For seven years, the Yemeni people have been pummelled with Saudi bombs, many from Britain. Yet Westminster is silentThis is a far greater scandal than the parties in Downing Street. In a just world, it would prove the downfall of our prime minister. This week, airstrikes by the Saudis and their allies killed more than a dozen people in Yemen, civilians among them. Last month an estimated 32 civilians died as a result of the ongoing conflict. The country has been convulsed by civil war since 2014. For seven years, a Saudi-led coalition has been pummelling the impoverished country with bombs, many of them supplied by Britain. Through our staunch military alliance with the Saudi dictatorship, our government is directly complicit with these atrocities.You can be forgiven for knowing nothing about any of this: Yemen does not matter, you see. Its people have been relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy of death, and most of our media show little interest in scrutinising our government for slaughter that it is directly complicit in. The Saudi violence has only increased in Yemen since October, after the UN human rights council voted to end its war crimes investigation following intensive lobbying by the dictatorship in Riyadh.Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Arrests take place in Birmingham and Manchester in connection with US attack by Malik Faisal AkramTwo men have been arrested in Birmingham and Manchester as part of the investigation into the Texas synagogue attack by the British hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram.The men, whose ages have not been released, were “in custody for questioning”, Greater Manchester police said, and were held on Thursday morning as part of an “ongoing investigation”. Continue reading...

Fahima fears she is being targeted because of the role she had, which included recruiting other women*Fahima was the most senior policewoman in her province. Since the Taliban took over, women who worked in the police force have been targeted for assassination and beatings. She believes Taliban officials are particularly focused on tracking her down because of both her seniority and her role recruiting other women.I fled to another city just two days after the country fell to the Taliban, because I knew they were looking for me in my home province. They found my address, and have been to my house and asked my family about me. Continue reading...

PM also announces commonwealth to split school Covid surveillance testing costs with states 50-50 following national cabinet meeting

Scott Morrison says claims federal government requisitioning Covid rapid antigen tests ‘categorically untrue’; 60 coronavirus deaths recorded across four states; federal court publishes reasons for dismissing Novak Djokovic’s visa appeal; NSW hospitalisations have fallen; IVF treatments to resume in Victoria. Follow all the day’s news

If Chamonix is beyond your budget, don’t despair – there are plenty of small but charming resorts in the Alps and beyond. We round up some of the bestThe recent change in travel advice allowing UK citizens to travel to France again has put the country back on the agenda for the ski season.While skiers scramble to secure packages to the famous mega-resorts, there are dozens of smaller, lesser-known ski villages that offer excellent value for money while combining thrilling skiing with old-time charm and glorious natural surroundings. Here are a few that offer a change of scene and pace. Continue reading...

In rural provinces, women have always reared animals but are excluded from selling them. A new market is changing attitudesOn Saturday, Rozina Ghulam Mustafa arrived at the market in Tando Allahyar city, Pakistan’s Sindh province, to sell the goats she had raised, milked and fed.Usually her brother sells the animals, but he sold them too cheaply because he didn’t know their true value. “He has always sold our goats at a much lower price,” she says, standing inside an enclosure with 15 of them. Continue reading...

MP says Facebook has ‘blood on its hands’ after he was banned for pushing unproven treatments for Covid-19

Technique using artificial scabs made from a patient’s own blood could also help those with diabetes, say doctorsDoctors at a Nepal hospital trialling a new treatment for skin wounds say the technique, which mimics the scabbing process, has “enormous potential”.Trials at the mountaintop Anandaban leprosy hospital, south of Kathmandu, have been promising, bringing hope to patients worldwide. It is hoped that the treatment will also help millions living with diabetes, who have an increased risk of amputation. Continue reading...

Sherrill Roland was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Now exonerated, he’s created an exhibition using only materials available on the insideSherrill Roland could not touch his daughter until she was nearly a year old. He had spent 10 months in prison for a crime he did not commit.“It was the first time I finally got out again and got to choose which clothes I actually put on and the first time I got to hold her,” he recalls by phone. “She gave me a big smile and I was just in awe.” Continue reading...

World Surf League events are due in Victoria and WA but federal health minister says position on coronavirus vaccine is ‘pretty clear’ following Novak Djokovic visa saga

Lisala Folau climbed a tree on his home island before being washed away and eventually managing to reach the capitalThe story of a Tongan man washed away by the tsunami and who drifted and swam between islands for more than 24 hours has become one of the first to emerge from the island nation, five days after the disaster cut off communications between it and the rest of the world.Lisala Folau, a retired disabled carpenter, told Tongan radio station Broadcom FM that he swam and floated from his island of Atata via two other uninhabited islands to eventually reach the main island of Tongatapu, a total distance of around 13 kilometres. Continue reading...

Prime minister’s proposal was labelled a ‘brain fart’ and rejected by all states and territories at national cabinet

In northern Norway, trees are rapidly taking over the tundra and threatening an ancient way of life that depends on snow and iceAltafjord is a wide expanse of black water on the edge of the Barents Sea, ringed with mountains. Alta is a relatively large town in the Finnmark province, the crown of the horse’s mane that forms Norway’s jagged coastline and Europe’s northern shore. Here at sea level the most northerly trees in Europe are moving upslope, gobbling up the tundra as they go. The people and animals that live here are trying to make sense of the rapid changes with a mixture of confusion, denial and panic.Dawn at 70 degrees north during winter lasts nearly the whole day. The sun never rises, the day is permanently on the verge of breaking. It is disorienting. On the way to city hall from the guesthouse, I spied few pedestrians. Alta is a town built along American principles – that is to say a town built for a world in which petrol is cheap and cars are taken for granted. It is a landscape of shopping malls, gas stations and spaced-out residential suburbs. Normally at this time of year it isn’t safe to be outside for long without wearing animal skins, but on the day of my visit it was only -1C. Continue reading...

Jacinda Ardern says Omicron is ‘knocking at our door’ as the prime minister faces criticism over gaps in preparations for a Covid wave

Analysis: Kim Jong-un’s pressure on Joe Biden has so far elicited only fresh sanctions. Pyongyang has now signalled it may resume nuclear and ICBM testsNorth Korea has already conducted four test launches of ballistic missiles this year, but they could be a mere precursor to more serious provocations, as Kim Jong-un’s regime attempts to break the nuclear stalemate with the US.Superficially, the recent tests were a reminder of the North’s ability to manufacture more sophisticated weapons – perhaps including those capable of evading missile defences – despite years of international sanctions. Continue reading...

The Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi parasite kills tarantulas, just like Daniels did in the 1990 cult classic ArachnophobiaIt was a career honor Jeff Daniels probably didn’t think he was going to be bestowed with. The famed actor, musician, and producer on Wednesday etched his way into history by inspiring the name of a very special newly discovered species of worm.The parasite – now dubbed Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi – kills tarantulas, just like Daniels did in the 1990 cult classic Arachnophobia. (Note: for all those concerned – unlike his newly discovered namesake – Daniels did not actually kill any spiders. Allegedly no arachnids were harmed on set). Continue reading...

Victoria, NSW and Queensland say there are no plans to lower age, which PM had said was among proposals to ease supply chain workforce shortages

Pentagon declassifies footage from Kabul strike it defended but later admitted was an ‘honest mistake’The Pentagon has declassified and publicly released video footage of a US drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 civilians in the final hours of the chaotic American withdrawal that ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan.The New York Times obtained the footage through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against US Central Command, which then posted the imagery to its website. It marks the first public release of video footage of the 29 August strike, which the Pentagon initially defended but later called a tragic mistake. Continue reading...

Role of ministers in approving €1,500 payment for leaders and party HQ staff comes under scrutiny

Former minister demands PM’s resignation in Commons, one Conservative MP defects and others clamour for concessionsBoris Johnson has faced a defection and a demand to quit from one of his most senior MPs during a dramatic day in Westminster, with even allies of the prime minister warning the current situation cannot go on.David Davis caused shockwaves when he told Johnson in the Commons: “In the name of God, go.” Less than an hour earlier, Christian Wakeford, the MP for Bury South, quit the Conservatives and joined Labour in fury at the Downing Street parties scandal. Continue reading...

Omer Barlev denied claims that protesters’ phones had been hackedIsrael’s minister of public security has expressed his firm support for the country’s police force after allegations it used NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus software to spy on Israeli citizens.In an interview with the Guardian on Wednesday, Omer Barlev, the cabinet minister with responsibility for policing, denied claims made this week by Hebrew-language financial daily Calcalist that the phones of people who led protests against former premier Benjamin Netanyahu had been hacked into or surveilled by police. Continue reading...

About 322m bottles sold, up 32% from previous year despite impact of Covid on bars and restaurants

Aneeqa Ateeq says she was dragged her into a religious discussion so her accuser could take revengeA court in Pakistan has sentenced a woman to death over allegedly blasphemous messages sent over WhatsApp and Facebook.Aneeqa Ateeq, 26, was found guilty and given a death sentence by a court in Rawalpindi on Wednesday after a complaint was registered against her under Pakistan’s draconian cybercrime and blasphemy laws Continue reading...

QuantBioRes is working on a treatment not a vaccine, but CEO says tennis star is ‘not anti-vax’Novak Djokovic is the controlling shareholder in a Danish biotech firm aiming to develop a treatment for Covid-19 that does not involve vaccination, it has emerged.The world No 1, who was deported from Australia this week after the government cancelled his visa in a dispute over a medical exemption relating to his unvaccinated status, bought an 80% stake in QuantBioRes in 2020. Continue reading...

Two asylum seekers wrongly assessed as adults by Home Office social workers have won a victory in the high courtTwo asylum seekers who arrived in the UK as children but were wrongly assessed as adults by Home Office social workers have won a victory in the high court after it ruled that the way they were treated was unlawful.In his ruling on Wednesday, Mr Justice Henshaw found that the Home Office policy of conducting age assessments soon after arrival in the UK was unlawful, the decision to detain young people for them was unlawful, and the lack of an appropriate adult present for the assessments was also unlawful. Continue reading...

Nygard, 80, to be detained in Toronto as he awaits trial on sexual assault and forcible containment chargesThe Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been denied bail and will be detained in Toronto as he awaits trial oncharges of sexual assault and forcible confinement.This bail decision relates to charges Canadian authorities laid against Nygard, 80, in connection with events that allegedly took place between 1987 and 2006. He also faces charges from the United States. He has denied any wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Gang leader Vo Van Hong sentenced by Belgian court over deaths in sealed lorry container in EssexThe Vietnamese leader of a people smuggling gang has been sentenced to 15 years in a Belgian jail over the death by suffocation of 39 men, women and children transported across the Channel in a sealed trailer.Vo Van Hong, 45, was also ordered to pay a €920,000 (£760,000) fine by the court in Bruges, while prison sentences of between 18 months and 10 years were handed to 17 others for their roles in conducting a large-scale smuggling operation between Vietnam and Britain. Continue reading...

Members of old guard may refer to 2019 intake disparagingly, but they could hold PM’s fate in their handsThey were once among Boris Johnson’s most loyal defenders. Many of the army of more than 100 MPs who sat in Westminster for the first time in December 2019 felt they owed the prime minister their seat.So they were initially on their best behaviour, keen in a much-expanded parliamentary party to stand out from their peers and secure early promotion to the lowest rungs of the ministerial ladder. And most still feel that way. Continue reading...

Twitter and YouTube pages no longer accessible, while royal website refers to his role in the past tenseThe Duke of York’s social media accounts are being deleted as he continues his legal battle to fight a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in the US.Last week the Queen stripped her second son of his honorary military affiliations and royal patronages, and he agreed not to use his royal style HRH in any official capacity. Continue reading...

‘Both of the people on this train in Kinshasa are me. I superimposed myself because I can’t afford models’This image, part of a series called Imaginary Trip, was taken in an abandoned train outside Kinshasa station in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was looking for a site to evoke an imaginary voyage to convey the idea of memory, the passage of time and the reappropriation of old places. A lot of young men hang around this area, which is a poor neighbourhood, and they squat in the trains during the day while doing various jobs such as helping people at the station. Sometimes they have something to do, other times nothing.The two people in this photograph are both me. I took several digital images and then superimposed them to represent two young men playing a traditional game of draughts with bottle tops – as they do. When I started out on this project, I did not intend to put myself in the photographs – it was almost accidental. I did not have the money to pay for models, so it was partly a question of budget, but also of time. I spend ages in these places creating my photographs, too long for most people to hang around, so in the end I found myself in front of and behind the camera. I often work alone with a camera, a tripod and a remote trigger. Continue reading...

Cesar-winning star of A Very Long Engagement and Hannibal Rising involved in accident in the AlpsThe French actor Gaspard Ulliel has died at the age of 37 after a skiing accident.The star of A Very Long Engagement and Hannibal Rising was hospitalised after the accident in the Alps. Ulliel was transported via helicopter on Tuesday to Grenoble but did not survive his injuries, according to the actor’s family and agent. Continue reading...

With ageing Soviet-era rockets and a depleted, elderly fleet, Ukraine’s military hold their breath for Moscow’s next moveYiry Ulshin surveyed a scene of ruin. Before him were the remains of what was once a school. Desks were covered in debris. A photo of the class of 2011 lay in the wreckage. There were abandoned crayons and year 3 books in Ukrainian and Russian. Beyond a bullet-scarred wall was a view of pine trees and sea.“My heart is hurting. Why did Russia do this?” Ulshin, a Ukrainian army commander, asked. Continue reading...

Names and faces of men thought to be hiding in Spain, wanted for alleged crimes including murder, are releasedThe names and faces of 12 of the most wanted British criminal suspects thought to be hiding in Spain have been published by police in a bid to track them down.A joint campaign involving Spanish and UK police forces was launched on Wednesday in Madrid with a picture gallery of men wanted in connection with crimes including murder, drug trafficking and arms smuggling. Continue reading...

Man held in relation to potential withholding of information as police continue to question murder suspectA second man has been arrested in connection with the killing of the schoolteacher Ashling Murphy while she was out jogging in rural Ireland.The man is reportedly known to the 31-year-old man who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of Murphy’s murder. The second male was detained in relation to potential withholding of information contrary to the Offences Against the State Act and can be held for up to three days. Continue reading...

Debbie Hicks said she was acting as ‘guerrilla journalist’ to prove lockdown measures disproportionateA woman acting as a “guerrilla journalist” when she filmed inside a hospital in an attempt to prove her belief that lockdown measures were disproportionate has been convicted of a public order offence.Debbie Hicks, 47, a former teacher and psychologist, filmed twice at the Gloucestershire Royal hospital in Gloucester in December 2020 and told staff who challenged her she could do what she wanted as she paid her taxes. Continue reading...

Questions raised over move to buy The Standard Bearer for €175m from trust in the Cook IslandsThe Dutch government is facing criticism after it emerged that a Rembrandt masterpiece is to be bought by the state from the Rothschild family through a tax haven in the south Pacific.A debate in the country’s senate heard that the €175m (£145m) purchase of The Standard Bearer would be from a trust located in the Cook Islands whose holding company is located in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, also a tax haven. Continue reading...

Singer’s lawyer demands sister Jamie Lynn stop ‘referencing Britney derogatorily’ during promotion of memoir, and files allegations of misconduct against fatherA lawyer for Britney Spears has threatened legal action against her sister Jamie Lynn, and accused their father of financial misconduct, including the hiring of a private security firm to keep Britney and people close to her under surveillance.A letter written by Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart instructs Jamie Lynn to “cease and desist from referencing Britney derogatorily during your promotional campaign” for her new memoir. “If you fail to do so or defame her, Britney will be forced to consider and take all appropriate legal action.” Continue reading...

In Kenneth Branagh’s acclaimed drama, Dornan plays a penniless father whose astonishing good looks pass without comment. It’s not the first time the film industry has asked audiences to ignore an actor’s attractivenessKenneth Branagh’s Belfast clearly owes a debt to Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma. Both films are named after places. They’re both autobiographical. They’re both filmed in black and white for maximum awards season impact. And yet the films differ in one key area. Cuarón, for the most part, filled his film with authentic-looking non-actors. Branagh, meanwhile, filled his with Jamie Dornan.Which is no slight on Dornan. In recent years he’s proved himself to be one of our most charismatic and magnetic actors. Put a camera on Jamie Dornan and audiences won’t look away. Except in Belfast, he’s playing the down-at-heel dad of a family barely able to stay afloat. At one point he is almost sunk by a £500 tax bill. Which would be all too believable, save for the fact that Jamie Dornan looks like Jamie Dornan. If Belfast was set in any recognisable universe, then one of Dornan’s neighbours would have said, “Have you ever thought about becoming a model?”, or “I saw you singing Everlasting Love to professional standards in the club the other night, you could try doing that for a living”, or “You know what would get you out of this pickle? Playing a literal sex god in the movie adaptations of a wildly successful erotic novel series?” And he would have said yes and, because he is Jamie Dornan, all his debts would have been paid off by lunchtime. Continue reading...

A new book by Rosemary Sullivan suggests that Arnold van den Bergh could have revealed the family’s hiding place, but other historians are not convincedHistorians have voiced their scepticism about a book that has identified a Jewish notary as the prime suspect for the betrayal of Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis.The Betrayal of Anne Frank, by Rosemary Sullivan, based on research gathered by retired FBI detective Vince Pankoke was published on Tuesday by HarperCollins with some fanfare. Continue reading...

Eleven people were thrown from all-terrain vehicle and trailer when crossing on farm gave wayA man has died and two people have been seriously injured in Lancashire after a vehicle and a trailer fell into a river when a bridge collapsed.Eleven people were thrown from a Polaris Ranger and its trailer when a crossing on a farm in the Moor Lane area of Roeburndale gave way at about 4.25pm on Tuesday, Lancashire police said. Continue reading...

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to unveil its measure of how close human civilisation is to the edge of extinctionOn 24 October 1962, an American nuclear chemist, Harrison Brown, started to pen a guest editorial for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists just as the Cuban missile crisis reached its climax.“I am writing on a plane en route from Los Angeles to Washington and for all I know this editorial … may never be published,” Brown said. “Never in history have people and nations been so close to death and destruction on such a vast scale. Midnight is upon us.” Continue reading...

How does Australia’s coronavirus vaccine rollout and schedule compare with other countries, and when will Australia reach 80% and 90% third dose vaccination? We bring together the latest numbers on the vaccination rate in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and other states, as well as stats, maps, live data and Indigenous vaccination rates.

Sixty-seven Covid deaths across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia; more than 40,000 rapid antigen tests stolen in NSW; PM says ‘don’t pay attention’ to George Christensen’s vaccine views; Queensland to open to international travellers on Saturday; NSW, Victoria and SA reduce booster wait time to three months. Follow the day’s news

Switching accents and deliberately mispronouncing words was silly, but it helped keep up our spirits when managers were tracking our toilet breaks and listening to our callsThe part of communal work-life I miss most is gallows humour. This can only be forged in really crap jobs, and they don’t come much worse than call-centre work. I’ve done a fair bit, cold-calling for rubbish products, financial services and charities. Call centres are offices, but also open prisons. Managers keep track of the number and length of your toilet breaks. They count how many calls you attempt each minute, so you can’t slack off. When some poor sap does pick up, they sometimes listen in. You would only know this after you got taken to one side and asked why you hadn’t attempted to flog the cash-strapped pensioner some side plates. Your continued employment was always at stake. We all suffered the same dilemma. On the one hand, crippling financial need; on the other, our souls.Yet an atmosphere of Stasi-like distrust can really juice one’s rebellious instincts. These call centres were frequently staffed by actors (one of whom is now Hollywood royalty, starring in Marvel films for presumably more than £10 an hour). We were young, had the gift of the gab and could work off-script, which made sales conversations less robotic, and often more lucrative. If skiving was off the table, there were other plays. Continue reading...

The former editor-at-large of Vogue was famous for his big personality and as a champion of Black designers and models

France registers 464,769 new Covid-19 infections over the last 24 hours; Italy’s cases jump from 83,403 a day earlier

Citizens blocked from returning home after minister Chris Hipkins halts release of space in quarantine rooms, saying facilities are under ‘extreme pressure’

Members of the Tongan diaspora feared never seeing their loved ones on the Pacific island again when communications were cut off following the volcanic eruption on Saturday. 'I'm aware that other islanders, other Pacific people, other Tongans, all feel exactly my feeling. That's how close we are.' said Tongan-Australian artist and activist Seini Taumoepeau. She said she hasn't had any contact with relatives and friends in Tonga days after a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami caused significant damage and cut off phone and internet lines for the archipelago.

Report making case for culture as catalyst for levelling up wins cross-party backingThink of “the north” and images that come to mind include Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North, the sculpture of Henry Moore and Manchester’s music scene.But now a rare show of cross-party unity has called for all of the cultural icons of northern England to be a catalyst to rebuild the region and rebalance it with the rest of the UK. Continue reading...