As it happened: Ash Barty announces shock retirement from tennis; Biden says Putin’s ‘back is against the wall’ in Ukraine; China Eastern Airlines crash investigation not ruling out ‘foul play’

That’s where we’ll leave this evening’s live blog.

If you’re just catching up, here’s a summary of this afternoon’s main stories.

• World No.1 tennis player Ashleigh Barty announced her shock retirement from tennis.

Ash Barty announced her retirement on Wednesday.Credit: Instagram

• A national study of almost 44,000 students revealed one in five university students have been sexually harassed and one in 20 have been sexually assaulted since beginning their degree.

One in six Australian university students say they’ve been sexually harassed and one in 20 sexually assaulted since beginning their degree. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

• Hillsong church founder Brian Houston resigned from his role as pastor after an international investigation found he’d behaved inappropriately towards women.

Hillsong founder Brian Houston has resigned from his role as pastor after an internal investigation found his conduct was innapopriate. Credit: Hillsong church

• NSW Labor said it would support a motion to remove former state Liberal Gareth Ward from parliament after he was charged with rape.

Former NSW Communities and Disability Services Minister Gareth Ward .Credit: Kate Geraghty

• Australia recorded 26 deaths and 61,706 new cases of COVID-19.

Thanks for joining me. Good night.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that sending peacekeepers to Ukraine may lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and the NATO military alliance.

Last week, Poland said an international peacekeeping mission should be sent to Ukraine and be given the means to defend itself.

There is a NATO meeting scheduled for Thursday. According to a report from Bloomberg, Ukrainian President will address the summit via video link to discuss the Russian invasion.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir PutinCredit: Sergei Karpukhin/AP

“I hope they understand what they are talking about,” Lavrov told staff and students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

“This will be the direct clash between the Russian and NATO armed forces that everyone has not only tried to avoid but said should not take place in principle.”

Moscow has accused Kyiv of stalling peace talks by making proposals unacceptable for Russia. Ukraine has said it is willing to negotiate but will not surrender or accept Russian ultimatums.

With Reuters

Ukrainian leaders accused Russia of seizing 15 rescue workers and drivers from a humanitarian convoy trying to get desperately needed food and other supplies into the bloodied port city of Mariupol, which also came under naval attack after weeks of air and land strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated that 100,000 civilians remained in Mariupol, scene of some of the war’s worst devastation, as Russia presses a nearly month-old offensive by bombarding cities and towns. Those made it out described a shattered city.

A mother embraces her son who escaped the besieged city of Mariupol and arrived at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine on Sunday, March 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)Credit: AP

“They bombed us for the past 20 days,” said 39-year-old Viktoria Totsen, who fled into Poland. “During the last five days, the planes were flying over us every five seconds and dropped bombs everywhere — on residential buildings, kindergartens, art schools, everywhere.”

Zelensky, speaking late Tuesday in his nightly video address to his nation, accused Russian forces of blocking the aid convoy despite agreeing to the route ahead of time.

“We are trying to organise stable humanitarian corridors for Mariupol residents, but almost all of our attempts, unfortunately, are foiled by the Russian occupiers, by shelling or deliberate terror,” Zelensky said.

The Red Cross confirmed a humanitarian aid convoy trying to reach the city had not been able to enter.

The convoy’s attempt to deliver assistance came as Russian navy vessels joined in what have been weeks of Russian air and land strikes into Mariupol, U.S. officials said.

A senior U.S. defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity to give the Pentagon’s assessment, said Russian ships in the Sea of Azov added to the shelling of Mariupol. The official said there were about seven Russian ships in that area, including a minesweeper and a couple of landing vessels.

AP

Shane Warne fans have snapped up more than 44,000 free tickets to attend the cricket great’s MCG memorial service since they were released yesterday afternoon.

The tickets are for seats located in the stadium’s northern grandstand, which overlooks the section of the grounds that will be renamed after Warne.

Shane Warne’s children Jackson, Brooke and Summer; brother Jason; and parents Brigitte and Keith accompany his coffin on a lap of honour.Credit: Nine News

No special arrangements will be made for members, with the reserve, Olympic and Ponsford stands opened to general admission for the event.

An MCG spokesman said no additional areas within the stadium had opened up to fans yet, but could be made available tomorrow if bookings continued to rise.

No crowd limits have been set for the service and the ’G can accommodate more than 100,000 people.
The service will be held at the stadium from 7pm next Wednesday, March 30, with gates opening at 5.30pm. The memorial is expected to go for about two hours.

General admission tickets are available for free via Ticketek and no handling fee is being charged.

A Liberal Democrat staffer who claims she was underpaid by the libertarian political party has resigned in spectacular fashion with an excoriating letter to the organisation’s entire mailing list on the eve of a federal election campaign.

In an email addressed to Liberal Democrat members and supporters, Kirsty O’Sullivan accused the party of nepotism, “burning people”, “misusing donations” and sidelining women. The email was sent from the party’s official email address and bore its logo and authorisation.

Kirsty O’Sullivan sent a blistering farewell to the Liberal Democrat Party’s entire mailing list.Credit: LinkedIn

Read the full report from Michael Koziol here. 

The ASX 200 closed 0.5% higher, up 36.8 points to 7377.9 with the tech sector providing most of the gains via Afterpay’s Block Inc.

Materials were the only sector to close lower. Uniti soared before going into a trading halt amid speculation it has a rival suitor.

The country recorded 26 deaths and 61,706 new cases of COVIS-19 on Wednesday. There are now 2,104 people in hospital and 95 people in ICU.

• South Australia reported two deaths and 4,594 new cases.
• West Australia reported one death and 8,429 new cases.
• Queensland reported seven deaths and 10,476 new cases.
• The Australian Capital Territory reported zero deaths and 1,314 new cases.
• The Northern Territory recorded zero deaths and 328 new cases.
• Tasmania recorded zero deaths and 1,979 new cases.

As reported earlier,

• New South Wales reported five deaths and 24,115 new cases of COVID-19.
• Victoria recorded 11 deaths and 10,471 new cases.

Deputy opposition leader Richard Marles says he never received a bullying complaint from late Labor senator Kimberley Kitching.

Mr Marles, who is visiting Perth to announce a $15 million infrastructure pledge, told reporters his expectation was that Ms Kitching would have been pre-selected to run in the upcoming federal election, a view he said was shared by other members of his party.

“I spoke to Kimberley on many occasions and those conversations were obviously private and I do not intend to reveal them,” he told reporters.

“But given all that has been said, let me say this: at no point did Kimberly make a bullying complaint to me. At no point did she ask me to take action.”

Mr Marles said Ms Kitching was “obviously unhappy” about the Senate’s tactics committee and acknowledged the party’s culture could be improved.

“But since her death, I have really not wanted to talk about that but rather to reflect on her life because I don’t think that this issue defines who Kimberly was,” he said.

The late Labor senator Kimberley Kitching will formally be remembered in Parliament on Monday when senators are recalled for a special sitting.

Parliament is due back on Tuesday, when the government will deliver its budget.

Former Labor senator Kimberley Kitching.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

However, government Senate leader Simon Birmingham and his opposition counterpart Penny Wong have asked Senate President Slade Brockman to recall the upper house a day early.

“We advise that the recalling of the Senate is to allow a condolence motion to be moved for the late Senator Kitching,” they wrote in a joint letter seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Speeches in her memory will be the only business of the day.

Senator Kitching’s funeral was held in Melbourne on Monday.

Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles is making an announcement in Perth alongside federal MP Anne Aly, WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti, WA Lands Minister John Carey and two ALP candidates.