Policy is disempowering and has chilling effect provoking self censorship, says LibertyThe Prevent strategy for curtailing extremism in the UK is the biggest threat to free speech at universities rather than media caricatures of “snowflake” students, according to a director of Liberty.Corey Stoughton, director of advocacy at the human rights organisation, said the tactics of the strategy for monitoring campus activism had a “chilling effect” on black and Muslim students, provoking self censorship for fear of being labelled extremist. Continue reading...

Senior adviser to Trump found no interest in his proposals for ending Israel/Palestine conflictIn the end, the ‘deal of the century’ was little more than a failed clearance sale. Jared Kushner arrived in Bahrain touting bedrock principles at untenable discounts. And even then there were no buyers.The conference that was supposed to offer a new way out of the malaise of the Israel/Palestine conflict provided little of the sort. Its central premise of prosperity as a precursor to a lasting solution barely appeared to register on either side of the separation wall. Continue reading...

Met commissioner says phone and CCTV data could improve ‘woefully low’ crime figuresThe Metropolitan police commissioner has hit out at “woefully low” rates for solving crimes, with courts “emptying” despite some offences rising.Cressida Dick used a keynote lecture to call for better use of data and public consent to avoid charges of a “police state”. Continue reading...

Expert who led study of 5,000 IVF cycles at London clinic busts myth that male fertility lasts for everIVF success rates decline significantly in older men, according to scientists who call for greater awareness of the male biological clock.The analysis of nearly 5,000 IVF cycles performed at a London fertility clinic found that success rates were about one third lower in men aged over 51 compared with men under 35. Continue reading...

But he voices concern about persecution they may face if they came out as gay or lesbianThe Duke of Cambridge has said he worries about the pressures his children may face if in future they came out as gay or lesbian.Prince William said he would be “absolutely fine” if they did, but had concerns about the persecution they may face, admitting he had discussed the subject with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge. Continue reading...

Stephan Ernst cites pro-refugee stance as motive for shooting CDU’s Walter LübckeA far-right extremist has confessed to murdering a pro-refugee German politician who was found dead outside his house on 2 June having been shot in the head.Stephan Ernst, a 45-year-old German man with a string of convictions for violent anti-migrant crime, was arrested two weeks after the murder of Walter Lübcke, 65. Police had matched Ernst’s DNA with evidence recovered from the scene of the crime. Continue reading...

Since March 2015, the photographer and author Joey Lawrence has had unprecedented access to Kurdish guerrilla organisations fighting Isis, embedding himself into the Iraq and Syrian civil war. His powerful portraits of the fighters give a different perspective to the conflictWe came from fire, and we will return to fireThe war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has flooded our daily news with troubling statistics of massacres and mass migrations, yet there are faces and human stories at the heart of the conflict. Joey L wrote: “From Iraq, one crosses the Tigris River into war-torn Syria, and is catapulted into a worldview crafted by the guerrilla.” Continue reading...

Global Commission on Drug Policy calls for a reclassification of drugs including cocaine, heroin and cannabisIllegal drugs including cocaine, heroin and cannabis should be reclassified to reflect a scientific assessment of harm, according to a report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy.The commission, which includes 14 former heads of states from countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Portugal and New Zealand, said the international classification system underpinning drug control is “biased and inconsistent”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: the shadow minister for multicultural affairs is convinced public sentiment on asylum seekers has shiftedPublic sentiment on asylum seekers has shifted, and Labor must use the looming parliamentary term to “give Australia’s hopeful side a fair chance to prevail over the politics of fear, and division” according to the shadow minister for multicultural affairs, Andrew Giles.Giles will use a speech to Australian Fabians on Wednesday to argue the recent community debate around the medical evacuations bill, and the tone of the federal election, suggests Australians are over the toxic politics of border protection, and are fatigued by the “false binaries and unnecessary aggression” from the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton. Continue reading...

Josie Birds said to have ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ gesture by Greater Manchester police

Plan demands Palestinians put a price on their surrender or risk losing even more groundIn the long, lamented history of Israeli-Palestinian peace plans, rarely have expectations been so low. As Jared Kushner took to the stage in Bahrain to effectively lay waste to decades of doctrine on how to solve the conflict, a solution seemed more out of reach than ever.Kushner’s proposal has been put together by hardliners who have tossed out the rulebook and written a formula of their own serving the interests of the Israeli rightwing. Continue reading...

PM to call for China to match its economic power with ‘additional responsibilities’ in major speech before G20 summit in TokyoThe prime minister, Scott Morrison, has warned that the “strained” relationship between the US and China risks “collateral” damage in the region, amid growing uncertainty in the global economy.In a major speech ahead of the G20 summit in Osaka this weekend where the US president, Donald Trump, will meet with China’s president, Xi Jinping, Morrison has called on China to match its extraordinary economic power with “additional responsibilities”, saying it has been a key beneficiary from the rules-based international trading system. Continue reading...

Exclusive: government accused of thwarting the release of politically-sensitive documentsA whistleblower has accused the government of flagrantly breaching laws to thwart the release of politically-sensitive documents, including records of the former prime minister Tony Abbott’s taxpayer-funded entitlements.A freedom of information officer who has worked across federal government blew the whistle internally in late 2017 on what he described as a “culture of disdain for the rule of law” within the prime minister’s department. Continue reading...

No Israelis or Palestinians present for launch of plan that shreds decades of diplomacy

Hassan Rouhani and US president traded insults similar to 2017 clashes between US and North Korea while ramping up sanctionsThe Iranian and US presidents have traded insults, with Hassan Rouhani suggesting that Donald Trump suffered from a “mental disorder” and Trump once more threatening Iran with “obliteration”.The very personal exchange was reminiscent of similar verbal clashes between the US and North Korean leaders in late 2017, and underlined the volatility of US foreign policymaking in the present standoff in the Gulf. Trump has swung between dire threats and offers of talks without preconditions, while ramping up sanctions. Continue reading...

Three people could face jail if found in contempt of court over Blackpool protestThree anti-fracking protesters have gone on trial accused of breaking an injunction designed to stop disruption of a fracking site in Lancashire.Katrina Lawrie, Lee Walsh and Christopher Wilson took part in a “lock-on” at Preston New Road, near Blackpool, on 24 July last year, less than a fortnight after a judge granted an injunction to the energy company Cuadrilla. Continue reading...

NHS says outbreak of invasive group A streptococcus began in Braintree and has spreadTwelve people have died from a rare bacterial infection that has spread in Essex, the NHS has said.There have been 32 reported cases of the disease, called invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS). The NHS Mid Essex clinical commissioning group said the outbreak started in Braintree and had spread to the Chelmsford and Maldon areas, but did not give a timeline for this. Public Health England said it was a “local incident”. Continue reading...

Lee Pomeroy died after receiving stab wounds in neck in front of 14-year-old sonA train passenger was stabbed 18 times in front of his 14-year-old son after a heated row over blocking the aisle, a court has heard.Lee Pomeroy, 51, was attacked by 36-year-old Darren Pencille five minutes after boarding a London-bound train at Guildford, Surrey, in January, the Old Bailey was told. Continue reading...

Foreign minister says there are ‘individual incidents’ that can be compared to UK knife crimePakistan’s foreign minister has sought to dismiss accusations of Christian persecution, claiming there were “individual incidents” comparable to knife crime in the UK.Shah Mahmood Qureshi, speaking during a visit to Brussels, said reports of religious minorities being targeted in Pakistan did not constitute a trend and the recent claims of Christian persecution were an example of “western interests” that “want to paint Pakistan in a particular way”. Continue reading...

UK ambassador says Berlin is willing to hear fresh ideas for Irish border problem

Court rules against Georg Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia’s claim on Rheinfels CastleA German court has ruled against a claim by the great-great-grandson of the country’s last kaiser to the picturesque ruins of a 13th-century castle overlooking the Rhine valley.Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, argued the ruins of Rheinfels Castle should be returned to the Hohenzollern family because the current owners had breached a century-old agreement, a claim rejected on Tuesday by a court in Koblenz. Continue reading...

In 2013 the Irish capital was ranked among the world’s top 20 bike-friendly cities, but only a small part of the promised cycle network was ever builtOne sunny May afternoon in Dublin, as the Spice Girls prepared to kick off their Spice World 2019 tour at Croke Park stadium, the coaches bringing their fans unwittingly sparked another reunion – the city’s cycle activists.It had been two years since the direct action group I Bike Dublin had mobilised to protect cycle tracks from car parking – uniting around twice a week under the hashtag #freethecyclelane – but as police officers directed coach drivers to park in the bike lane by Dublin Bay, blocking the track, the protesters were back. Continue reading...

Former ambassadors say far-right leader has cuddled up to rightwing nationalists, irked China, infuriated Middle Eastern partners, and jettisoned its position as climate crisis leaderIt has long been considered one of the jewels of Latin American statecraft; a shrewd, dependable and highly trained foreign service that helped make Brazil a global climate leader and soft power heavyweight.But six months into the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, even veteran diplomats struggle to mask their horror at the wrecking ball being taken to the country’s nearly two century-old foreign office, known as Itamaraty after the Rio palace where it was once housed. Continue reading...

Contemporary Worlds: Indonesia reveals the tensions and fraught history of the world’s third-largest democracy

Papua New Guinea police say man will also be charged with arson, which carries a sentence of up to life in prisonThe Papua New Guinea police will charge a man with arson and attempted suicide after he set fire to himself and his room at asylum seeker accomodation on Manus Island.After initial treatment for burns to his face and hand, the 30-year-old man, who has been denied asylum, was taken to the police station and held overnight before he was evacuated to Port Moresby for further medical treatment. Continue reading...

UN special rapporteur says blackout has led to rights violations and a ‘clearance operation’ was taking placeMore than a million people in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden Rakhine state have been plunged into an information blackout three days after authorities ordered telecommunications companies to stop providing internet services to the area.Rights groups have condemned the move as threat to civilians’ safety. Continue reading...

Frogmore Cottage underwent six months of renovation work before birth of Archie in MayThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s official residence, Frogmore Cottage, may have been a gift to the couple from the Queen, but has cost the taxpayer £2.4m, royal accounts reveal.The 18th century Grade-II listed house, close to Windsor Castle, required extensive renovation to make it habitable for Harry, Meghan and their newborn son Archie. Continue reading...

Tuesday: Coalition’s plan to tackle ‘bracket creep’ delivers for higher salaries, thinktank says. Plus, a growing addiction to cocaine and methGood morning, this is Helen Sullivan bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Tuesday 25 June. Continue reading...

Budgets for Icac, NSW ombudsman, information and privacy commissioner and Law Enforcement Conduct Commission fallThe New South Wales opposition has warned that the state’s anti-corruption and integrity watchdogs are being starved of funding despite increasing workloads and threadbare staffing.The Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) was given what the NSW government described as “record” funding in 2017-18, amounting to $27m a year for four years. Continue reading...

The Pacific island best known as a popular holiday destination is grappling with a growing drug problemIn the early hours of a Saturday morning in the city of Nadi, on the west coast of Fiji’s main island, Isaiah* is sitting in a Burger King drinking Fanta through a straw and explaining how he became a drug dealer.He started five years ago, aged 13, selling cigarettes and marijuana. Now he sells cocaine and methamphetamines. Continue reading...

How a remote atoll on Papua New Guinea’s eastern fringe was menaced by drug traffickers as illicit trade across the Pacific surges• The new drug highway: Pacific islands at centre of cocaine trafficking boomLast May a fisherman in Papua New Guinea went out hunting for shark. But instead of coming home with fish to feed his family he returned with an unexpected catch: A$50m worth of cocaine.Related: The new drug highway: Pacific islands at centre of cocaine trafficking boom Continue reading...

Both pilots ejected after collision, which took place over Lake DrewitzGerman police have found a body near a crash site in the north-east of the country after two Eurofighter Typhoon jets operated by the military collided during a training exercise.Both pilots ejected after the collision, which took place at about 2pm on Monday over Lake Drewitz in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, about 175km (109 miles) north-west of Berlin. Continue reading...

Sajeel Shahid owned Ilford gym and school where ringleader Khuram Butt workedA man described as having a “strong historical extremist pedigree” has said he had limited contact with the ringleader of the London Bridge terror attackers, despite owning both the gym and school where he worked and hundreds of text messages between the pair’s phones.Sajeel Shahid, who has repeatedly refused to be questioned by police about the attacks, set up Ummah Fitness Centre (UFC) and Ad-Deen primary school, both in Ilford, east London.

Taxi tycoon John Griffin voices concerns about morality of leadership favourite

High unemployment and living costs are driving people from the metropolis – but some rural residents aren’t happy about the new arrivalsSu Ava has been up since 5am. There have been new lambs to check on, goats, cats and dogs to feed, beehives to inspect, orders to fill, and she has also made a visit to her under-construction workshop.Her current life making and selling cheese, honey and tahini in Turkey’s beautiful Çanakkale region could not be more different to her old one in Istanbul. The work can be exhausting but, Ava says, she would not give it up for anything. Continue reading...

Exclusive: FoI request reveals proposal was at advanced stage after lobbying by football clubThe public will be given a say on controversial plans to rename a train station near Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium after it was revealed the proposal was at an advanced stage after intensive lobbying by the club.The Guardian reported in March that White Hart Lane station was to be rebranded after the football club lobbied the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, and Transport for London (TfL). The transport body had been insisting the club should pay more than £14.7m for the privilege, in the face of vigorous resistance from Spurs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Special rapporteur on health says social justice more important for mental health than therapy and medicationAusterity, inequality and job insecurity are bad for mental health and governments should counteract them if they want to face up to the rising prevalence of mental illness, the UN’s top health envoy has said.In an exclusive interview with the Guardian to coincide with a hard-hitting report to be delivered to the UN in Geneva on Monday, Dr Dainius Pūras said measures to address inequality and discrimination would be far more effective in combatting mental illness than the emphasis over the past 30 years on medication and therapy. Continue reading...

About 250,000 people gathered in Prague to direct anger at Andrej Babiš, who has been labelled a threat to democracyAn estimated 250,000 people have demanded the resignation of the Czech Republic’s prime minister in the country’s biggest display of dissent since the 1989 velvet revolution that ended communism in the former Czechoslovakia.In a setting loaded with historical symbolism, demonstrators from across the country crowded into Prague’s Letna park – site of a pivotal protest 30 years ago credited with forcing the communist regime from power – to voice anger over Andrej Babiš, a billionaire leader who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform but has himself become a symbol of perceived malfeasance. Continue reading...

Human Rights Watch says ‘generic statements of concern’ not enough, and Australia must increase public pressureAs Australia approaches the halfway mark of its term on the United Nations human rights council, it must do more to stand up against abusive nations, Human Rights Watch says.HRW has written to the foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, urging her to push for a more active and creative presence on the council. Continue reading...

Youths aged 12 to 15 sought for questioning after two men sustain knife injuriesPolice are seeking three boys aged 12 to 15 after two men were seriously injured in a homophobic knife attack in Liverpool.The men, both in their 30s, were walking down Manningham Road in the Anfield area of the city at 9.20pm on Saturday when they were approached by three male youths, Merseyside police said. Continue reading...

After two 14-year-olds were convicted of killing a vulnerable teenage girl who had been bullied online, the fallout from a harrowing case continues to haunt the countryOn a spring afternoon last year, a 13-year-old boy called at the home of Ana Kriégel, a 14-year-old girl living in the Dublin suburb of Lucan.He had exciting news: his friend, whom she had a crush on, wanted to meet her. Ana was delighted. She grabbed her hoodie and followed him through a park to a derelict farmhouse where his friend, also aged 13, was waiting. It was a trap. Continue reading...

Letts was disillusioned in Syria but his case officer was told to ‘back off’ by the governmentBritish Islamic State fighter Jack Letts, whose parents were convicted of funding terrorism, wanted to return to the UK, but the Home Office pulled the plug on attempts to rehabilitate him.The 23-year-old – known as “Jihadi Jack” – who joined Isis as a teenager, had discussed leaving Syria in 2016 with a counter-radicalisation expert until the UK government took him off the Letts case, the Observer has learned. Continue reading...

Inquiries confirmed following controversy over death of anorexic teenagerThree euthanasia cases involving women with psychiatric conditions and dementia are under investigation in the Netherlands, the Observer can reveal.Prosecutors confirmed that the deaths, in 2017 and 2018, were being investigated for potentially breaching strict conditions in the 2002 law that allows people in the Netherlands to ask a doctor to help them die. Continue reading...

Two worldviews face each other uncomprehendingly – and the flashpoint is the climate emergency

Jalal Hajizavar was executed at Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj after military court conviction according to reportsIran has executed a former contract employee for the aerospace organisation of the defence ministry on charges of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency, it has been reported.Jalal Hajizavar had left his post nine years ago and was convicted by a military court after an investigation which discovered documents and spying equipment at his home, the IRIB news agency said. Continue reading...

CBI among industry groups to sign open letter amid concerns over project’s futureBusiness leaders are calling on the next prime minister to commit to completing HS2, adding that if they do not they risk blocking future investment in the north.

Pharmaceutical known chemically as bremelanotide is aimed at women with low sexual desire disorder or HSDDDrug regulators in the United States have approved Vyleesi, the latest attempt to come up with a “female Viagra” for women with low sexual desire.Vyleesi, chemically known as bremelanotide, is said to activate pathways in the brain involved in sexual desire, helping premenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). It has been developed by Palatin Technologies and licensed to Amag Pharmaceuticals, and is expected to be available from September through select pharmacies. Continue reading...

Apartment owners have voted for $1m levy to fund initial works on the building, which developed cracks in its support structureA Go Fund Me page has been established to help apartment owners at Sydney’s Mascot Towers in their efforts to have the building repaired, after it developed cracks a week ago.The 10-year-old building in Sydney’s south had to be evacuated on 14 June when cracks developed in the primary support structure and facade masonry. Continue reading...

The mayor of Okuma, home of the damaged nuclear power plant, has been in exile for eight years – here he writes about finally returningThe residents of Okuma were among more than 150,000 people who were forced to flee their homes after the March 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. As one of the wrecked plant’s two host towns, Okuma was abandoned for eight years before authorities declared that radiation levels had fallen to safe levels, allowing residents to return. Even now, 60% of Okuma remains off limits, and only a tiny fraction of the pre-disaster population of 11,500 has returned since their former neighbourhoods were given the all clear in April. A month later, Okuma’s mayor, Toshitsuna Watanabe, and his colleagues returned to work at a new town hall. In his final diary for the Guardian, Watanabe reveals he has mixed feelings about being able to return to his family home. Continue reading...

‘National security’ measure seriously escalates tensions after clashes in Tbilisi during protests against visit by Russian MPVladimir Putin has banned Russia’s airlines from flying to Georgia, a day after a Russian lawmaker’s visit to the country prompted violent clashes between protesters and police.The ban is a serious escalation in tensions between the neighbouring countries, which fought a war in 2008. The suspension of flights is designed to put pressure on Georgia’s tourism industry, which accounted for 7.6% of the country’s GDP in 2018. More than 1.4 million Russians visited Georgia last year. Continue reading...