion rights nationally. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy in passionate videolink address to European parliament amid Russian invasion

Monarch, 95, felt well enough to speak to three foreign diplomats via video link nine days after catching virus

Prime minister is isolating at Sydney home and says he will continue working while he recoversScott Morrison says he has tested positive to Covid-19 but will continue to discharge all his responsibilities as prime minister.“I am experiencing flu-like symptoms and will be recovering over the next week,” Morrison said in a statement announcing that he had tested positive on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

For decades, academic appreciation of the fab four was an overwhelmingly male pursuit. Meet the female scholars, musicians and podcasters redressing the balanceFor teenager Janice Mitchell, hearing the Beatles’ I Want to Hold Your Hand on US radio in December 1963 affected her in ways she still can’t quite articulate. “How do you explain why [you were] electrified when you were struck by lightning?” she says, laughing.I Want to Hold Your Hand didn’t just sound more interesting than the other songs in rotation on her home town station, the single represented an escape from a difficult childhood. Mitchell, of Cleveland, Ohio, grew up with neglectful parents who eventually abandoned her and two younger siblings. And 1963 had been another hard year. Mitchell was reeling from the death of a beloved great uncle, one of the few adults who had shown her kindness. Continue reading...

Move leaves classical star isolated after he was dropped by his management over his refusal to end support for ‘criminal regime’• Russia-Ukraine crisis: live newsThe Munich Philharmonic Orchestra has sacked the star Russian conductor Valery Gergiev after he failed to speak out against the invasion of Ukraine or distance himself from his close friend and supporter, Vladimir Putin.The mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, said on Tuesday morning that Gergiev’s contract had been terminated with immediate effect. It came a day after the conductor’s management dropped him for refusing to end what it said was his “long-expressed support” for a “criminal regime”. Continue reading...

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, called Russia's alleged shelling of Kharkiv's central square 'undisguised terror'

Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers die in attack on military base in Okhtyrka as rocket attacks rain down on Kharkiv

Options include giving to charities on the ground, supporting local journalists and writing to your MP

Officials in Ukraine's second largest city have released a video showing a regional administration building being hit by a missile that then exploded Continue reading...