Morning, everyone. “We feel complete helplessness,” says Esra Sezgin, one of thousands of people in Australia’s large Turkish community who have been left stunned and heartbroken as they wait for news of relatives caught up in Monday’s catastrophic earthquake. It’s one of several reports we have on the disaster this morning – we’re highlighting how you can give money to help the victims.
Also overseas, the UK government is being urged to sack Tony Abbott as a trade adviser for his climate scepticism, and at home the Greens appear to be in disarray over the voice to parliament.
Australia
Abbott controversy | Lobby groups and opposition MPs are calling on the UK government to sack Tony Abbott as its trade adviser after he joined a climate-sceptic thinktank, the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
Greens infighting | The Greens are in disarray after the convenors of their First Nations advisory group said they do not support the voice to parliament or a referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition. The stance is a direct rebuke of the federal party room and instead backs the position of departed senator Lidia Thorpe.
‘Cruel’ detention | Human rights advocates and lawyers have blasted Labor for the “abhorrently cruel” decision to re-detain a group of 100 people released from immigration detention around Christmas.
Donor appointed | The NSW government has appointed Charlie Taylor, a senior Liberal official, donor and brother of the Liberal MP Angus Taylor, as the chair of a productivity council set up to provide independent advice on innovation in the state.
Sovereign power | Richard Marles will tell parliament today that Australia will always make its own decisions on military deployments, hitting back at claims that the Aukus deal will erode the country’s sovereignty.
World
‘Wings for freedom’ | Volodymyr Zelenskiy has made a powerful appeal to the UK to supply Ukraine with fighter jets in a speech to parliament that electrified parliamentarians. His trip, during which he met King Charles, also demonstrated his gratitude for British support in the war against Russia.
Earthquake disaster | The death toll in the Turkey and Syria earthquake is nearing 11,500 as rescuers continued to pull survivors from the rubble and the Turkish president rejected growing criticism of the authorities’ response. Four Australians are among thousands missing. Appeals have been set up in Australia and a container of sleeping bags and blankets has already been shipped. Here is how you can help.
MH17 finding | There are “strong indications” the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, personally signed off on a decision to supply the missile that downed flight MH17 in 2014, a team of international investigators said.
Ring of doubt | Astronomers have spotted a ring around a Pluto-sized dwarf planet called Quaoar in the outer reaches of the solar system, a discovery that conflicts with theories about how such rings form.
United’s price | The Emir of Qatar is interested in buying Manchester United but values the club below the Glazer family’s A$10bn asking price and may face a regulatory challenge because his ownership of Paris Saint-Germain.
Full Story
A devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey
The earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria could not have come at a worse time in a region already suffering from political instability and a harsh winter. Hannah Moore and Ruth Michaelson report.
In-depth
Greg Jericho has been looking at the implications of Reserve Bank’s latest interest rate hike – the 10th in a row – and finds that a third of the increases have yet to flow through to all mortgage holders. We’ve also been asking bank economists what they think, with one suggesting rates could go as high as 4.5%.
Not the news
Jordan Mailata is one of those rarest of sporting stars – a rugby league player who has reached the pinnacle of American football. Mailata, who played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs under-20s, was drafted by Philadelphia in 2018 and has now helped the Eagles reach Sunday’s Super Bowl, one of the world’s biggest sporting events and watched by 100 million people in the US alone. “I gotta count my lucky stars,” he says.
The world of sport
Cricket | Spinning pitches will be the order of the day as Australia’s men prepare for the ultimate challenge of a Test series in India starting in Nagpur.
Women’s T20 | Australia’s women have been reminded of the difficulty of their quest to defend their T20 World Cup after suffering a rare defeat to Ireland in their final warm-up match in South Africa.
Basketball | LeBron James has confirmed his status as one of the most dominant NBA players in history after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.
Media roundup
A Labor backbencher and doctor tells the Sydney Morning Herald the government’s slow pace on Medicare reform could lead to the return of a two-tier health system determined by what patients can afford. The Courier-Mail invites readers to have their say about whether the federal government was right to block Clive Palmer’s planned new coalmine. Andrew Forrest’s FMG mining company is being taken to court by WorkSafe for failing to supply documents relating to alleged sexual harassment in the workplace, the West Australian says. Shane Warne left an estate worth $21m, most of which will go to his two children, the Herald Sun reports.
What’s happening today
Northern Territory | The Labor caucus, as well as several federal politicians, are set to meet in Alice Springs before new blanket alcohol bans are enforced.
Business | News Corp’s half-year results are due out this morning.
Sydney SXSW | There will be the first-look announcement for the inaugural 2023 SXSW tech, film and music festival in Sydney next month.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords and free Wordiply game to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
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