Good morning. Russia’s attack on a children’s hospital has been called evidence of “genocide” by Ukraine’s president. In Australia, the head of Ukraine’s embassy has called for the expulsion of Russia’s ambassador. Shane Warne’s body has arrived in Melbourne. And the prime minister, Scott Morrison, has said more support will be offered to flood-hit regions in NSW and Queensland.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has condemned a Russian attack on a children’s hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol as evidence of “genocide” as the US moved to drastically bolster support to Ukraine with a US$13.6bn aid package. At least 39 countries have called on the international criminal court to investigate war crimes, with the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, saying Russia should “absolutely” be investigated. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has said Vladimir Putin will fail in his effort to subjugate Ukraine, and will instead lead Russia into a “strategic defeat” that is already unfolding. “I’m absolutely convinced that Putin will fail, and Russia will suffer a strategic defeat no matter what short-term tactical gains it may make in Ukraine,” the secretary of state said. Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine’s embassy in Australia says he cannot remain “diplomatically polite” when his parents, aged in their 70s, spend their nights in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, and has called for the Russian ambassador to be expelled.
Travellers are facing steep air fare hikes as bans on Russian oil cause jet fuel prices to surge, aviation experts warn. The Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, has said the average fare would increase by 7% as a result of the increased crude oil prices, but others predict the price rises could be higher. The Brent crude oil price is about US$112 a barrel, up from about US$78 a barrel at the beginning of 2022 and marking an eight-year high, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The surge follows the US and UK banning oil from Russia. President Joe Biden has been criticised by both progressives and Republicans after a report indicated the White House was planning a visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss global oil supply.
Pollution washed into Sydney’s beaches and waterways could linger for days, with state authorities urging swimmers to exercise caution after the flood disaster. Sydney Harbour turned brown as a result of storm water carrying soil and debris, and algal blooms have appeared on the usually pristine sands of Hyams beach in Jervis Bay. Rainfall is the major driver of pollution into coastal areas because it generates storm water and triggers the overflow of raw sewage. In flood-ravaged towns, thousands of homes are now unliveable in areas that already struggled with accommodation shortages. More than $13m has been donated to support those affected by the devastating floods in Queensland and NSW, and most of the money has been directed towards peer-to-peer fundraising efforts such as GoFundMe.
Australia
Labor’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Penny Wong, says it may be possible for Australia to achieve a diplomatic thaw with China despite the substantial differences between the two countries – if Scott Morrison abandons his “desperate” pre-election weaponisation of national security.
The Labor senator Kimberley Kitching has died suddenly of a suspected heart attack aged 52, prompting tributes from across the political divide.
Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines would “inevitably” be forced into an emergency reactor shutdown by swarms of jellyfish if the fleet were based in Brisbane, a marine scientist says.
The closure of the Bulahdelah’s Cedar Wharf Lodge will see elderly couples torn apart, unable to visit each other as limited transport options hinder travel to the NSW Hunter region aged care home. Some in the community will be left travelling more than 75km to the nearest aged care facility in Taree to visit their partner.
The world
The US and some of its European allies are facing accusations of double standards for supporting sanctions and international war crimes investigations against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine while blocking them over Israeli military actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Brazil’s capital after one of the country’s leading musicians, Caetano Veloso, called a protest to denounce what environmentalists call a historic assault on the Brazilian environment under President Jair Bolsonaro. The “Ato pela Terra” (Stand for the Earth) demonstration was held in Brasília to oppose what activists call a “death combo” of five environment-related bills being considered by congress.
A film on the pro-democracy protests that rocked Hong Kong in 2019 has broken a box office record in Taiwan for an overseas Chinese-language documentary within the first fortnight of its release.
Recommended reads
Connor Ratliff has told the story a thousand times. About when, as a young up-and-coming actor, he auditioned for a small role on the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. About how he got the part, only to be fired before filming began because one of the show’s executive producers thought Ratliff had “dead eyes”. About how, and here’s the real kicker, the executive producer in question was Tom Hanks.
From the moment they met to their final days in hospital together, Jeannette and Michael Ryan’s relationship was a love story. For six decades they were dedicated to each other, until they both tested positive to Covid-19 on New Year’s Eve. They were admitted to hospital in the regional Victorian city of Shepparton 10 days later. Michael was 84 when he died on 15 January. His wife followed him exactly a week later, aged 82. “It would have been so sad to watch one of them mourn the other,” the daughters of the Victorian couple say.
Can we really harness our brain chemicals to give ourselves a blast of positivity? Researchers share their shortcuts to boosting oxytocin, serotonin and more.
Listen
Crises in Australia have underlined the power of state governments and their roles in our lives. State premiers stepped up during the Covid pandemic, while the prime minister went missing. Communities hit by floods and bushfires have been left to fend for themselves as they wait for state and federal governments to act. In this episode of Full Story, Gabrielle Jackson speaks to Lenore Taylor, Mike Ticher and Conal Hanna about how to approach state news in a federalist system.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The body of Shane Warne has arrived back in Australia almost a week after the cricket great died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand. The 52-year-old died at a resort on the Thai island of Koh Samui last Friday, sparking widespread grief as fans mourned the loss of one of the world’s best spin bowlers.
The Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich, is among seven of Russia’s wealthiest and most influential oligarchs who have been hit with sanctions by the UK, in an effort to further punish allies of Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.
Media roundup
There are fears Japanese encephalitis virus will spread further if the feral pig population becomes infected, the ABC reports. The All Blacks have issued a public apology after a social media post about International Women’s Day was heavily criticised for being “tone deaf”, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
And if you’ve read this far …
Listen to the UK’s first professional trans choir: “It’s a joyful act of resistance.”
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