Australia news live: SA premier’s letter calling for Randa Abdel-Fattah to be dropped from writers’ festival released; Labor urges ‘unity’ after hate speech backdown
Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor does not ‘share the concerns of the Greens’ on hate speech laws: GallagherSpeaking at Parliament House in Canberra, the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, says she has spoken with the Coalition and the Greens Senate managers ahead of this week’s special sittings.We don’t share the concerns of the Greens on that one, and we’ve made that clear to them in the last week.The elements of the bill that exist without the racial vilification still have very strong purpose around combating antisemitism, and that is why many of these groups, including neo-Nazis, have foreshadowed they are going disband, once they saw this exposure draft bill.The PM has been clear about this from the get go, that we need to get something from the opposition. We haven’t had anything to date, and we need to make sure that the parliament does deal with this legislation in a way that ensures Australians are safer.Australians want to see unity. They want to see agreement. They want to see the parliament working together, and that’s the approach we’re taking to the sitting. Continue reading...
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Ukraine war briefing: Russia readying strikes on nuclear power system, Zelenskyy warns
Kyrylo Budanov arrives in US heading delegation for further talks on peace proposals. What we know on day 1,425Russia is taking aim at Ukraine’s nuclear power system, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, as the Kremlin continues to try to freeze Ukraine into submission by crippling its energy grid. “We do not see any willingness on the part of the aggressor to comply with any agreements or end the war,” the Ukrainian president said. “Instead, there is ample information about preparations for further Russian strikes on our energy sector and infrastructure, including facilities and networks that serve our nuclear power plants. Each such Russian strike on the energy sector amid such a harsh winter weakens and undermines the efforts of key states – in particular the United States – to end this war.”Zelenskyy spoke after a briefing from Ukraine’s chief of defence intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko – the recent replacement for Kyrylo Budanov, who was made head of the president’s office. Budanov on Saturday confirmed his own arrival in the US to discuss peace proposals. He and Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Davyd Arakhamia would meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and the US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, Budanov said. Zelenskyy has tasked his delegation at the Miami talks with finalising proposals about security guarantees and economic recovery. If American officials approve the proposals, the US and Ukraine could sign a deal next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to Zelenskyy. However Russia has given no indication it will accept any peace deal without Ukraine’s entire Donbas region being handed over for a start.Russian attacks left at least two people dead and others injured in Kharkiv oblast on Saturday, regional authorities said. A strike that damaged a critical infrastructure facility in Kharkiv city’s industrial district could seriously affect power and heating, said the mayor, Ihor Terekhov, with the energy system “constantly operating at its limits”. One person was wounded in the attack. An attack on a house in Kharkiv city killed a woman aged 20 and wounded others. In the village of Borivske, a 52-year-old woman was killed when a drone hit a public transport stop, prosecutors said. In the Sumy region, emergency services said an airstrike on a residential neighbourhood wounded three women and a seven-year-old child, and left 15 residential buildings damaged.Russia struck energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s Kyiv and Odesa regions overnight into Saturday, the ministry of energy said. More than 20 settlements in the Kyiv region were left without power. Zelenskyy said Ukraine needed to ramp up the importation of electricity and the acquisition of additional equipment from partners. Officials have instructed state energy companies Ukrzaliznytsia, Naftogaz and Ukroboronprom to urgently purchase imported electricity covering at least 50% of their own consumption, according to Denys Shmyhal, the energy minister.Shmyhal announced that Lithuania would be providing Ukraine with more energy generating equipment for Kyiv and the most critically affected regions, after already supplying equipment for emergency repairs on coal and nuclear power plants. “In addition we have received over 2,000 solar panels, various equipment and machinery from our Lithuanian friends,” Shmyhal said. “Lithuania has contributed €5.7m euros to the energy support fund of Ukraine … There is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that has not been hit by Russian strikes. Ukrainian energy workers continue to repair around the clock and return electricity to people.” Continue reading...
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,424
These are the key developments from day 1,424 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Syria Advance on Kurdish-Held Areas as Washington Urges Restraint
Government troops drew closer to Raqqa, the largest city overseen by the Kurds, raising U.S. concerns about the renewal of a wider conflict in the region.
'Experienced terrorist' killed by US strikes in Syria after deadly ambush on Americans
An "experienced terrorist leader" with ties to al Qaeda has been killed in US strikes, after an Islamic State ambush last month left three Americans dead.
Thousands of Greenlanders march against Trump’s takeover threat
Island’s PM joins demonstration chanting ‘Greenland is not for sale’ while rallies held across Danish realmTrump threatens 25% tariff on European allies until Denmark sells Greenland to USThousands of Greenlanders carefully marched across snow and ice to take a stand against Donald Trump on Saturday. They held signs of protest, waved their national flag and chanted “Greenland is not for sale” in the face of increasing threats of an American takeover.Just as they finished their trek from the small downtown of Greenland’s capital city, Nuuk, to the US consulate, the news broke that Trump had announced he would charge a 10% tariff on eight European countries from February over their opposition to US control of Greenland. Continue reading...
European leaders warn of ‘downward spiral’ after Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland – as it happened
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland will face tariffs from 1 FebruaryWhat do people in Greenland think of Donald Trump and his threats to take over the island? The Guardian’s Miranda Bryant and Lauren Hurrell take a look.Reuters estimated that thousands of protesters attended the “Hands Off Greenland” rallies around Denmark on Saturday, chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and waving Greenland’s red and white “Erfalasorput” flag. Continue reading...
Greenlanders Protest Trump’s Takeover Plans
Protests erupted in several Greenlandic cites and in Denmark as President Trump intensified his efforts to take control of the Arctic island.
Trump threatens 25% tariff on European allies until Denmark sells Greenland to US
Heads of state across Europe respond in solidarity with Denmark and Greenland, and boycott of World Cup suggestedDonald Trump threatened a 25% tariff on a slew of European countries including Denmark, Germany, France and the UK – until the US is allowed to purchase Greenland, in an extraordinary escalation of the president’s bid to claim the autonomous Danish territory.In a lengthy post on Saturday on Truth Social, Trump said he would impose a 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland beginning 1 February, “on any and all goods sent to the United States of America”. Continue reading...
US launches new retaliatory strike in Syria, killing leader tied to deadly Islamic State ambush
A third round of retaliatory strikes by the U.S. in Syria has resulted in the death of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated leader, said U.S. Central Command.