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Exhibitions for Paris-born sculptor, the pioneering Russian painter and ‘one of the greatest living artists’ are all headed for Australia this summer

Landmark case arguing the excise is unconstitutional could have an impact on how states raise revenue

Demonstrators gathered in Westminster after reports Erkin Tuniyaz was to meet UK officialsIain Duncan Smith has accused the Chinese governor of Xinjiang of murder as he joined Uyghur activists protesting against his reported visit to Britain.Demonstrators gathered outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Monday after it emerged that Erkin Tuniyaz, the chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, could meet UK officials, a scenario Duncan Smith branded “unacceptable”. Tuniyaz was expected to come to the UK this week, according to the reports, with some speculating he has already arrived. Continue reading...

Police took no action after Couzens exposed himself three times before he went on to murder Sarah EverardPolice missed clear chances to identify Wayne Couzens as a potential sex offender and a danger to women before he kidnapped and murdered Sarah Everard, it can finally be revealed.He exposed himself three times, with witnesses recording either full registration details of vehicles he used, or partial details. But police took no action, leaving Couzens to continue as a serving Metropolitan police officer entrusted with a gun. Continue reading...

ONS analysis shows sector accounts for more than one in 10 of job ads posted online in DecemberJob vacancies in the UK have reached a near-record level, due largely to the shortage of nurses, carers and other healthcare staff.According to analysis by the Office for National Statistics, more than one in 10 job vacancies posted online in December were in healthcare – more than in any other sector. The statistics agency said healthcare was the job category with the highest share of adverts in almost 90% of local authorities in the UK. Continue reading...

PM’s spokesperson also says prime minister was not involved in hotel choices following reports on ministerial spendingThe government will do “whatever it takes” to keep the UK safe from the threat of spy balloons, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has said.Asked whether such spying devices had been seen in UK airspace, Sunak told broadcasters:I want people to know that we will do whatever it takes to keep the country safe.We have something called the quick reaction alert force which involves Typhoon planes, which are kept on 24/7 readiness to police our airspace, which is incredibly important.As I said, I wouldn’t comment in detail on security matters but people should be reassured that we have all the capabilities in place to keep the country safe.He’s running! Humbled and grateful to be overwhelmingly selected today by local party members as Scottish Labour’s candidate for East Lothian.Change is coming to our country and I’m determined to play my part by winning East Lothian back for Scottish Labour. Continue reading...

Judge rules caseworker interpreted eligibility criteria too narrowly for eight claimants who are in hidingEight former BBC journalists who had their applications to relocate from Afghanistan to the UK rejected are expecting their cases to be reconsidered after they successfully challenged the rationale behind the refusals at the high court.In a judgment handed down on Monday, Mr Justice Lane said the decisions had been made on an incorrect basis and, but for the error, there was a “more than fanciful prospect of a different outcome”. Continue reading...

Marco Goecke allegedly confronted Wiebke Hüster at Hanover State Opera, furious at her verdict on a previous showThe director of a leading German ballet company has been suspended from his post and is being investigated by police after allegedly smearing a critic’s face with his dog’s excrement at the premiere of his new show after she described one of his productions as “boring” and “disjointed”.Marco Goecke, the head of Hanover State Opera’s ballet company, has also been barred from the opera house, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday afternoon, after he confronted Wiebke Hüster, the ballet critic of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), in the interval of his latest show on Sunday night. Continue reading...

Buxton Museum returned entire collection of Native American and First Nation artefacts to their original communitiesWhen Taa.uu ‘Yuuwans Nika Collison first opened the email from Buxton Museum, she was, she says, “sort of in shock”.Collison is a member of the Haida nation, the Indigenous inhabitants of a remote archipelago called Haida Gwaii off the very far north-west coast of Canada. For 25 years she and others had been lobbying museums and collectors around the world to return items made by her people back to their homeland, often with very little success. Here was a curator from a small town in Derbyshire she had never heard of, saying it had some Haida items in its collection, and it wanted to send them back. Continue reading...

Salvation Army and other groups say without more resources potential victims could slip through the netFears are mounting that modern slavery survivors could be left at risk of retrafficking within the UK due to a lack of resources to support them, charities are warning.The Salvation Army says it has taken an “unprecedented emergency measure” to suspend accepting referrals of potential victims, while other charities doing similar work say the system appears to be at breaking point. Continue reading...

Independent commission reaches conclusion after hearing evidence from over 500 survivors last yearCatholic clergy in Portugal have abused nearly 5,000 children since 1950, an independent commission said on Monday after hearing hundreds of survivors’ accounts.Thousands of reports of paedophilia within the church have surfaced around the world, and Pope Francis is under pressure to tackle the scandal. Continue reading...

Jindalee radar system detects airborne objects from ‘very long range’, while missile from F-35 jet more effective than laser for striking one

Further rate rises, Reserve Bank strategy, transparency and whether to extend Lowe’s term are likely to come under scrutiny

Incident is third time the centre has had criminal damage in recent yearsBirmingham LGBT centre has been attacked with homophobic abuse, the third time it has suffered criminal damage in recent years.Last week staff arrived at the centre to find the words “dirty bastards” were scratched on to the front door, and cannot be removed unless the door is replaced. Staff have covered it with a rainbow flag until it can be replaced. Continue reading...

Spokesperson says US overreacting and claims it has made at least 10 airspace incursions since start of 2022China’s foreign ministry has accused the US of flying high-altitude balloons over its airspace more than 10 times since the beginning of last year, as the dispute over surveillance between the two countries continues.A spokesperson told foreign reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing that it was “not uncommon” for the US to go into other countries’ airspace, claiming they were aware of at least 10 incursions over China, but gave few other details. Continue reading...

‘When we take command of our first boat, we will have sovereign capability’, says Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead

Relief for bushfire-affected towns expected from Tuesday, when storms in the afternoon could ease the fire burden

More than 5.4m passengers travelled through airport in January, double the 2.6m from 2022Heathrow airport had its busiest start to the year since before the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns in 2020 as travel restrictions continued to ease, according to data published on Monday.More than 5.4 million passengers travelled through the UK’s and Europe’s busiest airport in January, double the 2.6 million from 2022, Heathrow said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. Continue reading...

Security cabinet announces recognition of areas built without Israeli authorisation after series of attacks in East JerusalemIsrael’s security cabinet has announced that it will authorise nine settlements in the occupied West Bank after a series of attacks in East Jerusalem, including one that killed three Israelis.“In response to the murderous terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, the security cabinet decided unanimously to authorise nine communities in Judea and Samaria,” the office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement on Sunday that included the name Israel uses for the West Bank. Continue reading...

Police say no evidence so far that death of 16-year-old trans girl in Warrington park was hate relatedA boy and girl, both aged 15, have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey in a park in Warrington, Cheshire police have said.Ghey was a transgender girl, but a Cheshire police spokesperson said “there is nothing to suggest that this has any relevance at all to the murder”. Continue reading...

The home affairs department’s lapse meant Nauru was not approved for immigration processing for four months

This blog is now closed. Follow our next Australia news live blog here when it launches

Pakistan prime minister says he’s ‘deeply moved’ after Pakistani businessman living in US makes donation at Turkish embassyA US resident from Pakistan has anonymously donated $30m to victims of the earthquake that recently killed thousands of people in Turkey and Syria and devastated the countries’ infrastructure, according to officials.Word of the Pakistani businessman’s kindness has provided a rare instance of uplifting news amid the mounting death and damage toll associated with the calamity.Reuters contributed to this report. Continue reading...

Ministers and police commissioner will attend community forum in Toowoomba as high profile youth crimes put Palaszczuk government under pressure

Basic documents in case brought by defence whistleblower Damien De Pyle against commonwealth temporarily suppressed

Indigenous man claims he was repeatedly abused as a teenager by three staff members in case lawyer says reflects how centre ‘was operating at that time’

Bed-bound Kathleen Poole, 74, who lives in a dementia care home, has been unable to complete required paperworkA 74-year-old British woman with severe Alzheimer’s has been threatened with deportation from Sweden over Brexit paperwork she was unable to complete because of her incapacitation.Kathleen Poole lies bedridden in a dementia care home with no prospect of moving. Her family have told the Guardian that she is facing forced removal to the UK because she has not got an up-to-date passport and financial statements required under the new post-Brexit rules applying to British people in the EU. Continue reading...

Trust surprised by 39% slump in silk and wool-loving insect after bumper year in 2021 and think hot weather may have contributedAn alarming increase in the population of clothes moths in National Trust (NT) properties appears to be in retreat, with a dramatic plunge in numbers of the pests in 2022.The trust, which monitors the presence of insect pests each year, said it was surprised by the findings of its 2022 survey. Overall insect counts fell by 3% compared with 2021, but the presence of Tineola bisselliella slumped by 39%. Continue reading...

Employees and Lloyds Bank among creditors, after liquidation of firm that benefited from pandemic aid devised by husbandRishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, invested in a furniture firm that received nearly £300,000 in taxpayer-funded loans handed out under policies he put in place while chancellor.The New Craftsmen, whose upmarket range included a £7,340 mirror and a £2,220 table lamp, collapsed into liquidation in November 2022, according to Companies House filings. Continue reading...

Experts are expected to give conflicting evidence on newly identified genetic variants and her diaries used at trial

Worst of the storm could coincide with Monday’s midnight high tide, with people in some coastal communities and low-lying areas urged to leaveNew Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins has warned the worst is yet to come as Cyclone Gabrielle sparks evacuations, rising flood waters and power outages across the North Island.“Things are likely to get worse before they get better,” Hipkins said. “Extreme weather event has come on the back of extreme weather event.” Continue reading...

Severe weather warnings in place as damaging storm causes wind gusts up to 160km/h

Fiji resort spokesperson said the girl has died in a ‘tragic accident’ but could not yet comment on the cause of death

One week on from deadly earthquakes vital aid is being held up by disputes between government and rebel groups, as well as wider diplomatic quarrelsThe US has called on all parties on the ground in Syria to immediately grant humanitarian assistance to those in need, after last week’s earthquake and major aftershocks that have killed at least 33,000 people.“All humanitarian assistance must be permitted to move through all border crossings,” a spokesperson for the White House national security council said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Opposition leader says he ‘failed to grasp’ significance of 2008 apology but insists those questioning Indigenous voice are not ‘hardhearted’

The former Liberal minister turned independent says his case will ‘serve as a reminder of why a person is innocent until proven otherwise’

Five dissenters in parliamentary committee say they are concerned about ‘trickery or rigging the system’

Australian spy agency’s chief tells Senate espionage and foreign interference ‘supplanted terrorism’ as principal security concern

The 26-year-old man died after attending the Transmission music festival and 12 festival goers were taken to hospital for treatment relating to drug use

Daniel Duggan – held since October – will fight extradition and says US charges he trained Chinese fighter pilots are politically motivated, court hears

Thousands without power in North Island, red weather warnings issued for rain and wind, schools closed and flights cancelled in Auckland

Study from Women in Media finds men still dominate newsrooms and gender parity will not be achieved for at least a decade

Yallourn company admitted safety breaches after Graeme Edwards succumbed to burns to 90% of body

Voice of Democracy, one of few remaining independent media outlets, offended prime minister with mention of his sonThe dictator Hun Sen has ordered the shutdown of one of the last independent local news organisations in Cambodia, saying it had attacked him and his son and hurt the country.The Voice of Democracy, also known as VOD, would no longer have a licence to publish or broadcast from 10am local time on Monday, the Cambodian prime minister said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page. Continue reading...

Analysis of civil service spending includes Rishi Sunak’s Treasury department spending £3,000 on Tate photographsSpending on government-issued “credit cards” has risen 70% since 2010, when the Conservatives first warned they were generating “hideous waste”, according to a Labour analysis of civil service spending.Civil servants at 14 of the 15 main government departments spent nearly £150m on government procurement cards (GPCs) in 2021, the figures show, a steep rise since 2010-11, when David Cameron warned about the lax rules and oversight governing their use. Continue reading...

RCN says nearly 43,000 nurses in UK have quit early in their careers over past five yearsThe UK’s largest nursing union warned of a workforce “exodus” with tens of thousands of young staff leaving the profession, as NHS bosses backed calls for ministers to meet unions to agree on a pay deal and avoid further strike action.Nearly 43,000 nurses across the UK in the early stages of their careers have quit over the past five years, figures from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) show – almost equal to the record 47,000 nursing posts now vacant in NHS England. Continue reading...

Labour analysis shows use of GPCs has risen under Tory government despite David Cameron decrying ‘hideous’ spending levels in 2010Nestled inside a shaded courtyard, Plataran in south Jakarta offers diners the promise of authentic Indonesian food “with the atmosphere of Javanese royalty”. Five miles to the north, Kaum gives guests a taste of tribal Indonesian cooking with modern inflections.Together, these are two of the city’s finest restaurants, and they are where Liz Truss and her team decamped, first for lunch and then for dinner, during a whistle-stop trip to the Indonesian capital in 2021. The two meals cost the taxpayer £1,443 – all paid for conveniently by handing over one of the thousands of government procurement cards (GPCs) that officials can use to pay for anything under £20,000. Continue reading...

Nigel Farage, John Redwood and Lord Frost rail against news of senior Tories joining cross-party summit to tackle failings of BrexitProminent Brexit supporters have hit out at senior Conservative figures after the Observer revealed they had taken part in a private cross-party summit entitled: “How can we make Brexit work better with our neighbours in Europe?”John Redwood, the prominent Brexit-supporting Tory MP, and Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence party, criticised those attending the summit at Oxfordshire’s Ditchley Park retreat, including the cabinet minister Michael Gove. Continue reading...

Officials and medics say 29,605 people have died in Turkey and 3,574 in Syria; Baby girl rescued in Hatay. This live blog is now closedRanda Ghazy, the middle east regional media manager at Save the Children told the BBC long term there would be a “second disaster” as the rescued struggle to survive.She said the charity has been delivering hot meals, water, blankets and mattresses, adding that many people “are still sleeping in their cars.”Of course, in the long term, there will be a second disaster, which is the survival of those who managed to get out of the rubble, supporting them and supporting children in accessing for example, education, with all the schools closed. And having a warm shelter. We are here to make sure that all children of course, are safe and protected and their families as well.” Continue reading...

Counter-extremism workers dealing with incidents including verbal harassment of female teachers and other pupilsCounter-extremism workers have warned of a rapid rise in the number of cases being referred to them by schools concerned about the influence of the self-styled misogynist influencer Andrew Tate.Incidents include the verbal harassment of female teachers or other pupils and outbursts echoing Tate’s views, which are disseminated and spread mainly on social platforms TikTok and Instagram despite him being banned from them. Continue reading...