Morning Mail: Australia Day, knights and dames, Campbell Newman sued for defamation, US blizzard

Guardian Australia's Morning Mail                                                      Tuesday 27 January 2014 g
Australia Day
Women cleaned up at the annual Australian of the Year awards, with anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty taking the top honour. Unfortunately, the news was overshadowed by Tony Abbott's decision to award Prince Philip with an Australian knighthood. The PM admitted he didn't consult his colleagues on the decision.
Australian news and politics
Australia could be on track for a rise of over 5C by the end of the century, outstripping the rest of world unless drastic action is taken, according to the most comprehensive analysis ever produced by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology.Australian's Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will not face the firing squad until after previous executions are ‘evaluated’, according to Indonesia's attorney general.Guardian Australia can reveal that, even as he sued Alan Jones, Campbell Newman's legal team preparing to defend a defamation lawsuit being brought against Newman by 'bikie' lawyers tried to push back his defence deadline to the day before the state election. An independent Queensland MP has announced he will refer Campbell Newman to the electoral commission today, accusing the LNP of breaching the electoral act by using “outrageous bribes” to win votes after Newman said the LNP would only fund promised projects if the electorate votes for an LNP candidate.
Around the world
Governors have declared states of emergency, there are widespread travel bans, flights cancelled and schools closed. As a monster blizzard bears down on the US east coast, Boston is in the crosshairs. Follow our live coverage.Greece's new prime minister, Alexis Tsipras from the anti-austerity Syriza party, was sworn in after forming government with the populist rightwing Independent Greeks party.At least 10 people are dead after a Greek F-16 fighter-jet crashed in Spain.A coalition of Kurdish and Syrian opposition forces have claimed full control of the Syrian town of Kobani, gaining an important symbolic victory over Isis.
One last thing
An Italian man who forced his daughters to diet and ski for being "too fat" has been found guilty of abuse. Have an excellent day – and if you spot something I've missed, let me know on Twitter @earleyedition.