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Former defender of Truss’s failed plans advises former leader to figure out new backbench roleLiz Truss’s political interventions “should be like sex in a long and happy relationship, infrequent but anticipated with glee”, the former Conservative party chairman has said.Sir Jake Berry, formerly a key defender of Truss’s failed radical plans, said it is time for the former prime minister to figure out her new backbench role. Continue reading...

Rail and road services disrupted amid yellow weather warnings for wind in Scotland, north and north-east EnglandStorm Otto has left thousands of homes in Scotland without power and led to travel disruption and school closures.The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for wind covering the whole of Scotland and a stretch of north and north-east England, running from Sheffield to the Scottish border until 3pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Frank Bainimarama, who launched a blistering attack on the president on Monday, was suspended for three yearsFiji’s opposition leader and its long-serving former prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, has been suspended from parliament for three years for sedition and insulting the president.The suspension came days after he launched an extraordinary verbal attack on the country’s president, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere.Lavenia Lativerata-Vuadreu works for Mai TV in FijiReuters contributed to this report Continue reading...

Judges say policy for communal areas had a distressing effect on those who did not wish to practise themSpain’s supreme court has ruled that a group of naturist property owners at a holiday home development was wrong to insist communal areas could only be used by naked residents, and wrong to hire security guards to police access to the shared swimming pool.The decision came after eight people in the development in the Andalucían province of Almería took legal action, claiming the enforced nudity policy violated their basic rights. Continue reading...

Free satellite package is part of attempts to cut off occupied population from rest of Ukraine, say analysts

Pat Cullen says prime minister must step in if 48-hour strike across 120 hospitals is to be avertedThe prime minister has been urged to step in to avert fresh strike action by nurses that is likely to have a “significant impact” on NHS services in England.Tens of thousands of nurses will walk out of 120 hospitals for 48 hours next month as soaring inflation continues to impose real-terms pay cuts. For the first time, the strikers will include those working in cancer wards, emergency departments and intensive care units – marking a significant escalation in the dispute. Continue reading...

Few would have expected the technocratic, cautious PM to be the leader able to help close one of the deepest wounds of BrexitIt has taken three prime ministers, three Northern Ireland secretaries, seven lawsuits by the EU and an epic breakdown of relations with Ireland before surgery was finally performed on one of the deepest wounds caused by Brexit.The UK and the EU are inching closer to a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol and – if Rishi Sunak pulls it off and faces down opponents in the DUP and European Research Group (ERG) – he will have achieved something that eluded Theresa May and Boris Johnson. Continue reading...

French firm’s 2022 pre-tax figure of £1.1bn in Britain relates to nuclear operations and higher energy pricesThe UK arm of the French energy company EDF bounced back to profit last year, making more than £1bn, as it was boosted by the rising cost of wholesale energy, which allowed it to sell the electricity it generated at a higher price.The firm made a pre-tax profit of £1.1bn in the UK last year, before one-off items, a recovery from a loss of £21m a year earlier. Continue reading...

More than 200m people treated for virus and death rate now ‘lowest in the world’, says governmentThe Chinese government has declared a “decisive victory” in the battle against Covid-19, claiming it had created “a miracle in the history of human civilisation” in successfully steering China through the global pandemic.The comments were made at a meeting presided over by President Xi Jinping on Thursday. The government said more than 200 million people had been treated for Covid and that China’s death rate from coronavirus was “the lowest level in the world”. Continue reading...

Joseph Watts pleads guilty to attack on Gunners keeper at end of north London derby last monthA 35-year-old man has admitted assaulting the Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the end of the north London derby.Ramsdale, 24, was kicked in the back shortly after the Gunners beat Spurs 2-0 in a Premier League match on 15 January. Continue reading...

Reports that fighters have threatened those issuing birth control medicines come as Afghan midwives and activists warn of impact on women’s health and rightsTaliban fighters have stopped the sale of contraceptives in two of Afghanistan’s main cities, claiming their use by women is a western conspiracy to control the Muslim population.The Guardian has learned that the Taliban has been going door to door, threatening midwives and ordering pharmacies to clear their shelves of all birth control medicines and devices. Continue reading...

But critics decry death penalty ‘experimentation’ that state is developing after a series of botched lethal injectionsAlabama is close to completing a protocol that will use nitrogen gas as a new form of execution in the state, officials have said, amid warnings from advocacy groups that it is an experimental move after botched lethal injections.On Wednesday, Alabama commissioner John Hamm, who heads the state’s prison systems, told the Associated Press, “We’re close. We’re close,” in reference to the new execution method. Hamm added that the protocol should be completed by the end of this year. Continue reading...

Deputy first minister calls for party to unite and ‘anchor SNP in mainstream of Scottish politics’

In Tokyo speech to conservative lawmakers, former British PM issues warning about Chinese aggressionLiz Truss has used her first overseas speech since resigning as British prime minister to call on the west to safeguard Taiwan’s security and economy in the face of Chinese aggression “before it is too late”.Speaking in Tokyo at a meeting of mainly conservative lawmakers that included the former Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, Truss said Britain had been naive to court the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in 2015, adding that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should serve as a warning of what happens when democracies fail to stand up to authoritarian regimes. Continue reading...

But grocery purchases fall in January, with cost of living crisis still putting households under pressureRetail sales in Great Britain picked up slightly in January, driven by cheaper fuel prices for motorists and shoppers snapping up bargains at jewellers and carpet and furniture stores in the new year sales.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the general trend pointed downwards despite the 0.5% increase in retail sales last month, as people tightened their belts during the cost of living crisis. As a result, last month’s overall sales volumes remained 1.4% below pre-pandemic levels recorded in February 2020. Continue reading...

Special legislation passed by the Albanese government with Coalition support. This blog is now closed

Family of Die Hard and Pulp Fiction actor, 67, releases statement to share diagnosis following retirement from acting owing to aphasiaBruce Willis, who retired from acting last May as a result of aphasia, has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his family announced on Thursday.In a statement posted to the website for the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, the Die Hard actor’s family – wife Emma Heming, ex-wife Demi Moore and daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn – revealed Willis’s aphasia had progressed into a diagnosis of dementia. Problems with language and memory, which instigated rumors about his cognitive state and prompted his retirement in May 2022, are “just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces”, they wrote. Continue reading...

Workers at the Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York, allege employees were fired in response to a union organizing driveTesla workers at the Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York, allege over 30 workers were fired on 14 February in response to the announcement of a union organizing drive at the 1,000-worker facility.The Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk, has fought union drives in the past. The campaign, Tesla Workers United, is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) affiliate Workers United and has filed an injunction with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking to halt the firings. Continue reading...

Purple T rex gets a facelift for new TV, film, online and musical projects – but some fans aren’t happy about itBarney the purple dinosaur is getting a makeover as he seeks to revive his US TV career – and not everyone is happy about it.One social media user asked: “Why would they give a dinosaur a [nose] job and Botox?” Continue reading...

Working group member challenges Dutton’s account of the meeting, saying they were ‘not that far apart’ on the voice questionConflicting accounts have emerged about a meeting between Peter Dutton and the Indigenous voice referendum working group after a key member of the group said the opposition leader’s personal views showed they were “not that far apart” on the voice.Dutton said on Friday the Indigenous voice referendum is on track to fail, blaming the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, for a “conscious decision” to withhold detail. Labor has said the detail is still being developed. Continue reading...

Online videos from Tehran and other centres appear to show demonstrations including anti-government chants as execution of protesters commemoratedProtesters in Iran have marched through the streets of multiple cities in the most widespread demonstrations in weeks, online videos purported to show on Friday.The demonstrations overnight on Thursday marked 40 days since Iran executed two men on charges related to protests that began last year and went on to grip the Islamic Republic for month. Continue reading...

Extreme conditions in the north of the state with Victoria, NSW and Queensland also experiencing high temperatures

Chief medical officer Paul Kelly says a long Covid strategy is ‘well under way’ but will not be finalised until advice is received from the inquiry

Relations between Beijing and Washington have soured since the US accused China of sending a spy balloon into its airspaceA top Pentagon official will visit Taiwan in coming days, according to reports, as attempts between the US and China to repair relations continue to backslide after the US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon in its airspace.Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, is expected to visit Taiwan in coming days, according to the Financial Times, after he leaves Mongolia where he is meeting its military. Continue reading...

Exclusive: freedom of information requests reveal overspill on cancer wards, maternity units and A&E departmentsHospitals in England have recorded more than 450 sewage leaks in the last 12 months, data shows, putting patients and staff in danger and prompting warnings that the NHS estate is “falling apart” after a decade of underinvestment.Freedom of information requests to NHS trusts by the Liberal Democrats found alarming examples of sewage leaking on to cancer wards, maternity units and A&E departments. The investigation also uncovered multiple cases of urine and faeces flowing into hospital rooms and on to general wards. Continue reading...

Australian Museum’s installation is 10 metres long, sports a rainbow Lycra swimsuit and has captured the hearts of manyWhen an event thrusts a city into the global spotlight, designing a mascot is a highly deliberated undertaking. But in Sydney, where the month-long WorldPride celebrations have just commenced, it has happened entirely by accident.And the result is a giant great white shark wrapped in rainbow Lycra. Continue reading...

A year after the conflict began, the consensus against Russian aggression has held but alarm bells are ringing in CongressVladimir Putin has proven adept at exploiting the US political divide, so the solid bipartisan consensus behind arming Ukraine over the past year may well have come as a surprise to him. The question one year into the war is: how long can that consensus last?Two weeks before the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion on 24 February, a group of Trump-supporting Republicans led by Matt Gaetz introduced a “Ukraine fatigue” resolution that, if passed, would “express through the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States must end its military and financial aid to Ukraine, and urges all combatants to reach a peace agreement”. Continue reading...

Country came near median of 163 countries on Index of Impunity, higher than Hungary and SingaporeThe US scores surprisingly badly in a new ranking system charting abuses of power by nation states, launched by a group co-chaired by former UK foreign secretary David Miliband.The US comes close to the median of 163 countries ranked in the Index of Impunity, reflecting a poor record on discrimination, inequality and access to democracy. The country’s arms exports and record of violence are an even bigger negative factor. Continue reading...

When the governor and colleagues faced the economics committee, rates were the focus – how high will they go, and will they stall the economy?

High court decision relates to previous judgment on allegations of controversial psychiatric treatments at Sydney’s Chelmsford private hospital

Former NRL star pulls out on the same day that NSW Greens unveiled policy to lower voting age to 16

NSW premier gives bill ‘in-principle’ support as independent Alex Greenwich hails a ‘good day for our state’

Share price of nursery retailer down as consumers prioritise essentials such as prams and car safety seats

The MP and chief of staff have been given more time to reach an agreement after a ‘robust exchange of views’ over four hours failed to settle the case

Former PM will warn in Tokyo ‘free world is in danger’ in apparent attempt to put pressure on Rishi SunakBritain and the rest of the G7 should urgently agree a tough package of sanctions to impose on China if it escalates military tensions with Taiwan, Liz Truss will argue, as she uses her first public overseas speech to pile pressure on Rishi Sunak.Speaking in Tokyo on Friday, the former prime minister will urge her successor to be more hawkish in standing up to Beijing, warning coordinated action is needed to block “the rise of a totalitarian China” given “the free world is in danger”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data shows low bulk-billing rates in affluent Sydney suburbs as well as several regional electorates and Tasmania

In a damning report, human rights group says state permitted ‘excessive and lethal use of force’ against Indigenous groupsPeru used “excessive and lethal force” driven by “marked racist bias” against a largely indigenous and campesino population, Amnesty International has concluded, following an investigation into more than two months of anti-government protests which have claimed at least 60 lives.An Amnesty International fact-finding mission investigated 46 possible cases of human rights violations and documented 12 cases of deaths from the use of firearms – all the victims appeared to have been shot in the chest, torso or head – following visits to the capital Lima and the southern cities of Chincheros, Ayacucho and Andahuaylas. Continue reading...

Joseph Corré speaks out as family and friends pay tribute to designer at memorial service in LondonDame Vivienne Westwood’s son has called for his mother’s “dear friend” Julian Assange to be freed during an address at the late designer’s memorial.In a tribute delivered from the pulpit at Southwark Cathedral, the activist Joseph Corré praised his mother’s clothes, their relationship and her legacy. “To Vivienne, punk was a political idea not a social one,” he said, before criticising the “trumped up accusations from a corrupt establishment” that had meant that, despite the family’s best efforts, Assange was not present at the service. Continue reading...

SNP politicians fear quarrel weighing on leadership contest, while any compromise could break coalition with GreensThe future of transgender rights in Scotland remains in limbo, as SNP politicians warn that a leadership contest must not become dominated by ongoing rows on gender recognition reform.Meanwhile, Scottish Greens sources suggests that any rowback on reform could lead to the collapse of the party’s power-sharing agreement with the SNP. Continue reading...

Strikes to begin on 16 March after union rejects offers from train operators and Network RailThe RMT union has announced further national strikes and wider action on the railways after rejecting offers from both train operators and Network Rail last week.The union’s 40,000 members across Network Rail and 14 train operators will strike on 16 March. Train staff will walk out for three further days, on 18 and 30 March and 1 April. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our Russia-Ukraine war coverage hereA poll has revealed that one year after Russia began its war of aggression against Ukraine, 61% of Europeans believe Ukraine will be successful.PA reports:One year into the war in Ukraine, 61% of Europeans believe that the country will prevail. Germans, however, are not quite so optimistic, although a 55% majority believes in a Ukrainian victory. These are the findings of the EU-wide survey conducted by eupinions. It is published in cooperation with the Belgian King Baudouin Foundation.Europeans are not only betting on victory, 68% also see the war of aggression as a matter affecting them all, because it is an attack on the whole of Europe. Most EU citizens polled also see Ukraine in a battle to defend a set of common values that are shared by all European states. Continue reading...

Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group call this a ‘conflict of interest’ in preliminary hearingThe team behind the Covid inquiry has insisted there is no conflict of interest in having a PR firm which worked on Whitehall’s response to the pandemic running a listening exercise with bereaved families.The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group reacted with dismay after their concerns were dismissed, saying they were “unbelievably let down”. Continue reading...

Tensions high as inflation hits 30% and Zelenskiy says Kyiv ‘intercepted Russian plan for destruction of Moldova’Moldova’s parliament has approved a pro-western government led by the new prime inister, Dorin Recean, amid continuing economic turmoil and allegations of Russian meddling.Recean, 48, was nominated by President Maia Sandu to replace Natalia Gavrilita whose government resigned last week amid a series of crises in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Police stopped ‘eight late-stage terror plots’ in the past yearOfficers have been forced to step in and stop the “real threat” of teenagers plotting US-style attacks on schools, the head of counter-terrorism policing has revealed.Matt Jukes said there are growing numbers of reports of children fixated on coverage of mass shootings, with more young men – and boys as young as 13 – coming to police attention as potential terrorist threats of all kinds. Continue reading...

A search located the bodies of miners Dylan Langridge and Trevor Davis who went missing on Wednesday after plunging into a void in the remote Dugald River zinc mine near Cloncurry

Visit is part of push by Lula’s government to beat back illegal miners, loggers and poachers who wrought environmental havocIndigenous activists are planning to take some of Brazil’s top ministers to the spot where Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira were murdered in the Amazon rainforest amid reports security forces are poised to launch a major environmental clampdown in the remote border region.Leaders of Univaja, the Indigenous association for which Pereira worked in Brazil’s Javari valley, said senior politicians, including justice minister Flávio Dino and the minister for Indigenous peoples Sônia Guajajara, would travel there on 27 February. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereMayor of London Sadiq Khan has responded to criticism of his planned expansion of London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) by Boris Johnson.The scheme, which aims to cut emissions by charging for more polluting cars for a designated area, will be extended to the whole of the capital from 29 August. Continue reading...

Law will also ban conversion therapy and introduce menstrual leaveSpain’s parliament has approved new legislation that will allow anyone over 16 to change their legally registered gender, ease abortion limits for those aged 16 and 17, and make the country the first in Europe in Europe to introduce paid menstrual leave.The new transgender law – which was passed despite protests from feminist groups, warnings from opposition parties, and amid tensions between different wings of the Socialist-led coalition government – means that anyone aged over 16 will be able to change their gender on official documents without medical supervision. Continue reading...

Stefan Hug brought the Southern train to a standstill to recover the uninjured dogA puppy spotted on the tracks of a busy London railway has been rescued by a trainee who was in the middle of a train driving lesson.Stefan Hug, from east London, only started learning to drive a train in January but was forced to stop a Southern service from Beckenham Junction to London Bridge on Wednesday morning after seeing the small black puppy running alongside the train. Continue reading...

Royal Mail ‘uncertain what happened’ to delayed letter from Bath, which arrived in Crystal Palace in 2021A letter lost in the post in 1916 was finally delivered to a London address more than a century after being sent from Bath.Bearing a penny George V stamp and Bath and Sydenham postmarks, it dropped through the letterbox of theatre director Finlay Glen’s Crystal Palace flat in 2021. Continue reading...