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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...

More that 15,00 homes destroyed in Port Harcourt in government plan to ‘sanitise the waterfronts by removing shanties’The bulldozers rolled into Urualla, Port Harcourt, early on 30 January. By the end of the day, hundreds of people were homeless, their belongings scattered and lost, as government clearances of waterfront slums in the southern Nigerian city got under way.Over six days, the homes of more than 15,000 families in eight slum communities in the Diobu area of the city were destroyed. Another three neighbourhoods are earmarked to be cleared. Continue reading...

Much of the state is without internet, but Telstra says some voice calls and emergency calls are working

Darknet survey finds 42% sought contact after watching sexual abuse online, with escalating porn habits driving users to illegal materialThe largest ever survey on the thoughts and behaviours of people who watch child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online has found significant evidence that those who watch illegal material are at high risk of going on to contact or abuse a child directly.Nearly half (42%) of respondents to the survey, the first of its kind, said they had sought direct contact with children through online platforms after viewing CSAM, and 58% reported feeling afraid that viewing CSAM might lead to them committing abuse in person. Continue reading...

Despite the deluge, spirits were high on the M1 as drivers shared resources while camped on ‘road islands’

Disney and Sony call off all upcoming theatrical releases, including Pixar film Turning Red and Morbius, with Warner Bros also pulling The BatmanDisney is pausing all theatrical releases in Russia, including the upcoming Pixar film Turning Red, citing the “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis”.“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” Disney said on Monday. “In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance.” Continue reading...

Prosecutor seeks court’s approval on day dozens were killed by rockets in Kharkiv

Home secretary cites concerns over extremists and Russian agents entering UK amid growing unrest among Tory MPs

Sergei Roldugin, 71, godfather to the president’s daughter, is one of 26 new additions to 680-strong list

From inside a makeshift bunker in the basement of their block of flats in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, Olia and her neighbours give an insight into their lives as they reach day five of heavy shelling from Russian forces. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, was the focus of dozens of Grad missiles targeting civilian areas in an apparent change of tack by Moscow. Olia, a young artist, reflects on the conflict so far and explains how she is keeping her spirits up Continue reading...

Karim Khan says that although Ukraine isn’t a member of the ICC, it has awarded jurisdiction to the court

‘Dozens’ of civilians killed in Ukraine’s second city amid widespread use of indiscriminate weapons

Tuesday: Rocket attacks killed ‘dozens’ of people in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Plus: UN issues ‘bleakest warning yet’ on global heatingGood morning. Today marks the fifth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as countries and companies around the world boycott Russia. In Australia, more rain is set to prolong devastating floods in south-east Queensland, and the UN releases its latest and “bleakest warning yet” on climate impacts.Russian rocket attacks killed “dozens” of people in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv as officials from both countries met for ceasefire talks, with Moscow facing unprecedented western sanctions that it said had created “a new economic reality”. The Élysée Palace said after a call between Emmanuel Macron and Vladmir Putin the Russian president was “willing to commit” to ending attacks on civilians and civil infrastructure during the talks. Russia could receive backup from Belarus, who may be preparing to send its soldiers into Ukraine in support of the Russian invasion, according to a US defence official. Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has condemned the treatment of thousands of its students and citizens fleeing the war amid concerns that African students are facing discrimination by security officials and being denied entry into Poland. Companies have also condemned Russia, with Shell announcing it will exit its joint ventures with Russian state energy firm Gazprom a day after BP said it would offload its 20% stake in Kremlin-owned oil firm Rosneft, amid mounting criticism that the oil industry has helped empower Putin. Fifa and Uefa have also acted in unison to suspend Russian teams from international football competition. Continue reading...

Analysis: against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine, Kwasi Kwarteng announces clean-up measures

Analysis: previously there has been a reluctance to supply arms to the under-siege state, but that appears to be changing

British oil major to exit joint ventures with Gazprom after BP pledged to sell its 20% Rosneft stake

An appeal in Leeds for donations to help desperate Ukrainians has created a multinational army of volunteers• Russia-Ukraine crisis: live newsMagdalena Timmins could not sleep on the second night of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At home in Bradford, the 31-year-old received horrified texts from relatives in Poland. Her birthplace, the small border city of Przemyśl, had become the frontline of a growing humanitarian disaster as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fled Vladimir Putin’s bombs.In a message to the Facebook group “Polish mums of Leeds”, Timmins appealed for donations to send to those in need 1,300 miles away. Within hours, her plea had spread across Yorkshire. By Monday, she had raised a multinational army of volunteers and received enough clothes, bedding and medical equipment to fill three 26-tonne lorries. Continue reading...

Jury told James Watson spoke to police in 1994 but did not mention he had picked up Rikki until interviewed again in 2015A police officer’s son accused of the 1994 murder of six-year-old Rikki Neave has denied he belatedly revealed he had picked up the schoolboy on the day of his disappearance in an attempt to tailor his account to fit the discovery of his DNA.James Watson was 13 at the time it is alleged he killed Rikki in Peterborough on 28 November 1994, jurors have been told. Continue reading...

Government says citizens are being denied entry into Poland amid growing reports of discrimination

Analysis: politicians who believed Putin could be ‘tamed by empathy and accommodation’ are having to hurriedly rethink their positions

More than 360,000 people have already fled their homes in Ukraine since the beginning of Vladimir Putin's bloody invasion, according to the UN refugee agency, and more than 4.5 million more could follow if the fighting spreads. But among the bloodshed, moments of hope and defiance from the nation stood out and captured the hearts and minds of the world, encapsulating the Ukrainian people's resilience and determination to stand up to the aggressor

Filmmaker James Jones had no idea when he started it two years ago that a terrible synchronicity would make his blistering documentary about the nuclear accident in northern Ukraine a must-watchHad it been released at any point in the past few years, Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes would have been an important documentary; a feature-length blend of audio interviews and largely unseen archive footage that puts the 1986 disaster into horrifying new perspective. That it comes out now – just days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including an attack on the Chernobyl site itself – makes it as unmissable as it is harrowing.Obviously, this timeliness was never the intention. Indeed, the film-maker James Jones had a different historical event in mind when he started work on it two years ago. “I initially thought the relevance was Covid,” he says. Like Chernobyl, the early days of the pandemic were marked with mysterious illnesses that the local government attempted to keep a lid on. “I was interested in the idea that this invisible enemy was threatening us,” he says. “An authoritarian regime was lying about it, and Chinese citizens were starting to voice their disquiet publicly.” Continue reading...

Move could happen this week as official says Minsk is ‘now an extension of the Kremlin’

Despite vowing change, plans set to be released by the NPCC will oppose an admission of institutional racismPolice leaders in England and Wales will decide not to accept that their forces are still institutionally racist, as they try to battle their way out of a race crisis.Chief constables began considering a public admission in December and have held a series of private meetings among forces to try to find agreement. Continue reading...

In evidence to inquiry, Anthony Burd denies there was a cover-up of the results of taxpayer-funded testsA senior official has admitted the government knew 15 years before the Grenfell Tower disaster that plastic-filled cladding panels – which fuelled the fatal fire – burned “fast and fierce” and he believed they should not be used on tall buildings.But the results of tests were not published, and on Monday Anthony Burd, the principal fire safety professional and later head of technical policy in the government’s building regulations division from 2000 to 2013, denied there was a cover-up. Continue reading...

Civilian volunteers have come forward in large numbers to help the war effort against the Russian invasion

Staff complain of low pay amid pressure to deliver institution’s famous one-on-one tutorialsCambridge University lecturers are accusing the institution of pressuring them into taking on “explosive workloads” to deliver its famous one-on-one tutorials.A survey of university teaching officers (UTOs) by the University and College Union branch found that a third (35%) felt they could not refuse requests from peers and superiors to take on extra weekly tutorials, or “supervisions” as they are known, even though nearly half of those surveyed said they would like to deliver fewer of them. Continue reading...

Dozens kills and hundreds wounded in Russian rocket strikes on Kharkiv, as rouble crashes in wake of global sanctions

Breathtakingly shot documentary records long push to cross a series of Alaskan mountains, and the geographer who first charted themFifteen miles to the south-east of Denali, the highest peak in North America, lies a colossal mountain range that rears from the ground like a vertiginous jaw. Fittingly, the various summits of this natural wonder are called Moose’s Tooth, Eye Tooth, Sugar Tooth and Broken Tooth. While many explorers have conquered each of these peaks, none have attempted a lateral climb from summit to summit,akin to walking atop the skyline. But a black-and-white aerial photograph of the forbidding path, all snow-capped and wrapped in billowy clouds, beckons the adventurous spirit of mountaineers Renan Ozturk, Freddie Wilkinson and Zach Smith.Directed by Ozturk and Wilkinson, this awe-inspiring documentary is as much about their years-long attempts to scale the Tooth traverse as it is about Brad Washburn, the man behind the image that ignited their curiosity. A daring figure with an inexhaustible passion for exploration, Washburn pioneered the use of aerial photography in cartography, crafting superbly detailed maps of regions previously neglected by geographers. The extraordinary milestones of Washburn’s career – including his tenure as the director of the Boston Museum of Science – are interwoven with the highs and lows in the three climbers’ private lives. Despite the deaths of fellow mountaineers, neck-breaking accidents and financial struggles, their determination to scale the traverse is staggering in its unshakeable resilience. And amid perilous risks of avalanche and falling rocks, their enthusiasm has a childlike wonder that feels especially moving. Continue reading...

Emmy was on en route to Athens to try artificial insemination when she started chatting to Andy. Now they have a child togetherAfter turning 30 in 2018, Emmy made the life-changing decision to have a baby alone. “I had always really wanted children,” she says. “But when I did a fertility MOT, I discovered I had low egg reserves.” Single, and reluctant to wait for a suitable partner to come along, she began the process of IVF. “I naively thought it would work, but I had a couple of miscarriages in the early stages.”In February 2020, she travelled to Athens to try artificial insemination by a donor. “I’ve lived and worked in Greece and loved it. It was cheaper and I had friends to stay with,” she says. Before she landed, she matched on a dating app with a man from Liverpool called Andy, and they began to chat. “I’d been single for about four years and was quite happy in my own world,” he says. “But I was open to meeting someone and I found Emmy really engaging.” Continue reading...

NSW premier says ‘unprecedented’ floods expected to get worse; Lismore residents call for help on social media as flood level hits record high; cars stranded on M1 as flood waters rise; Frydenberg discusses financial support for Ukraine ahead of Scott Morrison’s call with president; at least 12 Covid-related deaths recorded. Follow the latest updates live