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Modelling predicts 6,000 people could be hospitalised with Covid in the second half of January

President ‘appalled’ at the large numbers of Filipinos not vaccinated ‘galloping in our community’

‘We came for safety, not to play tennis’. Refugees and asylum seekers speak out against their harsh treatment

WHO chief says calling variant ‘mild’ is not accurate; Philippines president orders arrest of unvaccinated people who violate stay-at-home orders

Proposal for hair regrowth on public healthcare insurance by Lee Jae-myung criticised as populist by opponentsSouth Korea’s ruling party presidential candidate has ignited a fierce debate after proposing that the country’s public healthcare insurance should cover hair loss treatment.Lee Jae-myung’s proposal this week has triggered a flood of messages of support on online communities for people suffering hair loss – but also prompted accusations that it was a bald attempt to win votes. Continue reading...

Coroner says case of Tiffany Stevens, 27, and her young children is ‘one of the saddest I have heard’A mother who was “fixated” on suicide for more than a decade fatally drugged her two young daughters before killing herself, an inquest has heard.Tiffany Stevens, from Bolton, had feared 18-month-old Darcey Stevens and three-year-old Casey-Lea Taylor would be put into care after her death, the inquest heard.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...

PM sought funds for flat refurb from Tory donor while promising to consider plans for mystery eventBoris Johnson has been accused of corruption after it emerged that he sought funds for his flat refurbishment from a Conservative donor while promising to consider plans for a mystery “great exhibition”.The prime minister is facing fresh questions after newly published WhatsApp messages with the Tory peer David Brownlow show Johnson called parts of his Downing Street residence a “tip” and asked for “approvals” so his decor designer, Lulu Lytle, could “get on with it” in November 2020. Continue reading...

The Oscar-nominated film-maker, known for The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon, has died of natural causesPeter Bogdanovich, Oscar-nominated writer and director, has died at the age of 82.The film-maker, whose many credits included The Last Picture Show, What’s Up Doc? and Paper Moon, died of natural causes according to his daughter Antonia Bogdanovich. Continue reading...

Foreign secretary asserts western solidarity against Putin’s threats, but MPs challenge her on Russian influence in UKMassive coordinated sanctions threatened against Russia if it launches military action against Ukraine will hit the high-level Russian elite and its ability to carry out financial transactions, Liz Truss, the UK foreign secretary, told MPs on Thursday, as she warned the west could not afford to be seen to reward Moscow in crucial talks next week.Her remarks appear indirectly to confirm that if Russia mounts an incursion into Ukraine it could be excluded from Swift, the messaging network used by 11,000 banks in 200 countries to make cross-border payments. Continue reading...

Witnesses in Almaty describe scenes of chaos in streets as Russian ‘peacekeepers’ arrive in country

There was a supportive mood for the statue topplers in a city known for its political activismMelody Beard will forever rue the moment she took her youngest daughter to use the toilet and missed the statue of slave-trader Edward Colston being thrown into Bristol’s harbour.The 40-year-old had, like many on that day, joined protests in the city’s centre, along with her husband and two children. Continue reading...

Sjrdan Djokovic says his son is being ‘persecuted’ as protesters gather in Belgrade after Australian detentionNovak Djokovic’s family have said he is the victim of “a political agenda” aimed at “stomping on Serbia” as protesters in Belgrade called for his release and Serbia’s president insisted “the whole country” was behind him.The 34-year-old world tennis No 1, who was born in the Serb capital, is in detention in an immigration hotel in Melbourne pending a legal challenge to Australia’s decision on Wednesday to cancel a visa that would allow him to play in the Australian Open. Continue reading...

Comments made during a recent general audience at the Vatican criticisedWhether millennials prefer to raise plants and pets over children for financial and environmental reasons or because they’re lazy and entitled has been hotly discussed in recent years. Now Pope Francis has waded in, saying that not having children is “selfish and diminishes us” and that people are replacing them with cats and dogs.

High virus spread could see ‘testing demand exceeding laboratory and public health capacity’, officials said in February 2021

Latest figures bring UK total for the past seven days to 1,272,131, up 29% on week before

Several countries are ramping up pressure amid Omicron wave, but sceptics say mandates will be hard to police

Marvin Rees rejects claim he should have removed statue, saying he could not afford to waste political capital on issueThe verdict in the trial of the Colston Four has little to do with efforts to tackle racism in Bristol, the city’s mayor has said as he defended himself against criticism for not acting sooner over the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston.Speaking to the Guardian after three men and a woman were cleared of criminal damage in toppling the statue in 2020, Marvin Rees said the fate of the statue was symbolic but he had “no reaction” to the verdict. Continue reading...

Rare response from Richard Moore comes after state news agency posted video mocking western intelligenceThe head of MI6 has thanked China’s state news agency for “free publicity” after it posted a James Bond spoof video in response to a statement he made last year that Beijing was the spy agency’s “single greatest priority”.Richard Moore, codenamed C, intervened after Xinhua released an extraordinary four-minute English-language video featuring a pair of supposed British spies, James Pond and an apparent Marvel universe recruit, Black Window. Continue reading...

Fawzia escaped from Afghanistan. Now in London, she’s trying to secure a safe exit for women still strandedJust under three weeks before the Taliban reached Kabul and took control of Afghanistan, 50 of the most powerful women in the country gathered outdoors in a shady spot to discuss how to deal with the approaching danger.Wearing colourful headscarves, some took notes while others listened intently to Fawzia, 48, one of the most senior female judges in Afghanistan. Holding a microphone, she spoke with urgency about the advancing threat and the need to protect the rights that female lawyers, women’s rights activists and journalists had spent decades fighting for. Continue reading...

Having survived teen shame and the Aids crisis, the Broadway actor – and erstwhile escort – is now blazing a trail for silver sexualityThere were things in the first draft of his memoir, says David Pevsner, that his editor thought were “maybe TMI, maybe a bridge too far”. I can’t begin to imagine what was deemed unacceptable, because there is TMI – sample line: “I have always been a copious ejaculator” – on just about every page of Damn Shame, an entertaining, touching and absolutely filthy book. My goodness, the filth! “There is that,” he says with a laugh.Pevsner describes himself, self-deprecatingly, as “a minor player in the entertainment biz”; he’s had small roles in big TV dramas such as Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family, and bigger roles in small ones. He has been on Broadway, touring productions and off-Broadway hits. He’s not a well-known face, though if you’re a subscriber to his OnlyFans account, where he shares erotic photos and videos of himself, you will be very familiar with his body; Pevsner is, I believe, the only person I’ve interviewed whose erection I have seen. Along the way, to supplement his theatre salary, he has been an escort and a “naked maid”, which had things in common with sex work while also including vacuuming (not a euphemism). He appears, smiling and charming (and dressed), over Zoom from his home in Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Diversions and delays as air traffic controllers forced to switch to backup system at airportA computer glitch at the Gatwick control tower left flights unable to land or take off at Britain’s second biggest airport during the morning peak.Three planes were diverted to other London airports as controllers from Air Navigation Services were forced to shut down the malfunctioning IT and guide planes in under a backup system. Continue reading...

Ultimo lingerie founder is alleged to have called man of Indian heritage ‘a waste of a man’s white skin’ in WhatsApp exchangeThe Conservative peer Michelle Mone is being investigated by the Metropolitan police for an allegedly racist message she is accused of sending to a man of Indian heritage.The recipient of the message, Richard Lynton-Jones, complained to the police last summer that during a disagreement following a fatal yacht collision in 2019, Lady Mone told him in a WhatsApp message he was “a waste of a man’s white skin”. Continue reading...

Politician is accused of travelling from Glasgow to London despite knowing she had symptoms of virusThe former Scottish National party MP Margaret Ferrier will stand trial in August accused of travelling from Glasgow to London in September 2020 knowing she had symptoms of coronavirus and wilfully exposing others to the risk of infection.Ferrier pleaded not guilty to the single charge on Thursday morning at Glasgow sheriff court. Continue reading...

Libertarians, Brexit, Covid: can two strangers find common ground over dinner?

With the actor starring in not one but two iffy thrillers out this month, we take a look over the more successful end of his long, action-packed careerThis futuristic thriller about “surries” – artificial doubles who do the dirty work while their owners stay home – could have had heaps more fun riffing on the disparity between the grizzled older Willis and his blond synthetic doppelganger. Still, it is nice to see him bristling with Rosamund Pike, who plays his glassy wife, and being reunited briefly with his Pulp Fiction nemesis Ving Rhames. Continue reading...

Fifteen questions on general knowledge and topical trivia, plus a few jokes every Thursday – how will you fare?A new year! 2022! A chance for a new beginning! A chance to put it all behind you! Everything is renewed! But not here at the Thursday quiz, where it is the same old gubbins as ever, or as one excited commentator put it last week: “Sheesh Martin, the Sparks shoehorn? Again?” Ahead of you lie 15 topical and general knowledge questions, sprinkled with a generous helping of Ron from Sparks, a hidden Doctor Who reference, the wonderful Kate Bush and all your favourites. It is just for fun and there are no prizes, but let us know how you get on in the comments.The Thursday quiz, No 37If you do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers, please feel free to email martin.belam@theguardian.com but remember, the quiz master’s word is always final, and his new year resolution was to ignore all his work emails. Continue reading...

From Brexit written across a bum to the name of an ex, some tattoos are mistakes that their owners are desperate to erase. But is costly laser treatment worth the pain?At the temple of regret, you can have your mistakes burned away by a smiling practitioner, if you are willing to pay a hefty fee. I’m at an unremarkable office block near Monument tube station in central London, watching the remorseful have their body art erased at Pulse Light Clinic, which offers state-of-the-art tattoo removal using laser technology. As penitents of all ages, walks of life and ethnicities walk through the door, one thing becomes clear: there are a lot of terrible tattoos out there.In a spotless treatment room beside a £6,500 tattoo-removing PicoSure laser machine, senior practitioner Cherry Brierly is recounting her clients’ stories. “I had one lovely guy,” she says brightly. “He had a tattoo on his head. He was in his 60s, newly divorced. He came in and said: ‘It’s not me any more. I need to find a new wife.’” The tattoo said: “Made in London”. It disappeared in a single session. Continue reading...

Britain’s spy chief has thanked China’s state news agency for 'free publicity' after it posted a James Bond spoof that mocked the western intelligence community’s growing focus on threats posed by Beijing. The rare response by the head of MI6, Richard Moore, on Thursday comes as China and Britain clash over Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur minority and creeping authoritarianism in the former British colony of Hong Kong Continue reading...

Military personnel must wear face coverings off base after virus surges among civilians in Japan

The reason why so many of us are at the end of our rope? We allowed work to be what gave our lives meaningThe rich are irrational when it comes to work. Out of everyone in our society, they have the least need to earn more money, but they work the most.Billionaire tech-industry titans brag about their hundred-hour work weeks, even though their labor isn’t what boosts their companies’ stock prices and enriches them further. Americans with advanced degrees have the highest average earning power, but typically work more and spend less time on leisure than people with less formal education. The children of rich parents are twice as likely to have summer jobs as poor kids are. And many older American professionals with plenty saved for retirement keep showing up at the office. Continue reading...

Karen Andrews, home affairs minister, did give a hint of how things might play out.AAP reports that, before Novak Djokovic’s arrival, she said that while the Victorian government and Tennis Australia may allow a non-vaccinated player to compete in the Australian Open, it was the federal government that dealt with border entry requirements. Continue reading...

Moscow-led ‘peacekeeping’ alliance enters country amid violent clashes between protesters, police and armyRussian paratroopers have arrived in Kazakhstan as part of a “peacekeeping” mission by a Moscow-led military alliance to help the president regain control of the country, according to Russian news agencies.Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, asked for the intervention from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – an alliance made up of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – late on Wednesday and it was swiftly approved. Continue reading...

Census uncovers personal impact of economic turmoil, housing crisis and Spanish flu pandemicAn intimate and unique snapshot of a nation reeling from the aftermath of the first world war was made available to the public on Thursday as the National Archives’ 1921 Census of England and Wales went online.The unprecedented glimpse into life 100 years ago reveals the very personal impact of the economic turmoil, housing crisis and major social changes caused by the war and the Spanish flu pandemic, capturing the desperation, anger and sadness of the 38 million individuals who filled in the form. Continue reading...

The Oscar-winning director’s new documentary explores warmth, joy and anger through the eyes of a farmyard animal. She reveals what it taught her about lifeAndrea Arnold’s films are known for their spare dialogue, and in her first documentary it is more pared-backed than ever: Cow consists of 94 minutes of moos, with the odd off-camera interjection from farmhands. It is hardly a thriller (though the ending is pure Tarantino). But it is one of the most beautifully crafted and tender portraits of a life you are likely to see.Arnold, who started her professional life as a rollerskating TV presenter on the children’s Saturday show No 73, began thinking about documenting an animal’s life nine years ago. Eventually she settled on a cow. “I thought a cow would be interesting because they work so hard, getting pregnant and giving milk their entire lives. It’s a huge job they do.” She chose Luma because she was told she had a big personality and was feisty. Arnold and her team spent four years, on and off, filming her. Why did she make Cow? “I wanted to show a non-human consciousness. I was intrigued as to whether we would be able to see her consciousness if we followed her long enough.” Continue reading...

Unjabbed supporters of President Bolsonaro are banned from some pubs – but elsewhere fans can buy pizza named after himJana Santos has an unambiguous message for Jair Bolsonaro-supporting anti-vaxxers who want to sup a Moscow Mule or Caipirinha at her bar in south Brazil.“Don’t come. We don’t want you here,” said the mixologist and bar owner who recently placed a placard at its entrance instructing unvaccinated Bolsonaristas to steer clear. Continue reading...

The fast, hip-shaking dance of Tahiti is taking off around the world, with thousands of women taking classes and competingWearing intricate costumes made of plants and adorned with tropical flowers, the women look spectacular. While their torsos remain completely still, somehow, impossibly, their hips are moving in circles so fast it’s almost a blur.These women are performing traditional Tahitian dance, or Ori Tahiti, in Tahiti’s annual cultural festival, the Heiva. And they’re not alone. Thousands of women across the globe, from Mexico to Japan, are doing it too. Continue reading...

Filippo Bernardini is accused of impersonating publishing figures to steal manuscripts, in scam that has stumped authors and editors for yearsA mysterious fraudster who impersonated publishers and agents to steal book manuscripts in an international phishing scam may have finally been caught, with the FBI arresting a 29-year-old man at John F Kennedy airport in New York on Wednesday.Filippo Bernardini, an Italian citizen who worked at UK publisher Simon & Schuster, was arrested upon landing in the US on Wednesday. The FBI alleged that Bernardini had “impersonated, defrauded, and attempted to defraud, hundreds of individuals” to obtain unpublished and draft works. Continue reading...

Former Soviet states respond to pleas from Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as he tries to regain control“Peacekeeping forces” from a Russia-led military alliance will be sent to Kazakhstan to help the country’s president regain control, it was announced on Wednesday night, as violent clashes continued after fuel price rises triggered widespread protests.Armenia’s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – an alliance of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan – would dispatch forces to “stabilise” the Central Asian country. Continue reading...

Student last seen before Christmas leaving nightclub near Charing Cross stationPolice searching for missing 20-year-old Harvey Parker have recovered a body from the River Thames believed to be the student.The Metropolitan police was alerted to reports of a body in the Thames near Embankment, central London, by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution at 11.51am on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Helpline staffed by volunteers advising those still hesitant about getting jabbed against coronavirus

William Campbell, 26, stabbed younger brother in chest in front of their mother in garden of Sunderland homeA man who killed his younger brother with a kitchen knife after a trivial, drunken row has been told he must serve at least 21 years in jail.A court heard that William Campbell, 26, had been binge drinking vodka in the pub for more than five hours on the evening of 17 June last year. His brother Samuel, 24, had drunk at least a bottle of Jim Beam bourbon and was listening to music in the back garden of the family home in Silksworth, Sunderland. Continue reading...

Diversity and ethics scandals leave the ceremony without a network broadcaster, or famous faces to broadcast, after a film industry boycottThe annual Golden Globes ceremony has been unable to find a broadcasting partner or any celebrities willing to present or collect its awards after a Hollywood boycott over its diversity and ethics scandal, resulting in a pared-down event with the emphasis on philanthropy.According to Variety, the Globes’ talent bookers have failed to persuade any big Hollywood figures to attend the 2022 edition of the awards ceremony, a hitherto glittering annual event that traditionally kicked off the lucrative awards season. In March 2021 more than 100 public relations firms announced they would withdraw cooperation with the Globes, a series of high-profile Hollywood figures, including Tom Cruise and Scarlett Johansson, made stinging public criticisms, and TV network NBC cancelled its broadcast of the 2022 edition. Continue reading...

Defence secretary under Tony Blair claims he was told to burn legal advice written by attorney generalTony Blair’s former defence secretary Geoff Hoon has claimed he was told to burn a memo from the attorney general that cast doubt on the legality of the Iraq war.In revelations that critics say cast further doubt on the decision to award the former prime minister a knighthood, Hoon recalled in extracts from his recently published memoir that Blair’s chief of staff had instructed him to burn the document. Continue reading...

PM announces concession card holders can get free RATs, but other Australians will have to pay; Victoria cancels most elective surgery; PM says Novak Djokovic must provide evidence to support vaccine exemption. Follow all the day’s news

Glade of Light consists of a white marble ‘halo’ bearing the names of those killed in May 2017 bombingA memorial to the 22 people murdered in the Manchester Arena terror attack will officially open to the public from Wednesday.The Glade of Light memorial is a white marble “halo” bearing the names of those killed in the May 2017 attack. Continue reading...

Reports emerge of fatal hospital delays and food shortages as more than 14 million people are confined to their homes in the cities of Xi’an and Yuzhou

Protests have broken out in several Kazakh towns and cities after the central Asian nation's government lifted price caps on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and the cost of the popular alternative to petrol soared. The government resigned on Wednesday, hours after the president declared a state of emergency in large parts of the country in response to the rare outbreak of unrest. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed Alikhan Smailov as acting prime minister.

Paediatrician Dr Laila Ibrahim from the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, has urged parents to get their children vaccinated after sharing her experiences treating children with Covid-19. ‘Most of us hope that if our kids get Covid they will get a runny nose’, she said. ‘But there will be some, quite a significant proportion, who will have high fevers, vomiting and diarrhoea for several days’. Dr Ibrahim said that it’s much better to prevent getting Covid-19 through vaccination than to be 'treating children when they’re very unwell’. Victoria recorded 17,636 new positive cases with 591 people in hospital► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube