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In Māori legend Mount Tarawera blew her top after discovering that her lover, Mount Pūtauaki, had left her

Growing clamour for royal to lose dukedom and taxpayer-funded Scotland Yard security detailThe Duke of York faces calls to pay for his own security and relinquish his dukedom after being stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages in the fallout over the civil sexual assault case against him.The calls come as his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, welcomed the New York court ruling that paved the way for her lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed to trial, as she pledged to “continue to expose the truth”. Continue reading...

Supporters of a ‘failed’ asylum seeker who has now won her fourth appeal count the cost to both her and the stateWe have been supporting a “failed” asylum seeker in her struggle against the asylum system. Her case, though exceptionally strong, was never accepted as she had not been willing in her first interview to reveal to a male interpreter details of abuse at the hands of the police.For the last 20 years, her claims were dismissed on the basis that she lacked credibility. We knew otherwise. She was a trained teacher. If one calculates the costs, taking into account the lost income from her not working (tax, national insurance etc), the cost to NGOs that supported her with food, clothing and accommodation, the cost of tribunals, legal and clerical work, and the associated costs of processing her four appeals, the overall cost to the UK state is of the order of £250,000. Continue reading...

Fans say Australia’s visa denial a witch-hunt, while Belgrade starts to distance itself from player’s anti-vaccine stanceNovak Djokovic’s supporters in Serbia have reacted furiously to Australia’s decision to cancel the world tennis No 1’s visa for a second time, but the government has yet to respond officially and previously vociferous politicians have stayed quiet.The unvaccinated tennis star on Friday asked a court to block his deportation before the Australian Open after Australia’s immigration minister revoked his visa, citing strict Covid-19 entry regulations and stating it was in the public interest. Continue reading...

John Sillett, who trained riders for the 2016 Rio Olympics, was acquitted by a juryA former Olympic showjumping coach has been found not guilty of the rape and sexual abuse of a teenage girl.John Sillett, who trained riders for the 2016 Rio Olympics, was acquitted by a jury of five counts of rape, five of assault by penetration and two of sexual assault after a trial at Winchester crown court. Continue reading...

After another extraordinary day in the Novak Djokovic saga ahead of the Australian Open, what now for the world No 1?Another extraordinary day in the Novak Djokovic saga began at 5.52pm local time when Australia’s minister for immigration, Alex Hawke, exerted his personal powers to cancel the men’s world No 1’s visa for the second time. In a statement Hawke said he had done so “on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so”. Continue reading...

Latest updates: It’s deeply regrettable that this took place at a national time of mourning, PM’s spokesman says

German MEP Rainer Wieland spent £20,000 on a light fitting and the same amount on bespoke doorsA vice-president of the European parliament is facing questions after it was revealed he had spent nearly €690,000 (£576,000) on lavish office renovations.Rainer Wieland, a Christian Democrat MEP from Germany, spent €486,011 on a state-of-the-art office and €134,774 “showroom” next door, both built from scratch on the 15th floor of the European parliament in Brussels, according to a leaked report seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

A group of 31 men started a 10-week intensive training program to become members of the Taiwan navy’s elite amphibious reconnaissance and patrol unit. It involved sleep deprivation and intense physical training, all while soaking wet. Only 15 finished Continue reading...

Court rejects case brought by four people who arrived in UK as adults to join family membersFour Windrush generation descendants have lost their high court battle for the scheme for victims to be widened to include them.Yvonne Williams, Yvonne Smith, Jennifer Ulett-Hall and Damian Gabrielle argued in the high court that the Windrush scheme should be extended beyond its current parameters to include descendants of the Windrush generation such as them. Continue reading...

Supplies for more than 5 million people in need of food are running out, says World Food ProgrammeThe Tigray region of northern Ethiopia stands on the edge of a humanitarian disaster, the UN has said, as fighting escalates and stocks of essential food for malnourished children run out.The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that it would be distributing its last supplies of cereals, pulses and oil next week to Tigray, where more than 5 million people are estimated to be in need of food assistance. Continue reading...

Rescuers in France find 25 other people on board boat in trouble and five others on sandbankA person has been declared dead after being pulled from the Channel, French authorities have said.One individual was found overboard and unconscious in the early hours of Friday after a boat believed to be heading for the UK got into difficulty off the French coast. Continue reading...

‘It’s like a museum,’ says princess caught in inheritance feud over sprawling property in Italian capitalAs legend goes, tossing a coin into the Trevi fountain guarantees a return visit to Rome. When, as a 16-year-old American tourist, Rita Carpenter participated in the ritual and made a wish to one day marry a Roman and live in the Italian capital, little did she know that almost five decades on she would return to marry a prince and home would be a 16th-century villa stuffed with history, including the only ceiling mural ever painted by Caravaggio.But now Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi is facing the prospect of having to move out of the sprawling Villa Aurora, and the vast treasures it contains are at risk of being closed off to the public. Continue reading...

A timeline of alleged lockdown parties and UK deaths, what Covid rules were in place at the time and what Boris Johnson said

February issue cover shot is an important statement of anti-tokenism, says magazine’s editorBritish Vogue has hailed a new era that centres African fashion. The magazine’s February issue features nine dark-skinned models of African heritage on its cover, including Adut Akech.Seemingly referencing Peter Lindbergh’s “Supers” Vogue cover from 1990, which introduced the world to the idea of the supermodel, the shot is a challenge to the traditionally white fashion industry which has, since the murder of George Floyd, been under pressure to change and become more inclusive and diverse. Continue reading...

Crown Prosecution Service issues statement saying talks with alleged killer’s legal team to continueHarry Dunn’s alleged killer, Anne Sacoolas, will no longer face a court hearing, to enable “ongoing discussions” with the Crown Prosecution Service to continue.The CPS previously said in a statement that the 44-year-old’s case would be heard at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday, but the hearing has now been vacated. Continue reading...

New documentary Taming the Garden follows an ancient tree’s journey to a Georgian tycoon’s property – a tale of limb-cracking ruthlessness and mythic beautyVillagers gather round kitchen tables, squabbling about the fate of huge trees, some of which have stood for centuries in front of their homes. What does one tree matter if its removal means the roads will be improved, argues a man, while an old woman mutters ominously about payback in the next life.Outside, majestic oaks and limes quiver as bulldozers carve trenches round their roots and industrial pipes are driven beneath their gnarled and mossy trunks. The aim is not to destroy them but to move them to a new home: a lush arboreal Shangri-La that is being conjured up by one of Georgia’s richest and most powerful men. Continue reading...

The indie veteran has confirmed he will appear in the new Ant-Man film. As a master of sardonic asides, he’s the perfect fitBill Murray’s confirmation that he is to play an unnamed villain in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t the first time a prestigious star has deigned to join the weird world of Marvel. Glenn Close turned up as a space colony administrator in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and Jeff Goldblum played the enthusiastically freaky Grandmaster in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Cate Blanchett was the Norse God’s evil big sister in that movie, while Benicio del Toro appeared as the mysterious Collector in three films, culminating in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, where Thanos dispensed with him.Murray, the ageing doyen of indie cinema, has of course appeared in blockbusters before. Before becoming the kind of guy Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola have on speed dial, he was king of 80s and 90s comedy, his leading turns in the original Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day perhaps even marking the commercial zenith of that period. Continue reading...

An affair needn’t signal the end of a relationship. Whether you’re the one who strayed or the one betrayed, here’s how to come through itWhat counts as an affair?

Sick personnel push hospitals to their breaking point as the Omicron variant tears through the regionAs the Omicron variant rips through the US, states in the south continue to report record case numbers amid serious concern around hospital staff shortages.In Mississippi, officials warned this week the hospital system was on the verge of crisis due to staff shortages as local media reported most hospitals in the state were at or had reached capacity during the Omicron surge. Continue reading...

NSW records 29 Covid deaths on state’s deadliest day of pandemic as new cases expected to ‘plateau’ next week; Victoria to establish two Covid medi-hotels after 18 deaths recorded; three Covid deaths in Qld, six in SA; Tasmania reports 1,201 cases, ACT 1,125, NT 546; more than 4,300 in hospital nationally; decision on Djokovic’s visa expected today. Follow all the day’s news live

While wealthiest got richer, 140m people fell into poverty as jobs were lost, wiping out years of gains for poorest, report findsTwenty new “pandemic billionaires” have been created in Asia thanks to the international response to Covid-19, while 140 million people across the continent were plunged into poverty as jobs were lost during the pandemic, according to Oxfam.A report by the aid organisation says that by March 2021, profits from the pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and services needed for the Covid response had made 20 people new billionaires as lockdowns and economic stagnation destroyed the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of others. Continue reading...

Guardian photographer Sarah Lee describes her experience as a stills photographer on the set of the joint British-German Netflix production starring Jeremy IronsMunich, based on the Robert Harris novel, is a German-British TV production that was filmed in Germany and subsequently in England in late 2020. I was invited to join the crew as an on-set stills photographer for the UK leg of shooting.We started in Liverpool, which was doubling for 1930s London. The historic Liver Building, which stood in for Gotham city in the forthcoming Batman movie, made a very convincing Whitehall. The production later moved south to Amersham in Buckinghamshire where we shot in historic houses used as sets for Chequers and Downing Street.Liverpool doubled for 1930s London – with the historic Liver Building making an impressive substitute for Whitehall Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese says it should ‘never have come to this’ as Jacqui Lambie implores immigration minister to ‘stop this debacle’

South Korean military says projectile was fired into the sea, and comes after US imposed further sanctions on regime officialsNorth Korea has fired a possible ballistic missile, Japan’s Coast Guard said on Friday, which would be the country’s third such launch in two weeks.South Korea’s military said an unidentified projectile had been launched into the sea off its east coast. Continue reading...

Care International report highlights ‘deep injustice’ neglected by world’s media, as extreme weather along with Covid wipes out decades of progressFrom Afghanistan to Ethiopia, about 235 million people worldwide needed assistance in 2021. But while some crises received global attention, others are lesser known.Humanitarian organisation Care International has published its annual report of the 10 countries that had the least attention in online articles in five languages around the world in 2021, despite each having at least 1 million people affected by conflict or climate disasters. Continue reading...

The folk-rockers have weathered divorce and trauma to become one of the US’s best bands. Loved up with one another on tour, they explain their need for imperfection – and why recording is like sexIt is early afternoon in downtown Nashville, and the party is already going strong. Bachelorettes in pink cowboy hats are flowing, mask-free, in and out of the honky-tonks. The members of Big Thief, though – Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik and James Krivchenia – are sitting outside the Ryman Auditorium like dots of oil floating atop the water. No one seems to notice that one of the US’s best bands is scattered around a patio table a few hours before their show tonight, just yards above the 24/7 bacchanal.“There’s a pigeon-keeper up there,” says the band’s frontperson Lenker, leaning forward in her chair in a horse-print shirt, jeans and a bandanna, her gaze fixed on a small skyscraper. She points, and the rest of the band follows her finger to a group of birds on top of a building, furiously in motion. “They’re flying in circles, so there has to be a cage up there. They only do that when there is someone conducting them.” Continue reading...

Long-delayed report into killings of 19 people says the police displayed ‘collusive behaviours’An official investigation into police handling of loyalist paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland that resulted in 19 murders has identified “collusive behaviours” and “significant concerns” about officers’ conduct.The long-delayed report by the Northern Ireland police ombudsman into the killings included an investigation into the circumstances around the 1993 Greysteel pub massacre, which left eight people dead and 19 injured. Continue reading...

Rights groups say the ban penalises those who cannot travel in a private vehicle or work from home

Analysis: sentencing of former colonel to life by German court may not be last chink in Assad’s armour

The regime has launched at least seven cyber-attacks on cryptocurrency platforms, say blockchain expertsNorth Korea has launched at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms that extracted nearly $400m worth of digital assets last year, one of its most successful years on record, according to a new analysis.“From 2020 to 2021, the number of North Korean-linked hacks jumped from four to seven, and the value extracted from these hacks grew by 40%,” said the report by blockchain experts Chainalysis, which was released on Thursday. Continue reading...

Analysis: Wang Xiaolong’s prior role suggests Beijing keen to widen economic ties with New Zealand as diplomatic relationship becomes rockierA new Chinese ambassador who has previously worked on the country’s controversial belt and road initiative (BRI) has arrived in New Zealand, prompting speculation Beijing is planning to focus on deepening economic ties with New Zealand as the two countries navigate growing diplomatic challenges.Wang Xiaolong, who replaced former ambassador Wu Xi, previously served as director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s department of international economic affairs. In that role, Wang helped oversee the BRI – which seeks to deepen economic ties between China and other countries and is a key focus of President Xi Jinping. Continue reading...

Up to 170,000 people are thought to have left homes in Myanmar’s Kayah state due to intensified fightingNan and her family had just one hour to gather their belongings and prepare to flee their home. A charity had offered to drive them away from Loikaw, the capital of eastern Myanmar’s Kayah state, to relative safety. She considered staying behind, with the plants, dogs and pigs that she had raised, but knew she had to leave.Since last week, Loikaw has seen intense fighting between groups opposed to last year’s military coup and the armed forces, which have launched airstrikes and fired artillery. An artillery shell had dropped near Nan’s fence, terrifying her cousin’s children, who ran to hide under their bed. “It was so loud,” she said. “My grandma was shocked and sweating, we had to give her medication to calm her down.” Other homes in Nan’s neighbourhood have been hit. Continue reading...

EU states set to vote on proposal after commission found deficiencies including ‘the granting of citizenship to applicants listed in Interpol’s databases’The European Commission has proposed suspending a visa-free travel arrangement with Vanuatu due to concerns about the Pacific nation’s controversial “golden passports” scheme.The proposed suspension, which still needs to be voted on by EU states, would prevent all holders of passports issued as of 25 May 2015 – when Vanuatu started issuing a substantial number of passports in exchange for investment – from travelling to the EU without a visa. Continue reading...

The Queen’s second son is given blanket front-page coverage as he faces prospect of legal proceedings over sexual assault allegationThe Queen’s humiliating removal of Prince Andrew from military and royal roles over his sexual assault case dominates the front pages today.Using a photograph of a grim-looking Duke of York being driven to Windsor Castle to face his defenestration, the Telegraph headline says “Queen freezes out Andrew”. Continue reading...

UK cases and deaths down on the previous day; variant now accounts for 73.3% of cases in Germany compared with 44.3% seven days ago

Warning circulated to MPs and peers about Christine Lee, accused of targeting parliamentariansAn unprecedented security warning from MI5 was circulated to MPs and peers on Thursday that accused a lawyer, Christine Lee, of seeking to improperly influence parliamentarians on behalf of China’s ruling Communist party.It is the first time that MI5 has issued an “interference alert” relating to China and concerns a high-profile Anglo-Chinese lawyer who received an award from Theresa May and who has donated £584,177 to the office of Labour MP and former shadow cabinet member Barry Gardiner. Continue reading...

About 30 people said to have been at social events night before the Queen mourned her husband aloneStaff inside Downing Street held two staff leaving events featuring alcohol, and one with loud music, on the evening before Prince Philip’s funeral in April last year, when such social contact remained banned, according to new allegations reported on Thursday.Eyewitnesses told the Daily Telegraph that a combined total of about 30 people took part in what appeared to be social events in different parts of Downing Street, before both gatherings combined in the garden. Continue reading...

The man’s eight-year-old son, also in the Earlsdon house, appears to be physically unharmed, police sayA siege involving a man who barricaded himself and his young son in a house has ended after five days.The standoff in the Earlsdon area of Coventry began after a concern for welfare check by West Midlands police officers at the address at 12.20am on Sunday. Continue reading...

Scott White yelled in court during a pre-trial hearing on Monday that he was guilty, having previously denied the crimeAn Australian man has pleaded guilty to murdering a US mathematician who fell from a Sydney cliff in 1988 in a homophobic hate crime that was dismissed by police at the time as suicide.Scott White was charged in 2020 with murdering 27-year-old Los Angeles-born Scott Johnson, whose naked body was found at the base of North Head cliff on 8 December 1988. Continue reading...

Duke of York’s loss of royal patronages and military titles reveals inner workings of familyWhen the announcement of Prince Andrew’s sudden royal demotion came at a few minutes past 5pm on Thursday, the level of its brutality didn’t take long to sink in for people who know how the royal family works.“I don’t know what the richter scale goes up to but this is a big earthquake,” one source told the Guardian. “This feels to me like a straightforward ejection or excommunication. This is the most serious step they could have taken.” Continue reading...

Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe said he tested positive even as region resumes events, hockey games and in-person learningA day after dismissing the need for more restrictive measures to combat the coronavirus, the premier in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan has tested positive for Covid-19.“I’m feeling fine, but will be self-isolating and working from home for the next five days,” wrote Scott Moe on Twitter, alongside an image of a positive antigen test. Continue reading...

Duke will no longer use HRH title in any official capacity, and will fight US sexual assault lawsuit as private citizenThe Queen has sought to distance the monarchy from the Duke of York by stripping him of his military affiliations and royal patronages as the fallout from his sexual assault case continues.In a devastating blow to Prince Andrew, who was born His Royal Highness, Buckingham Palace also said he would no longer use the HRH royal style in any official capacity. Continue reading...

Investigation by Sue Gray expected to unearth more lockdown drinks events in government buildings

Friday: PM’s response to Omicron staffing crisis widely criticised. Plus: Duke loses military affiliations and royal patronagesGood morning. Spiking Covid cases are disrupting goods needed for PCR testing. Nearly a quarter of the world’s population experienced a record hot year. And Novak Djokovic has been included in the Australian Open draw with a decision on his visa still pending.The impact of Covid-19 on supply chains has begun to disrupt goods needed for PCR testing, forcing the closure of clinics in one jurisdiction. The highly contagious Omicron variant has caused widespread staff shortages and a “crisis” in transport and other supply chain businesses, leading to shortages at supermarkets, retailers and other key industries. The supply chain issues are so severe that the Australian Capital Territory on Wednesday announced it was closing three testing clinics – a significant chunk of its testing capacity – until Monday. The federal health department bought $62m worth of rapid antigen tests earlier this week to cope. But small businesses and unions have condemned as inadequate Morrison’s response to a burgeoning staffing crisis caused by the Omicron wave. Meanwhile, business and unions say national cabinet’s response to the Omicron staffing crisis falls short. Continue reading...

Force says it does not look into flouting of Covid restrictions ‘long after they have taken place’

Critics say bill, now moving to senate, could curb access to teaching on LGBT and reproductive rightsPoland’s lower house of parliament has passed a bill by the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party that would step up government control of schools, which critics say could curb access to teaching on LGBT and reproductive rights.The bill passed on Thursday with 227 votes in favour and 214 against, and will now move to the senate. Continue reading...

King Willem-Alexander will mothball the controversial carriage that glorifies the Netherlands’ colonial pastThe Dutch king, Willem-Alexander, has announced that he is mothballing – at least for now – the royal golden coach which has been embroiled in a racism controversy.The opulent horse-drawn carriage, called De Gouden Koets, has traditionally transported the Dutch monarch to the opening of parliament and other state occasions, but has not been used since 2015. Continue reading...

Prosecutor says explanations rule out man’s participation in French Alps killings in 2012French authorities have released a man who had been arrested over the unsolved murder of three members of a British-Iraqi family and a French cyclist in the French Alps in 2012, saying he has been ruled out as a suspect.Police detained the man on Wednesday for questioning as part of a new investigation into the killings. Continue reading...