The IDF has said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson, Ali Mohammad Naeini, has been killed, confirming earlier reports in Iranian media (see post at 08.27 for more details). The Israeli military said in a post on X that he was killed in an overnight airstrike.
I am keeping an eye on Spain as we were expecting to hear the government’s proposals by now, but a last-minute political standoff over what will be included in the plan – and in particular whether it will cover housing – means the presentations is getting delayed. I will bring you more if and when we get to see Pedro Sánchez with the details of the plan.
Madagascar’s military president has said new ministers will have to pass lie detector tests to root out corrupt candidates, after he dismissed the prime minister and cabinet without explanation earlier this month. Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October after weeks of youth-led protests under the banner “Gen Z Madagascar”. However, young people were quickly disenchanted by his choice of government officials, which they saw as being part of the old, corrupt elite. Randrianirina told local media: “We have decided to use a polygraph. It is with this polygraph that the background integrity checks will be carried out.” The president said a new cabinet would be announced early next week. “We will know who is corrupt and who can help us, who is going to betray the youth struggle,” he said. Malagasy young people started protesting in September last year, first against water and power cuts, then demanding a complete overhaul of the political system. At least 22 people were killed in the first days of the protests, according to the UN. On 11 October, the elite military unit Capsat, in which Randrianirina was a colonel, came out in support of protesters. The next day, the president, Andry Rajoelina, reportedly fled the country for Dubai on a French military plane. Randrianirina was sworn in as interim president and has pledged to hold elections by late 2027. Gen Z activists have been pushing him to confirm the date, while criticising his appointments over their perceived ties to the previous regime. Randrianirina fired the prime minister and cabinet on 9 March, then announced on Sunday that the anti-corruption chief Mamitiana Rajaonarison would be the new prime minister. He and Rajaonarison would only interview ministerial candidates who passed a lie detector test, he said on Thursday. He said: “We’re not looking for someone who is 100% clean, but over 60%. That way, Madagascar will finally be able to develop.” One of the managers of Gen Z Madagascar’s social media accounts expressed scepticism at the use of polygraphs. “It’s not even scientifically proven to work,” he said. “For me it’s just a joke and embarrassing.” He added: “We agree that the previous ministers weren’t good. We still have hope for the new ministers, but in general I think this regime is already better than the regime of Andry Rajoelina.” Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries, with a GDP per capita of just $545 (£408) in 2024, according to World Bank data. The island is rich in natural resources, including vanilla and precious gems, which campaigners say have been exploited by officials and corrupt businesspeople. The country ranked 148 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2025 corruption perceptions index. Agence-France Presse and Associated Press contributed to this report
Hungarian security operatives administered a “forced injection” to one of the Ukrainians detained earlier this month during a dramatic raid on bank vehicles carrying gold bars and tens of millions of dollars and euros in cash, sources have told the Guardian. Hungary’s TEK anti-terrorism police detained seven Ukrainians from the state savings bank, Oschadbank, on 5 March. They were accompanying a convoy of two armoured cars from Vienna to Ukraine, as it transited Hungary in what Kyiv claims was a regular transfer of state funds. Hungarian officials have claimed it was money for the “Ukrainian war mafia”, without giving details. The men were held for more than 24 hours, much of which they spent blindfolded and in handcuffs, before they were deported to Ukraine. During that time, one of the men – a former employee of Ukraine’s SBU security service – was given the forced injection, security sources in Kyiv said. The sources added that they believed the injection contained a relaxant that was meant to predispose subjects towards becoming talkative during interrogations. However, the drug reportedly led the man, who is diabetic, to have a hypertensive crisis and lose consciousness. He was eventually taken to hospital. One of the Ukrainian sources described the forced injection as a “Russian-style method” that harked back to so-called truth serums used in KGB interrogations in previous decades. Traces of a drug of this class were discovered during blood tests carried out after the men returned to Ukraine, said another source. The Guardian has not seen the test results and could not verify the claims. However, Lóránt Horváth, the Hungarian lawyer for the individuals, confirmed that “one individual received an injection of unknown contents despite his objections”. A Hungarian police source told the Guardian they had heard from colleagues that an injection had been administered, but did not know what it contained. A spokesperson for TEK directed questions to NAV, Hungary’s tax and customs agency, which did not reply, while a spokesperson for Oschadbank said the bank could not comment on the claims, citing medical privacy concerns. It did, however, confirm that one of the individuals arrested was “a person with a disability, [who] needs a special diet and regular medication”. This person’s health condition deteriorated, said the bank, and “medical care was provided only after he lost consciousness”. In recent days, Oschadbank had filed a criminal complaint against Hungarian authorities related to abuse of office, as well as criminal and civil claims on behalf of the seven staff members, seeking to overturn the decision to deport them and ban them from the Schengen zone, said Horváth. The bank is also seeking the return of the funds, which are still impounded in Hungary. The raid came as a crucial parliamentary election approaches in Hungary. Polls suggest that nationalist leader Viktor Orbán is in danger of losing his grip on power after 16 years. Orbán, whose government has regular contact with Moscow, has been the EU’s most pro-Russian leader, and before the election has sought to paint Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the biggest threat to Hungary. Numerous reports have alleged that Russia is actively working to support Orbán’s campaign. Ukrainian sources said that, with Russia’s war shutting down Ukrainian airspace, transfers of government funds via land had become common practice. They accused Budapest of seeking a pretext to escalate a spat between the two countries. Many similar shipments had traversed Hungary previously, said one source, who claimed authorities in Budapest were always apprised of the route. Sometimes, a police escort was provided, though not on this occasion. This time, officers from TEK lay in wait for the two-car convoy, and stopped it as it travelled down the highway, pointing weapons at the vehicles. The Ukrainians eventually got out of the cars and were arrested. Kyiv discovered the location of the convoy because a GPS tracker in one of the cars showed it was on TEK territory, but it took several hours before Hungary admitted it had captured the men. During questioning, the Ukrainians were kept in handcuffs for hours, and were not provided with a Ukrainian interpreter, only a Russian-speaking one. The Hungarian police source said: “The whole operation was very unprofessional, and not everyone at TEK was happy about having to carry it out. They didn’t even know there were GPS trackers in the car. They only realised the Ukrainians knew where the men were being held when they heard it on the news.” Late the following evening, the seven men were driven to the border with Ukraine, deported and banned from entering the Schengen zone. The Hungarians kept their possessions, which were only sent to Ukraine later; Hungarian authorities still hold the money and gold. Hungary has opened a money laundering case over the funds and claimed they were destined for Ukraine’s “war mafia”. The story has been covered extensively on state-controlled media, where Orbán’s pre-election narrative is that Brussels and Kyiv are trying to drag Hungary into the Ukraine war, and that Ukraine is a corrupt black hole that is swallowing funds sent by Europe. On Thursday, Orbán refused to drop his veto on a €90bn (£78bn) EU loan for Ukraine. Responding to earlier threats to veto the loan, a frustrated Zelenskyy said on the same day of the bank vehicle seizure that he might give Orbán’s address to the Ukrainian army. “Let them call him and talk to him in their own language,” he said. The comments were swiftly incorporated into the Hungarian government messaging on Ukraine, with Orbán claiming Ukrainians were targeting his family. Oschadbank said its priority was securing the release of the funds. Horváth, the Hungarian lawyer for the Ukrainians, pointed to public comments by the transport minister and close Orbán ally, János Lázár, that appeared to suggest the money seizure was a politically motivated response to Kyiv’s reluctance to fix a pipeline that transports Russian gas across Ukraine to Hungary. “If they’re blackmailing us … we won’t give the money back. For now, the money stays here,” said Lázár at a campaign event.
Farouk stood at his doorstep on a row of redbrick terrace houses in the northern French town of Roubaix – once the glory of the textile industry before decades of factory closures and unemployment made it the poorest town in mainland France. “It feels like there’s a lot of darkness in the world and we just want to let in a little light,” said the 73-year-old former market shoe trader and father of seven, before Sunday’s local elections. Farouk said he would vote for Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left party, La France Insoumise (LFI), because its “straight-talking” approach would boost Roubaix. Farouk settled in the town after leaving Algeria during the bloody civil war of the 1990s and said he wanted more equality, kindness and respect for local people. “It would bring some positivity,” he said. The final round of French mayoral elections this weekend is seen as a test of the political temperature before a crucial presidential race next year, when Emmanuel Macron’s two terms in office end, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party polling high nationally. With a population of 100,000 and currently run by the right, Roubaix is expected to become one of the biggest towns won by the LFI this Sunday – in the first round, its candidate won more than 46%. Victory in the runoff would be a boost for Mélenchon’s intended fourth bid for the presidency next year, when he would like to position himself as a key opponent of the far right. Roubaix, tucked between the northern city of Lille and the Belgian border, with a long history of immigration, is deeply symbolic. Its factories once rivalled Manchester, but about 46% of its residents now live below the poverty line. Youth unemployment is as high as 50% in the poorest neighbourhoods and hundreds of families live in dilapidated housing, often at the mercy of slum landlords. Yet the town, with a vibrant arts scene and striking industrial architecture, has pockets of wealth. It is also the birthplace of France’s richest man, the luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault, the owner of brands including Louis Vuitton and Dior, who began work here in his father’s building firm. Roubaix’s contrast between rich and poor illustrates the LFI’s position that inequality is damaging France. But the LFI’s strong local election scores in Roubaix – as well as in Saint-Denis near Paris and Toulouse in the south-west – are significant because they come amid intense criticism of Mélenchon by other parties in recent weeks. The Socialist party national bureau accused Mélenchon this month of “intolerable antisemitic comments” and “caricature conspiracy theories” after public rallies in which he first questioned the pronunciation of the Jewish name of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and then appeared to deliberately stumble over the Jewish name of the French centre-left member of the European parliament Raphaël Glucksmann. Glucksmann said that Mélenchon, by mocking Jewish or foreign-sounding names, had become the “Jean-Marie Le Pen of our times” and was “playing with the worst codes of the French far right and antisemitism”. Mélenchon then posted on social media saying he was sorry and that he had accidentally mangled Glucksmann’s name among others during a speech in Perpignan. He denied any antisemitism, saying: “I’m the first one who is sorry, thinking about those it hurt.” He also faced criticism last month that he had not distanced himself from street violence by antifascist groups after the killing in Lyon of a far-right activist. In a polarised French political landscape, Mélenchon is seen by opponents as an increasingly divisive and provocative figure; several polls at the end of 2025 found he was the political figure in France who attracted the most hatred from voters. Yet now the LFI’s first substantial local election campaign – after a decade spent focusing more on national politics – has shown that Mélenchon’s electoral base, including young people and those in multicultural urban neighbourhoods, is holding firm. On a residential street in Roubaix’s town centre this week, David Guiraud, 33, the LFI mayoral candidate, was handing out leaflets as passing drivers sounded their horns in support and shouted: “Resistance!” Guiraud, who has been LFI’s MP for Roubaix since 2022, is well known for his criticism of Israel’s military action in Gaza. He faced a legal complaint from the French-Israeli MP Meyer Habib after the two men had a public row over Gaza in the lobby of the national assembly in 2024. In January, a court found Guiraud not guilty of antisemitism, ruling that his use of the word “pig” did not amount to an antisemitic insult. The case will now go to appeal. Guiraud denied the accusation of antisemitism. He dismissed the case as “a way to silence voices for peace” and said he would continue to speak out on the current Israeli political leadership: “It’s their actions that are criticised, not their beliefs.” His mayoral campaign has been grassroots-focused, run under the banner “Proud of Roubaix!” and the vote is playing out on local issues from street-cleaning to housing and policing. His campaign leaflets do not carry the LFI logo, and on issues such as armed municipal police, his position differs from his party. Guiraud has expanded his list of potential councillors beyond the LFI party. Voter turnout in Roubaix remains a challenge: less than 38% voted in the first round. Guiraud was leafleting near the home of the former rightwing mayor Guillaume Delbar who was convicted of tax fraud and had to leave office late last year. Saïd, 38, a Roubaix resident who worked in town hall services setting up public events, said the tax fraud scandal had damaged the town: “We need a breath of fresh air now.” Guiraud said: “Rebuilding close contact between residents and their elected representatives is the most important thing. “Many people living here, even in the more affluent neighbourhoods, never see their representatives … there’s no local consultation. We’ll bring local democracy. Great swathes of public policy has been abandoned – housing is one of the biggest problems.” Guiraud dismissed the recent national controversies. “Our results across France in these local elections show that the blows levelled at LFI, and in particular at Jean-Luc Mélenchon don’t work,” he said. “We’re a force on the left, we’re anchored locally and nationally, and we have no intention of keeping our head down.” Rémi Lefebvre, a professor of political science at the University of Lille, said the LFI’s strong local election score was noteworthy because, after weeks of accusations against Mélenchon, many observers might have thought the LFI leader would be weakened. “But in fact he is not at all weakened,” Lefebvre said. “And you have to remember that barely three weeks ago he was a total pariah.” Lefebvre said Mélenchon had reinforced his electoral base, which stood at approximately 10% nationally. But although the radical left leader is seeking to reach the second round of the presidential race next year – he was 400,000 votes off in 2022, coming just behind Marine Le Pen – Lefebvre said the wider electorate’s high feeling of antipathy towards him would prevent him from winning. In Roubaix, Karim Amrouni, an orthodontist working in low-income areas, was running as mayoral candidate for a rival union of centre-left parties. He said LFI had made “promises” to instantly fix all the town’s problems, “but people will realise magic doesn’t exist in politics”. In the town centre, Stéphanie, 48, had been looking for work for months as a carer with elderly people or children, and had never voted. “Why would I vote, what will it change?” she said. “It’s so hard to find a job here and when I say I live in Roubaix, I just get a negative response, there’s a stigma. It feels like we’re abandoned here.”
Good morning. Yesterday lunchtime the UK Covid-19 inquiry published its latest findings – this time on how the NHS, its staff and patients were affected during the pandemic. It delivered a stark verdict: the health service “teetered on the brink of collapse” and only avoided it through the “almost superhuman efforts” of staff. Heather Hallett, the inquiry chair, said healthcare systems “coped, but only just” – and rejected the claim made by Conservative ministers at the time that the NHS had not been overwhelmed. For bereaved families, that language matters. For today’s newsletter, I spoke to Naomi Fulop, a healthcare academic and member of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, about what the group hoped to hear from the report, what it has been like for bereaved families to take part in the inquiry, and what needs to happen next if the process is to lead to real change. Five big stories Middle East | Iran said it would show “zero restraint” if its energy infrastructure was targeted again as Qatar revealed that almost a fifth of its liquefied natural gas export capacity had been knocked out in an Iranian strike. Health | Meningitis vaccination has been expanded in Kent after cases linked to a Canterbury nightclub rose to 27. Two people have died, and officials say the outbreak is being contained. Politics | Muslim leaders have condemned Nigel Farage’s call to ban public prayer by Muslims in the UK as bigoted and warned of a “growing tide of hate” after Kemi Badenoch questioned whether the events fitted “within the norms of British culture”. EU | EU leaders have pledged to stand behind Cyprus as it seeks “an open and frank discussion” on the future of the British bases on the island, which have become a target after the outbreak of the latest Middle East crisis. Immigration | A 16-year-old schoolgirl is stranded in Denmark after she was not allowed to board a flight to the UK due to new border rules on dual nationals. In depth: ‘Workers were left putting out fires rather than caring for patients’ Heather Hallett was appointed to lead the inquiry in December 2021. This latest report follows earlier findings on the UK’s preparedness for a pandemic and on political decision-making at the top of government. “We campaigned for the inquiry, so it is really important to us that it comes out with what’s needed,” Fulop tells me. “Overall, we were pleased with those first two reports. We felt they vindicated what we’ve been saying for years, and gave a very good diagnosis of what went wrong.” *** What it has been like for bereaved families It matters for bereaved families not just because the inquiry establishes a public record, but because many of them have had to relive intensely painful experiences to help shape it. “I have to say it was one of the most nerve-racking things I’ve ever done,” Fulop says of giving evidence. “Mostly because, as many of our witnesses do, I was speaking on behalf of our organisation, which is UK-wide – we’ve got 7,000 members – and it felt like a huge weight on my shoulders to get it right. I didn’t want to let people down.” She says the group believed it had made a tangible difference to the inquiry by raising issues that might otherwise have received less attention. One of those was the use of do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation orders. “Many of our members’ loved ones were placed under these without proper consultation,” she says. “Some of the stories from our members are just really shocking on that, and it was really important that we raised the issue. It wasn’t on the chair’s radar until we did.” Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK has also backed calls for a Hillsborough law, which campaigners argue would reduce the length and cost of future public inquiries and place a greater duty of candour on public bodies. *** What families hoped the report would say Fulop says the central issue was whether the inquiry would fully confront how exposed the NHS was before Covid arrived. “The underlying issue about the NHS is that it was absolutely unprepared, in the sense that it did not have the capacity required to meet a pandemic,” she says. “Years of austerity had left it without that resilience.” For the group, that point matters as much for the future as for the historical record. “The NHS is probably in a worse state now than it was in 2020 before the pandemic hit,” Fulop says. “So the recommendations from the inquiry need to point to strengthening the capacity and resilience of the NHS in order that it can face another pandemic, which, as we all know, is not a case of if, but when.” She also says the report needed to reject what families see as one of the most misleading claims made by ministers during the pandemic – that the NHS was not overwhelmed. “It absolutely, clearly was,” says Fulop. “Evidence from bereaved families and from NHS staff clearly laid that out.” Alongside questions of staffing, funding and resilience, Fulop says there was also a human and cultural dimension that must not be overlooked: the experience of separation at the end of life. “Many people [were] not able to be with their loved one when they died,” Fulop tells me. “Some people had no communication at all, which is really terrible,” she adds. The report does indeed paint a picture of a system under extreme strain – with patients waiting hours in ambulances, staff stretched far beyond safe ratios, and shortages of critical equipment. As Hallett put it, “staff-to-patient ratios were diluted”, and workers were left “putting out fires rather than caring for the patient”. *** What the report said The inquiry concluded the NHS entered the pandemic in a “precarious” state, with staff shortages, low bed numbers and high occupancy rates leaving it ill-prepared for a major crisis. Patients did not always receive the care they needed, with some diagnoses and treatments coming too late to save lives. Others avoided seeking help altogether, after the “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” message deterred people from attending hospital even with life-threatening conditions. Healthcare workers, meanwhile, were pushed to their limits. Four in five said they acted in ways that conflicted with their values, with some describing having to choose which patients received care. Despite that, collapse was narrowly avoided. “Healthcare systems came close to collapse,” Hallett said. “Collapse was only narrowly avoided thanks to the extraordinary efforts of all those working in healthcare across the UK.” The inquiry also highlights the human cost of restrictions, with some patients dying alone. “This was a horrific experience for family members,” Hallett said, describing how loved ones were forced to say goodbye remotely. Outside Dorland House, Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK said the report was “clear and utterly damning” – stating that the decision to leave healthcare workers and the system within it on the edge of breakdown was a “political choice”. *** What comes next Health is devolved, which means England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland often took different approaches during the pandemic. The UK-wide inquiry examined the broader handling of the crisis. Scotland is also conducting its own inquiry, with its next report due later this year. For bereaved families, though, the central question now is less about what the inquiry says than what governments do with it. As my colleague Jessica Murray reports here, Hallett set out 10 recommendations, including increasing NHS capacity, improving infection control guidance and strengthening support for healthcare workers. “We cannot know when, but there will be another pandemic,” she said, urging governments across the UK to implement the changes “as swiftly as possible”. “It does pay in the long term to be prepared for a national crisis,” Fulop tells me. “But it means a government needs to think long term, and many governments are not very good at that.” “The context now is the economy and the public finances, and we understand that,” she said – but added that the cost of not being prepared for another health crisis would be even greater. The inquiry sets out in stark terms what happened when the NHS was pushed to its limits. Whether governments act on those warnings before the next crisis arrives is the question that now matters most. What else we’ve been reading I’m not a huge Foo Fighters fan, but I was gripped by Dave Grohl’s introspection in his interview this morning, with music editor Ben Beaumont-Thomas. Patrick Greenfield A Queer Inheritance by Michael Hall tells the story of the National Trust’s LGBTQ history. Stephen Smith reviews what sounds like a fascinating set of tales. Martin MP Charlotte Nichols speaks to Helen Pidd about her rape trial and the subsequent acquittal of the man she accused. It is a searingly honest interview about the 1,088-day wait for her day in court and why she chose to speak in parliament about her experience. Patrick Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet retells the story of Hamlet with a female lead and melds it into Japanese mythology of the afterlife. Nick Chen interviews the legendary anime director. Martin In Poland this week, former long jump world champion Luvo Manyonga is making an extraordinary return to elite sport after struggling with meth addiction. Read Ben Bloom’s interview about how the South African turned his life around. Patrick Sport Football | Nottingham Forest beat Midtjylland 3-0 on penalties to book a Europa League quarter-final against Porto. Aston Villa ensured there would be two Premier League sides in the last eight after they beat Lille 2-0 at Villa Park. Rugby | Premiership Rugby emerges from the shadow of the Six Nations this weekend, with the race for the top four hotting up. Chess | Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has invested in a new world chess championship tour that will star his compatriot, Magnus Carlsen. Something for the weekend Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now Film Midwinter Break | ★★★★★ Gerry and Stella, played by Ciarán Hinds and Lesley Manville, are a late middle-aged couple from Northern Ireland who left for Scotland in the 1970s, traumatised by the Troubles, and are taking a restorative midwinter break in Amsterdam. Movies about ageing empty-nesters going on a bittersweet holiday and unexpectedly having to confront something about their relationship are common enough. There is often something soft and fuzzy and depressing in the wrong way about these films’ lenient sunset sentimentalism – but not so with Polly Findlay’s fiercely sad, spiky and wonderfully acted film, based on a novel by Bernard MacLaverty (the author of Cal). Peter Bradshaw TV Last One Laughing UK | ★★★★★ It could easily have been a fluke. That such a simple, even lame-sounding format was responsible for three hours of the most transcendentally funny television of 2025 might well have been down to an alchemical accident. Spoiler: it wasn’t. Ten successful comedians spend six hours in a huge room trying not to laugh or smile. One lapse gets you a yellow card; another gets you ejected. Now you must commentate on the action in separate viewing quarters with the host, Jimmy Carr, and his sidekick Roisin Conaty. This series leaves me helpless with laughter at least once an episode. Rachel Aroesti Music Underscores: U | ★★★★☆ April Grey is a US bedroom producer beloved of an impressive range of other artists – experimental pop duo 100 Gecs are fans, so is rapper Danny Brown and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker – but thus far it’s been hard to accurately pin her down. U sounds substantially less hair-raising than her previous work, perhaps as a result of a distinct musical shift. The album’s musical north star seems to be late 90s/early 00s R&B, the fertile, experimental period dominated by Timbaland, the Neptunes and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. You can pick out echoes of the era everywhere. U is certainly a more interesting, accomplished and better-written pop album than most major pop artists have dished up of late. Alexis Petridis Dance Royal Ballet: Giselle | Royal Opera House, London | ★★★★☆ A dancer’s debut in one of ballet’s great leading roles is always an event, but it’s particularly notable when that dancer is a first artist – three ranks below principal in ballet’s hierarchy. Twenty-five-year-old Ukrainian Marianna Tsembenhoi is clearly being tipped as a future star and the Royal Ballet’s faith in her looks well placed on the basis of her first outing as tragic peasant girl Giselle. From her first entrance, buoyant across the stage, she impresses with her elevation, as if her weight is barely touching the ground. Lyndsey Winship The front pages The Guardian leads with “New threat from Iran as fears grow of energy crisis”. The Times quotes Israel’s prime minister with “Netanyahu: Iran’s regime won’t be toppled from air”. The Telegraph reports “Saudis threaten strikes on Iran”. The Financial Times has “Markets tumble as investors price in ‘protracted energy shock’ from war”. The Mail says “Iran war unleashes mortgage shock for millions”. The i reports “World energy shock hits UK - with bill rises set to last for years”, while the Sun simply goes with “Hell’s bills”. The Mirror looks at the Covid inquiry, under the headline “They saved us and NHS”. Today in Focus Why Ireland is giving a basic income to artist Rory Carroll reports on the Irish government’s initiative, as a musician and a writer relay their experiences on the scheme. Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad As the light finally returns across the northern hemisphere after a long, cold winter, the natural world is awakening from its slumber. Many readers planning a weekend in the garden will want to make space for wildlife, and Emma Beddington has been looking at how we can help British species thrive. This week, she has written about how to encourage gatekeeper butterflies, an orange- and brown-winged insect that is frequently seen in urban areas. “It’s all about caterpillars,” says Dr Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation’s head of science, explaining that leaving long grass is vital early in the season. The series also details how readers can create hedgehog havens – and improve the fortunes of Britain’s endangered toads. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
The leaders of some Pacific countries have appealed for help with oil supplies while others urge against “panic buying” as the import-reliant nations grapple with fears over possible fuel shortages and escalating costs caused by war in the Middle East. Oil prices have surged to nearly $110 a barrel after strikes against energy infrastructure in Iran and the Gulf states. “Pacific island nations are especially vulnerable to fuel supply disruptions and rising costs because [most countries] rely almost entirely on imported fuel,” Paul Barker, executive director at the Institute of National Affairs in Papua New Guinea, said. “Many of these economies are relatively weak, with limited purchasing power and strong reliance on remittances and foreign aid, leaving them exposed to global price shocks,” Barker said. He added that higher fuel costs threaten key industries such as tourism and “make delivering basic government services to remote islands increasingly difficult”. In Samoa, about two-thirds of the country’s energy generation comes from imported diesel fuel. Speaking after a meeting with the New Zealand leader, Christopher Luxon, the Samoan prime minister, La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, said he had asked if it was possible to divert fuel to his country in case of crisis. “We don’t know what’s going to happen next,” La’aulialemalietoa said. He said Samoa secured its fuel supply from Singapore and other nations, but had asked Luxon to help “cover us in case something happened”. And in Tonga, where 80% of its energy generation comes from imported diesel fuel, the prime minister, Lord Fakafanua, said New Zealand and Australia were “sharing intelligence” with his country to help them best prepare for shortages. “What we can do is prepare as best we can, and part of that is the sharing of intelligence with our partners such as Australia and New Zealand. My concern is about ensuring that we have enough energy for the country,” he said, adding that “for now we seem to be OK”. Tourism makes up 25% of Samoa’s GDP and 11% in Tonga, raising concern for countries heavily reliant on airlines that are facing huge cost pressures due to the price of jet fuel. In Papua New Guinea, petrol, diesel and kerosene prices have increased. The country, with a population of about 10 million, is a liquefied natural gas exporter but it still imports refined fuel, leaving domestic prices exposed to the global oil shock. The petroleum minister, Jimmy Maladina, said the government was working with suppliers to ensure fuel keeps flowing in the coming months. “Our biggest concern in PNG is storage capacity,” Maladina said this week, adding the government is monitoring the situation and will act if needed. In the capital Port Moresby, businesses have felt the impact of higher fuel prices. Janet Sios, part owner of Paradise Private hospital, said rising fuel costs have driven up the price of food and services and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming weeks. “There is less fuel available, and that is increasing costs across the board. Another price increase is expected in April [by authorities in PNG] so people need to start factoring in higher transportation costs,” she said. Sios said the cost of medicines has risen due to higher freight and supply costs. She said business owners in the country “must be prepared for conditions to worsen over the next few months”. In Fiji, the government said in a statement on Tuesday there was “no need for panic buying or stockpiling”. It said the country has sufficient fuel stocks, with reserves ranging between 20 and 45 days depending on the product. Fiji has a population of just under 1 million. The government called on people to “avoid unnecessary stockpiling” of fuel as it warned of supply impacts. “Panic buying can place pressure on supply systems and may lead to temporary shortages at service stations,” it said. In its most recent update, the Solomon Islands government reassured residents on 8 March that current fuel shipments to the country remained on schedule. The prime minister said in a press conference the country had about 20 to 30 days of fuel supply available, and the situation was being closely monitored. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report