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Grenfell inquiry hears that official put together ‘script’ to counter media claims that building rules allowed flammable claddingTwo days after the Grenfell Tower fire the UK government mounted a rebuttal operation to counter potentially damaging reports that building regulations had allowed the use of combustible cladding, the public inquiry has heard.As families searched frantically for missing loved ones, Brian Martin, the official in charge of fire safety building regulations at the ministry of housing, local government and communities, circulated a pre-written rebuttal of press claims that the plastic-filled panels that fuelled the inferno were in fact allowed in the UK but not abroad. Continue reading...

Jack Sepple, 23, is accused of killing 19-year-old from British Columbia who he met on an online dating appA man has appeared in court charged with murdering his 19-year-old Canadian girlfriend, as her friends paid tribute to “a beautiful soul”.Jack Sepple, 23, is accused of killing Ashley Wadsworth at a property in Chelmsford on Tuesday. Essex police attended the address in Tennyson Road shortly after 4pm. Continue reading...

Alfredo Sánchez Chacón was supposed to remain behind bars until 2025 for the murder of a man in 1996A 63-year-old convicted murderer and former soldier known as the “Galician Rambo” because of his survival skills and history of jailbreaks has been arrested by police in north-west Spain after spending almost a year on the run.Alfredo Sánchez Chacón, who was supposed to remain behind bars until 2025 for the murder of a man in 1996 and other offences, failed to return to prison after being allowed out on a day pass last March. Continue reading...

Head of watchdog writing to PM and home secretary about England and Wales data, which excludes fraudThe head of the official statistics watchdog has reprimanded Boris Johnson and the Home Office for incorrectly saying crime has fallen by 14%, when this excludes the fastest-rising category of crime.Sir David Norgrove, the head of the UK Statistics Authority, said he would be writing to the offices of Johnson and Priti Patel, the home secretary, to highlight what he called a “misleading” use of statistics. Continue reading...

More than half of Black students said they had been victims of racism while living in halls of residenceUniversities and accommodation providers need to tackle the racism experienced by Black students in halls of residence, according to a report that found claims of “racially segregated” accommodation and widespread abuse from other students.More than half of Black students surveyed in the report said they had been victims of racism while living in UK student accommodation, and nearly two-thirds had witnessed racism. “These experiences ranged from insensitivity around things like hair or food, to the use of racial slurs, to spitting, shouting and physical violence,” the report, Living Black at University, said. Continue reading...

Paul Givan’s move triggers parallel departure of deputy first minister and could bring forward electionsThe first minister of Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist party’s Paul Givan, has resigned, plunging the devolved government at Stormont into turmoil two years after power-sharing with Sinn Féin was restored.His resignation, over Brexit checks in the Irish Sea, will also bring the parallel departure of the Sinn Féin deputy first minister, Michelle O’Neill, under the power-sharing arrangements. Continue reading...

Deutsche Welle boss says retaliation by Moscow, including closure of its bureau, is ‘total overreaction’Russia is to expel the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) in retaliation for a German ban on broadcasts by Russia’s RT.The foreign ministry said the press credentials of DW’s correspondents would be revoked, its bureau in Russia closed, and its German-language broadcasts would be banned from Russian satellite television in the near future. It said this was the first stage of its “retaliatory measures”. Continue reading...

Officials fear death toll from adulterated cocaine could increase, with 84 people currently in intensive careAuthorities in Argentina are advising drug consumers to throw away any cocaine they may have purchased in the last two days after at least 20 people died after ingesting adulterated cocaine in the Greater Buenos Aires area.Eighty-four others are are currently under intensive care, of which 20 have been intubated, but authorities fear the death toll could increase as further victims are found to have died alone at home. Continue reading...

Analysis: Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi’s killing by the US has to be set against January’s raid on a prison by IS, its biggest attack for yearsBeing an Islamic State leader is not what it used to be. The death of the latest IS supremo, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, far from the heartland of the terror group’s rise in Iraq in a frugal home in the back blocks of Syria, is another painful blow to an organisation that only five years ago held significant territory in both countries and cast a shadow across an entire region.Its slide ever since has been dramatic. Unable to hold land, its old guard wiped out, its finances shredded and rank and file depleted, IS looks – at face value – like a group that has had its day. And yet it still lurks amid the rubble of both countries, where it is slowly, yet assuredly stirring. Continue reading...

Joe Biden commended the US military for its overnight raid in north-west Syria which resulted in the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the Islamic State leader and one of the world’s most wanted men. The US president said the operation sent a strong message to terrorists around the world: 'We will come after you and find you'

Major parties set to present joint reports calling for controversial bill to be considered for passage through parliament

Ken O’Dowd wants the government to take Amnesty International’s report on Israel on board after Morrison said ‘no country is perfect’

While some locals at Belarusian border see no cause for concern, troops and tanks are ready to swing into actionStanding next to the snowy Belarusian border, Vladislav Gorban showed off Ukraine’s latest defences against Russian attack. New wooden posts topped with coils of gleaming razor wire ran alongside a slush-covered road. There was a shallow defensive ditch, dug some time ago, and a yellow and blue customs post. Plus a dog, used to sniff out narcotics.Gorban, a border guard, admitted Russian tanks would be able to smash through this flimsy ensemble of barricades and continue towards Kyiv, 140 miles away. But he had a warning. “If the Russians come, they can expect a nasty surprise,” he said, hinting at the new portable anti-tank weapons sent by the UK to Ukraine’s embattled pro-western government. Continue reading...

Teenage girl and two men found guilty of killing Dr Gary Jenkins, as Stonewall criticises language used during trialA 17-year-old girl and two men have been found guilty of the sadistic homophobic murder of a consultant psychiatrist in a city centre park.The three “tortured” Dr Gary Jenkins by kicking and punching him and stamping on his head for up to 30 minutes as he begged them to stop. Continue reading...

The leader of Islamic State has been killed during an overnight raid by US special forces in north-west Syria. Drone footage shows the aftermath of a pre-dawn attack on a property in the village of Atme, just south of the Turkish border, that led to up to 13 casualties. A senior US administration official said Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi detonated a bomb at the beginning of the operation that killed him and members of his family.

He has created some of the most memorable film scores of all time, including Jaws, Star Wars and ET. Is it time he was regarded as a great composer?There is a story that John Williams was working on Schindler’s List when he suggested to Steven Spielberg that he needed a better composer for his overwhelming Holocaust drama. “I know, but they’re all dead,” replied the director.The anecdote is redolent not only of Williams’s humble view of his handiwork but also speaks to the traditional gulf in perception between the populist Williams – he has the most entries of any living composer in Classic FM’s hall of fame – and the vaunted masters of classical music. Celebrating his 90th birthday on 8 February, Williams’s film work encompasses blockbusters (nine Star Wars movies, four Indiana Jones, three Harry Potters, two Jurassic Parks and the first Superman film) and serious historical fare (JFK, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln). Continue reading...

Unilateral move by Stormont agriculture minister sets UK on new collision course with BrusselsBoris Johnson has been ambushed by the Democratic Unionist party over its order to local border officials to halt all Brexit checks on food and farm products in Northern Ireland ports.The unilateral move by the Stormont agriculture minister, Edwin Poots, has set the UK on a new collision course with Brussels. Continue reading...

Mediation offers come as Russia accuses US of increasing tensions by sending soldiers to Romania and PolandCompeting mediation offers showered down on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday as the Russian defence minister visited troops on the Ukraine border before unprecedented joint exercises with Belarus, due to start in a week’s time.The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on a trip to Kyiv, offered to host talks between Ukraine and Russia. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, prepared a fourth phone call in a week with Putin, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said he was planning a trip to Moscow. Continue reading...

Pro-democracy groups condemn Noeleen Heyzer’s comments in a TV interview, and maintain the junta is losing its gripThe UN special envoy to Myanmar has been widely rebuked for suggesting that pro-democracy activists should negotiate a power-sharing agreement with the country’s military, which is accused of atrocities including genocide.Almost 250 civil society organisations published a statement condemning the comments, warning they risked emboldening the military to commit “grave crimes with total impunity”. Continue reading...

Women required to attend separate classes and follow dress code at facilities in Kandahar and Helmand as they restart classes for first time since Taliban takeoverPublic universities in Kandahar and Helmand provinces in Afghanistan have reopened after being closed for nearly nine months, with some female students joining classes.Despite calls from education activists and students, universities and high schools across Afghanistan stayed shut after their usual summer break as the Taliban came to power. High schools have since reopened, but only for boys. Continue reading...

Opponents say central government planners’ decision ‘trashes’ local democracy and ignores climate impactThe government has been accused of “trashing” local democracy after overruling a council decision and approving the expansion of Bristol airport.An application by the airport to expand its capacity from 10 million to 12 million passengers a year was refused by North Somerset council at the beginning of 2021, but after the airport appealed, central government planners overturned the decision. Continue reading...

As Jules et Jim gets a re-release in time for the 90th anniversary on Sunday of the French director’s birth, we pan across his greatest worksThis worldly comedy of love is an example of how Truffaut always aspired to something lighthearted with even a touch of Lubitschian comedy. But it’s a very 70s piece of work in its knowing and slightly louche celebration of male romantic conquest (it got a Hollywood remake directed by Blake Edwards with Burt Reynolds). Charles Denner plays Bertrand, a guy who loves all women with the passion of a connoisseur or a collector; at his funeral, the service is thronged with his female admirers. Continue reading...

Nuvaxovid is similar to flu jab and may have reduced side-effects, which could persuade vaccine holdouts

Vaccinations, milder Omicron and arrival of spring should keep death rate low as cases rise to all time high

Fifty years after Nixon and Mao’s historic handshake, the geopolitical world order is again being reshapedWhen the leaders of China and Russia meet in Beijing this Friday shortly before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, observers of the bilateral relationship will be looking for insights into how this 21st century quasi-alliance is reshaping the postwar world order.It was 50 years ago this month, on 21 February 1972, that the historic handshake between Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong changed the geometry of the cold war. Historians called the visit “the week that changed the world”. It later influenced Washington’s subsequent movement towards détente with Moscow. Continue reading...

Drag queens enjoy mainstream success, yet their masculine-dress allies remain an exciting subculture. With so many artists now making waves, that may be about to changeIn an east London pub, the Glory, Adam All is pulling bras out from the pockets of his purple suit as he sings on stage. Cheeky, fun and dapper, he wears a glittery waistcoat over a gold satin shirt, his pink bow tie matching the shade of his rectangular glasses.All is a drag king; that is, usually a cisgender woman, transgender man or non-binary person performing in male or masculine drag on stage. This can include singing, lip-syncing and dancing. While drag queens have broken into the mainstream, largely thanks to the success of RuPaul’s Drag Race, their kingly counterparts have been confined to a more underground existence. Tonight, we are in a basement. Continue reading...

Bones of ice age mammoth, bison, rhinoceros, wolf and hyena uncovered by digger on outskirts of PlymouthThe remains of a woolly mammoth, rhinoceros, bison, wolf and hyena have been found in a cave system uncovered by a digger during the building of a new town in the south-west of England.Experts said the find at Sherford, a 5,500-home development on the outskirts of Plymouth, was “exceptional” and gave an astonishing glimpse into the megafauna that roamed what is now Devon between 30,000 and 60,000 years ago.Partial remains of a woolly mammoth, including a tusk, molar tooth and other bonesPartial remains of a woolly rhinoceros, including an incomplete skull and lower jawA virtually complete wolf skeletonPartial remains of hyena, horse, reindeer, mountain hare and red foxBones of various small mammals such as bats and shrews. It is anticipated that further bones of small mammals will be identified during post-excavation laboratory analysis. Continue reading...

As the alt-rockers release a live box set, their frontman answers your questions on Bowie, his 40 new Pixies songs and the alarming sexuality of his petsCome on Pilgrim is the greatest debut album by anyone, ever. Discuss. mungoslutI will partially agree, at least to appear humble. But seeing as I’m not so humble … I was listening to Murmur by REM a lot just before Come on Pilgrim and that was hugely influential on me as a songwriter. I’m going to be cocky and say: we were even better than Murmur. Continue reading...

Labour leader says Boris Johnson’s ‘repeated lies from the dispatch box’ are contaminating politics

(Domino)

Move by Ofgem means millions likely to be driven into fuel poverty unless government acts to ease cost of living crisisHouseholds will face a record energy bill increase of 54% from April after the regulator lifted the cap on default tariffs to £1,971.The energy regulator, Ofgem, lifted the maximum rate that suppliers can charge for an average dual-fuel energy tariff by £693, to reflect the fourfold increase in energy market prices over the last year. Continue reading...

Fifteen questions on general knowledge and topical trivia plus a few jokes every Thursday – how will you fare?Good news everyone! This week’s Thursday quiz introduces not one but two – TWO! – brand new regular features, which I am sure are going to prove as popular as the questions about Pokémon and the anagrams always did in the past. There are 15 questions on general knowledge and topical trivia, and along the way there is a hidden Doctor Who reference for you to spot for a bonus point, as well as the ever-welcome appearance of Kate Bush and Ron from Sparks. It is just for fun. There are no prizes. Let us know how you got on in the comments.The Thursday quiz, No 41If 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 he’s very busy getting ready for the Winter Olympics. Sign up for the daily Beijing Briefing from him here. Continue reading...

Former prime minister says axing contract ‘has undermined Australia’s honour, security and sovereignty’

Dozen UK companies given VIP fast-track contracts to supply PPE to NHS paid idled staff at taxpayers’ expenseCompanies handed a combined £1.3bn in controversial fast-track Covid contracts with minimal scrutiny also claimed at least £1m in furlough grants, it can be revealed.Analysis of the accounts of companies that won lucrative emergency contracts to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS during the height of the pandemic shows 12 also claimed funds to put staff on furlough at taxpayers’ expense. Continue reading...

Albanese says aged care services minister ‘must resign today’; CMO says ‘we are past the peak’ of Omicron as nation records at least 82 Covid-19 deaths, with dozens of cases in ICU; bushfire emergency warning issued for East Rockingham. This blog is now closed

As the military targets civilians and blocks aid, those who have left home to avoid violence risk death to find food and healthcare

He came blazing out of Glasgow like a rocket, scoring hits and acclaim. As he returns to the stage in a hard-rapping, homoerotic Cyrano, the star talks about partygate, snout size – and tackling Lear when he hits 100James McAvoy is talking about Cyrano de Bergerac, the long-nosed, lovestruck poet he first played on stage in 2019, and is now about to reprise. But every now and again he interrupts himself with off-piste observations that have nothing to do with 17th-century libertines and doomed love triangles. It slowly becomes clear that he is inside his car, which is parked at the stage door of the Harold Pinter theatre in London, ready to jump into rehearsals after our chat.“What’s this guy doing?” he says, in his meta commentary of people-watching. “Oh my God. There’s a labourer walking down the road and he doesn’t have any trousers on. He’s just in long johns and he has got the biggest penis I think I’ve ever seen.” Wait, how can he tell? “Because he’s wearing long johns! And he’s packing a nine-inch –” Continue reading...

Despite the rise of headline-grabbing megafires, fewer fires are burning worldwide now than at any time since antiquity. But this isn’t good news – in banishing fire from sight, we have made its dangers stranger and less predictableThe hundreds of bush fires that hit southern Australia on 7 February 2009 felt, according to witnesses, apocalyptic. It was already hellishly hot that day: 46.4C in Melbourne. As the fires erupted, day turned to night, flaming embers the size of pillows rained down, burning birds fell from the trees and the ash-filled air grew so hot that breathing it, one survivor said, was like “sucking on a hairdryer”. More than 2,000 homes burned down, and 173 people died. New South Wales’s fire chief, visiting Melbourne days later, encountered “shocked, demoralised” firefighters, racked by “feelings of powerlessness”.Australians call the event Black Saturday – a scorched hole in the national diary. There, it contends with Red Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Black Thursday, Black Friday and Black Sunday on Australia’s calendar of conflagration. But recently it has been surpassed – they all have – by the Black Summer, the cataclysmic 2019-20 fire season that killed hundreds with its smoke and burned an area the size of Ireland. A study estimated that the bushfires destroyed or displaced 3 billion animals; its stunned lead author couldn’t think of any fire worldwide that had killed nearly so many. Continue reading...

The controversial concept of willing your goals into existence has leapt in popularity since Covid began. But how do you do it – and can it help you realise your dreams?In the first months of the UK’s spring 2020 lockdown, Jennifer Doyle, a teacher and single mother, was at a low point. “I was in a bit of a hole, struggling to cope on my own and focusing only on the negatives of my life,” says the 39-year-old. “Then – during a Zoom quiz, of course – my friend said I should look into manifestation to help. I did – and my energy totally shifted. I started thinking about what I wanted from life, rather than what was wrong with it.”Doyle was not alone. In early July 2020, Google Trends reported a peak in searches for “manifestation”, which is often described as a way of willing your goals into existence. In the past 22 months, the website Life Coach Directory has seen a 450% rise in potential clients searching for manifestation techniques. On TikTok, the hashtag #manifestation has 13.9bn views. It is part of the huge wellness market, which is worth about £1.1bn. Continue reading...

Communist party tightens grip on critics to preserve ‘perfect’ image of Winter GamesA chill is blowing through Chinese civil society as activists, journalists and academics report receiving police warnings and censorship of their social media platforms in recent weeks as Beijing prepares to host the Winter Olympics beginning on Friday.In mid-January, the Beijing-based human rights activist Hu Jia said in a tweet that China’s state security apparatus was summoning activists around the country to question them and warn them to stay silent.

Turkish president faces delicate balancing act in supporting Ukraine while maintaining Moscow relationsThe Turkish president and wild card of Nato diplomacy, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will fly to Kyiv on Thursday to offer himself again in the role of mediator between Ukraine and the Russian president Vladimir Putin. He will be joining the flock of overseas leaders lending their support to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and is expected to sign a free-trade deal.With Turkey’s Nato membership often under challenge, partly due to its decision to buy the Russian-made S-400 air-defence system, Erdoğan faces a difficult balancing act in showing continued strong diplomatic support for Ukraine while not damaging his complex long-term relations with Moscow. Continue reading...

Automatic addition of ex-husband as father on document within 300 days of divorce to be scrappedJapan is set to reform a 19th century law that automatically registers a woman’s ex-husband as the father of a child born within 300 days of their divorce.A government panel this week recommended amending the rule, along with another clause in the law that prevents women from remarrying for 100 days after a divorce on the grounds that the paternity of a child born soon after would be unclear. Continue reading...

Local media reported the drug had been ‘cut’ with a toxic substance as authorities said it might have been intentionalAt least 20 people have died in Argentina and dozens have been hospitalised after consuming cocaine suspected of containing a poisonous substance, authorities in Buenos Aires province, at the centre of the incident, said.Experts were still analysing the drug to determine what was in it that caused the deaths. Judicial officials said one hypothesis being considered was that the cocaine was intentionally adulterated as part of a settling of scores between traffickers. Continue reading...

Prime minister says religious discrimination bill will include amendment ‘to ensure kids cannot be discriminated against’

Rhode Island archaelogists denounce Australian National Maritime Museum announcement as ‘premature’ and driven by ‘Australian emotions or politics’

Fully vaccinated New Zealanders and other eligible travellers from Australia will be the first people able to enter the country

Authorities also warned brining in the military carried a ‘massive risk’ as they believed the protesters are armedPolice in Ottawa warned they may have to call in the military to disband “unlawful” protests in the nation’s capital and a town near the US border, amid mounting tensions between protesters opposing Covid restrictions and local residents.The Ottawa police chief, Peter Sloly, warned on Wednesday that the officers did not have the resources to remove a fleet of trucks parked by the protesters in the national capital, adding the city was considering requesting help from Canadian armed forces. Continue reading...

DUP’s Edwin Poots says he has ordered top civil servant to stop port checks, but not clear whether he will complyNorthern Ireland’s agriculture minister has ordered all Brexit checks on food and farm products to be stopped from midnight in a unilateral move that will set him on a collision course with Brussels.The former leader of the Democratic Unionist party Edwin Poots threatened the move last week after he failed to get the backing of other parties in Stormont to intervene in the face of a delayed resolution to the dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol. Continue reading...